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Conserving Tucson

October 27, 2014 — 2 Comments

home tour

composting toilet

hand washing

okra

chicken run

We attended the open house and garden tour offered by Watershed Management Group in Tucson this weekend. We are interested in finding ways to improve our soil and conserve rain water since we live in a time of drought in the desert. We have come a long way toward awareness that we need to make use of the storm water that causes erosion and lots of damage to our paved streets. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the interest is growing and the available resources are expanding. Home owners who contribute labor to projects at the homes of others can earn credit toward completing their own projects though the Green Living coop program at Watershed Management. Volunteer opportunities abound, and the coop gives homeowners a more thrifty alternative to hiring a contractor.

The homeowners were gracious showing us gardens, chickens and systems they have installed to capture grey water and rain water. The outdoor bathroom with solar shower and composting toilet was comfortable and had no objectionable smell at all. The agriculture thrives with the help of extra rain water. The plants show obvious signs of good health. Our favorite home display was the aquaponic garden. This system uses a few fish to provide the food needed to grow plants in water. The cascading system is very low in water use since it is all recycled and pumped through the fish tank and back to the garden all the time. We would love to have a system like this, and will go back to visit the aquaponic system to investigate getting our own. The homeowner also had some ingenious use of rainwater for orchard trees and a wood fired hot tub with a charcoal filter system.

aquaponics

aquaponic kale

wood fired hot tub

The most developed and well funded display we visited was the Nature Conservancy headquarters. They have taken out the asphalt, installed giant cisterns under the parking lot and in metal tanks. The parking structures are solar electric panels that provide most of the electricity for the facility. The mission of the Conservancy is wonderfully fulfilled by the educational aspects of the campus. The public can visit and learn about water harvesting and conservation any time, but during the harvest tour we were accompanied by a docent who was very well informed and helpful. This well respected institution takes the lead in teaching and practicing ecological sanity. The building itself was built from recycled materials. The non native plants were removed in favor of native landscaping. We are lucky to have this shining example of conservation in our city.

cistern Nature Conservancy

solar electric

cistern

Nature Conservancy

Saving Tucson’s Environment

March 17, 2013 — 3 Comments

This week I had the opportunity to take a workshop with Watershed Management Group. I am concerned about the use and abuse of our water resources in Tucson, so I was curious to learn what this group is teaching. I found the format to be very effective. Our 2 day workshop took place at the Ward 1 City of Tucson office near the Santa Cruz River. A grant has been secured to improve the environment around the office. The water harvesting techniques we learned to retrofit neighborhoods with green infrastructure are needed in all parts of the Tucson valley in order to preserve and repair our water table. The city of Tucson Water, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality sponsor and fund some of these storm water harvesting projects. Others are created by neighborhoods and cities. Lake Havasu City has been an active client, as is the city of Sierra Vista.

My fellow students came from as far away as Buffalo, New York. There were several New Mexicans. All were professionals in the fields of landscape design, civil engineering, architecture, permaculture, and real estate management. I attended out of my general interest in water quality and health. I have a specific interest in stopping the rape of the environment in my neighborhood by my own HOA board. There is an insistence on as much water waste and plant destruction as possible, which has left us with a more and more barren urban heat island. The value of our property as well as the quality of life around us has been destroyed, along with wildlife habitat, by simply following worst environmental practices for more than a decade. If no steps are taken to stop the destructive practices we can expect our value to continue to drop and our crime rate to continue to rise. Environment and greenery have a very direct effect on crime rates.

I learned more than enough to convince some of my neighbors to join me in turning the tide of waste and ghetto creation in our hood. I look forward to participating in more projects with Watershed Management Group.

Benefits and techniques

Costs

Healthy snacks

we assess the site

checking all deets

Parking lot project

polenta pizza

beets, greens, salad

greens

I am a huge fan of the entire process, about which I will tell you much more, gentle reader. Let it suffice to say that taking courses in watershed management will get you into the best lunch you have ever tasted. Incredibly tasty local ingredients were catered for us picnic style. A good time was had by all. The learning was fine, but the camaraderie and gourmet enjoyment put this experience over the top in my book.