About us

Lauren Forbes, Founder and Designer

Founder and chief visionary, Lauren is the driving force behind the company. 

In a world where everything is connected, Lauren is motivated by finding integrated solutions that meet multiple needs. Lauren began navigating the complexities around rainwater and greywater to balance human needs, financial goals, and water-energy concerns inside her own home. This began a multi-year journey to become a certified designer and launch Cactus Rain LLC so she could help others achieve their water security and sustainability goals, too.

• ARCSA and ASSE Rainwater Designer
• Commercial Water Auditor
• Qualified Water Efficient Landscape (QWEL)
• WERS Consultant
  
• Next Generation Water Summit Co-organizer
• MIT Professional Certificate in Sustainability 
• MIT Professional Education DesignX
• Architectural Technology

Nichole Busse, Horticulture

Nichole is one of those lucky people who can say that they love what they do when it comes to their profession. She’s knowledgeable about growing and propagating plants, what is native to New Mexico, what vegetation is drought tolerant, sun loving, cold hardy, etc. and can help you decide what will grow best for your area. She has an extensive history identifying invasive pests and plant diseases, and has been learning, researching, and implementing water conservation and high elevation growing for over 20 years.

• ARCSA and ASSE Rainwater Designer
• Qualified Water Efficient Landscape (QWEL)
• State of California Plant Quarantine Supervisor
• Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist
• Garden Nursery Manager

Doug Pushard

Doug founded Harvest H2O  over 20 years ago as a personal expression of his interest in the subject of rainwater catchment and water conservation. Doug has been published and featured in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and radio shows. Additionally, Doug has presented on rainwater and water conservation at conferences around the United States.

Doug is an ARCSA Accredited Professional and an ex-Board member the American Rainwater Catchment System Association (ARCSA) and was the co-chair for the ARCSA National Conference for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Doug is an EPA WaterSense Partner with Certification in Irrigation Auditing. Doug is also a certified Permaculture Designer, a member of the ICC Working Group defiining the US and Canadian standards for Rainwater Harvesting, a WERS faculty member, a BOC water faculty member, and teaches water related classes at Santa Fe Community College. He is a member of the City of Santa Water Conservation Office Water Efficiency Team and Executive Director at KuelWater.org and Next Generation Water Summit.

Before retiring, Doug worked with home-owners and local contractors to install small-to-large residential water management systems. He worked closely with homeowners and builders to maximize the water capture; while optimizing water efficiency and minimizing overall costs and required ongoing maintenance.  

Laura Allen

Laura Allen is a founding member of Greywater Action and has spent the past 20 years exploring simple and ecological water solutions. She is the lead author of the San Francisco Graywater Design Guidelines for Outdoor Irrigation, and authored The Water-Wise Home: How to Conserve and Reuse Water in Your Home and Landscape (Storey Press, 2015) and Greywater, Green Landscape (2017). She has a BA in environmental science, a teaching credential, and a master’s degree in education. Laura leads classes and workshops on rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and composting toilets. Laura has presented widely on greywater reuse, including at the Water Smart Innovations Conference, Bioneers, California Environmental Health Association conference, and California Landscape Contractors Association conference. She’s participated in state greywater code developments in California and Washington State and is on the technical advisory committee for IAPMO’s Water Efficiency Standard (We-Stand). Laura was featured in an Ask This Old House episode on greywater and was the 2014 recipient of the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award of Water Champion.