Registration for the hike-a-thon ends January 22, 2010 and the first hike is February 7^th. It continues for 2 months with one scheduled hike each week at various mountains in the greater Phoenix area and ends April 5^th.  In order to meet their mileage goals, hikers can participate in the organization’s scheduled hikes, or hike on their own at locations and dates they choose.  All ages are welcome and families are encouraged to participate.

Jaime Collins, founder of Everlasting Marks states, “The ‘Take a Hike!’ program is not just an event to raise funds, but to increase the community’s awareness of the environment through the enjoyment of the outdoors.”

This year’s hike-a-thon is in honor of Tessa Worby, who had a fatal fall while rock climbing Camelback Mountain on February 5, 2009.  While her accident is a reminder of the dangers of hiking and rock climbing, her memory serves as an inspiration to others to live life to its fullest.

“Tessa was passionate about the outdoors, youth and the environment, reflecting the values of Everlasting Marks,” said Collins.  “May we each discover even a portion of her enthusiasm in our own lives.”

Everlasting Marks is an Arizona based organization dedicated to promoting cultural understanding and environmental awareness through youth-oriented educational service projects that involve sustainable construction from recycled materials. Current projects include the development of a sustainable garden and educational facility at Superstition Farm in Mesa. For more information visit www.EverlastingMarks.org

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Related posts:

1. TEDxPhoenix to Feature Local Sustainability Expert
2. Local to Global Justice – This weekend!

Hi Everyone,

Az BioDiesel is still alive and producing for now without the $1 a gallon federal biodiesel tax credit.

It will hopefully be passed by Feb/March and be retroactive to Jan 1st but there are no guarantees.

For now, we (AZ BioDiesel) can afford to “weather the storm” and wait until the end of January to see if the tax credit will come back anytime soon.

Most plants around the country unfortunately, have closed or severely reduced production as they can’t weather a long wait to get the tax credit dollars.

The word is that if congress doesn’t get around to it before Feb, most of the industry will close and many may not be able to reopen. 29,000+ jobs will be lost very soon. Congress came back Jan 20th from their holiday break. Health care was still taking priority to anything else when they started.

Our industry is the victim of congress’ focus on health care and not having time to pass the biodiesel tax credit extension which helps biodiesel to be competitively priced to the already subsidized petroleum fuels.

Several senators (Dem & Rep) have sent letters to President Obama to get the extension passed quickly but, no answer yet.

Some are saying that Big Oil is behind this. The EPA was going to pass (this Feb) it’s new alt fuel standards which, for the first time, would include a national minimum requirement for 1 billion gallons of biodiesel to get the industry on its feet and growing. The EPA now is saying they may just give the 1 billion gallons to the ethanol industry to add to the minimum requirement they already have since they don’t believe the biodiesel industry can now live up to the new requirement.

Another win for Big Oil and their support of ethanol! The alternative fuel (ethanol) that isn’t a threat to the future of replacing petroleum oil.

It really concerns me that President Obama had the nerve recently to tout the $2.3 billion he gave out to create new forms of energy and add 17,000 jobs while he knows that the biodiesel industry is about to lose 29,000+ jobs and already can produce new energy but no one in congress or the white house seems to care. You’ll notice very little press about the loss of the biodiesel tax credit and it’s potential to bankrupt this industry even if they get around to passing an extension later in the year.

Please help save the biodiesel industry by going to this link and sending emails to our congressmen:

Your Help Is Needed to Reinstate the Biodiesel Tax Incentive
http://www.biodiesel.org/news/taxcredit/default.shtm

With your help, this industry can survive!!!

Thanks,
Dan Rees, AZ BioDiesel

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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.)

Related posts:

1. Support Local on Grand Ave

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

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Image from PBS story on the Basha Family

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

Related posts:

1. Bashas’ supports local small business

Take the pledge to shop local June 19th thru July 5th and help keep independent business alive in Arizona! Why support local business?

