The Greening the Desert Project has been started by Geoff Lawton, a world renown Permaculture consultant and teacher who studied and practiced extensively with Bill Mollison. The desert-like landscape of Jordan is the result of non-sustainable grazing practices that have stripped the land of its original forest. This project wants to demonstrate successful practices for the restoration of the landscape through the establishment of a food forest. 

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Along with the food forest, water efficient landscape and water management are essential to ensure replenishment of the aquifer and proper growth of the new growing forest. Together with maintaining and developing the forest, I have been part of the design and installation of a reed bed system to recycle the grew water produced in the local café. Based on the daily outflow of grey water, the system comprehended a grease trap and four consecutive reed beds built from recycled material. The treated water was then used to feed a banana circle, which is designed to turn biomass and water into delicious fresh bananas to eat!