[ Saturday, February 11, 2012; 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. ] We invite you to attend a Valentine trade event in Tucson on February 11, 2012. Please share this information with members of your organization and with people you know in the community.

Support co-operatives and local cottage industries, and find free trade gifts for the special someone for Valentine’s Day.

We look forward to having you with [...]

[ Friday, February 10, 2012; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] On Fri Feb 10 the Southern Arizona Friends of Jung are sponsoring a talk “Sustaining Earth, Sustaining Soul” by Jeff Kiehl PhD, a Senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research & a Jungian Analyst.

Visit our website SAFOJ.org for details.

Thanks, Sylvia Simpson

[ Saturday, February 11, 2012; 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. ]

The first TAPST (Tucson Aquaponics Systems Tour) is officially happening!  Saturday 2/11/12 all around Tucson, 9AM-3PM.  The full range of aquaponics systems will be featured.  So far we have at least 10 systems on 5 different sites.  

Here is a link to more info: http://www.facebook.com/events/239007656182410/

[ Thursday, February 16, 2012; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. ] Ride your bike to the Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market and Menlo Bike Mechanics will provide FREE bike tune-ups!

You can also enjoy:
* Live Music
* A Cooking Demo
* Bike Accessories
* Advice on Bike Maintenance
When: Feb. 16th 3-6pm
Where: Mercado San Agustin, 100 S. Avenida Del Convento, West of 1-10 near Congress/Grande
For more information call: 822-3304

[ Saturday, February 18, 2012; 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. ] at Northland Pioneer College, Snowflake, Arizona
Saturday, February 18, 2012 – 1 to 4 pm – Free admission

We are having a tribute to Barbara Kerr and Sherry Cole who invigorated a solar cooking movement when they lived in Tempe in the 1970′s. We’ve got some great speakers and everyone will have a chance to say [...]

[ Monday, February 20, 2012; Monday, March 12, 2012; ] PV101 Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct) Workshop

This course will provide an overview of the three basic PV system applications, primarily focusing on grid-direct systems. The goal of the course is to create a fundamental understanding of the core concepts necessary to work with all PV systems, including: system components, site analysis, PV module criteria, [...]

[ Monday, February 20, 2012; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] at Native Seeds/SEARCH Retail Store, 3061 N. Campbell Road
February 20, Monday 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Free

Native Seeds / SEARCH Monthly Salons – A little something for anyone who has ever wielded a fork or pitchfork. Bring your juiciest ideas and appetite for mind-watering conversations.

Celia Riddle, owner & creator of Hot Flash Chile Products

Celia will demonstrate [...]

[ Monday, March 19, 2012; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] at Native Seeds/SEARCH Retail Store, 3061 N. Campbell Road
March 19, Monday 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Free

Amy Schwemm, owner of the Mano y Metate line of tasty and versatile moles

Amy will talk about how she created her moles and ways to use them in your cooking, and of course will provide samples. The varieties include Mole [...]

[ Saturday, April 28, 2012; ] at the University of Arizona and Tohono Chul Park

ANNUAL FLAVORS OF THE DESERT

This year we are celebrating the 1981 landmark gathering of the folks who would become the luminaries of the seed world, with a day of workshops at the University of Arizona, and then in the evening at Tohono Chul Park, we will enjoy [...]

[ Sunday, March 4, 2012; Thursday, April 12, 2012; Saturday, June 16, 2012; Sunday, October 28, 2012; ] March 4 – 9 in Tucson
April 12 – 14 Seed Library School
Summer Saturdays: June 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14
Oct 28 – Nov 2 in Phoenix

Seed School – Native Seeds / SEARCH

Six-day trainings in Tucson, Arizona, facilitated by NS/S Executive Director Bill McDorman, author of Basic Seed Saving.

Bill is a 30-year veteran of the bioregional [...]

[ Thursday, February 9, 2012; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] Soil Steward Composting Toilet Program – Seeking Participants

Are you…

An early adopter who likes to be part of a cutting-edge pilot program to influence city and state policy?
Tired of flushing potable water down the toilet and interested in building a legal composting toilet for your home?
Interested in using alternative composting systems to improve your soil and [...]

[ Tuesday, January 31, 2012; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] On January 31st, there will be a meeting of the Pima County Food Systems Alliance, at Tucson Village Farm, 4210 N Campbell Ave

The Pima County Food Systems Alliance (PCFSA) is an open membership network comprised of a variety of groups and individuals—including but not limited to farmers, chefs, restaurants, schools, educators, youth, gardeners, researchers, food [...]

