See what our clients are saying about their rainwater harvesting systems...
"The system is fully operational. The last few weeks of rain were very beneficial. With the drought conditions we are going to face again this year, I am very pleased with this investment."
- Y.A. of Scotts Valley, CA
"Our tanks are full and everything is awesome."
- J.C. of Aptos, CA
"Both tanks are full. Now I feel like I'm wasting good rainwater by not storing it! Everything is working great."
- L.G. of Los Gatos, CA
... November Rains ...
Santa Cruz County received about 6 inches of rain during the first half of November. The average rainwater harvesting system likely captured anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water from these first two storms, even with the necessary first flush!! Some tanks are alreay full with enough rainwater to last through the summer months, or, even better, to use abundantly now so that the tank(s) may fill again, and again as the rainy season progresses .
1 rain storm = 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of captured water = 1 year water supply for irrigation (small garden or landscape) = Plentiful use of rainwater for months to come
This brings us to the importance of water replenishment. It is safe and highly recommended to use and reuse water from your rainwater harvesting sytem more frequently during the winter because it will continuously be replenished through the rainy season. When we start heading into Summer it is a good idea to be more watchful of how much you're using stored rainwater for things like washing your car, etc. if that water needs to last you through the dry season for irrigation. But now that winter is coming, rainwater harvesting systems will be replenished several times and your landscapes will be watered by the rain, so stored water can be used for a variety of other purposes. Keep logging in for more updates regarding the reuse of rainwater for interior uses . Think toilets and washing machines.
Thank you to everyone who made it out to this workshop!! We had an excellent turnout and everyone was very enthusiastic to learn about rainwater harvesting, what it involves, and why you want it. At Earthcraft we make keeping a high level of involvement with community a top priority, especially in matters of education. Spreading awareness of water conservation and water efficiency is something we take very seriously, so we enjoy contributing as much as we can. We hope to conduct many more workshops in the future!! Contact us if you have ideas for future clinics!!
Private Rainwater Harvesting Education - Tiburon, CA
A Tiburon resident who is a proud proponent of rainwater harvesting will be posting private educational placards on their property to interpret their newly installed 14,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system for family and friends that come to visit. These checkpoints will line the grounds to guide people through the system and explain how it operates.
Permaculture Project
We currently have a permaculture rainwater harvesting project underway that we are very proud to talk about. It features a closed loop system with a greywayter and rainwater system for a vegetable garden, orchard, greenhouse, and 1 acre of edible fruit plantings (i.e. berries, etc.). The project will be using sheet mulch to build up the soil and then using passive water harvesting to allow water to build up and percolate down to the gardens. The residence will be powered from a photovoltaic system that will also supply power to the greywater and rainwater harvesting systems.
The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture as well as permanent culture. Through a series of publications, Mollison, Holmgren and their associates documented an approach to designing human settlements, in particular the development of perennial agricultural systems that mimic the structure and interrelationship found in natural ecologies.
Permaculture design principles extend from the position that "The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children" (Mollison, 1990). The intent was that, by rapidly training individuals in a core set of design principles, those individuals could design their own environments and build increasingly self-sufficient human settlements — ones that reduce society's reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution that Mollison identified as fundamentally and systematically destroying the Earth's ecosystems.
Note: Bobby Markowitz studied directly under Bill Mollison in the 1990s.
Bobby Markowitz Practice Judge
September 25, 2008 / Palo Alto, CA
The California Clean Tech Open invites any team with a bright idea and the drive to start a company to compete for one of six "start-up in a box" prize packages. The competition strives to provide the winner in each category with all the business essentials necessary to help take their idea from concept to business.
California Clean Tech Open urges all contestants to incorporate sustainability into their business plans. Contestants accomplish this by incorporating environmentally beneficial choices into every business decision, from materials usage, to choice of vendors to employee impacts. Start-ups that adopt sustainable practices from the very beginning will gain advantage over their competition by reaching more markets, strengthening their brands and devising innovative design and manufacturing methods.
To win the California Clean Tech Open, contestants must effectively address sustainability criteria. They should be able to explain how their business will apply technology and innovative business models to solve relevant environmental problems in ways that avoid creating more serious problems as their businesses grow.
RMI National Solutions Council Salon
with
Amory B. LovinsChairman and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute
Portola Valley, California / Sunday, October 12, 2008
Linda Yates, Co-Founder of Strategos, and Paul Holland of Foundation Capital are building a state of the art, net zero energy/fossil fuel-free home. Their LEED Platinum luxury home is currently under construction as it joins together green experts from across the board. This open-house was a highly memorable event held at the Yates-Holland home, where they had a variety educational check points set up on the construction site itself - each dileneating the role that every green expert is playing in the design and development process of what is considered a model project for green builders everywhere. We are doing the rainwater harvesting system, which is a highly innovative and ground-breaking design that converts their old swimming pool into a 40,000 gallon cistern that will hold rainwater for fire protection, landscape irrigation, and emergency purposes. BRAVO Yates and Holland!!
While we were very impressed with this year's conference, as members of the green community, we were disappointed that neither Al Gore or Jerry Brown made mention of water as a "hot topic" green issue - their focus was energy.
“Why not spend $700 billion for solar, for efficiency, for conservation?” Vice Presideant Gore asked the audience. “Why not?”
