.San Diego County is fortunate to have an active and growing permaculture and ecological design community -  from individuals, to organizations, to businesses, we have a healthy diversity of ongoing sustainable and regenerative pursuits.

Pemaculture is all about local - observing local systems and building off of local resources. In order to do that we need to have and build community. To do this we need to be connected to one another! We hope this list helps you do just that - get engaged in your community, plant your seeds and watch them grow!

Here at Permasystems we've complied a list of local resources active in this area:

San Diego Sustainable Living Institute - http://sdsustainable.org/
"We believe that we can make simple, daily changes that promote a more harmonious balance between humans and the earth.   We know that every action towards sustainability is the right action.  We can produce an abundance of local food with limited water resources, we are able to regenerate poor soils, we are equipped with the tools to build community and we will leave each piece of land better than when we found it, all the while enjoying ourselves and the process."

H2OME - http://www.h2o-me.com/
Offering consultations on water reuse and storage opportunities, H2OME provides a complete solution from consultation to installation, including passive and active rainwater harvesting and greywater use in conjunction with appropriate plantings and landscaping.

San Diego Permaculture Meetup - http://www.meetup.com/SanDiegoPermaculture/

San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project - http://www.sandiegoroots.org/index.php
A network of citizens, farmers, chefs, gardeners, teachers, and students working to encourage the growth and consumption of regional food. From farm to fork, we focus awareness and work toward a more ecologically sound, economically viable and socially just food system in San Diego.

Suburban Food Farm - http://www.suburbanfoodfarm.com/
They specialize in edible plants, vegetable gardens and especially fruit trees.

Jared's Real Food - http://jaredsrealfood.com/
Jared’s Real Food was established to promote health and optimal living for everyone. They do that by growing top quality nutrient dense vegetable, fruit, and herb varieties. They are a small, people-centered, ecologically conscious, artisan farm that produces food which is both authentic and nourishing.

Sky Mountain Institute - http://www.skymountain.org/
Sky Mountain Institute is a nonprofit eco-educational, Ecopsychology research, and Creative Therapy training center founded in 1981, dedicated to exploring the relationship between the creative arts and the healing of self, family, community, and planet.

Finch Frolic Garden - http://www.vegetariat.com/finch-frolic-gardens/
Finch Frolic Garden is a 1.68-acre permaculture based habitat located in Fallbrook, CA.   It is privately owned by Diane Kennedy.  Finch Frolic Garden is not open for general public admission, but can be visited through privately arranged tours.

Indigenous Regeneration - http://indigenousregeneration.org/
Indigenous Re-Generation is a 501c3 that exists to inspire Native Communities on re-generative living concepts, through food cultivation, medicinal farming, culture and eco-village education programs, to achieve re-indigenization and true Tribal sovereignty.

Kumeyaay Community College - http://kumeyaaycommunitycollege.com/
The Mission of Kumeyaay Community College is to promote a quality education for the Kumeyaay / Diegueño Nation, California Native American Indians, and other individuals interested in a unique and supportive educational experience.

Coastal Roots Farm - https://coastalrootsfarm.org/
Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas cultivates healthy, connected communities by integrating sustainable agriculture, food justice, and ancient Jewish wisdom.

Diego Footer's Permaculture Voices - https://www.permaculturevoices.com/
Podcasts, videos, and educational content to help you on your journey.

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A keyhole garden bed can be one of the best ways to efficiently use an area for planting, especially when space is limited. The idea is simple, provide easy access to an area by creating a keyhole-looking entrance/path into the area (check out the photo to get an idea of how it looks).

An internet search will yield a plethora of different designs. Most of them are round but ours we made rectangularish to even better utilize space in our limited area of the side yard.

The goals for our planting bed were simple - we wanted it slightly raised to make it easier to work in and because the bed would sit on the north side of our house where the sun doesn't shine as much a higher bed would be able to receive more sun. We also wanted to utilize mostly natural and local materials.

