[ Thursday, October 21, 2010; 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Salpointe Catholic High School

Join Watershed Management Group (WMG) for a Green Infrastructure Showcase & Open House celebration with Samos Neighborhood, Salpointe High, WMG, and the City of Tucson, all leaders in green infrastructure for Southwest neighborhoods. This event will include an introduction to WMG\’s Green Streets – Green Neighborhoods program, an outdoor tour of [...]

[ Saturday, October 2, 2010; 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. ] Introduction to Permaculture – In this one day overview of Permaculture design, ethics, and principles you will have the opportunity to put together a long term plan for your sustainable home and landscape – one that takes care of people and takes care of our environment at the same time.

Location: Mesquite Tree [...]

[ Saturday, October 16, 2010; ] You are welcome to visit the San Xavier Cooperative Association’s unique and productive farm in the fields adjacent to the famous Mission. Here they grow both traditional and contemporary crops in the heart of the Santa Cruz Valley, where the land has been cultivated for over 4,000 years. Local aficionados wait patiently each year for [...]

Imagine Greater Tucson, a collaborative effort to define a publicly supported vision and clear action plan to help shape the region’s future is kicking off its multi-year campaign at the end of the month. There are many opportunities to get involved and to help ensure that sustainability is a fundamental concern of the campaign. Learn [...]

[ Thursday, September 30, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] You are invited to a lecture and discussion with Dr. Sharon Megdal, Director of the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center. Discover what our current situation is and what can we do now, before we are in a crisis!

Hear Sharon Megdal, then meet with cistern installers, dual flush toilet venders and other people working [...]

[ Thursday, September 30, 2010; 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. ] Hi Corbett Field, Reid Park

Oktoberfest Tent on the field

Please join us to celebrate the Kick-Off of Imagine Greater Tucson !

• Discover how you can help shape the future of our region

• Meet Eileen Fagan, the new Director of Imagine Greater Tucson

• Meet other supporters of Imagine Greater Tucson

All attendees of the Kick-Off are invited to [...]

[ Wednesday, October 6, 2010; 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] Sustainable Tucson, The American Association of University Women, and the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson will co-sponsor a Forum for available candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission at the Temple Emanu-El, 225 N. Country Club.

The five elected members of this Commission play an important role in the governance of firms providing major utilities [...]

The New York Times reports on a massive flow of money into California to defeat its recent legislative efforts to control green house emissions in that state. Out of state oil companies are the major sources of millions of dollars supporting an initiative to suspend application of the law until unemployment falls below, and stays [...]

Tell the folks at your favorite restaurant that Tucson Water is now offering free replacement valves & installation for commercial kitchens. As part of the Rinse Smart Program, Tucson Water will replace inefficient high water-use pre-rinse spray valves with low-water use valves saving water, sewer and energy costs. They will install it in less than [...]

[ Sunday, September 12, 2010; 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. ] The Age of Stupid
September 12th, 5:00 pm. Film starts at 5:45

Sunday Night at the Movies at St. Francis in the Foothills Church, at Swan and River Roads. Bring a potluck dish to share in the main meeting space. Questions? Call Liz 299-9839

Pete Postlethwaite stars as the narrator of the film, an old man living alone [...]

The Teaching & Helping Program of Empowering Local Communities, Inc. is organizing a project to reduce the energy use of as many Tucson homes as possible on the Day of Climate Action, October 10, 2010 (10-10-10). We are looking for Tucson homeowners who want to participate in doing energy conservation projects on their homes on [...]

[ Wednesday, September 15, 2010; 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. ] The Loft Cinema, 3233 E Speedway, Blvd., Tucson, Arizona

The Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour brings together a selection of films from the annual festival held each January in Nevada City, CA. The chosen films not only highlight environmental concerns but also provide solutions, reaching people through beautiful imagery, and inspiring local individuals [...]

Barbara Rose, a teaching team member of the Sonoran Permaculture Guild has announced a series of intensive workshops about native foods, herbs, and earth crafts on the first and third Saturdays of each month.
More details are available at www.beantreefarm.com.

[ Saturday, September 18, 2010; 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] An afternoon of local food learning, networking and experiences.
Walking J Farm (Double Check Ranch South), Amado, AZ Just an hour south of Tucson .
For details, contact Judith Mattson at Local Food Concepts, 520.395.0663, or via email:
LocalFoodConcepts@comcast.net

A personal choice to select, prepare and serve local, fresh, healthy, natural and organic foods is only as good as the available food supply.  Here in the desert, it can be a special challenge – both for customers and those who grow food locally.
Local Food Concepts, the Tucson-based, local food information resource headed by writer/consultant [...]

By Steve Andrews, Sally Odland, John Theobald and Randy Udall.  Andrews and Udall are retired co-founders of ASPO-USA. Odland is a former ASPO-USA board member. Theobald is a former ASPO-USA conference organizer.
Published by the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas – USA (ASPO-USA) on Mon, [...]

It’s one thing to have a workplace that has a recycling bin, but do you
know of a company that could be named Arizona’s Greenest
Workplace?
Mrs. Green is on the hunt for companies and workplaces that are miles
ahead of the pack when it comes to keeping it green and making conscious efforts to be more eco-friendly.
Do you [...]

