[ 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

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 [...]

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 [...]

[ 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 [...]

The Dark Side of the ‘Green’ City
By Andrew Ross
PHOENIX
The struggle to slow global warming will be won or lost in cities, which emit 80 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. So “greening” the city is all the rage now. But if policy makers end up focusing only on those who can afford the low-carbon technologies [...]

How Germany became Europe’s green leader: A look at four decades of sustainable policymaking
by Ralph Buehler, Arne Jungjohann, Melissa Keeley, Michael Mehling

In Brief
Over the last 40 years, all levels of government in Germany have retooled policies to promote growth that is more environmentally sustainable. Germany’s experiences can provide useful lessons for the United States (and [...]

[ Sunday, October 16, 2011; 11:00 am; ] Tucson Prepares for National Plug-In Day on October 16
By Benjamin Nead · October 07, 2011

Bob Oldfather, owner of Bookmans Books and a longtime supporter of electric cars, at a Tucson event for the rollout of the Nissan LEAF.  Tucson’s parade for National Plug In Day will begin at Bookmans’s Campbell and Grant location.

A few weeks [...]

[ Monday, October 10, 2011; 5:15 pm to 8:45 pm. ] Sustainable Tucson is offering a very special Book Sale fundraising event at our October  General Meeting. We have more than 150 titles, including some hard-to-find classics. The winter reading season is coming, so come and browse this rich collection of sustainability literature. You can shop with gifts in mind for particular friends, relatives, or colleagues [...]

[ Saturday, September 24, 2011; 7:00 am to 11:00 am. ] Moving Planet – September 24th, 2011: A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels

JOIN THE RIDE: Connect 2 river paths on 2 wheels!

Celebrate the linkup of the Santa Cruz and Rillito river paths and ride beyond fossil fuels. Meet on the plaza south of Drachman Hall on the UMC Campus (Helen St and Martin Av).

Ride starts [...]

ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) is putting together a 25 year Arizona
transportation plan and has a short 4-question online survey about how to spend its budget
on transportation (more highways/road expansion vs. rail and transit). If you have an opinion
about this please fill out the survey and pass on the invite.
Visit www.whatmovesyouarizona.gov and click on the [...]

Elly Blue has written a series of informative articles challenging mainstream assumptions about the economics of transportation.
“Imagine getting a $3,000 to $12,000 tax rebate this year. Now imagine it coming again and again. Every year it grows by around a thousand dollars. Imagine how this would change your daily life.”
Read the rest of this important [...]

Gas Prices Got You Down?
Bike Fest 2011 Begins Tomorrow!
Tucson, Arizona (March 10, 2011) – Let the fun begin as Bike Fest 2011 kicks off over 20 different events designed to inspire us to park the car and hop on the bike to experience the many benefits bicycling brings to our community. From March 11th through [...]

[ Sunday, March 20, 2011; 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Time again to invite you all to proclaim local community from the rooftops. One rooftop at least.

Join in on the action on the roof of the Pennington St Parking Garage, 110 E. Pennington St.

What is Common Ground?

What it is… is a CELEBRATION, where every group, organization, congregation, small business, performer, artist, EVERYBODY in the Tucson [...]

[ Monday, March 14, 2011; 5:45 pm to 8:00 pm. ] All are invited to attend the General Meeting of Sustainable Tucson. The focus will be on ways to participate in planning the region’s transportation systems.

On January 10th, as part of our General Meeting, Sustainable Tucson held its own version of the community conversations being held around the city by Imagine Greater Tucson. After completing a paper survey about what we liked and what we wanted to change about the Tucson region, four groups of people discussed their answers to [...]

The Pima County Hearing Administrator will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, November 10th at 10AM in the Public Works Building, 201 N. Stone Avenue, Basement, Conference Room C.
The hearing concerns a proposal to establish a solar power plant at 9000 N. Sanders Rd, on property owned by the City of Tucson. It is suggested [...]

