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

Tucson is said to become the most sustainable desert city on earth it is situated in the Western United States in Southern Arizona known for its desert climate with very hot summers and Mild Winters Arizona has been a hub for agricultural growth for thousands of years which has attracted people from all over the world seeking new economic opportunities since the invention of the portable air conditioner in the 1950s the population and economy of Arizona has increased dramatically as a result the cities of Phoenix and Tucson have developed large spalling Suburban areas which have increased the heat island effect the heat island effect is when urbanized areas experience higher temperatures than outlying natural surrounding areas structures such as buildings roads and other infrastructure absorb and readmit the sun's heat more than natural landscape shapes such as forests and water bodies an urban heat island can produce secondary effects on local meteorology including the altering of local wind patterns the development of clouds and fog the humidity and the rates of precipitation using air conditioning only exacerbates the urban heat island effect by releasing ambient heat into cities increasing our demand to cool down even further This research paper from the Arizona University showed that during the night he had emitted from AC systems increased the mean air temperature by more than one percent for some Urban locations the city mayor of Tucson States the impact of climate change is increasing the heat impact on the city in response the City of Tucson is going to be making some incredible green infrastructure Innovations to combat the heat island effect using very simple and cost-effective techniques to become the leading carbon neutral City by 2030. this can be considered a major accomplishment for any City especially one that only receives approximately 12 inches of rainfall per year in this video we are going to show you how and why Tucson Arizona is first becoming the most sustainable desert city in the world so stick with us and let's dive into today's video Arizona has become the fastest growing state in the last decade especially in the last couple of years where it has increased exponentially as people work from home and for young families in search of lower housing prices as a result there has been a demand for green leafy neighborhoods that are walkable with shops and Facilities there are many to choose from but they are not all sustainable some of the most sought after and popular green neighborhoods in the state have extensive Lawns and unfortunately these grass Lawns need vast amounts of watering to stay green in such a drought prone state this is not sustainable since the water used to keep the grasses green all year round is the same water people use to drink the water has been treated and filtered which is costly and uses resources the water is over extracted from Wells or damned and diverted Waters from rivers and springs which is used faster than rainfall can replenish them these non-native grasses often require pesticides and need to be managed with petrol driven gardening tools which pollute the Watershed around the home the urban environment also prevents groundwater from recharging water rapidly runs off paved surfaces instead of being absorbed into the aquifers as the State of Arizona keeps consuming the ancient groundwater without it being replenished water tables drop and rivers start to dry up the Colorado River system which supplies 36 of Arizona's total water use is pumped 300 miles to Tucson and has experienced extensive drought conditions for the past 19 years this has resulted in Lake Mead dropping to historically low Reservoir levels the chief staff of the city council said Tucson is one of the fastest warming cities in the U.S with climate change we have a tree canopy that is below normal some local residents have shown concern about the diminishing finite resource of fresh water one such resident from Tucson decided to do something about it Brad Lancaster has become an innovator in green infrastructure he saw how our everyday way of life is extremely wasteful to our most precious resource fresh water he envisioned a sustainable landscape for harvesting rainwater but it meant he had to do something illegal Brad started to cut the sidewalks and curbs in his neighborhood two route storm runoff into roadside ecosystems planted with Native drought Hardy trees some of them even provide food as well as the much needed cooling effect and shade these ecosystems also help with recharging the groundwater since the tree leaves are left on the ground this protects the soil from being exposed from the Sun and heat but also creates a filtering effect for the water that lands on the topsoil when topsoil is exposed the water will run off eroding and eventually desertifying the land now after several decades Brad's green infrastructure Innovations are helping the desert to become green again as a result Brad has managed to change the law it is no longer illegal to alter the curbs and sidewalks now all over Tucson variations of his designs are being installed which are now known as sidewalk bios whales since 2010 Tucson started requiring new developers of commercial properties to irrigate the landscape with 50 water harvesting in 2012 the city began a rebate program to encourage water harvesting practices by 2017 Tucson launched a grant for funding stormwater harvesting and now the city plans to plant 1 million native trees which will totally transform the city's infrastructure to suit water harvesting practices in the urban environment helping Tucson to become a green carbon neutral City by 2030 and in turn creating a healthier environment for future Generations by creating a yard that's adapted to the desert we not only help the environment but we benefit our own health and well-being we create a path to abundance since these Gardens do not require pesticides or heavy maintenance they keep the water cycle clean and reduce utility bill costs water can be captured in tanks for later use in the garden and used for drinking or shower water the gray water can also be used in the garden water harvesting itself is not a new innovation we humans have been capturing water for Millennia but for some reason in our Modern Life we have water harvesting Amnesia we drink water from bottles that have been shipped all over the world and we could just easily Harvest our own Brad's philosophy is that we need to switch our mindset from commodifying Water Into communifying Water by working together we can enhance our local Water Resources as a community Brad's Innovations have not only transformed his own neighborhood but have been supported by the city this shows how each one of us is capable of making a difference behind the scenes we have been creating our own designs for green desert city infrastructure inspired by a permaculture principles we have learned from all over the world if you wish to find out more about her work then make sure to check out the links in the description if you enjoyed this video make sure to hit the like button and if you're new here consider subscribing with the notification Bell on

Channel: Leaf of Life

Views: 994,616

Keywords: sustainable city, sustainable development, climate change, smart city, sustainable living, moving to arizona, climate change documentary, climate change solutions, sustainable living in the city, tucson carbon neutral 2030, green cities, green desert cities, tucson arizona, rainwater harvesting, land management, moving to arizona 2023, climate change 2023, moving to arizona vlog, retro report, water, water conservation, documentary, water shortage

Id: UHyrVKUEirY

Length: 7min 51sec (471 seconds)

Published: Sun May 01 2022