How Arizona's cities are fighting drought with an ancient practice: Harvesting The Rain

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Find out more: www.leafoflife.news ⏩ Make sure to check out the full video on urban rainwater harvesting here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4rQmIx8YtKEnKs With special thanks to Andrew Millison for the video footage we used of Brad Lancaster and his work 🙏 What do you think about this video? Do you want to see more green cities and regreening the desert initiatives all over the world? Are you trying to green the desert or have a regenerative story you would like us to cover? Let us know in the comments section below, we will reply to all the comments in this video! 💚 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL Help us share more regenerative stories: www.patreon.com/leafoflifefilms One time donation: www.paypal.com/paypalme/LeafofLifefilms

[@metaversecreations6176]

Great video. Thanks for producing them.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

@@metaversecreations6176 glad you enjoyed the video, and thank you for your encouraging comment! 💚

[@مريمداودي-ي4ص]

hey you can use the Domestic wastewater/and the stormdrain to water/fertilize the plants just connect the pipes the rught way that the plants roots can get the water from the waste pipes and storm water pipes

[@topgamingofficial1]

SUBSCRIBE TOP GAMING

[@jawaidiqbal6113]

Give me your whats app group number Because telegram channal link d'nt work

[@rylandplassmann9095]

I live in Tucson and I remember when I was young my neighborhood was going under a mass transformation, I didn't know it at the time (late 2000's) but rain gardens were being installed along every street. I remember when my parents brought me and my brother to volunteer on one of the projects and saw city work crews tearing parts of the street for the gardens, which were not much of a problem due to the streets being wide, originally made for streetcars in the early 20th century but that never happened. The crown jewel was the construction of a rain harvesting park on a piece of land no one was using next to an arroyo. Now there are many trees and shrubs in front of our homes, rain harvesting tanks are not uncommon, one house is made of rammed earth and plans for better bike infrastructure are on the table. The best part is: we're not done.

[@rylandplassmann9095]

Also I forgot to mention that there are almost no lawns in the city except in parks, the last house who had a lawn in the neighborhood next over got rid of it last year. A large church with a huge lawn all around it finally got rid of theirs recently. There are a few holdouts here and there like Winterhaven, it's like they think they're in the midwest. Unless it's fake grass then that's a start.

[@peasinourthyme5722]

@@rylandplassmann9095 Wonderful to hear of your city´s transformation first hand! And so cool that people are even getting rid of lawns! You seem to maybe have reached a selfpreserving momentum, where the benefit of the changes are so evident that people in general see no reason to hang on to their old sacred cows?

[@TimothyCHenderson]

@@rylandplassmann9095 Honestly, one of the more interesting things about living in a place like that would be having a natural lawn or garden without grass and with local plants.

[@Ninjabeefyschtick]

another video from vox indicates that poor neighborhoods do not have that benefit as they are all cement and people can't afford the water to grow trees.

[@MrsPeel2305]

@@TimothyCHenderson A lawn without grass? How that?

[@Jaradis]

Every building in Arizona and other water crisis areas should require rain capture tanks to collect all the water that normally just runs off the roof and into stormwater pipes. Collect that water, then either use it to water your garden/yard or have it set to slowly discharge it into your land so it soaks into the ground and replenishes the groundwater. Imagine the amount of water that could be collected if every building had this, and how much water could be released into the ground over time instead of just running off quickly during a storm.

[@ChiquitaSpeaks]

I’m confused water being captured for running off into the ground vs water running off into the ground

[@barnowl.]

@@ChiquitaSpeaks Water is being captured from rainfall on the roof and drained into water-holding tanks which are a kind of reservoir. Then the water can be used incrementally as needed for : drinking, on the garden, flushing toilets, showers, baths, washing cars etc. In Australian states, the new homes are encouraged to have water tanks and the government subsidises some of the cost also for established homes, too. During the 13 year drought , when I washed clothes, the rinse water was diverted by a pipe into an outside container and I pumped water via the hose to the garden. In Oz we always turn the tap off when cleaning teeth etc. ie. don't leave it running, and our toilets are designed for full and half flush. We are encouraged to grow trees and other plants around the house as that reduces temperature through shade and expiration of moisture by plants and to put mulch cover on garden beds. Australia is the driest, inhabited continent on the planet.

[@jordankaliher9942]

The racist redneck bastards who live out in that state don't give a flying fuck about the environment and helping anyone other themselves, good luck convincing people to believe in science on the right. Those people don't believe in facts anymore

[@user-gj8ms7jd8v]

In CA, I think it's illegal to rain capture. I think ok in San Diego with a permit. Dumb. I'm in northern CA, 100⁰ for 6mths straight. PG&E went around cutting down perfectly healthy trees, some not even near power lines. Without the trees, the ground/area got hotter. I could sense it immediately. Also, there was a "cry" of sadness from the other trees. They don't think. I told them to GTF off my property.

[@Jaradis]

@@ChiquitaSpeaks Sorry for the late reply, but there is a big difference. Water from storms in Arizona and other states like this during storms just quickly rushes away and doesn't soak into the ground, replenishing the aquifers and allowing the soil to maintain a high enough moisture level to support more plant life. If you captured that storm water, and then instead of having all that water just rush into the storm drains and to the rivers, you let the water slowly drain over many days onto the land, the water won't just drain away into the rivers, it will seep into the soil allowing plants better growing conditions as well as replenishing the aquifers. When I was in the desert in Sedona, there was a spigot for a hose where the water was slowly dripping from a leak in the faucet, desert all around us, but that 10 foot area around the spigot was full of wild flowers and grasses, all from that little bit of extra moisture seeping into the ground. The problem is in many areas they've made it illegal to capture rain water... because they want you to be forced to buy the water from them.

[@Reyajh]

Brad is exactly the kind of brilliant, 'outside the box' thinker we need, and that the city caught on and adapted to accommodate his innovations tells me that they are serious about meeting their targeted goal of 2030 carbon neutral! I love stories like this! And to boot the neighborhoods look so much more natural and organic...😊

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Agree we love this story and look forward to seeing the process of Tucson becoming carbon neutral by 2030!

[@dcpack]

Outside the box? Seriously? These principles have been general knowledge for many decades. Except for the carbon dioxide idiocy. Sunlight+H2O+CO2 = plants growing. The plants in this scheme would not be doing as well, which 50 years ago they did not, without the elevated CO2.

[@Reyajh]

@@dcpack May be those principles have been around for decades, but I haven't seen anyone else cutting chunks of curb out of the way and doing other illegal things like such to implement their vision and uh yea, that is out of the box thinkin... Feel free to elaborate and enlighten us with some of those examples you so highly speak of...

[@dcpack]

@@Reyajh Examples? Of what? At what point did I even mention anything that required "examples"? Of plants growing? What plants require to grow? Of how elevated levels of CO2 fertilize plants? Of photosynthesis?

[@Reyajh]

@@dcpack Silly

[@joemarshall9482]

I have worked with Brad for over twenty years and awesome Tucson is shifting to this outlook 💧💧

[@ettaplace6716]

Only not the climate change comment…

[@whyohwhy3407]

This is on par with Rajasthan desert in India, there are pockets of the desert, reverting to green and ni diversity is bringing wildlife back again! What a heartwarming sight!

[@Gnarmarmilla]

Thank you so much, Leaf of Life. This makes me very happy. Brad Lancaster is a hero. It’s so sad to see how nervous and foolhardy many people when it comes to taking care of their properties. They get worried about how proper it looks and so they rip up trees, shrubs and plants to make it look “clean,” but it is baron and unproductive. Our Urban landscapes are not incorporating plants into the design and I hope this changes. My neighbor is very foolish and he gets upset when I don’t cut the grass super short like he does and when I let many plants grow up to help absorb the rain water. It’s frustrating. He even called the city and told them I had snakes living on my property because I was letting the plants grow too much (which I don’t but he made that up to try and get them force me to make my yard baron like his.) He is an old man and he was taught incorrectly so he needs help understanding nature better. Videos like this can really help people to understand nature better.

[@Vane22april]

Not only Brad made a brave and useful decision for nature, but created a nice and relaxing environment that you actually want to explore.

[@wildlifegardenssydney7492]

Brad Lancaster is such a thoughtful, brilliant water steward. His books are full of brilliant designs that he has already working. He follows permaculture, low tech principles and all is within the reach of everyone. I am so glad that your cities listens to innovate thinkers like Brad and follows through on his advice and ideas. He has a youtube channel too and has been interviewed by Kristen Dickerson.

[@TomTom-xp2jb]

The world needs way more Brads!!! We don't need any lawns in the desert. Great viddy. Thx for all you do Brad!!! You're an inspiration to all of us who care about our Mother Earth. ❤️❤️❤️

[@pongop]

If Tucson can do it, other arid and semi-arid places like California's Central Valley can do it too! Brad showed that you can DIY it and don't have to wait for the Grow government. Let's grow and communify the future! Great video!

[@aaronmontgomery2055]

Problem is california hates real change. There were plans like this and even pipes but cali said no.

[@pongop]

@@aaronmontgomery2055 That's disappointing. I think it will come down to neighborhoods and communities doing it on their own without politicians.

[@jacklong7048]

Phoenix needs to get a clue.

[@22espec]

Grow is the problem, you can fight the desert but water is a limited recourse and those zones just can't sustain such big cities for a long time.

[@pongop]

@@22espec Good points

[@jamesp8459]

That rain water harvesting project Brad started was a really cool idea.

[@coffeepumper]

Our recharge projects here have been super effective as well... During heavy rains last year a natural spring that had been dormant for years started flowing by itself for the first time in like 50 years.. we run effluent down a dry river year round now too..brad is just the most well known, there's a massive amount of green stuff happening in Tucson, it's kind of the anti-phoenix 😂

[@coffeepumper]

kzbin.info these guys are great

[@tizianopilustri8157]

What is going on in Phoenix?

