¡Agua es Vida! — Water is Life — will be an event dedicated to water sustainability in the desert on Saturday. Organized by Sustainable Tucson, there will be activities at the Watershed Management Group and The Loft Cinema.

“My husband and I are passionate about rainwater harvesting,” said Jana Segal-Stormont, environmental advocacy and water committee lead at Sustainable Tucson. “And the event is not just about rainwater harvesting — it’s about how we can be more sustainable with water. I believe Tucson could be this oasis in the desert if more people knew what to do.”

¡Agua es Vida! Celebration of Water in the Desert and Short Film Showcase will begin at 8 a.m. at the Watershed Management Group. Activities include a visit to their Rain Gardens and a tour of the Living Lab. Attendees will learn about the group’s rainwater harvesting systems, compost toilets, laundry-to-landscape greywater harvesting system, food forest, and more. This family-friendly part of the event is free and will run until 1:30 p.m.

“At the Living lab, people will learn how to make their own harvesting basin for rainwater and they’ll take home a B.Y.O.B. kit – a build-your-own-basin kit,” Segal-Stormont said.

At 2 p.m. the celebration of water will move down the street to the Loft Cinema for a short film showcase. Troubadour Ted Ramirez will kick things off with a “mini concert.”

The screening will include eight short documentaries by local filmmakers.

“One of them will be about Brad Lancaster and he is like a hero,” Segal-Stormont said.

Lancaster is the Tucson-based author of the best-selling book “Rainwater
Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.”

After the documentaries, there will be a filmmaker and water expert Q&A.

The full list of documentaries and tickets for the screening are available on the Loft Cinema’s website. Tickets can also be purchased at the box office. General admission is $8, children and seniors go in for $7.50 and Loft Members pay $6.