Brad Lancaster
American water management expert, author and permaculture teacher
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Brad_2009.jpg/220px-Brad_2009.jpg)
Brad Stewart Lancaster (born 1967) is an expert in the field of rainwater harvesting and water management , sun & shade harvesting ( passive solar design ) and community-stewarded native food forestry. [1] He is also a permaculture teacher, designer, consultant, live storyteller [2] and co-founder of the Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters, [3] and Desert Harvesters [4] ,both non-profit organizations.
Lancaster lives on an eighth of an acre (506 m2) in downtown Tucson, Arizona , where rainfall is less than 12 inches (300 mm) per annum. In such arid conditions, Lancaster consistently models that annually catching 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L; 83,000 imp gal) of rainwater to feed food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape is a much more viable option than the municipal system of directing it into storm drains and sewer systems. [5]
Lancaster helped legalize the harvest of street runoff in the city of Tucson, Arizona, with then-illegal water-harvesting curb cuts at his and his brother’s home and demonstration site that made openings in the street curb to enable street runoff to freely irrigate street-side and in-street water-harvesting/ traffic-calming landscapes of food-bearing native vegetation. [6] After proving the concept, Brad then worked with the City of Tucson to legalize, enhance, and incentivize the process. [6] [7] [8]
Lancaster co-created and now co-organizes the Neighborhood Foresters program [3] which since 1996 has coordinated volunteer crews of neighbors to plant and steward over 1,700 native food-bearing trees and thousands of native food-bearing and medicinal understory plantings within or beside water-harvesting earthworks that, combined, harvest over one million gallons (3.7 million liters) of stormwater per year in his neighborhood, [9] while helping and training volunteers from other neighborhoods to lead similar efforts in their neighborhoods. [10]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Brad_Lancaster_leading_tour_of_permaculture_students.jpg/220px-Brad_Lancaster_leading_tour_of_permaculture_students.jpg)
The Desert Harvesters non-profit organization Brad co-founded teaches the public how to identify, harvest, and process many of the native-plant foods neighbors are planting in their neighborhoods. [11] Desert Harvesters also makes the utilization of native foods easier by organizing community milling events that mill native mesquite pods into nutritious and delicious mesquite flour which is utilized by a growing number of restaurants, breweries, and home kitchens. [11] Brad resigned from Desert Harvesters in the summer of 2020. [12]
A 2009 project involved acting as a representative for the U.S. State Department on an educational tour in the Middle East. [13]
Lectures
Lancaster lectures at the ECOSA Institute; the University of Arizona ; and Prescott College. [14] He has been a guest speaker at the annual Bioneers Convergence; Green Festival USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference; [15] Texas Natural Building Colloquium; [16] the New Mexico Xeriscape Conference; the Green Festival; [17] the 2009 Water Conservation & Xeriscaping EXPO; the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference; [18] Conference of World Affairs [19] and various Audubon Expeditions. [ citation needed ]
Design
Lancaster has designed integrated water-harvesting and permaculture systems for multiple projects, including the Tucson Audubon Simpson Farm restoration site, the Milagro development, Stone Curves co-housing project, [20] and the Tucson Nature Conservancy water-harvesting demonstration site, [21] the Wallace Desert Garden at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum , [22] [23] and the Tumamoc Resilience Garden. [24]
Books
- Lancaster, Brad (2020). Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks, 2nd Edition. Rainsource Press.
- Lancaster, Brad (2019). Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape, 3rd Edition . Rainsource Press.
- Desert Harvesters (2018). Eat Mesquite and More: A Cookbook for Sonoran Desert Foods and Living . Rainsource Press. [Brad Lancaster: contributing author and editor.]
- Mottram, A., Carlberg, E., Love A., Cole, T., Brush W., Lancaster, B. (2017). Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems: A Practical Approach to Strengthening Farmer Resilience to Shocks and Stresses . The TOPS Program and Mercy Corps .
- Lancaster, Brad (2013). Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape, 2nd Edition . Rainsource Press.
- Lancaster, Brad (2008). Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks, 1st Edition . Rainsource Press.
- Lancaster, Brad (2006). Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape, 1st Edition . Rainsource Press.
