Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance | Brad Lancaster | TEDxTucson

Do you have any idea of what amazing things would be possible if you could see, and partner with, the unseen natural abundance around you? Problems transform into solutions, and previously unimagined wonders of life emerge. Brad shares the inspiring story of how he and others learned to see the rain differently, enabling them—and you—to plant it, rather than drain it; resulting in the growth of vibrant irrigation-free oases throughout communities in drought years, which act as absorbent sponges solving flooding in wet years, and the regeneration of our neighborhoods and larger world in all years. Brad is the author of the award-winning books Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, www.HarvestingRainwater.com, and co-founder of DesertHarvesters.org. Brad is also a regenerative systems educator, designer, and consultant. In the Sonoran Desert, with just 11 inches of annual rainfall, he and his brother harvest about 100,000 gallons of rainwater a year on an eighth-acre urban lot and adjoining right-of-way. This harvested water is then turned into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape incorporating wildlife habitat, beauty, medicinal plants, and more. The goal of his book series and overall work is to empower his clients and community to make positive change in their own lives and neighborhoods—by harvesting and enhancing free on-site resources such as water, sun, wind, shade, community, and more. It’s catching on, as evidenced by tens of thousands of practitioners and demand for Brad’s work around the world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx