Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Affinity Groups Form in Sustainable Tucson


Sustainable Tucson's evolution continues to unfold through the actions of Affinity Groups that share common goals.

The Youth Involvement group is exploring ways that youth can train and be hired to accomplish key sustainability goals: 1.) learn about watershed management and the role of waterharvesting and be hired as a water harvester for neighborhood water conservation; 2.) train and be hired in construction skills to retrofit older homes in Tucson that could become more energy efficient with modest renovations. We are meeting with the City of Tucson to explore funding to develop these and other projects that link groups that share mutural outcomes.

The Water affinity Group is exploring a partnership with the University of Arizona and other municpal groups to host Peter Gleick from California for several meetings to help our community and region reconsider its water management rules and regs in light of the emerging global warming/climate change scenarios for our region.
Membership Group
Sustainable Tucson is actively recruiting an Office Coordinator to help us manage the emerging level of activity and need to link people and groups by phone, email and meetings: http://www.volunteersolutions.org/vctucson/org/opp/10234237204.html

Public Education Affinity Group
We hosted a table at the Peace Fair in Tucson and attracted a diverse group of organizations and individuals to our next general meeting. We will participate in the Global Warming Rally at U of A on April 14, Earth Day on April 21, and the Tucson Solar Cook Off on the 28th of April. Each of these events will give us opportunities to alert the public to the coalition and invite them to our next meeting or to explore the wesite: www.sustainabletucson.org

The Arts and Lecture Series will feature Tom Greco, author and economist, on March 13, Tuesday from 6 pm - 8 pm at the El Ojito Springs Center for Creativity. Tom will describe new ways of working with the concept of money that create sustainble local economies. Music and food and drink from 6-7 pm, address from 7-8 pm followed by Q&A. The Center is located two blocks south of Cushing St. on Stone Avenue. http://www.elojitosprings.com/ Come visit Sustaianble Tucson's adopted "clubhouse".

Our next General Meeting is:
Sustainable Tucson
March 20, Tuesday
4 pm-6 pm
Councilwoman Karen Uhlich's Offices
Ward III
1510 E. Grant Rd.
Tucson, AZ
Program:
Dennis Dickerson
Pima Association of Govenments
Indicator Reports & Q&A
Networking
Sustainable Tucson continues to grow as people in our community become aware of the challenges we face together to make sure we act now for the youngsters in our midst, and those to come, to assure they can enjoy the beauty and abundance of the Old Pueblo as so many generations have been privileged to experience over the centuries.

Respectfully,
Susan


Friday, February 16, 2007

Sustainable Tucson Focus on Water Conservation

February 15 General Meeting Notes

Sustainable Tucson's General Meetings are a time to learn and to discuss issues as well as network and get to know members of this large and growing coaltion of groups and citizens.

About 50 people gathered at Councilwoman Nina Trasoff's Ward VI offices. Members of the coalition delivered short descriptions of groups forming to accomplish common objectives of sustainability (water conservation, alternative transportation, food security, youth education, public education, business opportunities, greening the built environment, etc.)

Focus on Water Conservation
Fernando Molina, Director of Conservation at Tucson Water, delivered a summary of Tucson's water future. He described the City's current strategies to secure water for the future.

His presentation followed Melanie Lenart's discussion of the IPCC's February 2 Report to Policy Makers on Climate Change. Melanie represented the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth at UA. Tucson faces increasing average temperatures as a long-term drought continues and will intensify.

Brad Lancaster, Rainwater Harvesting in Drylands, summarized the most important actions citizens can make and that the coalition can support. During the Q&A that followed, it became apparent that we must be proactive to conserve as much groundwater as possible and be prepared for the liklihood that the CAP supply will be not be the steady source now projected, but subject to decline with years of drought and related decreased precipitation/snow melt.

Coalition members brought up the need to curb growth as a key part of the solution. Guy McPherson described the problems we face as a community (growth, food security, water supply) as the "elephant in the room."

An important connection between engaging youth to be a part of the solution and water conservation was offered by Patty Weiss, who suggested we seize the moment and engage the high schools whose mission includes community service experience. Patty offered that youth can be trained and then hired to help us implement the simple actions suggested by Lancaster that will decrease residents use of potable water for irrigation (which Molina noted is 60% of residential use of water). This offers youth opportunities to learn about water management, science and appropriate technologies AND earn some income.

Using rainwater exclusively for irrigations of trees, plants and gardens through landscaping and rainwater harvesting principles makes sense. The control of flood waters that now gush down paved streets can be redirected to irrigate fruit-bearing, trees that also cool the built environment for an integrated approach to managing the effects of drought. These kinds of projects can be done by neighborhoods creating community along the way.

Following the discussion, Sustainble Tucson sponsored a networking hour with opportunities to join many Affinity Groups that are engaged in projects ranging from food security to permaculture to building codes. ST'smembership team produced an Interest Card to begin to build a data base that will help us facilitate the work of our members.

This is the fourth general meeting called by Sustainable Tucson (October 17, December 12 2006 & January 17 and February 15, 2007). In January we heard from the City of Tucson's Office of Sustainablity and Conservation and Pima County's Department of Environmental Quality.


See www.sustainabletucson.org for more information and to joint the coalition.

Our next meeting is March 6, Tuesday from 4-6 pm. Location and program to be announced.

On the trail together,
Susan