Published articles
Awards
- Citizen Forester of the Year: Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (2021) [25]
- MOCA Local Genius Award: Tucson (2016) [26]
- Lifetime Achievement Award: American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) (2015) [27]
- Bicycle Commuter of the Year: Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee (2014) [28]
- Cox Conserves Hero: Arizona (2013) [29]
- David Yetman Award: Tucson Audubon Society (2013)
- Award of Excellence/Personal Recognition from American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (2008)
- Arizona Department of Water Resources/Tohono Chul Park Xeriscape Contest Award, First Place – Homeowner under $10,000 (2005) [30]
- Arizona Department of Water Resources/Tohono Chul Park Xeriscape Contest Award – Best Water Harvesting (2005) [30]
- Arizona Department of Water Resources/Tohono Chul Park Xeriscape Contest Award –J.D. Di Melglio Artistry in Landscaping (2005) [30]
- City of Tucson and Pima County Good Neighbor Award (2001)
- Tucson Weekly voted Dunbar/Spring Organic Community Garden the Best Neighborhood Garden (2000)
External links
- HarvestingRainwater.com
- Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters
- DesertHarvesters.org
- Dryland-harvesting home gathers sun, rain, food
Interviews
- Urban Farm U podcast 540: Brad Lancaster on Planting the Rain May 2020
- Permaculture For the Future podcast 003: Harvesting Rainwater For a Greener Future with Brad Lancaster , February 2020
- Eat Mesquite and More! with Brad Lancaster and Jill Lorenzini, The Permaculture Podcast , 10 March 2018
- The Desert Harvesters with Brad Lancaster, The Permaculture Podcast , 3 December 2015
- Water Harvesting with Brad Lancaster, The Permaculture Podcast , 15 January 2015
- Tucson Man Harvests Water, National Public Radio (NPR) , 10 September 2008
- Harvesting Rainwater by Not Letting It Go to Waste , National Public Radio (NPR), 10 January 2008
- Brad Lancaster: Dancing in the Rain , New Dimensions Media , 30 October 2006
- Grow With the Flow: Legal Uses of Graywater , Carol Steinfeld, Natural Home and Garden , March/April 2008
References
- ↑ Kreutz, Douglas (2017-11-16). "Neighborhood foresters work to beautify their slice of the Tucson community" . Arizona Daily Star . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ "The Odyssey Storytelling Podcast: Brad Lancaster, Home" . odysseystorytelling.libsyn.com . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- 1 2 "Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters – Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters" . dunbarspringneighborhoodforesters.org . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ "Desert Harvesters - Home" . www.desertharvesters.org . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ Telis, Gisela. "The Care and Watering of a Neighborhood", Tucson Green Magazine , January 2008, p.13
- 1 2 April 27, Tony Davis; Now, 2015 From the print edition Like Tweet Email Print Subscribe Donate (2015-04-27). "Tucson's rain-catching revolution" . www.hcn.org . Archived from the original on 2019-07-07 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- ↑ Kraker, Dan (29 May 2014). "Rain Man: How one Tucson resident harvests the rain" . www.mprnews.org . Archived from the original on 2019-07-07 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- ↑ "American Oasis" . american-oasis.herokuapp.com . Archived from the original on 2018-06-03 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- ↑ "Accomplishments – Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters" . dunbarspringneighborhoodforesters.org . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ Kreutz, Douglas (16 November 2017). "Neighborhood foresters work to beautify their slice of the Tucson community" . Arizona Daily Star . Archived from the original on 2019-07-07 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- 1 2 Media, Arizona Public. "Native Harvest" . tv.azpm.org . Archived from the original on 2019-07-07 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- ↑ Rainwater, Harvesting. "The Umbrella: Pre-spring 2022" . Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond by Brad Lancaster . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ Khan, Fouzia (April 21, 2009). "American Speakers at Earth Day Celebrations". Saudi Gazette , P.3.
- ↑ Rainwater, Harvesting. "Brad Lancaster: Free Public Water Harvesting Talk Sponsored by Prescott College, April 19, 2010 - Prescott AZ" . Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond by Brad Lancaster . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ "Greenbuild 2009" . Archived from the original on 2011-07-26 . Retrieved 2010-02-04 .
- ↑ "Natural Building Colloquium 2007: Texas: Presenters" . Archived from the original on 2010-07-24 . Retrieved 2010-02-04 .
- ↑ "Green Festival - __404__" . Archived from the original on 2011-07-22 . Retrieved 2010-02-04 .
- ↑ "Home" . farmtotablenm.org . Archived from the original on 2010-01-28 . Retrieved 2010-02-04 .
- ↑ "Brad Lancaster" . Conference on World Affairs . 2022-01-18 . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ Hamilton, James L., Stone Curves Development Manager, personal communication, February 10, 2010
- ↑ "Sustainable Tucson » Water" . www.sustainabletucson.org . Archived from the original on 2008-04-01.
- ↑ Rainwater, Harvesting. "Growing the Soil-Carbon Sponge by Tweaking Trails, Irrigation Line Protection, & Erosion-Control to Harvest Rainwater, Soil, & Seed" . Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond by Brad Lancaster . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ "Wallace Desert Garden · Boyce Thompson Rd, Superior, AZ 85173" . Wallace Desert Garden · Boyce Thompson Rd, Superior, AZ 85173 . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ Dryland rain gardens harvest all water from burst water line! , retrieved 2023-05-16
- ↑ "Brad Lancaster awarded Citizen Forester of the Year – Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters" . dunbarspringneighborhoodforesters.org . Retrieved 2023-05-16 .
- ↑ Hoch, Heather. "MOCA Announces 4 Local Genius Award Recipients for 2016" . Tucson Weekly . Archived from the original on 2019-07-07 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- ↑ "Hall of Fame - Brad Lancaster - American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association" . www.arcsa.org . Archived from the original on 2019-07-07 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- ↑ "Brad Lancaster Wins 2014 Bicycle Commuter of the Year along with Juan Mungia" . Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond by Brad Lancaster . 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2019-07-07 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- ↑ "Brad Lancaster Named Arizona's 2013 Cox Conserves Hero" . Newsroom | About Us | Cox Communications . Archived from the original on 2022-09-14 . Retrieved 2019-07-07 .
- 1 2 3 Poole, B. “Design With the Desert in Mind”, Tucson Citizen , March 2006, p.4A.