Author: Tres English

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Retrospectively Looking Forward: Building on 30 years of work in sustainability

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.

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Holidays Without Waste

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.

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Meeting

A Strong Local Economy: Why It Matters

Sept 9, 2025  •  6:00pm

Our local economy and on-going localization of community life have long been supported by Sustainable Tucson as key to building a sustainable city and region. Lately, however, it often seems that those efforts are under direct threat from federal and even some state policies.
 
As such, this seems like a good time for a “refresher” review of what a strong local economy needs to look like in Tucson/SAZ and why it is so important to our region’s resilience. Please join us for our September Sustainability Spotlight, when we are excited to present a conversation with Kimber Lanning, founder and Executive Director of Local First Arizona. Kimber will explore those issues with us, along with a look at some impacts of recent policy changes and how our community can push back and work to protect our local, sustainable future. There will then be ample time for your questions and ideas on how we can each support localization efforts.

Kimber Lanning is Founder and Executive Director of Local First Arizona, a statewide organization implementing innovative strategies for new models of economic development that create vibrant local economies. An entrepreneur, business leader, and community development specialist, Lanning has grown

Local First Arizona into a widely respected organization that is leading the nation in implementing systems and policies to ensure a level playing field for entrepreneurial endeavors of all sizes. 

With over 3,000 business members and four statewide offices, Lanning leads a team of 60 staff who work on a diverse array of programs ranging from healthy local food access, entrepreneurial development in under resourced communities, and rural community development, each of which plays a part in building sustainable and resilient local economies. Her passions, which are seen throughout her work, include fostering cultural diversity and inclusion, economic resilience, and responsible growth for Arizona.

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Extended Producer Responsibility & Zero Waste

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

“If you’re smart enough to make it, you’re smart enough to take it back.”  This is the philosophy of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), an “environmental policy approach that holds producers responsible for product management through the product’s lifecycle” (CalRecycle).
 
EPR is one of the most important strategies that can bring us closer to the goal of zero waste and reduced pollution.  It can also be good for the local economy.  At our August Sustainability Spotlight, learn how we can use existing structures of our economic system to move this strategy forward here in Tucson and in Arizona.

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.

She has helped California local governments comply with waste management laws.  As a regulator at CalRecycle, Heidi led the charge to get product stewardship into the strategic plan for zero waste.
 
Through her efforts, the Californlature has passed more Extended Producer Responsibility legislation than any other state, with paint, mercury thermostats, pharmaceuticals, sharps, and packaging all included in a bill that was signed in 2022.  Heidi is not only expert in policy, but also in program implementation, and is much sought-after for keynotes at national and international conferences on zero waste.

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 CafĂ© (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

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Event

A Story of Water in the Desert

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

The story of water in the Sonoran Desert is a long and often complicated one.  On this evening conversation with a long-time water advocate and educator, we will explore some of this story – past, present . . . and possible future.  By the end of the presentation, you should be ready to create your own water story.

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.

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Meeting

Cooling Tucson: The Role of Urban Greenery

Tuesday, June 10 @6:00

https://youtu.be/d6el2IkIhKY

Tucson is seen as a leader in the movement for green infrastructure across the nation. For shade and beauty, carbon capture, and traffic calming, we can see that cooling the urban heat island with rainwater-fed trees and shrubs brings life to our landscape and lifts the hearts of residents and visitors alike. What have we accomplished since Mayor Regina Romero announced the Million Trees campaign? What more needs to be done? What obstacles must we face?

Join us for a deep look at the promise, the progress, and what we can do to support this vital part of making Tucson sustainable. Our panel will feature:

  • Nichole Casebeer: Project Manager and Landscape Designer, Pima County Regional Flood Control District
  • Nicole Gillett: Tucson Urban Forestry Program Manager
  • Mead Mier: Planning Manager, Pima Association of Governments
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Meeting

Farms, in Tucson?

