Tag: General meeting

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Turning Things Around: Harnessing the Power of Science and Communication for a Sustainable Future

Tuesday, December 9, 6:00-7:15 pm

Join us at our December Sustainability Spotlight for a warm-up discussion on Sustainable Tucson’s emerging plans for a City-County “Infrastructure Investment Summit” in March 2026. Our guest is Dr. Edward Maibach, Distinguished Emeritus Professor at George Mason University (GMU) and the Founding Director of GMU’s Center for Climate Change Communication—a “think-and-do tank” focused on illuminating public engagement in climate change and strategies for enhancing it.
 
This evening is the first in a series of community conversations on investing in people and infrastructure – a creative initiative to rethink our economy by putting people and sustainability first. Ed’s opening comments will be followed by brief remarks from Matt McDonnell, Julie Hendricks, and Jessica Janecek, who will offer futher insights, leading into further discussion with each other and the audience as a whole.

Ed is a Member of the National Academy of Medicine, a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, and serves on the Global Climate and Health Alliance board of directors. In 2024, he and his center were honored by the National Center for Science Education with a Friend of the Planet Award.  
 
For a preview of Ed’s thinking, see a chapter he co-authored in the 2023 Annual Review of Earth: “Harnessing the Power of Science and Communication and Behavior Science to Enhance Society’s Response to Climate Change.

“There is nothing that physically and technologically limits us from doing it all with renewables. There are only cynical or specious arguments that say we can’t. The biggest barriers remaining have the same origin: inertia or the stubborn insistence on the current way of doing things.”
Dr. Saul Griffith, Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future (October 2021)

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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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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

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Celebrate TUSD’s Student-written Climate Action Resolution

Join us for an end-of-year celebration of a very exciting local climate achievement, thanks to the students in the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition (AZYCC).

On October 29, the Tucson Unified School District adopted a far-reaching and bold Climate Action Resolution, researched and written by members of AZYCC, including some who were TUSD students. 

Our December Sustainability Spotlight will feature AZYCC co-leads Ojas Sanghi and Owen Brosanders, who will present an overview of the Resolution, describing the process that AZYCC undertook in developing the document, garnering community support, and advocating for its passage by the board. TUSD now has adopted the most comprehensive climate action plan in the country, but the work is not over for members of AZYCC and the many community members and organizations that want to see TUSD implement the Resolution.

We’ll hear what comes next and how we can support the students in those next steps. After a year filled with climate disasters, heat stresses, and contentious climate-policy meetings, we are indeed fortunate to have this opportunity to recognize and congratulate the determination and courage of these youth fighting for their future.

You won’t want to miss what is sure to be an inspiring presentation and discussion with Ojas & Owen.

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Water in the Desert:  Preserving & Protecting Life in Tucson

Date:  Tuesday, October 8
Time:  6:00-7:30 pm
Venue:  Hybrid
In-person, join us at the Ward 6 Office, 3202 E 1st St (please enter at the rear of the building (south side) 

Before the Europeans arrived in the Tucson basin, rivers flowed year-round with forest-feeding water.  After centuries of depletion and degradation of this most precious resource, scientists, activists, and policy-makers are now working on replenishing and cleansing our streams and groundwater. Join us Tuesday evening, October 8th, to learn about grassroots efforts to secure, protect, and sustain our waters for future generations.

Featured speaker:  Yolanda Herrera, a fifth-generation Tucsonan and torch-bearer for a family committed to community advocacy and creating positive change.

For 22 of its 23 years, Yolanda has been involved with the Unified Community Advisory Board – a citizen advisory group established to monitor, prevent, contain, and remediate contamination of area groundwater.  She has served as the Community Co-chair for the past seven year.

Since 1994, Yolanda has been involved with the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, currently president of this group that is a model of action and advocacy.  She also serves on the City of Tucson’s Environmental Services Advisory Committee as a representative of Ward 5. 

“Water contamination,” Yolanda says, “is like rape. No one wants to live with its never-ending negative consequences.  We strive to move forward to continue creating positive change for all!”

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Electrifying Our Lives

5 steps we can all take to lower emissions at home

June 11, 2024 • 6:00pm

What’s that Sustainable Tucson volunteer doing in my furnace closet?!

Helping mitigate climate change, of course!

Trained volunteer Home Electrification Coaches in ST’s new Go Electric AZ (GoEAZ) program are helping Tucsonans save money and reduce emissions by making their homes and transportation more energy efficient, eliminating use of fossil fuels, and solarize. “We’re not replacing dirty old gas appliances ourselves, but we’re giving folks pointers to help them know where to start, questions to ask contractors, find funding help from the IRA and other sources, things like that,” said Gordon Nuttall, who joined Sustainable Tucson’s Energy Transformation Working Group last fall and helped hatch the vision that has become GoEAZ.

Duane Ediger had already been tapped for advice. “People don’t always know what will work best for them when the time comes to replace an old gas appliance,” he said. “Lots of factors come into play. A water heater that actually cools your home can be pretty sweet in Tucson.”

Join Gordon, Duane, and Bruce Plenk at Sustainable Tucson’s June 11 Round Table presentation. You may just leave with a planned next step to clean up your home energy use. There will be a couple of group polls, time for Q&A, a few words about other work of Sustainable Tucson’s Energy Transformation Working Group, and some of the many ways you could get involved.

Our Presenters:

Duane Ediger is a solar technician and founder of Sustainable Tucson’s Energy Transformation Working Group. He promotes electrification and energy demand management to get carbon out of our lives for good.

Gordon Nuttall moved to Tucson in August 2020 from Fort Collins, CO after retiring as the CEO of the startup business he founded there. Here, he became a Naturalist at the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, hoping to influence the future by interpreting nature for elementary students. Gordon believes that it is vital that people become educated about climate change so we can start acting in an impactful way, noting that household electrification is a prime example of individuals getting involved.