[@coffeepumper]

@@tizianopilustri8157 there's been some progress.. much more lately..but I think overall it's just a political difference.. Tucson has always been full of passionate hippies, while phoenix has unending neighborhoods where they don't just water lawns, but irrigate, ie they fill the yards with water and just let it evaporate. It's unreal.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Thats amazing if you have links to any projects in Tucson would love to take a look, please send to our email address in description.

[@dcpack]

Yes, you can thank the elevated CO2 for the "massive amount of green stuff". Sunlight+H2O+CO2= plant growth.

[@timothydavis8388]

This is so wholesome, my man Brad pretty much single handedly pioneered such a wonderful engineering practice. It's not only sustainable, it's beautiful, and improves the lives of the people living there. True sustainability makes life better for people.

[@bombdottcom111]

Yes exactly it is HOW we actually WANT it to be like anyway! 👍

[@simplysimple7628]

This man is literally a living legend. People like himself needs recognition and praise. Seriously. In this world of gluts and glamour, it is not “cool” to be recognized as a helper or a teacher of sustainability. Backwards mentality.

[@wildlifegardenssydney7492]

❤🎯🎯

[@Lolbsterbiscuit]

As much as I appreciate the premise of the video, the thumbnail and title are misleading. This is more about Brad’s efforts and success to improve city water conservation and capture, and less about Tucson city govt’s initiatives to cool and green the city. Nothing from the contents of this video discusses resulting cooling or proof of concept when it comes to temperature

[@donalda777]

100% Agree

[@anomilumiimulimona2924]

I second the obvious fact.

[@amelielamothe2853]

They're still going to get fried . Its the desert stupid....

[@brooksanderson2599]

To give credit where credit is due ,I use Brad's books in my efforts to convince Mexican federal, state, and city officials to impliment rainwater harvesting here in Salillo, Mexico.

[@annavasilaraki6422]

One man can make a difference! This is wonderful that the city understood the importance and made the necessary changes!

[@JorgeLausell]

Thank you! I've suggested this sort of infrastructure redesign for decades! One of the many I would hear: They'd never let you do this. When I suggested it in a Planning Class, the Dept Head suggested I wasn't cut out for their program as it was more about compliance than innovation. A few months back I ran into this project. There's some great videos on it. I've since updated my approach to this particular design. Good to see how the city's embracing this! Thanks again.

[@badpiggies988]

I’ve been to Tuscon and I can confirm, I was surprised to see how green and beautiful it’s become. Best wishes from Washington State.

[@johnlozauskas778]

This video blew me away. I thought to myself, Brad must be a genius, but the bigger truth is that he is observant. He noticed the rain pooling by the curb and he decided to experiment by "vandalizing" the curb to let the water flow through. AND, he had to be stubborn as hell because the old farts of his community were horrified he was damaging City Property. Small levers move big stones.

[@Dread_2137]

innovations are created by observing what is around, which is why such solutions have existed in europe for centuries seriously, i'm surprised how americans built whole country with the thought "I will just put building here" and did not give it any further thought

[@ichangedmyself4362]

Gosh yes. Because....why?

[@scorpioninpink]

@@Dread_2137 They literally needed to lift the entire city of Chicago just to build a sewage system.

[@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists]

www.youtube.com/@HarvestingRainwater

[@kirkdavis3929]

I'm a Tucsonian, I'm only now finding out about Brian..Thank you so much, this is what I'm all about these days.

[@animallover1495]

I live in seattle Washington. And I'm going to do this

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Take a before and after picture and send it to us, we will feature your example on FB possibly YT

[@gerhard6105]

In the 80's we had a tree-planting day with school. And not only our school did that. When here a road is reconstructed, the responsible contractor always has to plant one tree extra. Regards from the Netherlands.

[@MechmanGetrieb]

Great approach to the Problem

[@curiosity2314]

Brad is a hero.

[@edi9892]

For an arid land this vegetation is lush and varied. I really like it. I live in central Europe and can't stand our tradition of keeping huge lawns all cut 7cm tall... I love to see wild flowers, butterflies and birds again and not those sterile monocultures... Even at my place, I noticed that the inner city is much hotter than the suburbs. Plants and wind channels make a huge difference...

[@albin4323]

Here in sweden it's the oppsite, they refuse to cut most grass growing areas close to the city centre which makes it look unkempt. If you want to see wild flowers, butterflies and so on just leave the city it's closer than most belive.

[@edi9892]

@@albin4323 I can tell you a little story from Switzerland: I love the botanical garden and occasionally chat with the staff there. One of them told me that the state hired them via the University to search for a rare herb and cultivate it. They found it and found what it needed to be propagated. Then they were looking for appropriate places to grow it and found spots that not just befitted its nature, but also was highly unlikely to be disturbed by humans. Then they planted them there. However, soon thereafter, all the effort was destroyed! Why? The Strassenbauamt (office for public infrastructure) spotted the plants on the slope and decided that they were an eyesore for the cars racing past on the highway. They then hired people to mow it all down and they needed special equipment due to the steep slope on which the herbs were planted! So, the state paid a small fortune for the conservation of the endangered plant and paid still an absurd amount to destroy it!