[ Saturday, October 16, 2010; 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. ] At the HabiStore
3840 S. Palo Verde at Ajo (SW corner of Ajo and Palo Verde)

Learn from the gurus of green, as local experts share tips, info, and ways to go green and save greenbacks at the Green Living Fair in Partnership with AFV Day Odyssey. Discover steps for energy savings, resource conservation, organic gardening, composting, [...]

A recent study suggests that even though more of us are concerned about the environment and the importance of reducing our carbon footprint, most of us are poorly informed about the relative impact of energy saving actions we can take in our homes. Arguably “people seem conditioned to think of energy savings as they [...]

ENERGY EFFICIENCY RETROFITS FOR HOMEOWNERS
Are you interested in improving the energy efficiency
of your home?
Approximately 300 homes located within the City of Tucson will be selected to receive energy efficiency upgrades to reduce the home’s energy use by 15-20%.
Residential energy efficiency retrofit work may include things like substituting compact fluorescent light bulbs for [...]

Cheers Sustainable Tucson:
Lots of of Zero-Race.com serendipity is happening!  The Electrics are coming to town!  So now it’s time to tap into furthering the wellspring of EVnthusiastism with Sustainable Tucson.  Many around the country are jumping in as “Indians” and just being players on the Zero Race Regional Coordinating Teams (RCTs).  EVolunteers are needed for the RCT – Arizona, [...]

[ Tuesday, October 26, 2010; 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. ]
Tucson Association of REALTORS
2445 N. Tucson Blvd.
Event Phone number: 520-382-8775

The Tucson Association of REALTORS Green Committee presents, this one of a kind event! In this presentation, Jerry Yudelson, author of Dry Run: Preventing the Next Urban Water Crisis (2010), will describe how future water availability will affect the quality of [...]

Matt Simmons, global energy expert, dies at 67
Statement by the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas  – USA
August 9, 2010
ROCKLAND, Maine — Matt Simmons, Chairman of ASPO-USA’s Advisory Board, died Sunday night at his home in North Haven Island, near Rockland, Maine.
The founder of Houston-based Simmons & Co. International, Matt wrote the [...]

Matt Simmons, a leader of the Peak Oil movement and global energy expert,  died suddenly on August 8th.

His 2005 book, Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy, was a significant factor in waking up business and political leaders around the world to the critical implications of the emerging end [...]

[ Monday, September 13, 2010; 5:45 pm to 8:00 pm. ] The September Meeting will focus on the carbon burden associated with supplying Greater Tucson’s water supply. Additional information will be supplied about what individuals can do within their communities to use our precious water wisely and sustainably.

Tom’s of Maine is asking for the public’s vote to determine five non-profit organizations that will each receive $20,000 through its “50 States for Good” initiative. This year, the “50 States for Good” program drew submissions from every state with a special focus on non-profits that need volunteers to help get important projects started in [...]

Fossil Fuel Subsidies Are 12 Times Support for Renewables!
Bloomberg reports that although the US provides greater support for renewal energy than most nations, we still provide substantially more subsidies for non-renewal energy.
See the rest of the article here.

All political parties including independents are accountable to the emerging challenges of sustainability. The G.O.P. in Arizona is particularly accountable for the state’s catastrophic condition both now and going forward.
Despite voters’ May approval of Prop 100 to tax ourselves to solve some of the current deficiencies, the G.O.P. and its Tea Party affiliates continue to [...]

Here’s a nice little story about a truly “frugal” family writing a new chapter about living sustainably ( but unfortunately they live in Pasadena.) Perhaps some of you will figure out the secret for doing some of this here in Tucson.
Take a look here.

[ Friday, June 25, 2010; 8:00 am to 11:00 am. ]

CLICK HERE to RSVP the WBC Orientation Breakfast

CLICK HERE for additional Information about the WBC Orientation Breakfast

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation has just published a very comprehensive but sober analysis of various strategies for achieving a necessary reduction in carbon emissions by the much-discussed 2050 target deadline. In their view “numerous advocacy groups, scholars, think tanks and others have proposed a variety of steps to take based on a [...]

Rolling Stone magazine will soon publish a scathing analysis of the administration’s failure to mange the high risk deep sea oil exploration effort, beginning with the Interior Department’s tepid response to mounting evidence of incompetence and malfeasance within its Minerals Management Service. Make sure you are prepared for an assault on your assumptions about how [...]

The Pima Association of Governments just approved the Second Tucson Region Indicators Report. It provides a snapshot of the region with data on key measures that characterize its current health from an environmental and community perspective.
Five theme areas are: Natural Resources, Air Quality, Water, Transportation and Energy, and
Community and Economy, to represent the essence of [...]

[ Wednesday, June 23, 2010; 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Where: YWCA, 525 N. Bonita Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85745

FREE WORKSHOP

This FREE workshop is your guide to straight forward sustainable business practices.
Obtain Tucson Electric Power’s available incentives which can pay as much as 90% of the installed cost on select efficiency measures

Become a Certified Green Business through the City of Tucson
Increase your bottom line through decreasing [...]