We built it using local roundish river rocks, sand, clay earth from our yard and a small amount of cement. The mix ratio was 2 parts sand, 2 parts clay, and 1 part Portland cement. This ratio provided a nice consistency that balanced the use of natural materials with a final product that would withstand the elements of weather for many many years.

After finishing the wall we gave it ample time to cure. Then we filled the bed with a healthy compost blend and started planting.

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This past week we were very excited to install a rainwater collection system at Birney Elementary School in University Heights, San Diego, CA. It included a 300 gallon ferrocement cistern (Model LFC-300) that we hand-made at our shop and then assembled on site. The catchment area is a large multi-classroom roof so they will get lots of rainwater to use for their school garden!

School gardens are extremely effective for experientially teaching kids about natural history and ecology, nutrition, water cycles, carbon cycles, soil ecology, and food cycles -  not to mention what good food should taste like! They also teach kids environmental stewardship, foster a connection with nature and build practical skills. Having a rainwater harvesting tank adds an additional observable element to the garden letting kids actually see what is happening with water on site. It also saves the school money by using less water and reducing demand on stormwater drainage systems.

The rainwater from the tank will be used to water trees and plants in the garden. A garden hose attachment makes is easy to move the water around using only gravity. The tank is light proof so no algae can grow, letting water be stored as long as needed. The tank and all parts of it are potable grade to provide the highest quality water. A first-flush device (#2 in photo below) allows the first few gallons from a rain event to be diverted from the tank and back to the drain ensuring the tank water is extra clean for plants.

The kids are planning to hand paint the tank - something you can only do with cement tanks. Plastic and metal tanks flex too much so the paint would flake off. We look forward to teaching the kids about water and rainwater harvesting in upcoming classes!

Remember, just 1 inch of rain over 1000 square foot of roof equals 600 gallons of water!

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Here in San Diego County, we have a highly diverse range in climates, in fact, we are the most biologically diverse county in the country. From the oceanic coast, to the rolling foothills, to the tall mountains, to the expansive desert - the one thing the whole County has in common is we import the VAST majority of our water.

When trying to calculate our water supply, we should first start with what we have locally. Above we see the general range in rainfall amounts across the county. If we look below, we see that 16% of our water is from local supply. This includes surface water, groundwater, recycled water and conservation. This amount could jump up significantly if we embraced rainwater harvesting on a large-scale. Learn more how much we could be catching on our Catching Rainwater page. Additionally, water recycling and greywater systems both have HUGE potential for using water MUCH more efficiently, we will discuss these in future blogs.

Next we see that about 20% of our water is imported from northern California. This source relies on the Sierra snow pack, something that has been shrinking over recent years, see the report for details. The snow pack is important because it is like a bank account of water that can be relied upon into summer as it melts and flows down to the delta where the water is collected and exported to us. Unfortunately, even in non-drought years when the Sierras get a healthy snow pack, rising temperatures are melting the snow much faster than previous years causing us and many others to loose that critical time-released water. 

By far, the largest portion of our water comes from the Colorado River, about 64%. This water is obtained by the San Diego County Water Authority through a long-term water conservation and transfer agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District and two canal-lining agreements that transfer conserved water to San Diego County. Moving water over these long distances has significant costs and liabilities. 

For one, 20% of out entries state's electricity is used to move water, that is a lot of money and energy each year! Secondly, having most of our water come from one source a long way away means that our supply is quite fragile. An earthquake or other disaster could quickly cut off this supply. Third, so many places draw water from the Colorado River, complicated and outdated water laws are creating tension between regions.  Lastly,  taking away such a significant amount of water from the river means that animals, plants and people down the river don't get any water. Other than a few wet years, according to University of Arizona,the Colorado River has not flowed to the Gulf of California since 1960.

20% of our ENTIRE state's energy is used to move water!

It is clear that relying on such a high percentage of foreign water is not sustainable in the long run. Through water conservation, water recycling and rainwater harvesting, both active and passive (described in upcoming blog), we can become FAR more self sufficient as a county.

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