PHOENIX, AZ, January 8, 2010 – On February 7^th, Everlasting Marks, a local environmental education nonprofit, is kicking off their second annual “Take a Hike!” hike-a-thon fundraiser sponsored by REI. They are currently recruiting participants who find sponsors to pledge funds for hiked miles that can be completed over the course of the 8-week event.  There will be awards and prizes for the most miles hiked and the most funds raised.

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

This information is brought to you by Keith Woods:

ECYCLEPHX.ORG is run by the Boy Scouts (Troop 446) who organize the longest running computer and electronics swap meet in the southwest – the Scouts’ Electronicfest. scoutscomputerswapmeet.com

They are hosting their 3rd Annual Earth Day Electronics Recycling Event sponsored by Valleywide Recycling Partnership. To be held all day (11am to 7pm) Wednesday, April 22nd, at the Best Buy in Phoenix (at Camelback Road and 20th Street. All kinds of electronics will be accepted at this event (working or not), and proceeds will benefit local Boy Scouts. Donations may be tax deductible. For more information please call Keith Woods at 480-752-7410

Here are some examples of things you can bring in to be recycled:

EXAMPLES OF WHAT MAY BE DROPPED OFF

Computer Monitors CPU’s (Central Processing Units) Televisions with Cathode Ray Tubes and Flat Panel Displays Printers Laptops Cables Keyboards Mouses Telephone Equipment VCRs Word Processors Batteries PDAs

Answering Machines Camcorders Compact Disc Players Copiers Duplicators Electric Typewriters Fax Machines Hard Drives Mobile Phones Modems Pagers Printed Circuit Boards Radios Games (Video)

Microwaves Smoke Detectors Large Household Appliances (Refrigerators, Washing Machines, and Air Conditioners) Toasters Fans Vacuum Cleaners Lamps Specialty Cookers Remote Controls Stereos Tape Players Telephones

For more information on the Scout’s Earth Day Event visit this link: http://ecyclephx.org/earthday_2009.htm

Simple Living

In our culture it seems impossible and insane to downsize your lifestyle on purpose and go from the typical middle class lifestyle to one most people would consider poverty. That is exactly what this couple did when they became tired of endless layoffs, and trying to maintain the stressful American lifestyle. Basically it took a lot of hard work, patience, and time, but eventually they were able to buy their own little plot of land in the country, grow their own food, build their own house, and start their own bread co-op to make what little money they needed. Check out their story below.

As a middle class American, it’s been difficult for me to understand how we are supposed to make a living when there are so many things working against us. How can we go on day after day with the rising cost of food, fuel, utilities, car insurance, taxes and health care, while dealing with the insecurity of unemployment? In the past, whenever I considered these things, I felt a hopeless sense of impending doom in the pit of my stomach. There is so much talk about how to solve these issues, but nothing ever seems to stop the downward spiral of struggle and stress that millions of folks are experiencing. Continure reading “Thinking Small”

Everyone in the nation is being severely impacted by the economic downturn, and the public universities are no exception.  You may wonder why I would discuss ASU budget cuts on the Arizona Sustainability blog but the main heart of innovation is found in the universities.  Researchers, both student and professional, work tirelessly to find better ways to address problems ranging from social to medical to environmental.  The research that goes on at ASU is invaluable to society.

The strides that have recently been made by their Global Institute of Sustainability working together with the School of Earth and Space Exploration and other departments have been encouraging, now the budget cut seems a direct cut on our future and potential.  Most research is conducted based on grant funding which is not dependent on the state budget, for the most part, however, for the professors, students, and researchers to remain at ASU they rely on state funding for pretty much everything else.  I am discouraged and worried that all of the education system (primary, secondary, and higher) gets hit hard when the economy suffers and that directly translates to more strain on students and teachers making success more difficult to attain.  The future of innovation in the field of sustainability is on the chopping block, not just for ASU but for all Arizona universities and public schools.  There has got to be a better way?

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY News Release

January 15, 2006

Proposed Budget Cuts Would Severely Damage ASU, Negatively Impact 67,000 Students and their families, and Would Put Arizona on the Path to Resembling a Third World Country

TEMPE, Ariz. – The options proposed by the state legislature today would cut the university system’s budget by up to $243 million for the remaining few months of fiscal year 2009 and $388 million for fiscal year 2010. This would be the largest higher education budget reduction in the state’s history. Cuts of this magnitude would require Arizona State University to reduce costs by up to $126 million in less than five months and $194 million next fiscal year.

ASU opened its FY09 budget year having already taken more than more than $37 million in state funding cuts in the previous 18 months, resulting in the elimination of 265 jobs. Since that time, it has taken additional actions in preparation for the possibility of further reductions that has led to a cumulative elimination of almost 500 staff positions and over 200 faculty associates, the disestablishment of two schools and a reduction in the number of nursing students.

