Natural Living Alliance for Sustainability

Sustainability in Action in our daily lives

Living better in harmony with Nature

We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive. - Albert Einstein

One of the most significant scientific discoveries of our time is that we are all members of a greater community, an intricate web of life that embraces the whole world and everything in it. The greatest challenge of our time is to learn how to fit in with this natural biosphere as a sustaining and sustainable member of that community.

The environmental crisis is not just about saving owls and whales: it's about saving us. Every member of that web of life that we lose is one fewer to help maintain the complex ecosystems that we depend on for our very survival. Good planets are hard to find.

The Solar Institute, a member of the international Earth Day Network, is fundamentally concerned with helping people join together in finding a better relationship with the world, to fit in sustainably with the natural cycles of Nature, to reduce our impact on the biosphere, and to create a greater harmony between the built environment and the natural environment.

Coming events: How to live better in the desert by connecting sustainably with Nature The 12th Annual Tucson Innovative Home Tour and the Tucson Solar Tour will be Saturday, November 3, 2007. The Next Generation Home Course will also be Saturday, November 3, 2007.

"What's the use of a fine house if you don't have a tolerable planet to put it on?" - Henry David Thoreau

"Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." - Chief Seattle

"He who is in harmony with Nature hits the mark without effort and apprehends the truth ...." - Confucius

I feel most emphatically that we should not turn into shingles a tree which was old when the first Egyptian conqueror penetrated to the valley of the Euphrates. - Theodore Roosevelt

"In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy." - John C. Sawhill

"Think globally - Act locally"

Sustainability is the crucial imperative of our time
Soaring population growth is outstripping local resources all over the planet, causing ever greater social, economic and environmental disruption. Under this world-wide onslaught, the ecosystems that sustain us are rapidly deteriorating. Lifestyles dependent on importing energy, water and other basic needs from distant places are becoming more difficult and costly to maintain. Living in harmony with nature is no longer a luxury, it's becoming a necessity. Tucson is known nationally for its pioneering work in Sustainability.

Population
The human population of the planet is exploding, from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, 6 billion in 2,000, now over 6.6 billion and counting. The U.S. population just overrran 300,000,000, the third largest country in the world, after China and India.
  For decades one of the two fastest growing states in the nation, Arizona's population zipped past 6,000,000 earlier in 2006. The population of the Tucson metropolitan area will pass 1,000,000 in November of this year; it is now larger in population than seven states.

Energy
World energy consumption is multiplying at a greater rate than population. Burning up one quarter of global energy production, the U.S. is both the world's biggest energy consumer and biggest importer of energy, most of it wasted. With oil leading the list of imports, the U.S. trade deficit soared to a record high of $782 billion last year, up 18% over last year's previous record and continues to set new monthly records. With increasing competition for world resources, especially oil, experts warn this is only the beginning.
  Spending for energy in Arizona and Tucson has risen to billions of dollars annually, a huge financial drain on both local and state economies. Tucson imports virtually all of its energy from distant places. In effect, we are at the end of the pipelines that supply gasoline and natural gas, and have seen big jumps recently in the prices of both. Over 98% of our electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners region. Tucson Electric Power recently proposed a 23% rate increase. Yet Southern Arizona is blessed with one of the largest solar energy resources in the country.

Water
Globally, one out of six people doesn't have access to safe drinking water, and one person in three lacks access to adequate sanitation. Water-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, accounting for 80% of all sickness. With population growth, environmental deterioration, pollution and climate change, the water crisis is rapidly getting worse. All over the arid western U.S., temperatures are rising and ancient groundwater aquifers that once sustained smaller populations are running out.
  Seven years of abnormal drought have substantially reduced rainfall and dropped river and reservoir levels, especially in Tucson. Falling groundwater tables, pollution and subsidence are driving Tucson Water to shift to ever greater amounts of Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project. However, Colorado River flow has been declining steadily over the last decade and Tucsonans are literally at the end of the C.A.P. and low on the list of water allocations.

We live in a desert
The handwriting is on the wall. The news brings us daily reminders. THose who depend on transporting virtually all of their energy, water, food and others needs from far away are particularly vulnerable. This is clearly not sustainable.
  These problems and big changes have been forecast by scientists for decades. They are no longer over the horizen: they are here, now, today. A word to the wise: add this question to your decision-making in every choice you make ...

Is this sustainable?
This is a very important and powerful concept. It can be applied to every aspect of your life. In the face of such rapid and profound changes ...
  Is my home sustainable?
  Is my transportation sustainable?
  Is my health and well-being sustainable?
  Is my job sustainable?
  Is my life style sustainable?

What should I do?
  Should I continue to pay ever-higher utility bills so I can waste energy and water?
  Should I keep wasting money on dead-end products or invest in my future?
  Should I support companies that promote these problems or offer solutions?
  Should I vote for the people who got us into this mess or leaders dedicated to getting us out of it?