• For every two jobs national retailers bring to a community, three jobs are lost as a result of local businesses closing down.
• When you shop locally-owned businesses, your money is re-circulated over and over and creates up to 75% more tax revenue to our community and state.
• Independent businesses raise the standard of living in your community because they take their profits and buy products and services from other local businesses, thus creating more and more tax revenues needed for the community to thrive.
• Millions of dollars of tax revenue subsidies handed to chains by financially-starved local governments drain even more tax revenue from our community and state.
• Blighted empty shopping areas are created in your community when chain stores re-locate to a more lucrative shopping center, or leave altogether. Literally hundreds of big stores are abandoned each year across the United States.
• Independent businesses are unique enterprises that contribute to the character of our community by offering a more diverse selections of goods and services.
• Independent businesses provide meaningful service with a personal touch. It matters to them that you are satisfied and will come back again.
• Carefully planned predatory pricing practices have allowed national chains to establish virtual monopolies as they drive local competition out of business. And then they raise their prices.

Check out Local First Arizona’s site for more information about this event.

Related posts:

1. Your Help Is Needed to Reinstate the Biodiesel Tax Incentive

Common Name	Scientific Name	Species Group	Listing Status	Species Image	Species Distribution Map
Acuna Cactus	Echinomastus erectocentrus var. acunensis	Flowering Plants	C
Apache trout	Oncorhynchus apache	Fishes	T
Arizona Cliff-rose	Purshia (=Cowania) subintegra	Flowering Plants	E
Arizona hedgehog cactus	Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. arizonicus	Flowering Plants	E
bald eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Birds	DM
beautiful shiner	Cyprinella formosa	Fishes	T
black-footed ferret	Mustela nigripes	Mammals	E, EXPN
bonytail chub	Gila elegans	Fishes	E
Brady pincushion cactus	Pediocactus bradyi	Flowering Plants	E
brown pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Birds	DM, E
California condor	Gymnogyps californianus	Birds	E, EXPN
Canelo Hills ladies’-tresses	Spiranthes delitescens	Flowering Plants	E
Chiricahua leopard frog	Rana chiricahuensis	Amphibians	T
Cochise pincushion cactus	Coryphantha robbinsorum	Flowering Plants	T
Colorado pikeminnow (=squawfish)	Ptychocheilus lucius	Fishes	E, EXPN
desert pupfish	Cyprinodon macularius	Fishes	E
desert tortoise	Gopherus agassizii	Reptiles	SAT, T
Fickeisen plains cactus	Pediocactus peeblesianus fickeiseniae	Flowering Plants	C
Gierisch mallow	Sphaeralcea gierischii	Flowering Plants	C	No Image
Gila chub	Gila intermedia	Fishes	E
Gila topminnow (incl. Yaqui)	Poeciliopsis occidentalis	Fishes	E
Gila trout	Oncorhynchus gilae	Fishes	T
gray wolf	Canis lupus	Mammals	DR, E, EXPN, T
Headwater Chub	Gila nigra	Fishes	C
Holmgren milk-vetch	Astragalus holmgreniorum	Flowering Plants	E
Huachuca springsnail	Pyrgulopsis thompsoni	Snails	C
Huachuca water-umbel	Lilaeopsis schaffneriana var. recurva	Flowering Plants	E
Hualapai Mexican vole	Microtus mexicanus hualpaiensis	Mammals	E
humpback chub	Gila cypha	Fishes	E
jaguar	Panthera onca	Mammals	E
Jones Cycladenia	Cycladenia jonesii (=humilis)	Flowering Plants	T
Kanab ambersnail	Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis	Snails	E
Kearney’s blue-star	Amsonia kearneyana	Flowering Plants	E
Lemmon fleabane	Erigeron lemmonii	Flowering Plants	C
lesser long-nosed bat	Leptonycteris curasoae yerbabuenae	Mammals	E
Little Colorado spinedace	Lepidomeda vittata	Fishes	T
loach minnow	Tiaroga cobitis	Fishes	T
masked bobwhite (quail)	Colinus virginianus ridgwayi	Birds	E
Mexican spotted owl	Strix occidentalis lucida	Birds	T
Mount Graham red squirrel	Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis	Mammals	E
Navajo sedge	Carex specuicola	Flowering Plants	T
New Mexican meadow jumping mouse	Zapus hudsonius luteus	Mammals	C	No Image
New Mexico ridgenose rattlesnake	Crotalus willardi obscurus	Reptiles	T
Nichol’s Turk’s head cactus	Echinocactus horizonthalonius var. nicholii	Flowering Plants	E
northern aplomado falcon	Falco femoralis septentrionalis	Birds	E
Northern Mexican gartersnake	Thamnophis eques megalops	Reptiles	C	No Image
ocelot	Leopardus (=Felis) pardalis	Mammals	E
Page springsnail	Pyrgulopsis morrisoni	Snails	C
Peebles Navajo cactus	Pediocactus peeblesianus peeblesianus	Flowering Plants	E
Pima pineapple cactus	Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina	Flowering Plants	E
razorback sucker	Xyrauchen texanus	Fishes	E
relict leopard Frog	Rana onca	Amphibians	C	No Image
San Bernardino springsnail	Pyrgulopsis bernardina	Snails	C	No Image
San Francisco Peaks groundsel	Senecio franciscanus	Flowering Plants	T
Sentry milk-vetch	Astragalus cremnophylax var. cremnophylax	Flowering Plants	E
Siler pincushion cactus	Pediocactus (=Echinocactus,=Utahia) sileri	Flowering Plants	T
Sonora chub	Gila ditaenia	Fishes	T
Sonora tiger Salamander	Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi	Amphibians	E
Sonoran pronghorn	Antilocapra americana sonoriensis	Mammals	E
Sonoyta mud turtle	Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale	Reptiles	C
southwestern willow flycatcher	Empidonax traillii extimus	Birds	E
spikedace	Meda fulgida	Fishes	T
Stephan’s Riffle beetle	Heterelmis stephani	Insects	C
Three Forks Springsnail	Pyrgulopsis trivialis	Snails	C
Virgin River Chub	Gila seminuda (=robusta)	Fishes	E
Welsh’s milkweed	Asclepias welshii	Flowering Plants	T
woundfin	Plagopterus argentissimus	Fishes	E, EXPN
Yaqui catfish	Ictalurus pricei	Fishes	T
Yaqui chub	Gila purpurea	Fishes	E
yellow-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus americanus	Birds	C
Yuma clapper rail	Rallus longirostris yumanensis	Birds	E
Zuni bluehead Sucker	Catostomus discobolus yarrowi	Fishes	C
Zuni fleabane	Erigeron rhizomatus	Flowering Plants	T