[ Saturday, January 28, 2012; ] 10am-5pm at Joel D Valdez Main Library, 101 N Stone Ave, Downtown Tucson

Pima County Public Library invites you to the grand opening of its Seed Library and introducing the new Pima County Public Library Bookbike!

The Seed Library is a collection of edible, decorative, and herb seed varieties that community members will borrow, use to grow [...]

[ Thursday, January 26, 2012; 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] On January 26th, Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market will host 2 DIY workshops to help Tucsonans stretch their dollars with homemade soaps and food preservation techniques.

From 3 to 4pm, Joyce Speirs from Dragnass Soaps will lead a workshop on homemade laundry detergent.

From 4 to 5pm, Tiffany Rose Wood, a local integrative nutritionist, will demonstrate how [...]

[ Tuesday, January 24, 2012; 9:00 am to 10:30 am. ] Green for All and The Southern Arizona Green for All Coalition (SAGAC) invite you to our first Tucson Meet and Greet information session.

Join us on January 24th from 9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. to learn more about how Tucson is engaging in a new initiative to build a broad-based coalition to address our local issues [...]

[ Saturday, January 14, 2012; ] all groups and individuals invited,

armory park, this saturday,all free, music ,dinner,speakers, interactive events……

all day…10am to 9pm….an opportunity to connect and collaborate toward our common goals..

represent your group or ck out groups that you might like to be a part of……

info on facebook at stand up tucson…or call 400-4489

[ Saturday, January 7, 2012; 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. ] The Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Tucson Chapter is meeting at 11 am on Saturday at 255 W. University Blvd to join the national chapters’ conference call and discuss local climate lobby plans. If you have any comments before the meeting, please forward them to Vince Pawlowski:  pawlowski (at) ultrasw.com
Reminders for our call on Saturday:

Please call  review [...]

Ten Good Things About a (Not So) Bad Year
Medea Benjamin, CommonDreams
I had the privilege of starting out the year witnessing, firsthand, the unfolding of the Egyptian revolution in Tahrir Square. I saw people who had been muzzled their entire lives, especially women, suddenly discovering their collective voice. Singing, chanting, demanding, creating. And that became the [...]

The 12 most hopeful trends to build on in 2012
Published by YES! Magazine on Sat, 12/31/2011
Original article: http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/sarah-van-gelder/12-most-hopeful-trends-to-build-on-in-2012
by Sarah van Gelder
Who would have thought that some young people camped out in lower Manhattan with cardboard signs, a few sharpies, some donated pizza, and a bunch of smart phones could change so much?
The viral spread of [...]

[ Monday, February 13, 2012; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] at DuVal Auditorium, University Medical Center, 1501 N Campbell Avenue

Sustainable Tucson’s February Meeting will be a special public lecture event in collaboration with the Tucson Audubon Society and the Community Water Coalition.

University of Arizona climate scientist Dr. Jonathan Overpeck will speak on Climate Change: What does it mean for Tucson and the Southwest?

Last year’s increase [...]

Sustainable Tucson’s statement of support for the Occupy Wall Street movement and Occupy Tucson
The mission of Sustainable Tucson is to create a community-wide network of people and organizations facilitating and accelerating Tucson’s transition to sustainability through education and collaborative action.
A sustainable community embodies social justice and economic justice as well as environmental justice. Our vision [...]

[ Monday, January 9, 2012; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] at Joel D. Valdez Main Library
101 N. Stone, Downtown (free lower level parking off Alameda St)

How do we “green” our homes and neighborhoods?
How do we work together and contribute to each other?
How do we prepare for climate change?
Join us on January 9th to learn of some exciting efforts now underway in your home town to [...]

[ Monday, February 6, 2012 to Wednesday, February 8, 2012. ] Early registration ends January 6!

Brad Lancaster, Senior Watershed Specialist with Watershed Management Group and author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, will lead this hands-on technical training covering advanced greywater systems.

Greywater use is not only allowed by an increasing number of municipalities, it’s actively encouraged by many authorities in efforts to preserve water, reduce energy and [...]

[ Tuesday, March 20, 2012; 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Thursday, March 29, 2012 to Saturday, March 31, 2012. ] Introductory webinar: March 20th, 3-5pm (PDT).
Hands-on training: March 29-31, 2012, Tucson, Arizona.
 

Watershed Management Group has been working with community members to install neighborhood level Green Infrastructure (GI) projects in Tucson since 2008. Now WMG is offering an in-depth professional training covering the “how to” of organization and design for community led GI installations.

James MacAdam, Green [...]

[ Thursday, January 12, 2012; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Thursday, February 9, 2012; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Thursday, March 8, 2012; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] We’re starting a local Timebank for the Tucson region, and hosting Timebank community potluck & orientation meetings on the 2nd Thursday every month at the Tucson Ward 3 Office (Grant & Vine).

