Sustainable Tucson

Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 6:00-7:10 pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88387731024?pwd=eiaCBZIjaB6iiHiRSAQiI2PPKUpsXx.1

Many of the solutions for climate and habitat resilience are hiding in plain sight.  Come to this month’s Sustainability Spotlight to learn about building design principles that help urban and rural communities to weather extreme temperatures and dryness more effectively and, ultimately, at lower cost than “building as usual.”

Our speaker, Bob Vint, has a decades-long career in architecture and is an active teacher in the classroom and in the field (vintarchitects.net). His latest field project involved an ‘Alternative Spring Break’ with his U of A architecture students to Agua Prieta, Sonora, where they helped to build a home for a local family, in partnership with the Rancho Feliz Charitable Organization (ranchofeliz.com). Working alongside local builders and community members, students completed the rough framing for a ‘Highly-Johansen House,’ an economical, insulated shelter named in honor of two key Rancho Feliz volunteers & supporters. Students and faculty volunteers stayed at ‘La Hacienda Feliz’ volunteer dormitory, for which Vint donated the design in 2020-2021. This community-engaged learning model connects design education with real-world impact and is a model that may have real-world applications in a variety of endeavors.

BOB VINT is a native Tucsonan who has practiced as a licensed architect in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Massachusetts.  He has served as preservation architect for the Mission San Xavier del Bac in Pima County, the most significant historic building in Arizona, as well as for the pre-historic Native American Cliff Dwellings of the

Sierra Ancha in the Tonto National Forest (dating to 1290, built of stone with mud mortar – a preservation study carried out for the U.S. Forest Service.)  Additional projects of note include Linda Ronstadt’s Tucson residence, the main entrance of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, and more recently, the expansion of The Loft Cinema.

Vint is the principal co-author of a book on affordable housing in the Southwest published by the US Department of Housing & Urban Development, Southwest Housing Traditions: Design, Materials, Performance (2005 huduser.org ).  Since 2011, he has been a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture. His courses include the History & Theory of Urban Design, and Arid Region Urbanism featuring field trips throughout the Southwest.

Tuesday, March 10
6:00-7:15 pm
I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty.  
Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer: Harm me not.
– Ancient prayer, in Portuguese forest preservations
 
On a hot summer’s day, trees can cool the air, and the ground beneath them, as much as 9-13 degrees.  Trees give many more such gifts to us every day.  Join us for a conversation with Adam Farrell-Wortman, Horticultural Director at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, and arborist Nazareth Taraz, who will paint a picture of the amazing gifts of trees to humans and to habitat, and describe how we can best serve the trees in our desert community.

January 6, 2026  •  6:00

Join us on Zoom, Tuesday, January 6, at 6:00 pm for our Sustainability Spotlight, “The Environment in 2026: At the State Capital and Beyond.” We expect that the coming year will bring challenges to many important aspects of local and state life, especially looking at environment, health, and related concerns. The program will look ahead at what can be expected in coming months from state (and some national) legislative and administrative actions, with a focus on what will have particular impact on Tucson and Southern AZ – and what we can do.
 
Our panel now includes State Senator Priya Sundareshan (LD 18), Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, and Kirsten Engel, Chief, Environmental Protection Unit of the AZ Attorney General’s Office.   They will preview the policies, places, and programs that Arizonans will need to protect and promote.  Their complementary perspectives will give us a full picture of what we can and should do – as individuals and as an organization – to support an agenda of environmental protection and justice as we work for a sustainable future.  
 
Following our guests’ comments, we expect a lively question & answer session, with a shared conversation on how to maintain and restore momentum on this work.

Tuesday, November 11, 6:00-7:15 pm

Join us for our November Sustainability Spotlight: David Eisenberg, a native Tucsonan, will share stories and insights from over three decades of building, including his involvement in strawbale and earthen building, the US Green Building Council, and building codes and standards. The successes and challenges of the work provide useful lessons for working on meaningful things in the face of changing climates — not just the weather, but politics, economics, and resilience. Following David’s presentation, there will be time for questions and discussion.

David co-founded the Development Center for Appropriate Technology, co-authored the Straw Bale House book, and has been a leading figure in getting innovative, sustainable materials incorporated into building codes used across the country. He serves on the Sustainable Tucson board of directors, and is a founding member of the Investing in People & Infrastructure project. A photographer and poet as well, he is much sought-after as a speaker at professional conferences and visionary gatherings.

Tuesday, October 14, 6:00 pm
https://youtu.be/PORaPLoPvh8

With the start of October, as the weather starts to cool a bit, our thoughts are likely to be turning to the coming Fall and Winter holidays, starting this month with Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and then the busy December holiday season.
 
These holidays are a time of joy, generous sharing and giving, and gatherings with family and friends. Unfortunately, they are also a time when we see a distressing increase in waste. Studies show that waste from packaging, gift giving, and holiday meals contributes as much as 25% more trash during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than any other time of year.
 
But we can reduce or avoid much of that typical waste, so we can honor the Earth as well as enjoy the holidays at our celebrations.
 
Join us for our next Sustainability Spotlight program, “Holidays Without Waste,” for an overview of why we are often extra wasteful in the holiday season, why it’s so important to change, and how we can reduce common holiday waste, from packaging and gift wrapping to food, technology, and clothing waste. Our presenter, Grace Vickers, from US PIRG, will share some of her tips, and then there will be time for you to share your or your family’s tips and traditions for holiday waste reduction.

Our presenter, Grace Vickers, is the Zero Waste Campaign Associate with US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). As an associate with PIRG, Grace works nationally to eliminate plastic pollution and advocate for progress toward a zero-waste world. During her career, she has also worked on grassroots campaigns to protect our pollinators and end food waste. A North Carolinian now based in Portland, Grace enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and camping during her free time.

Monday, August 18, 6:00-7:15 pm
(Note change from regular schedule to accommodate our speaker.)

Presenter
Heidi Sanborn is the founding Director of the California Product Stewardship Council and the National Stewardship Action Council.  With 35 years’ experience in the solid waste industry, Heidi is the nation’s foremost expert on producer responsibility and product stewardship.

Moderator
Stephen Menke received his Ph.D. in Molecular biology at the University of Wyoming, and recently retired from his position as Associate Professor of Enology at Colorado State, after a long career in higher education.  His expertise includes Event Management and Molecular Biology.  With Rocky Baier, 

he co-chairs Sustainable Tucson’s Zero Waste committee.  Stephen and Rocky co-founded Tucson’s Repair Café (https://www.tucsonrepaircafe.com/), where citizens, with the help of volunteer crafts persons, have repaired household items for free, saving thousands of pounds of material from going to waste

Tuesday, July 8, 6:00-7:15 pm
YouTube : https://youtu.be/NssC1fzs4jk

Dan Stormont is a member of the Sustainable Tucson Water Committee, a docent with Watershed Management Group, and a certified water harvesting practitioner.  He is constantly adding to his personal water story here in Tucson, Arizona.