Living Lab

Nearly a decade ago, I was introduced to some of the amazing staff and volunteers at the Watershed Management Group in Tucson, Arizona. As they showed me around their “Living Lab and Learning Center” and I saw how they were capturing rainwater in tanks and garden areas, recycling grey water, creating compost from their toilets, and teaching thousands of kids and adults every year, I could feel their passion for creating a water-saving movement.

In your garden

• If you had a live Christmas tree, now is a great time to plant it!

• Bare root plants such as deciduous fruit trees and roses can be planted this month.

• Mulch to prevent weeds and for general soil maintenance. Check the depth of your mulch and add as needed for a thickness of 2-4 inches. Read more...

You’ve got your Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and then Cyber Monday, but you can’t forget about Giving Tuesday — the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. From 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30, Watershed Management Group is gettin’ the party started with a one-of-a-kind Rainwater on Tap Happy Hour — serving up rainwater cocktails. Read more...

On a Saturday morning in early December, Sally Sherman sat on the porch of a house that the Watershed Management Group uses as an office. Next to a garden of fruit trees in front of her were about ten people sitting in the shade and listening. Some had notepads. “Oh, here comes rainwater. Yeah, and everybody should test this because it's really so nice,” Sherman told the crowd. Read more...