The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) is a rating system similar to LEED that helps universities gauge their progress towards sustainability. ASU and UA are listed as participating in the pilot and while NAU isn’t listed in the pilot they are highlighted on their page for their achievements in sustainability.

Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ) is our current spotlight campus! High-efficiency LEED certified buildings, campus recycling, a food surplus donation program, reclaimed water and a master transportation plan are among NAU’s efforts to become a more sustainable institution. NAU has committed to climate neutrality through participation in the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Learn more

I can’t wait until these ratings come and and we can see how our Arizona schools are doing. It seems that all three are making great strides at becoming more sustainable.

Here’s an article about STARS at University of Arizona. [Click Here]

Here is the STARS site if you’d like to find out more. [Click Here]

A home builder in the west valley of the Phoenix area is building what they call ‘net zero energy’ houses. They are doing this by building typical houses you see in Phoenix, but by adding more insulation, energy efficient appliances, and installing solar panels on all the homes. The builder claims the occupants shouldn’t see energy bills above $20 a month. This seems like a good step in the right direction and these features should be very desirable to home buyers especially in the summer. Here’s an article about this builder in the Arizona Republic.

I just ran across an article on azstarnet.com about Kyle Young, a man that has built his own house, is an organic farmer, and is nearly self sustaining.

A pioneer in the natural-building movement that took off in the late ’70s, Young built his 600-square-foot home in Arivaca entirely from natural materials such as cob and bamboo, creating a weather-proof fortress that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

“Most of the materials came from excavations at the building site,” says Young, now 54. “I just dug in and added a little bit of straw for reinforcement.”

[Read More]

This building is in my own back yard, and within walking distance of my house. It’s great to see that the water company that serves Maricopa is making an effort to be more sustainable.

The new Global Water Center is the first LEED certified utility facility in Pinal County. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the national benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-efficiency green buildings. LEED promotes environmentally conscious building by recognizing six key categories:

• sustainable sites
• energy and atmosphere
• water efficiency
• indoor environmental quality
• materials and resources
• innovation in design

More on Global Water’s Resource Center

“The Global Water Center uses a high percentage of recycled water, recycled building materials, and takes advantage of natural light and high-efficiency heating and AC, so it uses only two thirds of the electricity and one sixth the water of an average comparable traditionally constructed commercial structure. We are extremely proud of this achievement and are committed to taking a leadership role in green practices.” says Trevor Hill, President & CEO of Global Water Resources.

Press Release

Just a couple days ago I posted about cohousing and today I noticed this story about Manzanita Village in Prescott. They are receiving a matching grant from the Arizona State Land Department to enhance it’s urban forest and to expand it’s networks of information sharing. They are going to achieve this by hosting workshops where they install cisterns to collect rainwater that falls on their common house. They will be using this to water new forest garden catchment basins that they will also be installing at the workshops. On April 26th and 27th Andrew Millison, local permaculture expert, and Prescott College Instructor, and Macrae Nicoll, of High Desert Rain Catchment will lead the workshops at Manzanita Village. For the full story head over to www.readitnews.com.