Resources We Like
Sites & Articles
Forage ABQ
Created by Cool it Burque member Aidan, this is a fantastic site explaining how and when to forage non-native and abundant "weedy" native species throughout Albuquerque. The site is full of pictures, plant descriptions, and how to prepare/cook these foraged finds!
Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood Foresters in Tucson
Inspiring example of a grassroots effort transforming a treeless neighborhood into a vast native food forest watered by the rain, in a climate much like our own.
"Syntropic Agroforestry is a polyculture agricultural (gardening/farming) system that includes trees and shrubs, and uses planting, pruning, and harvesting strategies and other ecology wisdom to accelerate the rate of accumulation of biomass, organic matter, biodiversity, and available nutrients in the system." —Mother Tree Food & Forest
Food Forests, a Prehistoric Agroecosystem for Your Backyard
Get the lowdown on food forests from 505 Outside!
Mesquite Manifesto from Regeneration International
Mesquites are multi-talented trees! "It is time to make significant investments in holistically managing, conserving, restoring or reconfiguring extensive corridors of mesquite habitats."
Los Angeles Just Proved How Spongy a City Can Be
"The old way of stormwater management isn’t just increasingly dangerous and ineffective as the planet warms and storms get more intense—it stands in the way of a more beautiful, less sweltering, more sustainable urban landscape."
"Green spaces significantly cool our ever-hotter cities. New research suggests more trees could cut heat-related ER visits in LA by up to two-thirds."
Videos
Walter Jehne: Cooling The Climate and Restoring Ecosystems
Check out this lecture with soil biologist Walter Jehne on how to cool the planet using the water cycle and vegetation. It's got the full scientific rationale behind Cool it Burque, and mind blowing atmospheric physics — it’s all here! (1 hour 39 mins)
Water Harvester: An Invitation to Abundance
Tucson resident Brad Lancaster believes that cities around the world can live off rainwater. This is the story of how he transformed his neighborhood by experimenting with water harvesting, worked with the city to legalize those methods, and empowered others by proving that abundance rooted in sustainability is possible. (27 mins)
Looking for something a little shorter? Check out this 6-minute Brad Lancaster video!
This Urban Forest Becomes Self-Sufficient in 3 Years
An intro to the Miyawaki method, featuring Massachusetts' first Miyawaki forests!
How Water Makes Climate
You have to create a free account to watch this 12-minute animation, but it's totally worth it! This video succinctly, powerfully, and beautifully explains the connection between earth's water cycle and global climate in a way anybody can understand.
Books
Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World
Podcasts
What Are Food Forests?
We enjoyed this radio interview about the Dunbar/Springs Neighborhood Foresters in Tucson and a public food forest in Wisconsin. Especially cool to hear them discuss the challenges and community-building strategies of both.
One of our members' favorite podcasts. Recommended episodes: The Goatwalker Series (in season 3), in which the host speaks with Gary Paul Nabhan about mesquite and its potential. Also check out the Forest / Garden episode, which has a fascinating perspective on permaculture and what the field can learn from indigenous land practices.