AzSustainability.com

Have a great clean energy idea? Enter the MIT Clean Energy Prize and Prove it!

James Towner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:42:50 +0000

Have a vision for our clean energy future? Students (grads or undergrad) here is your opportunity to prove it! MIT is holding a clean energy business plan competition with a grand prize of $200,000. This will be a great opportunity to get a tremendous amount of attention on your brilliant ideas! Head over to http://www.mitcep.org/ to find out more.

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TEDxPhoenix to Feature Local Sustainability Expert

Tomas Carrillo — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:35:32 +0000

This is a guest post by longtime AzSustainability fan Tomas Carrillo.

Greetings AZSustainability readers. I’ve been in the trenches for the
last few weeks putting the finishing touches on Arizona’s first ever
TEDxPhoenix event which is scheduled to take place this Friday,
November 6th from 6pm to 9pm at the Mesa Arts Center.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with TEDxPhoenix, it’s been
described as a Cirque du Soleil for the mind. Our inaugural event
will feature six of Arizona’s leading experts brought together to
enlighten, inspire, and entertain via ideas worth spreading. For fans
of the environment and sustainability, we are excited to announce that
Urban Farm founder and sustainability guru, Greg Peterson, will be
speaking at the event.

TEDxPhoenix is also a place where you can meet individuals who are
interested in leveraging ideas, technology, education, and design to
help create a better future for the Phoenix-metro communities and
beyond. For more information about the event, I highly recommend
checking out our TEDxPhoenix
Beginners Guide.

I really hope you will join us this Friday, and here are all the event
details for your viewing pleasure:

Homepage: www.tedxphoenix.com
Event Date & Time: Friday, November 6th,
2009 from 6pm to 9pm
Location: Mesa Arts Center – Google
Map
Tickets: $5 – Get your tickets
here

Sincerely,
~Tomas

Post Scriptum: TEDxPhoenix is a local and independently organized
event operated under license from TED. TED rocks, if you don’t
believe me, check out one of our favorite videos below:

(*Feed subscribers, please visit the blog post if the video
doesn’t appear.)

Shopping Local is Shopping Green!

Tracy Perkins — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:56:40 +0000

Hope to see you this Saturday! Great bands, fabulous local vendors, & what should be gorgeous weather. Keep your dollars in our state while avoiding the carbon footprint of shipping in goods from all over the world/country for nationally owned chains.

Saturday, November 7th
10am-4pm
Duck & Decanter
16th St. & Camelback
Phoenix, AZ 85016

Bashas’ supports local small business

Tracy Perkins — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:29:38 +0000

Head out to the Farmer’s Market being held by Bashas’ in Gilbert next weekend! As you probably know Bashas’ is our only large locally owned grocer here in Phoenix. At the suggestion of Local First AZ we’ve asked you to make the move to shopping predominantly at Bashas’ to help pull them out of bankruptcy. Part of this movement to support Bashas’ as a local business has apparently driven Bashas’ to do the same by offering this venue to other locals – farmers, crafters, artists, etc. See you there?

Bashas’ Farmer’s Market
next Saturday, Oct. 24 from 8am-1pm
at Bashas’ #172
99 S. Higley Rd. (Higley & Elliott)
Gilbert, 85296

Movie Screening: The Age of Stupid

Tracy Perkins — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:04:03 +0000

The new film The Age of Stupid is screening at select theaters worldwide tonight only! I know it is 8pm on Monday but it looks good if you are interested in the environment. Synopsis: “‘The Age of Stupid’ is the new cinema documentary from the Dir. of ‘McLibel’ & the Producer of the Oscar-winning ‘One Day in September’. This enormously ambitious drama-documentary-animation hybrid stars Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055, watching ‘archive’ footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change while we had the chance?”

