127: David Bainbridge on Gardening with Less Water

David grew up in the West in a small town working in the family toy factory and enjoying the rivers, mountains and sage covered hills. After earning his BA in Earth Sciences at UC San Diego in 1970, he headed to UC Davis to complete an MS in Ecology in the multidisciplinary Eco-Grad Program.  He started a company doing environmental impact analysis, then transitioned to a solar research and design firm, Living Systems, where he worked on community design, passive solar heating and cooling, building codes and solar rights.

David’s research on passive solar heating and cooling led him to the California Energy Commission as a solar specialist, where he worked on the passive section of the state Solar Tax Credit program. He then established the Passive Solar Institute to continue research, education, and consulting on solar design and energy conservation. He worked in straw bale building systems and helped complete The Straw Bale House in 1994. He returned to academia and worked on desert restoration at UC Riverside and San Diego State University.  David’s current research involves micro-irrigation, cool pool design, and true cost accounting.

IN THIS PODCAST: David shares his excitement with Greg about time tested techniques on gardening efficiently with less water. David explains some of what he learned over the past several decades researching traditional methods for collecting and using the precious resource in food production as well as in basic landscaping.  They discuss the olla method, and how he found it explained in a 2000+ year old textbook. There is something here for anyone who has a responsibility to water a plant.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/09/08/david-bainbridge/for show notes and links.