[@the_biggest_chungus7508]

@@edi9892 aah, yes. Die Ämter, Volksfeinde Nummer 1 sowohl bei den Deutschen als auch den Eidgenossen 😂

[@jensholm5759]

I dont see it like that. Whatever You grow most of it should follow the climate zone. That goes for water, grass and wind as well.

[@jensholm5759]

Shit like that happens in Denmark too. You has to ask all.

[@almiranteandres7550]

God blessed that man, it shows how just 1 good person can change the World and millions of life.. I do hope every follows his actions.

[@ristekostadinov2820]

Arizona does some steps backwards like having lot of computer servers farms that uses lot of water for cooling and now they're announcing semiconductor chip fabs who are notorious for using lot of water (even Taiwan struggles with water because of the chip fabs and their annual rain is 102 inches although have to be noted that most of the rain is on the east side and the fabs are located on the west side).

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

This part is unfortunate, hopefully they can make the tech industry more sustainable

[@SirZanZa]

the fabs are actually located along the low plains to the north of the country evenly spaced apart along the whole length of the country, its designed that way to form Taiwan's Silicon shield, no country (china) will want to invade and damage the infrastructure which provides 90% of the worlds computer chips and 100% of the latest most up to date silicon

[@reenakemp9132]

Wow. I wasn't expecting this to be so well done.

[@thom7463]

The sunbelt has a problem we're not talking about: Agricultural resource waste. Specifically water waste. The bioswales and other water harvesting systems along with cooling green infrastructure is great. Amazing really! However, these cities don't stand a chance if don't address the waste around growing food in Arizona. Most of the water in Arizona, similar to Colorado's plains, is used for water intensive farming. We need to solve those challenges ASAP or we'll be seeing a massive climate refugee crisis in the next 50 years.

[@theawkwardobserver8757]

Change to crops which can grow under more arid conditions and do not need more water .

[@Arrica101]

@@theawkwardobserver8757 Its a desert, The only plants that should be growing there are pretty much inedible.

[@NatoriousGamePlay]

Regenerative agriculture has reversed desertification in some areas. It'll only go so far without a lot of rain water, but everything helps

[@carendancer8265]

Thanks for such a positive and inspiring video!

[@donnawoodford6641]

I remember visiting AZ for the first time in 1994-1995. Riding into Phoenix on a motorcycle, I experienced a near heat stroke. The temperature was 114°F, and my body almost collapsed. I also remember not liking to stop at the traffic lights. My vehicle had no AC. I decided to install a small, portable fan inside the truck just to keep air flowing at those days of torrid heat.

[@sandeepnaik5612]

It is great to see Tucson bringing positive change. We need people like Brad to wake us up. If we all come together we can bring positive change in a city.. then country and finally on earth What we need is vision and right action at scale and not just in our backyard. #SaveSoil

[@alexprinsrealestateagent1263]

That’s why I love visiting Scottsdale. They have so much green lining the streets too. All the sidewalks are shaded with trees and plants.

[@billyshears2032]

Scottsdale has more desert landscape than any part of town lol what are you smoking

[@keiththomas3141]

But they are robbing the water out of the Gila River up there to make it green. You can't keep doing that forever. Especially with the population growth in that area.

[@keiththomas3141]

@@billyshears2032 He's obviously smoking cannabis.

[@whatisthat7874]

It’s also important to understand that while these positive changes are happening, it only happens mostly wealthy and upper middle classes places. Area like pheonix od Arizona can experience upto 120°F and higher. Poor areas of Arizona are often neglected, school ground lacks the resources to plant trees (one of the factors for decreasing heat by providing shades, there are many more other factors) to decrease the temperature. There are a lot more to it, in which multiple peoples have spoken within the community. And pheonix is only PART of them.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Saw a doc that phoenix was giving free trees to the poorest neighborhoods but they didn't want them because they would have to pay the water bill. So can you please go and ask why they won't install them with the rainwater harvesting systems instead?

[@whatisthat7874]

@@LeafofLifeWorld yes, again, that’s what the “resources” mean in my statement. If a poor community can’t EVEN afford the water for the trees,that should say something about their life quality. If a community is this poor, this is often caused by wealth loops, where poor families are less likely to be going to college and prone to drop out -> less income versus other peoples, and rich just get richer. That’s the whole different topics. But yes, while the system may help with affordable water, poor families often refused to get development, either because the development project is too costly, or they just don’t see the worth. In which case, governmental supports are often necessary (or outside helps). kids in Phoenix of Arizona often walks to school, and buss stops don’t have shade. So It’s difficult for them to just accept trees, even if they are given for free.