ASU administrators say that it is unreasonable and irresponsible to expect ASU, the state’s largest university and the producer of more than half the state’s bachelor’s degrees each year, to suffer cuts anywhere this magnitude without severely curtailing the service it provides its 67,000 students and reducing the enormously important role it plays in the state’s economy.

“The fact that the legislature has known about the state budget problems for months and failed to take appropriate and effective action to minimize harm to Arizona’s families and economy is unconscionable,” says ASU President Michael M. Crow. “Our students and their families, ASU alumni, and the working men and women of Arizona—all of whom are taxpayers and will be impacted by this action—deserve better.”

“The decisions made by our elected leaders concerning the FY09 and FY10 budgets will be the most important political decisions made in the nearly 100-year history of the state,” he continued. “For that very reason, there needs to be a thoughtful and public discussion of the options. Otherwise the Arizona of the future may more closely resemble a far-off, Third World country than nearby states such as Colorado and Texas.”

Arizona State University pumps $3.2 billion dollars each year into the state’s economy and creates tens of thousands of jobs. Each year it graduates more than 14,000 students, including engineers, nurses, mathematicians, scientists, teachers and entrepreneurs. These graduates, which include more than 151,000 alumni still living in the state, are responsible, in turn, for tens of billions of dollars of the state’s gross domestic product and constitute the largest single group of taxpayers in Arizona.

“You can’t cut your way out of a budget deficit of this magnitude,” said Dennis Hoffman. “The legislature needs to consider other options because a budget cut of this magnitude, if taken, will cause a sharp drop in the state’s GDP and prolong what is already a painful recession.”

ASU had already been planning for an additional cut of five percent by taking actions to reduce expenses while preserving educational quality, access to a college education, and the production of a skilled workforce. Cuts of the magnitude proposed today would cause the university to layoff and/or furlough additional employees, and consider program reductions that might affect students entering in fall 2009 and beyond.

SOURCE:

Virgil Renzulli, virgil.renzulli@asu.edu

(480) 965-8526 direct line

MEDIA CONTACT:

Terri Shafer, terri.shafer@asu.edu

(480) 965-3865 direct line / (602) 363-2318 cell

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona USA

www.asu.edu

Related: Arizona university presidents discuss proposed budget cuts

That picture is of our darling girl, Kaylee. She is part chow, part golden retriever and 100% love. She is one of our furry children and she is a rescue. She didn’t have any back story at all, she is young and full of love and life yet she ended up at Rescue a Golden, AZ. Some folks don’t realize this happens. Fabulous dogs and cats for random crazy reasons end up at shelters, the shelters are over run (spay and neuter!) and so they don’t get much time to find a home before they have lost their lives.  It is no fault of the shelter, it is a lack of funds, a lack of space, and just too many critters that necessitates this unfortunate strategy which leads to 4-5 million deaths of cats and dogs each year.

Here are some interesting numbers from the Humane Society:

The problem is obvious, there are too many abandoned animals and not enough money to care for them. More funds are needed to support animal shelters which gets me to the point of this post. Most everyone is struggling financially right now.  Abandonment rates are up as people surrender loved pets they cannot afford to care for any more. Shelters are feeling the sting of the recession, too, as people close their wallets to donations and charity. In comes a contest that will award much needed funds to deserving animal rescues based on your votes!  Here is the information I recieved:

How the contest works:

Anyone can visit Care2.com/animalsheltercontest and select their favorite animal shelter or rescue group. Then, you can tell neighbors and friends to do the same! The shelter or rescue group with the most votes wins $10,000.

In addition to the grand prize:

• Second and third place winners will each receive $1,000. The groups that place 4th through 20th will each win $500.
• Every week, a randomly selected participating group (five or more votes that week) will win $500.
• The 20 contest participants who recruit the most friends to vote for their favorite shelter will receive a $50 gift certificate for pet products as special thank-you gifts.

So, get started voting and spread the word!

Click here to find your favorite shelters in your state.

Click here for Arizona Animal Shelters.

This picture is of our kitty, Fia. We rescued her from the Arizona Animal Welfare League six years ago. She was a little scrawny stray. She was so brown and matted up they had to shave her so we thought she was a short hair. When we brought her home… *poof* her beautiful snow white mane and onyx black tail exploded into all its fluffy glory.  She is the queen of the house, our very first critter and we adore her.  Arizona Animal Welfare League will definitely get our vote as our other rescue (Rescue a Golden, AZ) is not listed.

Rescued animals come in all shapes and sizes with all different temperments. They are just like people, everyone has their own personality.  It is ridiculous to me to think that someone would purchase an animal from a pet store (most of which support puppy mills) or from a breeder for hundreds or even thousands of dollars when so many wonderful dogs, cats, and other little critters need homes, too.

This is your chance to support a good shelter by casting your vote. Also, with the holiday season coming up consider donating to your favorite shelter in your loved one’s name rather than purchasing gifts.  Those lonely dogs and cats need it more than your husband needs a new gadget or your wife needs that designer purse.