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Rob Avis brings water harvesting to community
The Cranbrook Food Action Committee in partnership with Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook will be hosting Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture for a Water Harvesting Workshop on October 13 from 6-9 p.m.
The workshop will be taking place at the Manual Training School in Cranbrook and registration is available online at wildsight.ca/waterharvesting.
Rob Avis left Calgary’s oil fields and retooled his engineering career to help clients and students design integrated systems for shelter, energy, water, waste and food, all while supporting local economy and regenerating the land. He is leading the next wave of permaculture education, and has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s preeminent permaculture experts. Rob has received glowing testimonials from bestselling author Toby Hemenway and “beyond-organic farming” superstar Joel Salatin.
“Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature. The aim is to create systems that are ecologically-sound and economically viable, which provide for their own needs, do not exploit or pollute, and are therefore sustainable in the long term,” said Bill Mollison.
The concept of permaculture is closely linked to water, and designers like Rob believes that through intelligent landscape design, it is even possible to go beyond water conservation and actually recharge groundwater supplies.
After the region experienced a summer of serious water restrictions, smoky skies, and predictions of drier summers to come, it has become apparent that water conservation and responsible usage is a hot topic. When this valuable resource falls from the sky there are ways to make the most of it, resulting in reduced water consumption, and financial savings.
This three-hour workshop led by Rob Avis intends to help participants learn the key components of water harvesting. The workshop will cover water capture from roofs and other surfaces, and passive versus active storage systems. Participants will also take advantage of a hands-on demonstration in building a water harvesting system with simple tools and inexpensive components found at the local hardware store.