[@whatisthat7874]

@@LeafofLifeWorld sorry about off topic, I just realized u were talking about rainwater system. Simple answer, arizona receive pretty much very little rain, about 8 inches per year since it’s mostly desert. And regard to my previous comment, other development ideas for water cost reduction are often viewed by local as too expensive and the city is poor itself, and many often don’t see the need to develop, and rather save money. I had an uncle living there, and when I asked why he wasn’t trying to invest, his response was that he and many others would rather save up money and leave than living there, so factoring into the account that people rather leave to a better place with better conditions can also play a huge role.

[@whatisthat7874]

@@LeafofLifeWorld kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIKZl4Z-p5qHgMk here’s a good vid that goes wayyy into more detail

[@avatr7109]

You should live in India and then you'll understand what lack of necessities is. School grounds here don't have Grass 365 days May be only when some politician visits they throw some grass.. Roads here have potholes 365days, they're patched only during elections Top City like Mumbai goes under flooding every year but People just want to build temples and drown in superstitions

[@anitapenkert389]

Interesting video, thanks. The bio-swales sound like a brilliant idea. Just a note: There is no grass that "requires" spraying with pesticides. It is always the owner who chooses to do so. In many other countries (other than the US) it is not common or even prohibited to spray lawns, be it public or private.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Of course they never require pesticides but people do because they want just grass, when the daisies and other "weeds" native plants and flowers start popping up in the grass they start spraying their lawns or at least some people do!

[@MyKharli]

We have no mowing to the end of May here in uk to give insects a chance on flowering plants in the grass . Lots people follow it and are amazed by the extra wildlife that occurs when doing so .

[@Iquey]

Yup. We should really just let the grass grow as long as it's not posing a fire hazard, and then cut it to maybe 6-8 inches and squish it down in the autumn so it can become soil to cover the dirt over winter, plus absorb any monsoon rains so it doesn't become a flash flood. Then let the wildlife bring natural native weeds back into the meadows, like agaves, cacti, aloes and yuccas.

[@chatteyj]

​@@LeafofLifeWorld Why would anyone have a thing against daisies? Also dandelions have amazing health benefits. God why do people have to have a lawn that's 100% green? What is wrong with people.

[@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists]

www.youtube.com/@HarvestingRainwater

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

I live in a rainy climate and my permaculture looks so different than Brad’s as a result, but I lived in Tucson as a child, and I follow his work and am such a fan of his. His designs and philosophy should be more widely known and utilized. Appreciate his contributions to regenerative urban design so much.

[@williamozier918]

I worked for the Ecosa Institute in 2006-2009. We taught courses in sustainable design. We would take classes down to Tucson to help Brad Lancaster on his projects. We would sometimes rent a concrete saw and go out at midnight and cut notches in the curbs; the students would be like, is this legal...no, no it was not. The City put an injunction on him, and in 2008 Ecosa helped him to craft the first proposal for what would later become the very law they are talking about.

[@buzzabuzza3494]

Brilliant guy!! innovative ideas and simple changes make a huge difference

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

We love the most simple natural innovations, they make the most sense when greening the desert and capturing water in drought prone conditions

[@Eclispestar]

If the rain falls on your yard. Collect it and use it. If you dont someone else will then charge ya for it. And desert gardens can be pretty and enjoyable to walk in.

[@luedch8460]

Wow all what we need is one person brave enough to do something about a problem! 👍

[@mushi475]

her voice is so calming, its like portal's glados

[@IA-bi3kw]

Arizona is in big trouble with regard to severe drought and shortage of water. They are not telling that in the news because they don’t want to scare investors and families who are considering moving to Arizona.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

I've seen a few youtube videos about this warning, I hope this video can also raise awareness to personal rainwater harvesting for individuals and new developments need to consider how to make their neighbourhoods more sustainable

[@Vse_doma]

People play with nature, imagine themselves to be Gods, but in the end they get the boomerang law. It's time for humanity to understand why we are on this planet. Люди играют с природой, воображают себя Богами, но в конце концов они получают закон бумеранга. Человечеству пора понять, почему мы находимся на этой планете.

[@smplfi9859]

@@LeafofLifeWorld we (Phoenix-valley, AZ) are good for 80 years at our current rates, with population growth to 20 million. That is a number that is also kept secret from people. I'm not trying to detract because I believe in pragmatic solutions. I just don't like how the 'use argument' (as logical as it is) taper into rationing water for others by law. Being a native here with close insight to our states water management, makes me keep an eye on desert systems, I barely see anyone covering the Binational Desalination Plant on the Sea of Cortez. Black & Veatch are working on it. AZ Water officials have been trying to ensure our future isn't reliant just on ground, river, and reservoir water for years. Remember hearing about Lybia 'Great Man Made River System'. AZ Native tribes did that 1500 years ago, Jack Swilling restored them, SRP CAP manage them now, but we need to continue building sustainable infrastructure like water resource projects. To ensure that no matter how much our state grows, we can ensure water and welp, the ocean certainly has plenty.