Bruce Plenk is an environmental attorney, a solar consultant, and the former Solar Energy Coordinator for the CIty of Tucson. He has worked for several local solar companies and frequently participates in proceedings at the ACC. His recent interest in heat pumps is part of understanding that now is the time to move forward with electrifying everything…..and powering that electric demand with solar!

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Fashion Re-Formed: Transforming an Industry to Prioritize Sustainability

Tuesday, November 14, 6:00-7:30 pm

YouTube: https://youtu.be/uMunCVLcREg

The fashion industry has been criticized for its environmentally damaging practices, reliance on exploitative labor conditions, and encouragement of overconsumption. For our next monthly meeting, our speaker, UA Professor Kathleen J. Kennedy will show that those negatives can and should be changed.  In this presentation, she will explore how leaders in the fashion world can reimagine the industry to be more sustainable, equitable, and conscious of its impacts. She will discuss innovations in circularity, materials engineering, fabric sourcing, manufacturing processes, streamlining the supply chain, and building transparency between brands and consumers.
 
We will learn how policy changes and grassroots activism can motivate large-scale improvements, and we will leave with ideas and inspiration for how the fashion industry can transform itself into a force for good. By working together and centering sustainability, we can reform fashion to be beautiful, ethically produced, and much less wasteful of resources.

Our speaker, Kathleen J. Kennedy, Associate Professor of Practice, Norton School for Human Ecology at the University of Arizona, is an expert in retailing, consumer products, and business strategy. As a faculty member at the University of Arizona since 2017, she has focused her teaching on ethical, responsible, and sustainable practices in the fashion and retail sectors. Concurrently, Kathleen has been a postgraduate researcher at the Alliance Manchester Business School, where her research is focused on the impact of AI technologies on retailing and consumer buying decisions.

Prior to her academic career, Kathleen gained over 15 years of experience as an executive for major retailers and financial services companies. In these corporate roles, she spearheaded product development and sourcing initiatives, always emphasizing sustainability, social responsibility, and zero waste. 
 
An advocate for reform in the fashion industry, Kathleen teaches about balancing profit and principles. She provides students and professionals with ideas and inspiration for transforming traditional business practices to be more equitable, eco-conscious, and human-centric. Kathleen is committed to research and education that can enable the retail and apparel sectors to become a driving force for good.

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Air Quality in Pima County

One of the key foundational issues for living in a healthy environment is ensuring that we can breathe clean air. We know that this is far from true for many places and communities around the world. But what about right here in Pima County? Do we enjoy the clean air we all desire? Or are there days when we experience poor air, and are there parts of the county that experience a risky degree of pollution? How can we all help to ensure our local air quality is the best it can be?
 
Join us for an in-depth look at “Air Quality in Pima County” at our next monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 9, at 6:00 pm on Zoom. We’re pleased that our presenter for this topic will be Natalie Shepp, MPH, Senior Program Manager for Outreach & Education at Pima County Department of Environmental Quality. She’ll focus on local air quality issues, and review local sources, health effects, and solutions to air pollution. Time for Q&A will follow her presentation.
 
And to prepare for what you’ll be hearing from Natalie, you can take PDEQ’s Clean Air Challenge, hosted on their website throughout the month of May <#ThisIsCleanAir Challenge>. For the Challenge, you’ll take a quiz to test your knowledge about air quality and how your habits protect the air we breathe. Quiz takers also earn a chance at winning a prize.
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Young Advocates for Sustainability

Tuesday, April 11
6:00-7:30 pm

Watch the meeting: https://youtu.be/mmtBG7APSOI

Join us to hear a panel of young activists (teens to 20’s) who are working for a sustainable future. Panelists will share their key engagements in the community, other issues that are on their minds, and what they wish others would do to assure a brighter future. After they answer a few prepared questions, the floor will open to the audience. Bring your questions!
 
Panelists are Rocky Baier, recent UA grad, co-founder of Tucson’s Repair Cafe; Ali Soland, member of Youth for Blue Skies, a collaborative program of the Ironwood Tree Experience; Adriana Bachmann, Ambassadors of Sustainability, climate communicator; and Garrett Weaver, member of Tucson Climate Coalition.

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Sustainability in the Statehouse

Tuesday, March 14 @ 6:00

https://youtu.be/btXUQ4-kwq0

What’s happening in our state Legislature to bills that impact environment, natural resources, and related issues? Join us at our next monthly meeting for answers to that question.

Our speaker will be State Senator Priya Sundareshan, who will give an overview of legislative activity (or lack of activity) on issues such as sustainability, environment, clean air, water, environmental justice, electrifying transportation options, and emissions reduction in the fight to control the climate crisis.

Senator Sundareshan represents Legislative District 18 and is also the Director of the Natural Resource Use and Management Clinic, James E Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona. It will be valuable to hear the perspective of an environmental lawyer on the way our legislature is addressing issues of importance to our organization – and to the future of our state.

Speaker Bio: Priya Sundareshan was elected to the Arizona Senate in 2023 to represent LD 18 and currently sits on the Elections, Government, and Natural Resources/Energy/Water Committees. Born and raised in LD18, Priya loves Tucson and the opportunities she had for an excellent public education and exploring the outdoors. She teaches natural resources law at the University of Arizona, and previously advocated for sustainable resource management with the Environmental Defense Fund. As a voting rights advocate, Priya has led voter protection efforts and engagement on redistricting within the Arizona Democratic Party. Having studied engineering at MIT and law and natural resource economics at UA, she knows we need more science-based decision-making in politics, especially when it comes to preserving our

beautiful state for future generations. As a mother of two small children, Priya wants her children and all children to inherit a sustainable world and sustainable Arizona.