Sustainability and You
The term, sustainability, known to only a few at the time of the first Earth Day in 1970, is now a major concern all over America and all over the world. The need to "Think globally, act locally," has become more urgent and many are heading the call, including here in Tucson and Pima County. See what this means to you.

The Tucson Innovative Home Tour, Tucson Solar Tour and Next Generation Home Course are your tickets to sustainability in action. These annual non-profit, non-commercial community educational events bring people together to share ideas and experience in the search for ways to make better homes that cost less. You can see sustaining homes that fit in well with the natural environment, homes that draw on the best aspects of the local climate for greater comfort with much lower utility bills, and homes with quality and durability for a greater affordability that lasts. In short, how to live in nature's sustaining flow, instead of trying to swim against it. New advances for designing, building and renovating for such homes are the focus of the tour, recognized as the largest local event of its kind in the nation.

The Natural Living Sustainability Alliance, a member of the international Earth Day Network, also joins the community in celebrating Earth Day, a reminder that everything is connected and our own well-being is fundamentally dependent on finding a better relationship with the world and nature.

The Community Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day reminds us to come together in community action on behalf of this greater community of life on earth. We invite you to join in this community effort to "Think globally, act locally." For some more thoughts on this see our Earth Day editorial:

Earth Day reminds us that we are all members of a community – not just our local community of homo sapiens .... Read the Solar Institute's Earth Day editorial - effecting progress through community action.

Earth Day just as critical as it was in 1970. "Environmentalism is more than cleaning up messes. Today we understand how the interconnection of ecosystems argues for worldwide cooperation." See the Arizona Daily Star's Earth Day editorial.

The Community Earth Day Celebration, on the Saturday nearest April 22, is organized by an alliance of more than 50 environmental and community organizations.

2006 Earth Day events overview
The Community Earth Day Celebration is organized by the environmental community!

When. Saturday, April 22rd, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Where. The DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park, near S. Country Club and 18th St.

Admission. This is a free community event.

On this annual observance of Earth Day, a remarkable cooperative effort continues to give Tucson an Earth Day celebration that is of, by and for the community.

You are invited to come and enjoy an informative and fun day of speakers, workshops, exhibits, booths, activities, live music, good food and frolic for all ages.

You'll have a chance to talk with representatives of over 50 community organizations involved in a wide range of fields related to the natural and built environments, including natural area and wilderness conservation, environmental homes and neighborhoods, energy and water efficiency and conservation, solar energy and sustainable living, clean air and water, healthy communities, wildlife and animal care and rescue, peace-building, social justice, and many more.

Special guests include Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias and Dr. Andrew Weil of the University of Arizona's Medical Center.

It will be a fun and interesting day. Please help pass the word and enjoy the celebration!

"In our fast-paced, hectic world, it has become more difficult for us to connect locally and work together to protect our own small piece of the Earth—the beautiful Tucson desert and the neighborhoods that make up our unique community," said Meredith Hartwell, one of the event's organizers. "Tucson Community Earth Day Celebration will offer the people of southern Arizona a close-to-home opportunity to celebrate this planet we love, rekindle public commitment, and build stronger community networks to work together for creative, positive solutions for a more sustainable Earth."

For more information, visit the Community Earth Day website.

Earth Day: Earth care starts at home

On the first Earth Day in 1970, over 20 million people around the U.S. celebrated Mother Earth's web of life and sought unity in protecting it. On its 30th anniversary, in 2000, over 500 million people in every nation in the world united in support of environmental action. It was the largest organized event in history. More and more people are recognizing the seriousness of our situation.

For most of us, the best opportunity to take action starts at home. Collectively, humanity's homes have a big impact on our world. The choices we make in our homes can effect big changes, one way or another. Join us for the Tucson Innovative Home Tour and Next Generation Home Course this fall to find out how you can have a much better home at much lower cost - to yourself as well as Mother Earth.

You're Invited
Participants and supporters of these programs include many individuals, community organizations, professional organizations, businesses and business organizations, educational institutions, the City of Tucson, Pima County, State of Arizona and the federal government.

We invite you to become a part of this community sharing too. Just click here for information on how to get in touch with us.

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Credits: We would like to thank the City of Tucson, Pima County and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for support and funding, as well as the many organizations and individuals who have contributed to making these community initiatives such a success.

© Copyright 2007 Solar Institute, Inc. ® Solar Alliance, Tucson Solar Alliance, Solar Alliance of Greater Tucson, Tucson Innovative Home Tour, Next Generation Home, Next Generation Home Alliance, Next Generation Building Institute, Tucson Homeowners Alliance, Natural Living Alliance and Tucson Community Solar Program are registered trade names of the Solar Institute. All rights reserved.