[@thegreataynrand7210]

You can desalinate seawater and pipe via pipelines.

[@bobbycrosby9765]

I think it's solvable. I see a lot of routes to the fix, but it's gonna take a lot of political willpower, and involve all the states in the SouthWest to play along.

[@Northerncacti2021]

This is awesome!

[@dinobuddy]

Tucson resident here. The amount of water used on non-native landscaping up in Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale, etc., is positively scandalous. It's shocking every time I drive up there. A lot of urban Tucson is just the opposite... lots of dead, empty lots and no vegetation at all. But the more natural areas, or those where native landscaping is encouraged, can be quite lush.

[@shereemorgan1430]

Phenomenal Brad!

[@joanhoffman3702]

I moved to Tucson over a year ago. One thing I really love is all the greenery. I’m glad people are actively working on this.

[@adriansandersius455]

This is great to hear! I live in Phoenix and I have planted roughly 120 trees on my property. I have flood irrigation so I’m able to plant non native trees. Mangos, guava, citrus, banyan tree, 12 breeds of ficus, fig, flamboyant trees, bombax tree, pine, cottonwoods, ash, sycamore, bananas 🍌, sapote, papaya, peach, plums, apples 🍎, plumeria, privet, cherry, pistachio, pecan, mulberry, orchid, 8 breeds of oak, and much more I can’t think of. Keep planting 🌳

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

thats amazing have you got an photos or videos? we would love to see it :)

[@adriansandersius455]

@@LeafofLifeWorld You have a email ?

[@emiliayonekokumata4764]

Congrats to Mr Brad Lancaster for his initiative! Instead of being obsessive to make more and more money, he tackled in what is essential for keeping the survival of the whole planet, thinking locally, but with great impact for the rest of the world. I'm still very optimistic about our future, thanks to brilliant minds like Brad's. The sensible intelligence and action in defence of the sustainability! Thank you Brad, for your enormous contribution!

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Its amazing to see people putting the community first over financial gain, helping people and the world is priceless

[@carolinelawrie7142]

Brad you are a HERO 💓💓💓

[@kellenpatton7001]

The city of Phoenix is doing something similar and I know they can’t plant trees everywhere in Phoenix the city limits alone are larger than Los Angeles but the city needs more green it helps take the temperature down

[@Water-7814]

You'll be surprised at how fast the ground soaks up rain water, if you make a shovel width channel from the edge of the driveway to the yard.

[@rayjennings3637]

Cities like Tuscon could learn a lot about rainwater harvesting from the islands of Bermuda. That archipelago has to capture as much rainwater as it can because being so small it has no rivers. There are aquafers and desalination plants but between 50 and 70% of the islands' water comes from rainfall, mind you, they do get someting like 1500mm a year! As a result, all the roofs on all the houses and public buildings are limewashed and structured in such a way as to duct falling rain into storage tanks below.

[@ponyrang]

Wow, My best friend, Thank you for your hard work in making the video. I enjoyed the good video. Have a happy day.

[@CaptainSw4g]

Small but significant error at 1:30 - Voiceover says "AC usage increased air temperature by over 1% in some areas" Paper shown on screen says "increased by more than 1°C" 1°C can be significantly more, further emphasisng the point this video makes

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Thank you for pointing this out!

[@CaptainSw4g]

My pleasure - keep up the great work

[@erickayson588]

I learned something amazing today. Thank you.

[@laurajackson6860]

I remember when Brad began his water harvesting project. I'm thrilled to see how it's turned out. Thanks for sharing this.🌳

[@John_GGG]

And it is much more beautiful.

[@sheriherrick4420]

I just started watching your videos and I LOVE them! Thank you for your hard work and for educating us!

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

🙏ty

[@phantasmss]

Lived in Phoenix most of my life and didn’t know this was happening not far away from me! Maybe I’ll move to Tucson instead

[@carlosespinoza2453]

Hello , First time writing in your channel. You might consider making a report - in english - about Lima City. Even though it is located in the desert , the city has several PTAR ( Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales ) where sewage water is treated in new plants for Irrigation of Parks and Public Areas. Now we can see a lot of new greenery in the city as those growing in Costa Verde next to the Ocean . . . Keywords PTAR Chira, PTAR Taboada , New Park as " Parques Zonal Huascar, Sinchi Roca, etc

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Very nice i didn't know Lima has done this, thank you!

[@mommejuergensen]

I love it. I dream of living in AZ some day!

[@_Chessa_]

I love this man! Thank you Brad Lancaster! You have made an amazingly sustainable way to live with nature! If only LA could do this bit of capturing rain water..

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Hopefully LA will follow suit they desperately need to be more sustainable in desert arid and drought conditions, and respect and conserve water

[@_Chessa_]

@@blakejohnson3864 Could you tell me more about that Blake?