[ Saturday, October 30, 2010; 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. ] 2602 E. Grant Road

The Rally will be held locally while Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity and
Stephen Colbert’s March to Keep Fear Alive occur in Washington, D.C. Our rally
highlights Tucson organizations that are providing sane solutions to intensifying
global challenges.

A solar-powered sound system will broadcast the tunes of local musicians,
a solar oven demonstration will be cooking [...]

[ 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 [...]

[ 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 [...]

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, [...]

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, July 13, 2010; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] ooo
000
The Truth About Alcohol Fuel: Our Path Beyond Petroleum,
with David Blume
Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 5:30 pm
Tucson Public Library, 101 N. Stone Ave.  Lower Level Meeting Room:
Co-Sponsored by the Community Information Resource Center and Sustainable Tucson

Permaculturist David Blume will present the history of alcohol fuel, and outline how localized, small-scale alcohol fuel production can contribute to [...]

Transition United States is passing on the word about the great success enjoyed by the first Cyclovia Tucson. You can follow these stories here.

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 [...]

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 [...]

Road transportation emerges as key driver of warming: NASA analysis
Published Thu, 02/18/2010 – 08:00
by NASA
For decades, climatologists have studied the gases and particles that have potential to alter Earth’s climate. They have discovered and described certain airborne chemicals that can trap incoming sunlight and warm the climate, while others cool the planet by blocking the [...]

[ Sunday, April 18, 2010; 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. ] Cyclovia will give Tucson folks the chance to enjoy our great weather, see neighbors, friends and people from throughout Tucson, and get a little exercise – all on city streets that will be closed to car traffic and open to walkers, joggers, cyclists, skaters and all other forms of natural movement.

Motor vehicles are detoured from [...]

Dear Community Friends and Partners:

The first print edition of the Green Pueblo Map showcasing our community’s favorite “green” places and spaces will be available later this year.  If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to “make your mark” on the map by nominating your favorite sustainable sites at www.greenpueblomap.org [...]

[ Monday, February 8, 2010; 5:45 pm to 8:00 pm. ] The focus of the Sustainable Tucson General Meeting will be Food Sustainability. On February 8, your view of food sustainability in Tucson ’s future may change forever. The Sustainable Tucson Working Group on Food & Agriculture will engage your mind and your tastebuds in thinking about the sources of food in Tucson, Pima County and [...]

Just a heads up that Hertz is the 1st to launch the Flex car program and it’s up and running at the U of A. You do not need to be a student to rent the vehicle. You can rent it for an hour, a few hours or even a day or more. It’s really a great program. [...]

[ Tuesday, October 27, 2009 to Thursday, October 29, 2009. ] Tucson’s 2nd annual bicycle count needs volunteers. The count is important
to the region to better understand the trends in cycling, the behavior of
cyclists, and to identify locations needing improvements. The more cyclists
we can get on the roads safely, the better our community and our
environment. Last year we counted over 50 locations and this year we [...]

[ Wednesday, April 22, 2009; ] Sustainability Actions Everyone Can Do

We in Tucson face an unprecedented sustainability crisis including economic meltdown, climate change, resource depletion, and unraveling of the social fabric.——- Every level of our community is important in the effort to mitigate and adapt to these inter-related crises – household, neighborhood, small business, education, social service agencies, government, non-profits, and [...]

No, we can’t?
by Dave Cohen
Published on Energy Bulletin (http://www.energybulletin.net) March 5, 2009
What is the biggest impediment in 2009 to mitigating the harmful effects of energy problems in the 21st century? The answer may surprise you-it is insolvent zombie banks and our entrenched FIRE economy (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate). Allow me to explain.
Another Tragic Misallocation of [...]

Tucson’s problems are increasing. After two years, we continue to have a glut of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 empty, unsold houses. Home prices are plummeting. Families are abandoning their foreclosed houses, especially in the suburbs. Builders are going bankrupt. Skilled workers are losing their jobs and leaving the state. Net population growth in Tucson has [...]

