AAEE DEEP GREEN Directory

The Arizona Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) - Arizona's professional society for people engaged in promoting environmental literacy in our state and region - will preview a new online resource, DEEP GREEN. AAEE will feature people and organizations going a step further in finding innovative ways to educate and inspire Arizonans to create sustainble human communities. AAEE has selected twenty people/programs to feature with links and downloadable resources. Look here for an announcement of its online launch in December.

Check the AAEE website for training opportunities and breaking news from the EE world. Set September 19&20, 2009 aside in your calendars for our celebration of Aldo Leopold's legacy of conservation and wildlife management at the AAEE "Arizona's Fierce Green Fire - 100 Years of Leopold" annual conference to be held on the NAU campus, in the cool of the Colorado plateau region. Learn about the new Center for Biodiversity at NAU. Not to be missed!

http://www.arizonaee.org/

Susan Williams

A Summer of Green

Sustainable Tucson and Arizona Association for Environmental Education News and Updates

Summertime brings a new rhythm with film nights and meet ups around the Old Pueblo. Visit the website for ongoing activities and action groups meeting separately.

Water remains a central concern and so a contingent of Sustain-ers will be attending the Colorado River conference hosted by the Water Resources Research Center on June 24 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix (http://ag.arizona.edu/azwater/events.php?rcd_id=65).

Members of Sustainable Tucson are participating in City/County water discussions, calling for incorporation of updated scientific data from climate change teams. Climate Code Red recommendations for action have been adopted by Sustainable Tucson leadership team. Read the full report on the ST website.

A Sustainability Plan for Tucson will be published on the Sustainable Tucson website by the end of the summer as a way of shaping community-wide discussion and action. The next three monthly General Meetings will be held at the Joe Valdez Main Library on Alameda in the community conference room. These are held on the second Tuesday of the month from 5:45 to 8 pm with networking beginning at 5:45. Check the website for dates and agenda.

Sustainable Tucson's 2nd Annual Green Festival is scheduled for October 25, Saturday, at the Tucson Convention Center. Contact Keely Sinclair at info@sustainabletucson.org.

The Arizona Association for Environmental Education is holding its Fall Event at Montezuma's Well in early September. This is a fabulous outdoor education weekend. Learn from the masters about the geological and ecological wonders of this beautiful Arizona treasure, and relax with fellow educators and interpreters. See the website to register: http://www.arizonaee.org/.

Please send any announcements about summer meetings or events by commenting on this blog.

Have a great summer and stay cool!

Susan

Tucson Basin EE Groups Reconvenes

After more than ten years the Tucson Basin Regional Environmental Educators reconvened at La Cocina restaurant at Old Town Artisans. Lorna Kraemer, founding member of the group, gave a brief history of how it was formed originally and the work accomplished. She showed copies of a resource guide with two editions published during the TBEE's history. Lorna explained that TBEE formed to prevent duplication of efforts and promote awareness of what various groups are working on.

A similar rationale prompted this informal meeting to explore whether a similar group might help us coordinate efforts across the city and county to leverage our work to a community-wide campaign for sustainability.

About 30 people enjoyed an organic buffet and beverage together on the patio. Represented were city, county, university, museum, youth, social justice and arts representatives as well as members of Sustainable Tucson and the Arizona Association for Environmental Education.

Sarajean Harwood and Anne Aiken-Browning described a proposal to write for National Science Foundation funding for multiple projects to create sustainability education opportunities for youth, school children, and adult learners. We learned from Nicole Urban-Lopez, Education Coordinator for the City of Tucson, what the Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development is planning on the launch of their website in the summer. Carla Clark, Sustainable Tucson's web info architect, described what ST is planning on its website to support action teams and the general public.

We decided to start a blog to keep the discussing rolling along. Since AAEE already has the Arizona Crossroads blog to help link groups working on conservation education and sustainbility objectives across the state, we decided to adopt it as our communication tool.

Since we just began the discussion, let's continue now. Just use the comment section to add ideas that may have occurred to you during or after the meeting. Also, all the people who could not make the meeting but asked to be included in the followup are now in the listserv with us. There are currently about 80 of us.

Let's just see what comes of it!

Thanks,

Susan

Sustainability Socials and Sundry

Sustainability Social
La Cocina at Old Town Artisans
March 11, Tuesday
4:30 -5:45 pm
Buffet and Beverage
$10 each at the door

Help re-convene the Tucson Environmental Education Regional planning group. We’re dusting it off and dressing it up in GREEN to work together Come enjoy great food, good company, and discuss the possibilities.

Following the Sustainability Social
Walk to the Main Library
For
Sustainable Tucson’s General Meeting
6-8:00 pm

Please RSVP to Susan Williams by March 8:
400-4117 or send an email to susanleewilliams@cox.net.