I wrote yesterday that the Solar Institute was hosting the Tucson Innovative Home Tour this weekend, and I made it to Brad Lancaster’s house on the tour. Brad is truly a rock star of sustainable development. I first read a profile of him in the Downtown Tucsonan, and subsequently purchased his book Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands. I can’t help but think that if every Tucsonan did some of rainwater harvesting as described in that book, we might be able to put ourselves on a path to sustainable desert dwelling, despite the throngs who move here on a monthly basis. I would like to see studies that forecast the effects on our water table and sustainability if these techniques were adopted on a large scale, i.e. for EVERY new development in Tucson.

Anyway, I have posted some photos that I took of the home with some descriptions here. What he has done on his 1/8 acre lot in downtown Tucson is simply amazing, and inspiring.

I am going to try to hit another home or two on the tour (between my two gigs for the day). If I make it, I will post more photos.

Yes, I know it’s been a looong time since I have posted - the sign of a dead or dying blog. I won’t make any excuses, although you can read plenty of them here. I particularly like the post by the guy who hasn’t blogged b/c he’s trying to become a full time blogger. I definitely can’t use that excuse…
After redesigning the site and deciding to focus on sustainable solutions with a Tucson focus, I let the blog lapse and even seriously considered just pulling the plug. But I was recently inspired by a friend’s site redesign, and decided to try again. I am still passionate about this topic to the point that I want to document the things that are happening here in Tucson w/r/t/ long-term, sustainable solutions - Tucson is a locus for green design, construction, water harvesting, solar power solutions, etc., and people need to make the stewardship of our natural resources a concern. I will try to focus on those kinds of issues and solutions in this blog.

So, what’s first? The Solar Institute’s Tucson Innovative Home Tour is happening today and tomorrow, and it looks like some really amazing homes are on the list. In particular, Brad Lancaster’s house is open to ticketbuyers, and in between all of my weekend gigs I intend to get out to see it. I purchased Brad’s book, “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, v. 1″, which inspired me to start digging basins and berms in my own backyard to direct the flow of rainwater to my fruit trees. He really does represent a model for a kind of living that we will see increasingly necessary in the 21st century - with solar power, he is completely off the Tucson Electric Power grid, 25% of his food comes from his own 1/8 acre property in the middle of the city, and his total monthly utility bills are around $20 per month (according to the recent Tucson Weekly article). Amazing.