If you’re interested in joining us, please sign up at tucson.timebanks.org/user/register, and come to an orientation meeting.

We’ll also be at the next Sustainable Tucson [...]

[ Tuesday, December 20, 2011; 5:30 pm; ] at Tucson City Hall, 255 W. Alameda, Tucson, AZ 85701 – downtown, just east of Granada in the Presidio Park Plaza

From: Center for Biological Diversity
Subject: Tucson: Support a City Resolution to Curb Global Warming

Seattle has just become the latest city to join the Center for Biological Diversity’s Clean Air Cities campaign; Tucson could be next.

On [...]

Dreaming New Mexico has built a map of pragmatic and visionary solutions to create a more localized and green economy with greater local self-reliance and enhanced prosperity.
Peter Warshall is Co-Director of the Bioneers’ Dreaming New Mexico Project, and a world-renowned water steward, biodiversity and wildlife specialist, research scientist, conservationist, and environmental activist.

from 2011 September TEDx [...]

Rapid rise in Arctic methane shocks scientists
By Steve Connor
Wednesday Dec 14, 2011, New Zealand Herald
Dramatic and unprecedented plumes of methane – a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – have been seen bubbling to the surface of the Arctic Ocean by scientists undertaking an extensive survey of the region.
The scale and volume of [...]

[ Monday, January 16, 2012; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] FREE at the Native Seeds/SEARCH Store, 3061 N. Campbell Ave. 85719

Bring your juiciest ideas and appetite for mind-watering conversations. The Salons are held every third Monday of the month, and have a little something for anyone who has ever wielded a fork or pitchfork.

Our Salon on January 16, 2012 will feature Carolyn Niethammer, author [...]

[ Saturday, December 10, 2011; 11:00 am; ] THE GREAT BEAN TASTING – Bean Appétit!

Feel that rumbling? It’s your stomach reminding you that Native Seeds/SEARCH’s annual Great Bean Tasting is around the corner! Come out on Saturday, December 10 to the NS/S Retail Store for your holiday shopping and sample a smorgasbord of our delectable beans, prepared by Tucson’s finest chefs. [...]

The following national plan for investing in the energy-efficiency of our buildings is a further evolution of  Ed Mazria’s 2009 Plan which Sustainable Tucson is suggesting as a model to develop a local green retrofit  stimulus program. See the Mazria Plan here:
 
$4B public-private program for energy efficiency planned
Jim Kuhnhenn The Associated Press , Arizona Daily [...]

Inside the Civano Project: A Case Study of Large-Scale Sustainable Neighborhood Development (Mcgraw-Hill’s Greensource Series) 2009
By C. Alan Nichols and Jason A. Laros
Forward by Sustainable Tucson — Co-Founder Bob Cook
Forward
The following story is about a group of people who recognized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and took it upon themselves to reinvent the future and work for [...]

[ Thursday, December 15, 2011; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. ] December 15th, 3-6 pm, at 100 S. Avenida del Convento, near the corner of Congress and Grande

This holiday season, Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market shoppers will find a variety of distinctively southwest gifts to choose from at our weekly Thursday market.

Our healthy and locally made gifts include raw mesquite honey, prickly pear jams, mesquite flour [...]

[ Thursday, December 1, 2011; 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Wednesday, December 7, 2011; 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Thursday, December 8, 2011; 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Saturday, December 10, 2011; 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] Thursday, Dec. 1, at Corona Foothills Middle School, 16705 S. Houghton Rd., from 5 to 9 PM (and see comments below for further meetings at other locations)

From: Keith Willmarth <canduthis(at)toast.net>
Subject: Oppose the Rosemont Mine

I am sending this message to mobilize informed opposition to the proposed Rosemont Mine. Several organizations, in particular Save the Scenic [...]

[ Wednesday, November 30, 2011; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] On November 30th (this Wednesday) from 6-8 pm, there will be a large group meeting of the Pima County Food Systems Alliance (PCFSA) with a potluck at the Sam Lena Library (1607 S. 6th Ave, Tucson; call 520.594.5265 for directions)

The Agenda is as follows:

Welcome & Introduction (Nick) (5 min; 6:00-6:05)
Presentation by PCFSA Consultants (Bryn/Lewis) (25 min; 6:05-6:30)
Break & Get [...]

[ Monday, December 12, 2011; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] at Joel D. Valdez Main Library
101 N. Stone, Downtown (free lower level parking off Alameda St)

Activism, Advocacy, and Political Action are ramping up all over the world.  Tucson is no exception, and so Sustainable Tucson begins an exploration into the realm of political expression and action, and how we can use it to promote sustainability [...]