[@happy17761492]

Bravo bravo. Finally there is hope in this world

[@jamram9924]

Living in Tucson, I capture the rain water in a 375 gallon tank from a one piece gutter system, but these companies that install them charge exuberant prices. Homeowners can take the classes and do much of this themselves. I am also building an outside shower with galvanized square pipes, installing a square semi rounded tub with redwood steps to where the water will allow the shower water to run down to this tub. Then, a small valve at the bottom of tub allows me to water my plants in the Summer and Fall. The soap, and body sweat, dead skin actually helps plants and trees thrive. It only costs a few hundred dollars to build this shower and you can help save water by paying once and then using it twice. Israel receives mush less rain that Arizona and they reused 90% of their gray water to sustain their agriculture, We can do that same in Arizona to help grow the vegetables,, cotton and lettuces that AZ exports during the Fall and Winter months

[@nickvaden3196]

The sweat and the dead skin might be beneficial, but if there's a high enough concentration of soap in the soil it can kill your plants, so make sure the soap you're using doesn't contain harmful chemicals that can make the soil toxic and unable to sustain plant life.

[@stygian6642]

The soap helps the plants thrive?? Is that common, or are you using a specific kind of soap?

[@jamram9924]

@@stygian6642 laundry soaps don’t have the phosphate content they once had, due to regulations imposed by governmental rules and regulations. The amount of soap and bleach is very small in comparison to the amount of water used in the wash and rinse cycles. I’ve never had an issue with my plants, trees and overall garden health using gray water.

[@stygian6642]

Ah okay, so laundry soap not body wash/shampoo or anything. That's really interesting, I'm glad that water can be used for plants

[@jamram9924]

@@stygian6642 to include body soap and shampoo and conditioner. The water dilutes these products and then the soil breaks them down. I did slot of research online and local library. There are many alternative laundry soaps being manufactured for this purpose. I highly suggest you conduct your own research to satisfy your needs/curiosity.

[@rottierumbles9451]

This is fantastic , his ideas should be used in CA , instead of the ridiculous restrictions they have that are hurting the environment instead of helping.

[@haridaspanicker5888]

It is people like Brad who make the difference between environmental destruction by overbuilding and restoring cities to livable places. What a great idea to rebuild the roads,sidewalks, lawns and storm drains in our towns to retain and replenish ground water. Replanting disused land with hardy native species and recreating forests must be encouraged, the "Miyawaki" system! I think Arizona has shown the way to sustainable maintenance and less exploitation of scarce resources on our planet.

[@AngieMeadKing]

Amazing!

[@tomdillan]

This done though in Phoenix surrounding cities as well. All new neighborhoods are required to have rain run off areas.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Thats great news glad to hear rainwater harvesting techniques are spreading all over the state especially in these most needed areas

[@kreagle]

Brilliant ideas. Thanks for sharing. Provides hope

[@Dang3rMouSe]

Love Tucson, lived there for yrs but left cause it was obvious it wasn't setup to be self sustainable. 1 critical issue could create a domino effect where you could find yourself without water or electricity for a significant time. Didn't want to be there, maybe raising a family, if that ever occurred. Really happy to see they are seriously starting to work toward correcting this. IMO a desert city should as self sustaining as possible for obvious reasons. On a side note imo it's obnoxious hearing city officials throw blame at climate change instead of acknowledging the obvious, that while climate change has some effect certain bad fundamental designs, practices & growth are the primary contributors to this issue. It feels like the city is shirking responsibility for past decisions while simply throwing climate change out there as a political talking point. Just my opinion though. Regardless I'm really happy to see Tucson addressing this. It truly is a beautiful city.

[@RV1701]

Good thing they're building thousands of new homes to the north and south of Tucson. Plus all the new homes by the highway and the dump. That'll help tremendously

[@RussellFineArt]

Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, all made possible by the rapidly depleting Colorado River. We're about to see a mass climigration from Arizona to areas in the country with water.

[@thegreataynrand7210]

Lol, ok doomer

[@mikej238]

dream on dip head

[@tanakakokilovad1594]

Planting trees. Low temperature 🍃🌿🌳and fresh clean air 🍃🍃🌿🌱🌲🌳🌎

[@HygienistDentist]

He sounds like a hero! Go him! Sometimes the rules have to be broken to create the change that is needed

[@davidcobble2050]

Brad Lancaster should get a Nobel Prize...and his mentor Mr. Phiri should get a posthumous one

[@GFYYT11111]

Brilliant content, thanks for sharing 💚🌍

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

💚🙏👍🌿

[@TheLastMugwort]

Been to most of the cities in AZ for work. Tucson was definitely my favorite. Still though, when it’s 120F, you need to have AC blasting.

[@straygameplaywalkthroughps6480]

Excellent. Finally. Awesome. 1000%% #Permaculture!!

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Exactly permaculture methods seem to be the best solutions for many of our modern problems especially with water food and drought/heat

[@synseer8484]

Go Brad! From outlaw to outstanding! Hey thanx man.