Find a viewing in your neck of the woods:

AMC Theatres Ahwatukee 24
4915 East Ray Road, Phoenix, AZ 85044
(888) 262-4386

Cinemark 16 – Mesa
1051 N. Dobson Road
Mesa, AZ 85201 (800) 326-3264

AMC Theatres Mesa Grand Twenty Four
1645 South Stapley
Mesa, AZ 85204 (888) 262-4386

AMC Westgate 20
9400 West Hanna Lane
Glendale, AZ 85305 (888)262-4386

AMC Theatres Desert Ridge 18
21001 N. Tatum
Phoenix, AZ 85050 (888) 262-4386

AMC Theatres Arrowhead 14
7700 W. Bell Road, Suite 1079
Glendale, AZ 85308 (888) 262-4386

Century Oro Valley Marketplace
12155 North Oracle Road
Tucson, AZ 8573

Century EL Con 20
EL Con Mall
Tucson, AZ 85716 (800)326-3264

Century 20 Park Place
5870 East Broadway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85711 (800)326-3264
Directions

tea, tea, and more tea

Take Action for Better Food in Schools

Tracy Perkins — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:03:30 +0000

Do you remember the cafeteria food you had as a kid? It hasn’t gotten any better, in fact, it has gotten worse as demonstrated by recent widespread contaminated meat recalls, etc. The American diet in general is lacking, unbelievable levels of obesity and diabetes in children is shocking and undeniably traced back to diet. Meals poor in nutrition, high in fat, and high in preservatives, binders and other random unpronounceable additives are what sustain our children throughout the school day. Kids must have healthy food when they are expected to concentrate and perform at the levels that modern schools demand. It is impossible for anyone to function without the proper fuel. Slow Food USA has organized a chance for communities to come together and make a statement that the current way of highly processed, precooked, preserved and frozen foods is not good enough for our kids. Whole foods, nutritious foods, REAL food is what they need. Here are locations where you can become a part of this movement… No time to be there yourself? Make a donation or at least Sign their Petition.

In three days, people in all 50 states will sit down to share a meal and bend the direction of history just a little bit. Together, we are publicly rejecting the notion that our schools can’t afford to feed kids anything but the bad food that makes them sick. And the way we’re making this statement is by bringing neighbors together in the spirit of good will and for the joy of sharing good food. That is the heart of our movement.

Where to go in Arizona:

Bisbee AZ Eat-In: September 7, 2009; 98 Cole Ave; Bisbee, Arizona 85603; Organizer: Sarah Meggison; Email: sarah.meggison@gmail.com; View Details

Chandler, AZ Eat-In: 9/7/09; Chandler, Arizona; Organizer: Natalie Lawson; Email: Natsoup@gmail.com; View Details

Phoenix, AZ Eat-In: September 7, 2009; 1826 West McDowell Road – Arizona State Fair Grounds; Phoenix, Arizona 85007; Organizer: Patty Emmert, Slow Food Phoenix; Email: info@slowfoodphoenix.org; Phone: 623-694-6172; View Details

Prescott, AZ Eat In: September 7, 2009; Prescott, Arizona; Organizer: Alaya Bouche; Email: alaya.bouche@gmail.com; View Details

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Have fun while helping Animals

Tracy Perkins — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:56:43 +0000

When: October 9, 2009 from 7pm – ?

Where: Inside the Bungalow has donated the use of their beautiful facilities for the event. They are at 48 N. Robson
Mesa, AZ 85201

What: Dinner, auction and good times with food donated from Green Vegetarian Restaurant to benefit the Farm Sanctuary

How: The cost is $30 per person if you order your tickets before Oct. 2nd and $40 if you wait too long. Go to the official donation webpage, http://firstgiving.com/azfarmparty, to buy your tickets.

Why: Farm Sanctuary is a national, non-profit animal protection organization. Each year they rescue, rehabilitate and provide lifelong care for hundreds of animals rescued from factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses. In addition to operating the shelters, we work to gain legal protection for animals used in food production and to raise public awareness about factory farm cruelty and cruelty-free alternatives. Working against factory farming, from any angle, works against not just the cruelty inflicted therein but also against the huge environmental waste and pollution generated by those farms. If nothing else it is going to be a beautiful evening with fabulous food and compassionate people.

I hope to see you there! Please buy your tickets now.

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Food Inc playing at Harkins Camelview

James Towner — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:00:07 +0000

Do you know where your food is coming from? Food Inc is a fascinating and disturbing look at where our food in the US comes from. You’ll definitely not look at food the same again. http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Click here to find a showing at Harkins Camelview in Scottsdale.

