• 2040 Regional Transportation Plan Update

• Sustainability and Energy EXP09 attracts large crowd

More than 90 exhibitors  participated in the Sustainability and Energy EXP09 on March 6-7 at the Tucson Convention Center and close to 3,000 people attended.

Attendees  watched a variety of films that were shown on the Expo floor and participated in panel discussions that focused on rainwater harvesting, sustainable living, green building, global energy and residential solar. Exhibits included more than 15 alternative-fuel vehicles, solar panels, rainwater harvesting equipment and much more information to live sustainably.

The Expo’s keynote speaker was Chris Paine, director of the film, “Who Killed the Electric Car?”

 

 

 

 

 

Jan Erickson is the winner of a Fiddle II (125 cc) motor scooter, valued at $2,500 and donated by Scoot Over – Fun in Motion. Other grand prize winners included Kerry Peterson, winner of a Volped electric scooter, donated by Auto Safety House with technology from Nuetek, Brad Benson, winner of a Rasta cruiser bike, donated by Ajo Bikes, and Joe Frey, winner of a $200 bike gift certificate from the Tucson Department of Transportation.

 

Pima Association of Governments would like to thank all of its Expo sponsors including:

Platinum:  Tucson Electric Power

Gold: Tucson-Pima County Metropolitan Energy Commission, Union Pacific, Tucson Newspapers Inc., Jim Click/Holmes Tuttle Ford

Silver:  American Solar Electric Inc/SOLON Corp., Auto Safety House, Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream, Pinal Energy, Raytheon Missile Systems, Scoot Over – Fun in Motion, Tucson Green Times

Bronze: Allwest Energy, Arizona Lithographers, City of Tucson, Clean Cities, Elastek, Growth Energy, Kaneen Public Relations and Advertising, Natural Awakenings, Pima County,  Solar Partnership, Southwest Gas Corp., The Solar Store, TRICO Electric Cooperative

For more photos of the event, please visit www.TucsonAltEnergyExpo.com.

• Beat Back Buffelgrass Day draws hundreds of volunteers

Hundreds of volunteers  participated in Pima Association of Governments’ second annual Beat Back Buffelgrass Day on Feb. 7. Approximately 16,700 plants were removed from various locations in the region this year.

The annual event was established in 2008 to raise awareness about the threat posed to our desert environment by buffelgrass and to remove as many plants as possible on a single day. 

Listed as a noxious weed in Arizona, buffelgrass poses a serious threat to the ecology of the Sonoran desert. When dry, as it is most of the year, buffelgrass burns readily and at a temperature exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Sonoran desert environment is not adapted to fire, and buffelgrass fires will destroy native desert species, leaving a sea of buffelgrass in its wake. 

Rural Metro Fire Department participated by staging a roadside information table at its fire station located on Kolb Road just north of Sabino Canyon Road. Rural Metro’s Public Relations Manager Anne-Marie Braswell said, “Working to eliminate buffelgrass will take many large community efforts, such as Beat Back Buffelgrass Day, in order to ensure that life and property are not in danger.” 

Volunteers from every community in Pima County participated. Buffelgrass was removed from locations in Tucson Mountain Park, Kings Canyon at Saguaro National Park West, at A Mountain, along the roadside on Irvington near Pantano, and, in a show of cooperation, the Towns of Marana and Oro Valley organized a joint effort to tackle buffelgrass along Tangerine Road. These major efforts were augmented by smaller buffelgrass removal efforts that took place in many locations.

• PAG Regional Council presents quarterly ‘First Impressions’ awards

• PAG enters e-commerce arena with orthophotography products