Penny Livingston has been looking at ways to recharge our groundwater systems for more than 30 years. As recently reported in the New York Times, groundwater systems in the US are under threat, but awareness of the issue is minimal. Government solutions to address the problem are few and far between. As a world-renowned permaculture teacher, designer, and speaker, Penny Livingston has studied and spoken on the issue for decades.
“It has been the basis of my permaculture work,” Livingston said. “Groundwater recharge systems are powerful and take time to really be effective.” While the solutions are straightforward, Livingston says implementing them immediately is critical because nothing is a quick fix. The solutions also require re-framing our perspective on water. “I often say we have a water storage problem as much as a water shortage problem,” Livingston said. The best water storage system, according to Livingston, is healthy soil, and building soil takes years. From November 10-12, 2023, Penny Livingston and architect Gaby Gonzalez will partner up to present a three-day workshop on water management as part of the National Biodynamic Conference.
“Water is life, we all know this,” Gaby Gonzalez said. “Living in San Miguel, Mexico, and creating water systems to support a community when the average rainfall is only 609 mm [24 inches] meant we needed to create systems that would help us to manage water very well.” Starting with soil was the key, according to Gonzalaz. A biodynamic farmer and an architect, Gonzalez has seen the benefits of implementing regenerative biodynamic practices that not only help build soil but also restore balance and allow life to thrive.
“Slowing water, creating systems that spread it and allow it to be stored naturally in the soil, these are the systems we need to implement to build resilience in communities,” Livingston said. Slowing the water and creating natural storage systems are also needed to recharge the world’s groundwater systems. “It is all connected,” Livingston said. “We need to design our agricultural systems, communities, and urban environments with that in mind.”
The National Biodynamic Conference at the Westin Hotel in Westminster, CO, from November 8-12 will provide an opportunity for farmers, urban planners, and landscape architects, as well as backyard gardeners, to work with Penny Livingston and Gaby Gonzalez to improve water management systems on a small and large scale. For more information about the National Biodynamic Conference, visit biodynamicconference.com.
