We’re all looking for more sustainable ways to live, and that can include the materials we use to build our homes. Join us for a look at one of those possible materials at our May monthly meeting: “Strawbale Construction: Then, Now, Whenever.”
Tucson’s own strawbale pioneers Matts Myhrman and David Eisenberg will be joined by Tucson strawbale consultant Joe Silins in an in-depth presentation about strawbale construction. Matts will talk about the revival of strawbale use; David will cover its continuing evolution, along with some information about building codes and good resources; and Joe will share some of his recent work.
Climate change anxiety is a growing health concern among the broader, and in particular the younger, population. With regard to climate change, many have pinpointed denial as one of the prominent responses people exhibit when being exposed to the possibility of the death of the human species, themselves, or their offspring, which severely inhibits development of resilience or adaptation.
Why do people react to the threat of climate change differently? Why does it seem like many don’t really react at all, whereas others are scared and can’t think of anything else? Generally, climate change has been linked to mental health directly as climate-related hazards such as extreme heat, extreme weather events, and morbidity associated with vector-borne disease all may serve to increase mood and behavioral disorders amongst people with pre-existing conditions. Climate change can also be linked to mental health effects indirectly in that the perceived threat to well-being and survival is a source of distress, anxiety, and fear; however, this awareness may also trigger climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviors that support community, build psychosocial resilience, and encourage behavior change toward increased sustainability.
For our April monthly meeting, our speaker, Sabrina Helm, Associate Professor at UA’s School of Family and Consumer Sciences, will share her research into psychological effects of climate change, with insights into adaptive and maladaptive responses ranging from climate hope and activism to climate grief and denial.
In her research, she analyzes the psychological consequences of climate change as a pre-traumatic stressor; that means independent of people’s immediate exposure to environmental change or disaster. Just thinking about climate change or seeing news reports on climate change can affect some of us. Evolutionary biology may help explain some of our psychological reaction patterns. In the presentation, Prof. Helm explores how prominent climate anxiety is among people today, what it means, how typical human reactions to climate change may be explained, what other psychological responses to climate change exist, and how mental health specialists and we as individuals can cope with climate change anxiety.
For further background on these issues, you may want to watch a recent feature on “Arizona Illustrated” that aired on November 23, 2021, titled “Solastalgia – Grief and anxiety caused by the disconnection to the natural world.” It features Prof. Helm and some of her work. https://www.azpm.org/p/video/2021/11/23/203736-solastalgia/
The coolness of shade comforts us on a hot summer day. What if we could increase the shade tree canopy around our homes without substantially increasing our water bills? Tucson averages less than 6 percent tree canopy coverage, with some neighborhoods having 4 percent or less. Increasing the urban tree canopy has multiple benefits but requires more water at a time when potable water systems are stressed.
To increase tree canopy to 15 percent without substantially increasing potable water demand, we can plant more native Sonoran Desert trees and increase water harvesting.
Native trees are well-adapted to our heat and seasonal droughts. Planting these trees in appropriate locations and supporting them with harvested water can provide our homes and neighborhoods with shady, climate-resilient trees, while saving precious (and costly) drinking water.
Join Sustainable Tucson for our March virtual monthly meeting for an exploration of “Growing Native Desert Trees for Shade.” Our speaker, Ann Audrey, will provide tips on the best native trees to plant, where and how to make optimum use of the rain we receive to help Tucson grow into a greener and cooler community, plus other tips on tree planting and care.
Speaker. Ann Audrey, MS Hydrology and Water Resources, is an environmental consultant working in urban tree management, rainwater harvesting, and sustainable design. Having completed a grant compiling recommended Native Trees, she is currently assisting in the drafting of an Urban Forest Action Plan for the City of Tucson.
Exciting research has been going on for several years at Biosphere 2 and two schools in Tucson. UA Professor Greg Barron-Gafford has been leading teams studying what happens when vegetables are planted beneath raised solar panels. So far, the results show that this is a winning combination, productive for both the plants and the panels.
Join us on Tuesday, February 8, at 6:00 pm for our virtual Monthly Meeting. Prof. Barron-Gafford will give us an overview of Agrivoltaics: how it works and why it’s a particularly suitable approach for Southern Arizona, and he’ll update us on what developments we can expect to see resulting from the local projects.
Greg Barron-Gafford is a professor in the School of Geography, Development, and Environment, and is Associate Director of the Community and School Garden Program. He has been developing the field of agrivoltaics for the last 8 years, currently working not just in Southern Arizona but with researchers in Colorado and Oregon as well as in Africa and the Middle East
We have ten, maybe fifteen years to decarbonize our activities, our city, and the world, repairing our damage to habitable places, and slowing the accelerating cascade of extinctions. We can achieve these goals if each major decision from now on eliminates fossil fuels from our daily habits. That means that household appliances, heating, water heating, cooking, and our long-term transportation purchases from here on out need to be powered by electricity, not gas, and that before mid-century we’re supplying them almost exclusively with cleanly produced electrical power. This will triple our electricity use, but the elimination of fossil fuels and their inherent inefficiencies means overall energy consumption will decline.  Join us at 6:00 on Tuesday, Dec. 14, for an overview of hands-on electrification in which everyone has a role. The presentation goes hand-in-hand with Sustainable Tucson’s new web-based Energy Transformation Toolkit, which includes practical guidance for electrification applicable to Tucson homes, businesses, and nonprofits, including financial incentives available. If you have a few minutes, give it a glance before the meeting.  Following the presentation and discussion of this timely topic, you’re invited to join in some celebratory end-of-year sharing on sustainability – of positive happenings over the year, current projects, and hopes for the coming year. Additional details and speakers will be announced in our next newsletter, on our Meetup page, on Facebook, and on our website (www.sustainabletucson.org).
