13: Zach Weiss – Restoring a Healthy Water Cycle

Tangled

In this interview, I speak to Zach Weiss, who runs a business called Elemental Ecosystems. I met Zach a few weeks ago when I took his workshop, where he taught some of his methods for understanding and managing water in the landscape.

Zach works under the assumption that the core reason for many environmental problems is a misunderstanding and poor management of water. By building dams, repairing eroded stream banks and many other tactics, Zach helps people improve their land’s ability to catch and hold water. This has flow-on effects for local climate, drought resilience and financial stability.

Show Notes

01:05 Zach describes his work
02:01 Outline of the water cycle
04:31 Sepp Holzer
09:20 Zach's opinion of Holistic Management
10:32 Tom Brown Jr. and Jon Young: wilderness skills, bird language
10:59 Ringing Cedars
11:57 Rajindra Singh, the waterman of India
12:53 Universal principles vs. specific tactics
13:25 The Tao
14:23 Describing a typical re-hydration project
16:26 Why pond liners are not ideal
18:27 Building water bodies that fit in with the existing geology and hydrology, as opposed to digging dams in inappropriate spots. "Tying a water body to the natural veins of the Earth."
20:48 Zach's thoughts on some aspects of permaculture
22:57 Getting your hands dirty. Build models using the soil on your property.
24:35 What to do in the suburbs?… Observe your property, create a rain garden, infiltrate the maximum amount of water.
26:21 Hügelkultur
27:40 Zach's problem with swales
30:14 The process of tapping springs, and why to drink spring water
32:35 French drains
33:42 Evidence of revegetation changing climate and increasing rainfall
34:44 Willie Smits, and his TED Talk
35:14 Convincing people that water is more important than atmospheric CO2 for climate
36:57 Zach's experience in Australia: a perfect example of the watershed death spiral
39:45 Zach's film, Elemental Change
42:00 Vicencia Dehasa, Spain
42:14 Tamera, Portugal
42:36 Peter Marshall and Terra Preta Truffles near Braidwood
42:54 Walter Jehne
43:22 Tarun Bharat Sangh, Indian NGO