May 13, 2025  •  6:00pm
YouTube: https://youtu.be/cygl7felMPk

Prior to the arrival of European settlers in the desert Southwest, native tribes had farmed the land for centuries. European methods, and the sheer number of their population, led to sometimes devastating effects on the land, but now, new ideas in urban gardens and farming have emerged and may play an important role in our future sustainability.
 
Join us for our next Sustainability Spotlight program, Urban Agriculture & Tucson’s Local Food Scene, presenting a panel discussion with three experts in the field, Tuesday, May 13, 6:00-7:30 pm. The program will highlight some of the options for producing healthy, delicious, hyper-local food in Tucson. Our panel will share the joys and the challenges of growing food in the desert, including a consideration of impacts from the changing climate and what we can expect for Tucson’s local food future.
Our Panelists:
Lorien Tersey is the founder and proprietor of Dreamflower Garden, a lovely midtown half-acre overflowing with flowers and all manner of native and edible plants, enough to provide 40% of her diet. She is a frequent vendor of produce and locally adapted plant starts at the Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market. Lorien has encyclopedic knowledge of trees, native plants, and produce that can thrive in our Sonoran Desert setting, all grown organically.

Dominika Heusinkveld writes occasional articles on nature and gardening for the Arizona Daily Star, and produces the Tucson Garden Guide, a biweekly email newsletter. Her focus is on native plants and creating urban habitat for wildlife. She also works part-time at

Strategic Habitat Enhancements, a local, woman-owned small business focusing on landscaping design with native plants. Dominika is a former Family Medicine physician with extensive experience serving underserved populations, with a special interest in the intersection between public health, individual health, and ecological health.

Erik Stanford, founder of Pivot Produce, came to Tucson in 2011. In 2014 he started as a chef at 5 Points Market & Restaurant, which emphasizes local/community-based sourcing in southern Arizona. As Erik gradually got to know the small-scale local growers that supplied 5 Points, he wanted to find a way to connect growers like them with restaurants that also recognized the benefits of a commitment to locally sourced food. To that end, he founded Pivot Produce, which enables restaurants and other food institutions to easily source products from local/regional growers and producers. Currently, he aggregates from 25+ small producers in southern Arizona and distributes to over 20 

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Meeting

Mining in the Age of Climate Change

Tuesday, April 8, 6:00-7:30 pm

YouTube: https://youtu.be/X-hUf59_0u4

Arizona has long been known and treasured for its beautiful scenic wild places, many of which are held sacred by indigenous peoples of the state. At the same time, many of those scenic places are also sources for one of Arizona’s distinctive “5 Cs”: Copper. Because copper is increasingly in demand for production of many electronics and clean energy devices, a sharp conflict arises between environmentalists intent on preserving wild places and businesses interested in profiting from mining. Quite a few communities in the state, including several near Tucson, are grappling with this conflict, the subject of our next Sustainability Spotlight program.


Join us for an overview of some of the actual or potential impacts of mining in Southern Arizona and the conflict between environmental risks and destruction caused by mining and the need for metals used for clean energy to fight destructive climate warming. Our panel will present an overview of some of the mining laws we all should understand (e.g., the 1872 law, still in effect) and what kinds of reform are long overdue, as well as an update on the recently proposed Mining Regulatory Clarity Act. We’ll also get a rundown of mining impacts that communities are particularly concerned about — health risks, effects on water supply, air pollution from particulates and toxins, and more. Then we’ll focus on the area closest to Tucson where the mining/environment conflict can be seen, namely, the Santa Rita Mountains, with a look at legal current challenges against Hudbay and Copper World, as well as state agencies. We’ll learn how we, as concerned citizens, can help. There will then be time for Q&A.

Our panelists will be two representatives of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas: Rob Peters, Executive Director, and Anna Darian, Director of Advocacy & Community Engagement, and Curt Shannon, Interim Director, Arizona Mining Reform Coalition.