The film Fuel: Change the world by changing your fuel.

Bashas’ Needs Your Help

Tracy Perkins — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:52:22 +0000

Image from PBS story on the Basha Family
It seems everywhere I look another small locally owned shop is going out of business. With a small business, especially in the first few years, there isn’t much keeping you afloat and when customers draw back it is hard to keep your head above water. This seems understandable for the little guy but what about the larger locally owned places? I heard the bad news this week that Bashas’, our locally owned grocer, has filed for bankruptcy. This is bad news personally as I know people who work there who are concerned for their jobs. This is also bad news for our community as with the zillions of grocery stores we have here in the valley, Bashas’ is the only one that is Arizonan owned. I must admit, I do a lot of grocery shopping from various places. I am pretty picky and it seems like I can only find certain things certain places. After hearing this news though, I am going to try to do my part to help Bashas’ by choosing to support them with my dollars as much as possible. Other than their being locally owned, why shop there? Their Full Circle line of organics is really good and reasonably priced, they are always the only place I can find really good fire roasted green chilis, and their natural foods section is well stocked. So here it is.. my pledge to focus my grocery shopping at Bashas’.. what will you do to try to save local businesses?

Click here to read about the Basha family from an interview with Eddie Basha, Jr.

Click here to find the Basha’s closest to you.

Here is some more info from Kimber Lanning over at Local First AZ:

As a proud Arizonan, I was alarmed at Bashas’ Chapter 11 filing last week. As our hometown grocer, Bashas’ family of stores holds a special place in our hearts. In addition to being one of the biggest contributors to Arizona charities, Bashas’ is also the state’s 12th largest employer.

I have no doubt Bashas’ will emerge from these bankruptcy proceedings a better company, but right now I can not encourage you enough to make the effort to shop locally. This is the time for Arizona to stand up and say ENOUGH!

We understand that investing in ourselves is the smartest, most sustainable thing we can do for our communities. In addition to their staff, Bashas’ also employs a team of accountants, attorneys, sign makers and web developers, to name a few, who live right here in Arizona. Bashas’ makes the effort to buy their office products from Wist, another Arizona company, and they have a credit union for their workers, which means more money staying here to be invested.

If you are a service provider of any kind, you know first hand how important it is to have strong Arizona businesses. Out of state corporations, even those operating here among us, do not hire locals for their administrative work, and that includes marketers, graphic designers, promotions people and a whole host of other jobs that are outsourced every day.

We are all in this together. Remember, almost three times more of our money stays here in Arizona when we shop locally, and that money goes to our libraries, our parks, our fire departments.

We are seeking long-term solutions for our great state, and a big part of that is supporting Arizona’s own companies. Please take a moment to reflect on a personal story that you have that relates to the Basha family. Perhaps it was the cookies donated to your child’s Little League team, or a charity that Eddie’s wife Nadine funded. Or, like me, maybe Eddie Basha came to your Coalition for World Peace class at ASU in 1985 and significantly changed the way you thought about the world.

These are hometown folks that need us now. Go the extra mile to reach a Bashas’, AJ’s, or Food City store near you. Because of your effort, Arizona will be a better place.

Locally yours,

Kimber Lanning
Director
Local First Arizona
(602) 956-0909
kimber@localfirstaz.com
_____________________________________________

Here’s what one community member is doing for Bashas’:

CLICK HERE

Read more about what Bashas’ has done for our community:

CLICK HERE

charity bake sale!

Tracy Perkins — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:35:45 +0000

Vegan bake sale to benefit Animal Place!

Vegan baked goods are fantastic! Just take a gander at my vegan baked good recipes and you’ll see that omitting the eggs and dairy from your recipes not only decreases environmental impact and cruelty but is also darn tasty! This is a great way to give back while indulging in delicious baked goodies.

Tuesday June 23rd —
Sunflower Farmer’s Market, (Southern & McClintock) 12pm – 6pm
Friday June 26th —
Sunflower Farmer’s Market, (Southern & McClintock) 12pm – 6pm
Saturday June 27th —
Changing Hands Bookstore, (Guadalupe & McClintock) 9:30am – 5:30pm

Contact mollyandritar1st@aol.com for more info or visit the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale website.

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