Tucson Green Times

Gurus of Green take over the HabiStore on November 14

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Tucson, Ariz. - A couch, a bike, a worm, and a caulk gun. What do these items have in common?  Come to the second annual Green Living Fair on Saturday, November 14, 2009, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Habitat of Humanity’s HabiStore, southwest corner of Palo Verde and Ajo, to find out.

Local experts in solar power, water conservation and harvesting, composting, gardening, air quality, transportation, energy conservation, and green building/remodeling will be at the fair to help residents understand the green in going green.  Terry Dee, Retail Director of the HabiStore promises that the Green Living Fair will teach how sustainable living can be affordable and fun.-Read more...

One Man’s Trash

By Tim Hull

Tucson Green Times – October 2009

I’m sitting in Jason Tankersley’s Mercedes in the middle of the Speedway Recycling and Landfill facility, talking about the sustainable economy. Outside the car’s seemingly soundproof windows, hardworking guys in hardhats silently sift through the “waste” created by Tucson’s construction and landscaping industries. There are mountains of cardboard; ruined cities of broken concrete; piles of shattered glass; mounds of broken drywall.

Jason Tankersley,: Jason Tankersley, CEO of the Fairfax Companies in Tucson. Photo by Tim Hull.Jason Tankersley,: Jason Tankersley, CEO of the Fairfax Companies in Tucson. Photo by Tim Hull.Tankersley wants it all. Bring it all to him, he says. He’ll find a way to recycle it.

“I like the challenge,” he says. “I do everything I can to find a home for all this stuff.”

The 37-year-old Tucson native, CEO of the Fairfax Companies, was born into the trash game. In high school back in the late 1980s, he often worked for his family’s landfill business. Even then, he says, it struck him as ridiculous how much useful material became waste just because it was dumped off at the landfill. Years later, when he inherited the business from his father, he began trying to change that.-Read more...

Home Tour Features Tucson's Greenest

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By James Lawrence

Tucson Green Times – October 2009 

Solar Home Tour - Oct. 2009Solar Home Tour - Oct. 2009Tucsonans best chance to see how green principles are being put to good use is coming Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 with the 14th Annual Tucson Innovative Home Tour and Tucson Solar Tour. These community events were organized to give everyone a chance to see exceptional examples of the latest advances in building better homes that cost less.-Read more...

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Massage Therapy Safeguards Health

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By Laura Key

Tucson Green Times – October 2009

Most everyone knows that receiving massage can feel like an awesome treat, but is massage really good for you?  Is it really possible something that feels so darn good confers definite health benefits?  Luckily for those who love massage, the answer is a resounding “Yes.”

Over the last decade, a growing body of research on professional massage therapy has documented its benefits for many maladies.  Massage can clearly help with a number of physical problems, providing pain relief and accelerating the healing process for many soft-tissue injuries.-Read more...

Growing Futures

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Student-Built Wind Generator To Power Kino School Greenhouse

By Ann Davis
Tucson Green Times – September 2009

Ethan Nichols descries how his wind generator works. Photo by David AndersonEthan Nichols descries how his wind generator works. Photo by David AndersonStudents and teachers at Kino School, 6625 N. First Ave., (www.kinoschool.org) hoisted a student-built wind generator into place on the roof of the school in August. In a moderate wind, it will generate more than 12 volts and up to 700 watts of electricity.

Ethan Nichols, who graduated from Kino School last May, built the 10-foot-diameter wind generator as his senior project. He worked over the summer with shop teacher Ed Davis to construct the roof mounting.

“It was a lot more work than I expected,” Nichols says. He needed to do research and budget costs, and learn about things like rectifiers and magnetic induction. He had to wind 10 custom coils of wire, which he then imbedded in fiberglass, and do a lot of precision, structural welding on thick steel.-Read more...

Re-greening Your Home

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Tucson couple earns first Pima County Silver Certification for a green remodel

By Bonnie Lewis
Tucson Green Times – September 2009

“The most significant benefit we’ve realized from the process is a much higher quality, energy-efficient home,” says Troy Young. He and his wife Kristi have just completed the “greenest” remodel in Tucson, earning the first ever Silver Certificate from the Pima County’s Residential Green Remodel Program.

Troy and Kristi Young in their remodeled kitchen. Photo by James Patrick.Troy and Kristi Young in their remodeled kitchen. Photo by James Patrick.The remodel on the Young’s midtown 1930s house included adding a master suite, family room, and office to their two-bedroom, single-bath home.  Why did they decide to undertake this process rather than moving to one of the abundant newer homes on the market?

“We loved many things about our home - location, lot size, neighbors,” says Young. “So we made a conscious decision to stay in our home rather than relocate for the sake of more square-footage.”

The Youngs intended to participate in a green building certification program as they began planning their remodel. They considered LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™), a third-party certification program, and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED for Homes certification is designed for new constructions or major remodels, which typically involve the addition of extra insulation to the existing walls and roof. -Read more...

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