[@johns6119]

Glad to be part of the solution in Tucson’s water problem. Using the Tucson water rebate I installed 3000 gallons water collection, grey water harvesting, Woodchips, gardening, planted lots of trees and flowers. I am not a believer in climate change but a believer in using our resources wisely and sustainable

[@handl3_me]

Well done Brad, you da man👍

[@railgap]

Arizona has mosquito problems in cities where they use flood irrigation (with water they got from Colorado) for fargling GOLF COURSES. Arizona has subsidence problems because they drank their own aquifers dry trying to grow things in an arid climate that don't belong there. Just because you've created a gigantic Las Vegas doesn't mean it's sustainable or that you've changed the local climate; you haven't. This is not something to be celebrated.

[@anomilumiimulimona2924]

Thank you for being the second sane person in this comment section. This is a dessert that is totaly running out of water, all while 100s of thousnad idiots are moving here.

[@miccrhaafetl5101]

Born and raised in Arizona 40yrs and I have never been to Tucson. Just realized that. 2:53 were looking at you Sun City

[@debratakagawa4764]

I read about Brads efforts a couple years ago. I thought it was brilliant. Living in CA I was pleasantly surprised as new developments are using some of his techniques.

[@wemcal]

Great video, thanks Brad!! We need to practice that concept

[@mountaingardening]

I grew up going to Tucson a lot and have always loved it. So good to see that they are starting to turn more green with things like this. Thanks for the video!

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

The people of Tucson are the one leading the way in greening the desert very encouraging to see the whole city getting involved now

[@dcpack]

When you were a kid CO2 levels were depressed enough to limit plant growth. See formula for PHOTOSYNTHESIS.

[@earthmamma85]

Amazing. Nice job Brad.

[@bdaniels986]

I've lived in Tucson for 10 years and I don't think that I have seen any grass lawns, a few small putting greens perhaps but generally if you see a green yard it's because someone painted it. Grass is typically the domain of golf courses of which Tucson has many as does the rest of the state. (And they are gorgeous) Great concept though.

[@kimberleypex]

We can only survive with MUCH GREEN ! Trees and bushes holding moist/water in the Earth .

[@yadiaag7771]

12 inches of rainfall in a year? In my town I get 41 on average. I remember being in high school and having either 38 or 48 days of straight rain one year….we got a lot of flooding to the point school was cancelled because buses couldn’t pass thru the lowland where the river flowed into…..fun times 😣

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Great news! which area are you from? I think the 12 inches is an average so depends where u are in the state, from what I've read north arizona is more green and mountains sounds like more water up there?

[@ddtuss2585]

Where I live it hasn’t rained in 9 months

[@awildtannerwasfound5045]

@@ddtuss2585 I feel your pain

[@trappervz9478]

I love how as they are saying "need to be managed with petrol driven gardening tools" they are showing a clip of an electric mower.

[@eurekacomment5719]

Amazing! What a brilliant idea! Many countries need to take this issue seriously and use rain water in a better manner! Unfortunately in some countries, people are allowed to turn their whole front and back yard into a huge cemented place. Even the streets are all being paved and cemented with no where for the water to be go in to the ground! So, all the rain water just flows to the nearby lake and flows away and it doesn't go in to the ground! Then we complain about lack of water!

[@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists]

www.youtube.com/@HarvestingRainwater

[@mrejohn6344]

Hey came across your channel this week and it is very interesting. I'm an expat in the middle East so I know all too well the water management and warming problems referred to. I like the innovations and hope too see and learn more. Keep up the good work.

[@path-andromeda]

That is great, I hope the Cucapa benefit from this, I recall back in the 80's how they have struggled when Arizona's needs severely limited their water supply

[@srinivasangkailasam8952]

Brilliant. Thanks for the Video.

[@crimsonguy8696]

Nobody talks about how the increase in atmospheric CO2 is precisely why these desert greening projects are even possible. As CO2 increases, the amount of water plants need to grow and produce optimally decreases, meaning that as the Carbon cycle enriches plant life, this plant life will enrich the freshwater cycle. Also, Brad is brilliant; keep up the amazing work man, and everyone else like you

[@corners3755]

"As CO2 increases, the amount of water plants need to grow and produce optimally decreases," That's not correct. They still need the same amount of water, They just dont lose as much to the dry air with higher co2 levels

[@crimsonguy8696]

@@corners3755 No, the pores are smaller, so they lose less water to transpiration, ergo, they require less water in total for growth. They also produce a greater yield with that lowered water requirement.

[@ekulda]

Good educative Video. Hope the rest of the world learns from this.

[@SuzanneWho]

If you want water-needy landscaping (green lawns etc), don’t move to the desert! The desert has a beauty all its own, stop trying to make it a version of where you came from.

[@erickr.8977]

Things like Green Lawns shouldn't exist. They're a biodiversity desert and are basically destroying the Native environment in many places.

[@christinmiller576]

Very smart! Portland does curb cutting as well. It makes good sense.