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I thought this was very cool! Please do this in my neighborhood.

azdailysun.com
About 200 households and up to eight businesses in and near east Flagstaff could get solar panels for free as part of a pilot project to turn neighborhoods into power producers.

Arizona Public Service is proposing to buy solar panels and pay local contractors to install them on houses and businesses from Smoke Rise and Doney Park to Lenox Park. “We think it’s important to build awareness within our customer base, and we couldn’t think of a better place to start than Flagstaff,” said APS Chief Executive Officer Don Brandt.

The utility would buy, own and maintain the solar panels on private homes and businesses and receive the electricity — typically equating to about half of the electricity used in a local home.

Homeowners would receive a locked-in 20-year rate on portions of their electric bills for offering to have the 2, 3, or 4-kilowatt solar systems, and allowing easements to access them.

The $14.7 million proposal to generate electricity in this way is novel statewide in that it knocks down to zero the initial price of installing a solar system on a house.

In all, the utility would generate 1.5 megawatts of renewable electricity. That’s enough to supply about 230 homes from Sheep Hill to nearly Sugarloaf Peak, at typical energy use rates for homes in that area.
Continue story at azdailysun.com

Photo: Nicholas_T

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More good news for solar power generation here in Arizona! That’s two big solar plants planned in the next couple years.

The Arizona Department of Commerce and Albiasa Solar of Spain will announce Monday a $1 billion solar-thermal power plant will be built near Kingman next year, generating enough power for 50,000 homes at once when it opens in 2013.

It’s the third large Arizona solar plant announced in less than 18 months, although one of the first two has been scrapped and the other won’t be running until 2011.

The Kingman plant will create 2,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs, according to the Commerce Department.

Full Story at azcentral.com

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