A conversation with civic officials Tuesday, November 9, 2021 6:00-7:30 pm On Youtube: <https://youtu.be/5yo1Qg9lnXI>
What can governmental agencies do to help us live in harmony with our desert environment for generations to come? Meet civic staff whose work aims to ensure a sustainable future.
Our conversation will feature Irene Ogata, Tucson Water’s Urban Landscape Manager; Natalie Shepp, Senior Program Manager for Outreach and Education at the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality; Nicole Gillett, the City’s Urban Forest Manager; and Samantha Neville, District 5 Aide to Supervisor Adelita Grijalva. Through a moderated Q & A, they will describe their roles, their goals, their successes, and the needs they see for their work going forward.
Indigenous peoples have become frontline leaders in the push for climate justice and the building of regenerative futures. Simultaneously, more and more folks outside of the Indigenous community have been learning that Indigenous traditional governance, frameworks, values, and ecological practices have the capacity to offer insight to building these futures for us all.
At our next monthly meeting, PennElys Droz will explore the movement of Indigenous peoples to re-emerge our values and governance in regenerative nation-building, our work to achieve Land Back, and why this is relevant and impactful for our local, national, and global community. Please join us for this timely presentation, with ample time for questions and discussion.
Dr. PennElys Droz is an Anishinaabekwe mother of five, a Program Officer for the NDN Collective, and an active founding Board member of Sustainable Nations. She has worked for over 20 years in service of the re-development of ecologically, culturally, and economically thriving and resilient Indigenous Nations.
Join Sustainable Tucson for our next virtual monthly meeting. Connect with dedicated public servants whose work touches directly on our mission to live in harmony with our desert environment long into the future. Panelists will describe their roles, their missions, their successes, and their needs. The program will be rich with detail and ample opportunity for Q & A. Confirmed to date:Â Julie Robinson, manager of sustainability for Pima County. Bring your questions!
It may seem a bit premature to take a “post-pandemic look” at anything, but we can start thinking already about what we want the post-pandemic picture of our region to look like.  In the past year and a half, we’ve seen all too many businesses close, including some favorite restaurants and bars. At the same time, we’ve seen new bars and restaurants opening and new local businesses starting up. Hopeful signs indeed. But can we control what happens next? All those ups and downs impacting the local business community present the perfect opportunity to plan and shape what we want for our local economy.  Join Sustainable Tucson on Tuesday, August 10, at 6:00 pm, for our next virtual monthly meeting, “Local Jobs for Local Needs: A Post-pandemic Look at Moving to a Greener Local Economy.” We will take a look at what Tucson and the Southern Arizona region need locally for a sustainable economic future, as we (hope to) come out of the past year and a half, with Covid-driven disruptions and constraints impacting local businesses, workers, and the overall economy.  As a basis and background for looking at where we’re heading, Kevin Burke, City of Tucson Economic Initiatives Deputy Director, will give an overview of where we are now and what the impacts on business and the economy have been (and still are) from the pandemic. In other words, what’s the current “health” of our local economy? Kevin will help us understand current local business trends and the data behind those trends.  Then, Mike Peel, Local First Arizona’s Statewide Sustainability Director, will discuss how we move forward, focusing on how to take advantage of greener, more sustainable opportunities to meet economic needs, rather than simply replicating the past. He’ll look at trends in green job and economic development as seen in our local region.  Bring your questions and experiences to share, as we’ll close with plenty of time for discussion with our presenters.  YouTube link: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLo-juWzBH8>
Fundamental to solving the Climate Crisis is to replace the fossil-fueled equipment we use with more efficient and non-polluting electrically powered devices, powered with renewables. Robert will talk about why heat pump water and space heaters are more efficient, safer, and economical. Electric Vehicles have lower lifetime costs than fossil burners, and are more fun and reliable to drive. Solar can power your home and vehicle, resulting in low or no energy bills.
Join us for this presentation on how you can eliminate your direct fossil carbon emissions, improve the comfort and safety of your home and vehicle, and save money while doing it.
Robert Bulechek is a energy efficiency consultant specializing in upgrading existing buildings to be comfortable, affordable, healthy, and zero emissions.
A member of the Tucson Commission on Climate, Energy, and Sustainability, he leads the Electrification of Transportation Working Group. He regularly pesters the Tucson City Council, Pima County Board of Supervisors, Arizona Legislature, and Arizona Corporation Commission to improve sustainability policy.
Robert lives in a zero emissions home, drives a zero emissions car, has negative utility bills and negative carbon emissions.
