event – Sustainable Tucson

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/bca0rCtOpO4

Join us on Tuesday, October 11 at 6:00pm, as we welcome our speaker, Nina Sevilla, from National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). She will share the findings of NRDC’s ground-breaking report, “Wasted: How America is Losing up to 40 Percent of its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill” and will look at how we can address this problem at the city and community level. Nina will share examples of how other cities across the U.S. are taking the lead to reduce food waste and suggest what can be done in Tucson.

Food, whether purchased from a local farmer’s market, a giant supermarket chain, or a corner bodega, whether eaten at a curbside truck or a 3-star restaurant, is something most Americans take for granted. Little consideration is given to where the food comes from, the circumstances under which it is grown, what is involved in processing it and getting it to market, or what the substantial environmental impacts are at each and every step of the way.

Across the U.S., as many of us enjoy the bountiful supply, it is estimated that some 40 million Americans are food insecure—that is lacking access to adequate and nutritious food. At the same time, over one third or approximately 35% of the food produced in the U.S. goes unsold or uneaten, wasting the resources used to produce it and creating a myriad of environmental impacts.

In particular, food loss and waste undeniably exacerbates climate change. In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that annual U.S. food loss and waste embodied 170 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions. For perspective, that is equal to the annual emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants. And, this estimate does not take into consider the fact that food rotting in landfills further emits greenhouse gases in the form of climate-damaging methane.

By decreasing food waste, we can lessen the need for new food production; reduce projected deforestation, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and scarcity; and lower greenhouse gases. Additionally, reducing food waste can go a long way in eliminating or reducing food insecurity.

As we’ll learn from our speaker, legislatures in cities and states throughout the U.S. have implemented laws that address this critical issue of food loss and waste. Alongside these governmental initiatives, nationally-recognized non-profits like the NRDC and ReFED and numerous community-based organizations are tackling the issue in innovative ways that can serve as models for a more comprehensive national approach.

Nina Sevilla works to ensure we have a sustainable, healthy, and equitable food system for all. She helps lead NRDC’s federal policy advocacy and facilitates learnings across cities by sharing successes and lessons learned from NRDC’s Food Matters project to a network of partners across the nation. She also works with those partners to run a consumer education campaign, Save The Food, to reduce household food waste. Prior to joining NRDC, Nina worked to increase food access through child nutrition programs at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in Tucson. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Bates College and is based in NRDC’s San Francisco office.

March 8, 2022 6:00 pm
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/zEcKUyBj2ig

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.