6 Burning Questions About the Violent Crackdowns on Occupations Around the Country
By Lynn Parramore, AlterNet Posted on November 15, 2011 http://www.alternet.org/story/153083/6_burning_questions_about_the_violent_crackdowns_on_occupations_around_the_country
Occurring without provocation, the Occupy crackdown gives the appearance of an orchestrated effort to thwart an emerging protest movement. Early morning Tuesday, in New York City, hundreds of police officers, many in riot gear, swept down on [...]

A Secure Food Supply for Tucson & Southern Arizona
Resources & Contacts: Gardening & Farming – Production, Distribution, Education
A sampling and an on-going growing list (see this page for updates)
Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona – communityfoodbank.com
Native Seeds/SEARCH – www.nativeseeds.org
Pima County Food Systems Alliance – go to Facebook page
Tucson Organic Gardeners – www.tucsonorganicgardeners.org
Community Gardens of [...]

[ Sunday, November 20, 2011; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. ] Food Film Festival featuring the Film ”Greenhorns”
and a film short on the locally owned Sleeping Frog Farms
Happy Hour Party at Borderlands Brewery to follow
Date: Sunday, November 20
Time: 3:00 pm
Cost: $15 per person
Place: The Screening Room (127 E. Congress St.)
& Happy Hour at Borderlands Brewery (119 E. Toole Ave.)

It’s time for the second annual Taste Film, Talk Food, brought to [...]

Sustainable Tucson comments on proposed Rosemont Mine
Sustainable Tucson is a non-profit, grass-roots organization that builds regional resilience and sustainability through awareness raising, community engagement and public/private partnerships. We recognize the need to focus on sustainability within the Sonoran bioregion.
The proposal by the Augusta Resources Corporation to develop a copper mine in the Santa Rita mountains [...]

By Caroline Dobuzinskis
 
(Ed Mazria’s  Revised One-Year, 4.5 Million-Jobs Investment Plan available here:)
 
With the job market crashing and a reported one in five mortgages underwater, the need for complex solutions to fix the US economy grows increasingly urgent. Ed Mazria, founder of the non-profit research and education organization Architecture 2030, has put forward a proposal to [...]

With half of all mortgaged homes “underwater” and owing more than their market value, housing prices continue to decline even after four years of collapsing prices. The ongoing global credit and debt crisis combined with declining house prices spell disaster for the home-building industry for at least the next decade. The escalating climate crisis also [...]

2012 Green Retrofit Economic Stimulus Proposal for Tucson
With half of all mortgaged homes “underwater” and owing more than their market value, housing prices continue to decline even after four years of collapsing prices. The ongoing global credit and debt crisis combined with declining house prices spell disaster for the home-building industry for at least the [...]

The global output of carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the US Department of Energy has calculated, a sign of how feeble the world’s efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.
The new figures for last year mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst-case scenario outlined by climate experts [...]

U.S. Delays Decision on Pipeline Until After Election
By JOHN M. BRODER and DAN FROSCH
published in New York Times 11/10/11
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, under sharp pressure from officials in Nebraska and restive environmental activists, announced Thursday that it would review the route of the disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline, effectively delaying any decision about its [...]

New recession threatens the globe as debt crisis grows
by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – Telegraph  (UK)  published 11/10/11
Europe’s escalating debt crisis has cast a black shadow over the world’s fragile recovery, threatening to tip large parts of the global economy into a deep downturn and even outright recession.
The OECD’s index of leading indicators for China, India, Brazil, [...]

Sustainable Tucson founding coalition member, Tom Greco gives a presentation on his transformational model of economic change to the International Conference on Sustainability, Transition and Culture Change: Vision, Action, Leadership. This TED-like talk is video-streamed from the conference and is viewable here:
 
http://www.livestream.com/localfuture/video?clipId=pla_ade24121-d46d-4448-863c-babe129a604f

UA Natural Resources Professor Emeritus Guy McPherson and Sustainable Tucson founding coalition member addresses the International Conference on Sustainability, Transition and Culture Change: Vision, Action, Leadership recounting his journey to personal accountability in the current crisis of civilization. Taking material from his latest book, “Walking Away From Empire” , Guy demonstrates Gandhi’s  recommendation: “Become the [...]

Buying Underwear, Along With the Whole Store
By AMY CORTESE
 
SARANAC LAKE, N.Y.
 
THE residents of Saranac Lake, a picturesque town in the Adirondacks, are a hardy lot — they have to be to withstand winter temperatures that can drop to 30 below zero. But since the local Ames department store went out of business in 2002 — [...]