Located just blocks north of downtown Tucson, this site is a study in self-sufficiency in an urban setting. The Lancaster residence benefits from a stand-alone photovoltaic system, providing them with year round electricity to meet their household needs. Their electric utility lines were disconnected as part of the installation. Additional sustainable strategies this household implements include: solar oven/cooking, solar clothes dryer(clothes line), passive heating and cooling strategies, greywater harvesting, bicycle as primary means of transport, and production of 15 to 25 percent of household food onsite.

The Lancaster household currently gives back more water to the watershed than it takes from it. In an average year of rainfall over 100,000 gallons of rain is harvested on this 1/8-acre site and surrounding public right-of-way. Most of that water is harvested in the soil. Yet, the household consumes less than 20,000 gallons of municipal water per year. To find out more see the acclaimed book "Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape" by Brad Lancaster. www.HarvestingRainwater.com<http://harvestingrainwater.com>