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Meeting

The TEP Franchise:

What you need to know before the vote

Tuesday, March 11 @ 6:00
Youtube <https://youtu.be/F4zjDlgbQ7o/zt3JqfFU63I>

2025 is the year for TEP to renew its franchise agreement with Tucson.
 
According to Joe Salkowski, Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs at TEP, the franchise agreement “isn’t a contract to provide service in the city; it just sets terms for [TEP’s] use of public rights-of-way within city limits. We’d like a new agreement, since those terms make our operations easier and less costly for customers.”
 
The agreement, of course, will be negotiated in the context of a swiftly warming planet.  With energy requirements climbing in the summertime as demands on air-cooling increase, and with energy uses increasing year-round to power more online servers, does TEP’s current business model chart the best possible path to a sustainable future? 
 
Are there alternatives to that model that could soften the global-warming impacts of energy production in southern Arizona? Developing the upcoming Franchise Agreement is an opportunity to consider these questions and fine-tune our models for the benefit of all.
 
Our speakers on March 11 will address the prospects for a strong partnership between the community and TEP. Strategic investments can increase resilience and sustainability in our city. Renewing the franchise agreement is an opportunity to align on those objectives. In this dialogue, we hope to shed light on the potential of franchise agreements to build stronger, sustainable partnerships.

Ron Proctor is a legally documented seasonal migrant moving between Tucson and Maine. He is a sustainability practitioner tempered by local positions he has held, including Mountain/1st Ave Neighborhood Association President, founding member of Lend A Hand Senior Outreach, recipient of a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the U of A, Core team member of Sustainable Tucson, past lead of Tucson’s Citizen’s Climate Lobby, member of Greater Tucson Climate Coalition, and past Co-Chair of the City of Tucson’s Climate Change Committee during the Rothschild Administration.

Garrett Weaver is a lifelong resident of Southern Arizona and Tucson. He works as an engineer and also volunteers his time for Citizens’ Climate Lobby of Greater Tucson and serves on the Tucson Commission on Climate, Energy, and Sustainability. He holds a Master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Arizona.

Garrett works towards sustainability solutions in Arizona by increasing public participation in government, advocating for policies to increase renewable energy production and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. He believes voting is very important, and that a strong democracy depends on an informed electorate.

As Director of Public Affairs for Tucson Electric Power, Steven Eddy represents and advances company and utility policies through relations with government agencies, trade associations, and community stakeholders.

A native Tucsonan and University of Arizona graduate, Eddy has been with TEP for 13 years. Prior

to that, he held positions in land use planning, real estate development and economic development. Eddy is active in the Tucson Conquistadores and the Centurions.  He also serves as chairman of the District Four Board of Adjustments.

An avid outdoor enthusiast, Eddy believes that young people who enjoy nature will appreciate that Tucson is “a bicyclist paradise that offers two of the most treasured assets in America for cyclists, runners and hikers: Mount Lemmon and The Loop.” The environmentally aware will appreciate, he adds, that TEP is at the center of clean energy transformation.

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Event

Heat Resilience: A Community Effort

Tuesday, February 11, 6:00-7:30 pm
YouTube: https://youtu.be/67rPcRAylHQ

Heat waves are becoming more frequent, longer, and hotter, not just in Tucson but across the country.  We are grateful for the many researchers and government officials who are studying the issue and making policies to protect our community, and for engaged citizens doing important work on the ground.
 
Come hear about local efforts to support community engagement and the ground-breaking work of groups such as Physicians for Social Responsibility in raising awareness and catalyzing neighborhood preparedness.
 
Speakers will include representatives of the Red Cross, Pima County Health, and the Office of the City Manager.
 
“It is no accident that Tucson is a leader in climate action.  I just bring that forward because that is what you ask of me.”
 â€“ Regina Romero, mayor, City of Tucson, at the 2nd annual Heat Summit, Feb 1, 2025