I wish this book and the others in The Sustainable Building Essentials Series had been available when we built our home years ago. Michelle and Rob do a great job presenting not only rainwater harvesting, but how it fits into a whole systems approach for increased resiliency. They back up their recommendations with the latest research on safe rainwater utilization.

With growing populations, fast-depleting aquifers, and climatic instability the information in Essential Rainwater Harvesting will only get more valuable as we move into the future. The science-based approach that Rob & Michelle Avis take should help not only to get your system set up, but also educate policymakers with the most recent research.

This book is essential for anyone intending to live a healthy sustainable lifestyle. Rob and Michelle Avis are brilliant permaculture designers of the highest caliber worldwide, their work is always accurate, precise and detailed. Essential Rainwater Harvesting is exactly that and will probably be in print for the next century. Buy one for yourself and it will be useful for all future generations.

As the world warms, and water becomes more and more insecure in many parts of the world, knowing how to safely capture and store water is fast becoming a key skill for anyone wanting to make their lives more resilient. This fine tome tells you everything you need to know in an accessible and inspiring way. Go to it! Become a rainwater harvester! Embrace your downpipes and filtration systems! And all the while with this brilliant book stuffed into your back pocket.

This is going on my shelf as a crucial reference for design work. Accessible and quick to reference yet as thorough as one could ever need on the subject. A fantastic design tool.

Inspired to save your own rainwater for garden and home? Essential RWH is bursting with personal, practical and precise information to get gardeners saving water right now. In this comprehensive look at a complex subject I discovered everyone benefits from a little extra water sense so dive in now and start saving water today.

A great book that appeals to a great variety of audience from the inexperienced to the professional covering all aspects of roofwater harvesting from planning to commissioning. It is well-structured allowing the reader to pick up and implement the basics or alternatively delve in the detail with complex analysis on feasibility and optimisation. This book is unique with all the tools being provided for the calculations and explained clearly as well as fantastic advice on best location, materials selection and plumbing connections. Well done Rob and Michelle; this book certainly compliments the Sustainable Building Essentials Series.

As an ancient yet nearly-lost activity in most industrialized areas, rainwater capture and use (harvesting) is really a necessary component to site-based sustainability practices. Essential Rainwater Harvesting outlines the 'how-to's' and 'what-for's' of the critical aspects of RWH systems in simple yet detailed language, and includes a well-thought-through design process that really works! Kudos to the Avis team for sifting through the myriad reports, practices and options to create a nicely articulated formula for success. Can't wait to see what's next.

Rapid and massive climate change in the decades ahead will strain water resources in unprecedented ways throughout the world. You owe it to your family to follow the prescriptions in this book and be prepared for droughts and shortages through rainwater harvesting. You'll learn everything you need to know to make it happen by following "the Avis method"