Date: Saturday, February 18, 2012
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.

Location: Northland Pioneer College Learning Center (Room 101), Snowflake, Arizona

Cost: Free

This is a chance to meet people who are changing the world for GOOD with solar! Come share your ideas, meet new people, network and enjoy kindred spirits.

The event is free, but we would appreciate your registering at the website to help us plan. And it would be great if you could pass this invitation on to others who might be interested!

Join in TreePeople’s 2nd annual Green City Fair!

A day of fun, food and activities hosted by TreePeople. Green City Fair will provide you with the resources to make healthy, sustainable changes. FREE sustainable workshops will be held throughout the day.

When: Saturday, May 5 , 2011 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: TreePeople
12601 Mulholland Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Workshops

Brad Lancaster, Andy Lipkis, and others
details TBA here and at www.treepeople.org/green-city-fair-2012

Sponsors, Vendors & Exhibitors

Interested in becoming a sponsor, vendor or exhibitor?
Please contact Jillian Fontaine at (818) 623-4862 or jfontaine@treepeople.org

Date: Saturday evening, September 8, 2012
Time: TBA

Location: TBA, Calgary

Brad will give his classic water-harvesting presentation at a public talk in Calgary, hosted by Verge Permaculture

Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance
This inspiring power point presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. Greywater harvesting is the process of directing water from household sink, bathtub, shower, and washing-machine drains into the soils of the landscape where the water is naturally filtered and reused to generate more on-site resources. The two work hand in hand, and can reduce our water consumption by 30 to 50%! You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.

More details to come!

More information to come.

Meanwhile, visit www.vergepermaculture.ca/content/plant-rain-grow-sustainable-abundance to see basic course information and learn about Verge Permaculture.

Sustainable Vocations prepares youth (ages 15 – 24) for diverse leadership roles that integrate sustainability into their lives and communities. This pioneering program provides a unique, hands-on introduction to the expanding green jobs market while exploring the comprehensive tenets of environmental stewardship and sustainable living. While expansive in scope, timely topics include: ecological design, conservation and restoration, alternative energy systems, sustainable agriculture, natural building, ecological literacy, water harvesting, community regeneration, and nature awareness. Students earn an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification and graduate with the practical skills to enhance their employment opportunities and life path – all while helping to create a more sustainable future for us all.

Sustainable Vocations
Summer 2012 Course Dates:

July 25 – August 11, 2012

Priority Application Due Date
May 1, 2012

FMI: www.sustainablevocations.org/home

Arid LID 2012

Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development in Arid Environments

March 27-29, 2012

Tucson, Arizona

Visit the Arid LID website for the following:
Registration – early registration through 1/16/2012
Agenda
Venue & Accommodations
Sponsorship Opportunities
Post-conference training in community-based green infrastructure

Keynote speakers to include:
Benjamin Grumbles, President, Clean Water America Alliance
Andy Lipkis, Founder and President, TreePeople

Brad will one of the panelists for The Tucson Trajectory: from guerrilla gardens–to big box parking lots–to planned communities

Many other speakers will be featured. Visit the Arid LID website for complete details.

Click to download WMG’s AridLID Conference Press Release.

About the conference:

For the past two years, the AridLID Workshops held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have built a growing discussion and exposition of Green Infrastructure (GI) and Low Impact Development (LID) practices that are appropriate to the unique climates of the southwestern United States. In 2012, we are holding the conference in Tucson, Arizona, with the twin goals of sharing best practices and building professional networks across a wider swath of the region, and of developing a clearer Southwestern vision and voice in the growing national discussion on GI/LID.

The theme of AridLID 2012 is Integrated Approaches to Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development.  Green Infrastructure projects function best and are most cost-effective when they provide multiple benefits­—like a streetside bioretention basin that captures and cleans stormwater while it passively irrigates vegetation that shades the street and sidewalk, beautifies a neighborhood, and calms traffic. Likewise, effective green infrastructure practice often requires that people of various disciplines and perspectives work together—think landscape architects, engineers, and stormwater managers working together with a watershed group, a neighborhood association, and a University laboratory to achieve shared goals!  This conference will explore the potentials, best practices and pitfalls inherent in GI at various levels of integration in our region.

Who should attend:

Sessions will be targeted to stormwater, planning, and design professionals; researchers in water resources and urban sustainability; as well as activists and educators interested in implementing these features through grassroots, community-driven models.  Participation is especially encouraged from those working in GI/LID in arid regions of the southwestern U.S. (southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, west Texas) and northwest Mexico.