Find out about an exciting opportunity to work with your neighbors and save both money and water! Download the flyer here .

[ Sunday, May 23, 2010; 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm. ] Local chefs cook meals with produce from local gardens at a fundraiser
for Kim Fox’s travels from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday, May 23. $25 to $75.
Mercado San Agustin 100 S. Avenida del Convento. Call 461-1106, or
visit theoriginalhoe.blogspot.com for more information.

Sara Jones of Tucson CSA will make dessert, and Amy Schwemm of Mano Y
Metate will make [...]

Sustainable Tucson is republishing the following call to the community which we originally presented in February 2008. The message is not only more relevant today but portends some of the events which have already happened since then. As we prepare to participate in the upcoming Imagine Greater Tucson process this coming Fall, let’s focus on [...]

Industry leaders seem to be showing more openness to energy descent issues
Published on Energy Bulletin (http://www.energybulletin.net)
Published Tue, 05/04/2010 – 07:00 by The Oil Drum
This is a guest post by George Mobus, who is an Associate Professor of Computing and Software Systems at the University of Washington, Tacoma. His blog is Question Everything.
I’ve spent the [...]

The New York Times reports on a truly scary “we told you so” story about the growth of “Roundup-resistant weeds” that threaten to dramatically raise the cost of food and the widespread use of even more deadly pesticides.
This is how the article begins…
“Just as the heavy use of antibiotics contributed to the rise of drug-resistant [...]

[ Tuesday, May 18, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] 320 N. Commerce Park Loop, Sentinel Building
Sabino/Rillito Rooms

GO GREEN & SAVE MONEY
Fiscally Sound Green Business Practices

Learn how to reduce your use of resources and operate more sustainably in order to save
money. You’ll also discuss:
♦ How to conduct resource consumption evaluations
♦ Energy efficiency opportunities
♦ Water efficiency
♦ Waste reduction and recycling techniques
♦ Aspects of the City of [...]

[ Tuesday, May 11, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] WAYS TO MAKE YOUR
BUSINESS GREEN

320 N. Commerce Park Loop, Sentinel Building
Sabino/Rillito Rooms

Experts will discuss:
♦ How to improve your bottom line through sustainable business practices.
♦ What it really means to be “green,”
♦ How your company can reduce material & energy waste,
♦ How going green cuts costs.
♦ Information about available rebates and other support programs

This workshop will [...]

Bill McKibben on “Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough Planet” (video)
by Michael Brownlee
Description:
As part of his current book tour, author and climate activist Bill McKibben spoke at the First United Methodist Church in Boulder, CO on April 27, co-sponsored by Boulder Book Store and Transition Colorado. The video of his presentation is below, following [...]

Paul Krugman suggests that the BP oil spill in the gulf may be just what the environmental movement needs to get back on the public agenda, given what he observes about public sentiment: For one thing, as visible pollution has diminished, so has public concern over environmental issues. According to a recent Gallup survey, “Americans [...]

[ Friday, April 23, 2010; 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. ] Kiva Room of the Student Union Memorial Center
University of Arizona

Seminar Synopsis
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Imperative for a Robust Economy

Speakers: John Laitner and Jeff Schlegel

Observers of U.S. energy policy might think of energy efficiency as a useful tool to manage the growth of our nation’s energy consumption. They might also see it as [...]

You may want to read at least the free summary of the recent National Academy of Science report on The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States.
According to the summary:
“Corn, cotton, and soybean that have been engineered to resist insect pests and herbicides are now planted on almost half of [...]

[ Tuesday, June 22, 2010; ] The US SOCIAL FORUM will take place in Detroit, Michigan.

The US Social Forum (USSF) is a movement building process. It is not a conference but it is a space to come up with the peoples’ solutions to the economic and ecological crisis. The USSF is the next most important step in our struggle to build [...]

Building a Green Economy
By PAUL KRUGMAN
If you listen to climate scientists — and despite the relentless campaign to discredit their
work, you should — it is long past time to do something about emissions of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases. If we continue with business as usual, they say, we are facing a
rise in global temperatures [...]

[ Wednesday, April 21, 2010; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] Join members of the community as proposed changes to the city charter are discussed. According to the hosts, Tucson Young Professionals, these proposals could have a major impact on how our city is run. The meeting will be held in the Tucson Association of Realtor Conference Room, 2445 North Tucson Boulevard. All Members and Guests [...]

By Guy R. McPherson
Published at Energy Bulletin and Guy’s blog: Nature Bats Last
(Guy, a former UA professor, has inspired Sustainable Tucson with his writings and appearances at ST General Meetings during the past four years)
As we continue into the decades-old, but only recently acknowledged era of destruction and extinction, it’s apparent the current model [...]

By Dan Allen
Published by the Energy Bulletin, (www.energybulletin.net)  March 30, 2010

SUMMARY: Bound by the tangled cord of its own sins, Industrial Civilization sits immobilized — with the gun of reality pressed to its temple. Monumental changes are imminent – probably (hopefully) a swirling mix of both bad and good. [...]