[ Saturday, March 7, 2009; ]

February 10, 2009
Honorable Tucson Mayor and Council Members,
Sustainable Tucson acknowledges the dire economic conditions facing the City of Tucson as well as the people and organizations in our community.
While we hope for the best, we also recognize that this emerging situation is unprecedented and may be worse and more long-lasting than we think.
Our core intention [...]

January Meeting:  Organizing Questions:
I would like to see a Rapid Transit Magnetic Train between Tucson and Phoenix
How can we get a fast train between Tucson and Phoenix?
How can we as the residents and citizens of Tucson shift to a predominately car-free culture? Car free city = Uban spce absent of personal motorized petroleum-consuming vehicles.
How [...]

[ Friday, December 19, 2008; 9:45 am to 11:45 am. ] Avoid a Wrong Turn in Arizona…Oppose the proposed I-10 Bypass!

Meeting Time and Location:
9:45 a.m., Friday, December 19, 2008
City of Tucson Council Chambers
255 W. Alameda
Dear Arizona Wildlife Supporter,
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is proposing a new bypass around Tucson that would have devastating consequences for Arizona wildlife — and they need to hear from you!  [...]

An important message by an average citizen from Michigan
Friends,
I drive an American car. It’s a Chrysler. That’s not an endorsement. It’s more like a cry for pity. And now for a decades-old story, retold ad infinitum by tens of millions of Americans, a third of whom have had to desert their country to simply find [...]

The Peak Oil Crisis: Memorandum for the President-Elect
by Tom Whipple, retired CIA analyst, columnist for the Falls Church (VA) News-Press, and editor of Peak Oil Review. Published November 6, 2008
The way things are shaping up, in less than three months you will be in charge of solving the direst set of crises since the ones [...]

A Desire Named Streetcars: Alan Drake Interview
Click here for interview.
How should North Texas cities meet the public transportation needs of the near and distant future? This is an hour-long interview with engineer Alan Drake and Jay Kline, interim vice president of planning and development at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART),. They both participated in a [...]

[ Friday, May 2, 2008; ]
Support clean energy by going to the movies…

This Friday, May 2, the Fox Theatre will be showing a screening of the documentary “”Gas Hole””.
And proceeds from the movie will go to the PAG Clean Cities program to advance outreach and education of the use of alternative fuels in the region.

As gas prices continue [...]

[ Thursday, April 10, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] Public meeting of Grant Road Corridor Planning Task Force.

This is a public meeting to provide an update on the project to widen Grant to six lanes from Oracle to Swan roads, in order to accommodate a projected 50% increase in car traffic over the next 10-15 years.

Arizona Small Business Association, 4811 E. Grant Road, Suite [...]

[ Saturday, March 15, 2008; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Saturday, April 19, 2008; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Saturday, May 17, 2008; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Saturday, June 21, 2008; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Saturday, July 19, 2008; 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. ]
Tucson Electric Vehicle Association
meets the 3rd Sat of each month
Visit our website to confirm details: www.teva2.com
generally 9am-noon
at UMC Hospital
(on Campbell Ave., just north of Speedway)
Meeting Room E
(directions: go in the main entrance, past the waiting room, past the reception, past the elevators, to the cafeteria; go to meeting room E on the south side; [...]

Mobility & Urban Villages – The new Face of Tucson
Actions on Transportation
The Grant Road Improvement Plan process is developing a vision and plan for major changes to Grant Road. This project is part of the recently adopted Regional Transportation Authority plan (RTA), funded by a 1/2¢ Sales Tax. Voters have already approved $160 million [...]

[ Sunday, March 30, 2008; ] Seventeen (17) Clean Air Days and Bike Fest activities are scheduled from Sunday, March 30 through Wednesday, April 30 at various locations around town. The Clean Air/Bike Fest Contest kicks off on April 1 and runs through April 24th. If an individual takes action to reduce air pollution, and a Contest entry form is completed [...]

by James Howard Kunstler, American Social Commentator
Out in the public arena, people frequently twang on me for being “Mister Gloom’n’doom,” or for “not offering any solutions” to our looming energy crisis. So, for those of you who are tired of wringing your hands, who would like to do something useful, or focus your attention in [...]