Questions?  Contact:
James MacAdam
Watershed Management Group
520-396-3266
james *at* watershedmg.org

Keep Sedona Beautiful Speaker Series:

A series of monthly presentations on subjects of community interest that are aligned with the Keep Sedona Beautiful Mission: Preserving the Wonder™

Speaker Series events are typically held on the third Wednesday of each month beginning in September and ending in June.

Note that the March event will be on Friday evening, March 23.

Time: 5:30 – 7 pm
Location: TBA

Brad will give a talk on Desert Harvesters, a group he co-founded in Tucson to celebrate the native foods of the Sonoran desert.

Desert Harvesters and Native Foods: Put ‘em in your mouth, your yard, your street, and your neighborhood
This is a celebratory presentation on the history of Desert Harvesters and other dynamo local-food efforts that have enriched the Tucson community, ecosystem, and palates – and how you can likewise enrich the community where you live. Learn about grinding mesquite (and carob) pods with a hammermill or a Suzuki 4 x 4; irrigating food-producing street trees with the street; planting and picking the best tree-beans; throwing pie, mulch, and pancakes parties; creating a thoroughly delicious community-tasted cookbook; regenerating ecosystems in your pantry and landscape, and growing friendships and neighborhood networks while you’re at it! Desert Harvesters (www.DesertHarvesters.org) is a volunteer-run, grassroots effort based in Tucson, Arizona, that strives to promote, celebrate, and enhance local food security and production by encouraging the planting of indigenous, food-bearing shade trees (such as the Velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina)) in water-harvesting earthworks, and then educating the public on how to harvest, process, and enjoy the bounty.

Free wine and appetizers will be served by KSB.
Admission is free and open to the public, donations are appreciated.

For our most recent presentations visit our Home Page for Upcoming Activities and Events.

Brad will be one of two keynote speakers for Keep Sedona Beautiful‘s 33rd Annual Native Plant Workshop

Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time: Doors open at 7:45 am. Event runs from 8:30 am to 3 pm

Topic of Brad’s talk:
Planting the Rain: Principles, Practices, and Tips for Water-Harvesting Earthworks and Raingardens
Plant the rain before you plant your trees to boost production, reduce flooding, conserve water, and create sustainable oases around your homes and community infrastructure. Raingardens and other small-scale earthworks quickly infiltrate rainfall into the soil where less is lost to evaporation, while reducing erosion. Living ‘pumps’ of vegetation then enable us the access that water. Come learn simple principles and tips to leverage greater success as you implement these simple and effective passive systems. This presentation builds on Brad’s basic water-harvesting talk, while offering more specifics and case studies. Working examples and case studies will be highlighted.

Location: West Sedona School
Address: 570 Posse Ground Road

The format will be similar to last year’s, with a full day program, two keynote speakers, and attendance of two workshops from a selection of eight options.

Breakfast beverages and savories and a bag lunch are included with registration.

There will also be a Silent Auction fundraiser.

More information on the workshop options and registration information will be posted as it becomes available.

ProGreen EXPO 2012 spans from February 7-10 this year, featuring over 100 seminars (including several in Spanish) and 650 booths at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

Brad will be giving the following talk twice on Friday, February 10, once at 8 am and again at 10:30 am.

Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance

This inspiring power point presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. Greywater harvesting is the process of directing water from household sink, bathtub, shower, and washing-machine drains into the soils of the landscape where the water is naturally filtered and reused to generate more on-site resources. The two work hand in hand, and can reduce our water consumption by 30 to 50%! You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.

For more information about ProGreen EXPO, visit: www.progreenexpo.com.

Soil Steward Composting Toilet Program: Seeking Participants

Are you…

• An early adopter who would like to be part of a cutting-edge pilot program to influence city and state policy?
• Tired of flushing potable water down the toilet and interested in building a legal composting toilet for your home?
• Interested in using alternative composting systems to improve your soil and fertilize trees and other plants?
• Want to get geeky about soil – how to build healthy soils and conserve water while producing food and lush native landscapes?

Watershed Management Group invites you to attend an informational session: Thursday, February 9, 6-8pm. Register to attend this free informational session on participating in WMG’s Soil Steward Compost Toilet program (attendance required to apply to be a pilot participant). Register here.

This informational session will include:

• The activities and information taught in the Soil Steward program
• Composting-toilet designs offered through the program (site-built), proper use, permitting, and legal issues
• How to apply to receive a subsidy and be an exclusive pilot participant to receive a legal site-built composting toilet

If you’re interested in participating or learning more about our Soil Stewards program, please contact Catlow Shipek at catlow@watershedmg.org.

Click to download the flyer for the event.

The project is possible through grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9 for their environmental education projects.