In this episode, Permaculture Designer Jeff Adams talks about practical ways to design landscapes that conserve water. It doesn't matter if you live in an extremely wet or dry climate, design strategies exist that can save you water, resources and money! Jeff Adams has years of experience in regenerating watershed health and is a lead instructor for the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association's Accredited Professional Training. Owner of Terra Sophia, Ecological Design Consulting and Education Firm, Jeff says that soil is the largest and cheapest water tank that we have. In this podcast Jeff talks about rain gardens, purposeful and purposeless turf, green infrastructure and why it's time for us to pay attention to the water cycle. 

Jeffrey Adams

Jeffrey Adams is founder and principal of terrasophia, an ecological design consulting and education firm synergizing practical experience and systems thinking with a passion for solution-oriented action to cultivate resiliency through public and private design and education projects. In 2010 Jeffrey provided technical experience and program development as Water Sustainability Coordinator for the innovative 10,000 Rain Gardens Pilot Program, a partnership between the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network and Marin Municipal Water District (http://raingardens.spawnusa.org/).

Over the past decade Jeffrey has collaborated with a variety of non-profits, community groups, schools, and individuals to raise awareness and build skills for sustainability and regenerative living, including G3 - the Green Gardens Group, the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Sacred Mountains Foundation in the Navajo Nation, AZ, Plenitud Iniciativas Eco-educativas in Puerto Rico, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University, and Daily Acts in Sonoma County, CA among others.

He designed his own interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree at Humboldt State University in Indigenous Technology with a minor in Environmental Ethics, and is certified as a Permaculture Design Consultant, Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper, and in Greywater System Design and Installation. He has also been an Accredited Professional through the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association since 2009. With experience facilitating workshops and implementing projects around the United States and working in the construction and landscape trades for 15 years, Jeffrey brings a practical and integrated approach to each project. Jeffrey was residential site manager for Sunrise Ridge Gardens, a permaculture inspired 7-acre lavender and mixed fruit orchard in West Sonoma county, CA from April 2010 to July 2011. Jeffrey has recently relocated to New Mexico to pursue a graduate degree in Water Resources while continuing to collaborate on ecological design and education projects.