ACC Candidate Debate
2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16
Black Canyon Conference Center
9440 North 25th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85021-2714
Click here to RSVP

VFA is co-sponsoring the 2010 Candidate Debate for the office of Arizona Corporation Commissioner, hosted by the Arizona Investment Council. This non-partisan debate, moderated by Michael Grant, former host of KAET's Horizon program, will provide listeners with a first-hand opportunity to hear the candidates' positions on the critical and important issues facing Corporation Commissioners. These are matters that affect every citizen and business in Arizona.

EarthFest Educators Night
4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16
The Phoenix Zoo
455 North Galvin Parkway
Phoenix, AZ 85008-3431
Click here to RSVP

VFA, in partnership with Intel Corporation and Helios Education Foundation, is hosting a free event for K-12 teachers, with more than 400 local educators estimated to attend. More than 50 booths representing public and private sector environmental education programs, along with exhibits from the non-profit and educational communities will be featured at the event. Exhibitors will provide teachers with free resources on environmental education that meet state standards, learn how to green their school, earn complimentary continuing education credits and apply for two full-tuition scholarship programs compliments of the University of Phoenix in addition to an education grant for their school or classroom made possible by STMicrolectronics. Click here to download the save the date flyer. Please forward the event details along to your network of teachers to help us spread the word.

Networking and Connections Committee
Greening Your Workplace Workshop
9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21
Waste Management
2625 West Grandview, #160
Off the I-17 NB access road between Greenway and Bell.
Phoenix, AZ 85023
Click here to RSVP

VFA’s next Networking and Connections Committee workshop will feature viable ways to green your workplace and will be hosted by Melissa Quillard Waste Management at its newest call center location. For more information, contact Membership Director Jhenifer Krutz at JKrutz@valleyforward.org or (602) 240-2408.

Environmental Excellence Awards
5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2
The Phoenician Resort
6000 East Camelback Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Click here to RSVP

VFA is commemorating three decades of stewardship with the 30th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards program, held in partnership with SRP for the ninth consecutive year. Known as the “Academy Awards” of the environmental community, the event is Arizona’s oldest and most prominent competition of its kind. It spotlights distinguished projects throughout the Valley that demonstrate a high level of environmental commitment and contribute to the region’s overall sustainability. The ceremony’s coveted Crescordia Award (a Greek term meaning “to grow in harmony”) sets standards for the exceptional physical, technical and social development of our metropolitan area.
 
The awards program features a museum-quality exhibit of finalist entries and a multi-media presentation emceed by Master of Ceremonies Ted Simons, host of KAET’s public affairs program HORIZON. A gourmet dinner, followed by a reception with live entertainment, will culminate the evening.

For event sponsorship information or to register to attend, please contact Valley Forward at info@valleyforward.org or (602) 240-2408. 
 

Community Calendar

Valley Leadership’s New Class Kick-Off Reception 
Wednesday, Aug. 25, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center
3131 South Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85040
Welcome Class 32 while enjoying refreshments in the company of your fellow VL alumni. This is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with old friends, create new friends and give a warm reception to the newest members of Valley Leadership.
$15 for dues-paying members; $25 for non-dues paying members and guests
RVSP to (602) 952-6760, ext. 3 or vl@valleyleadership.org

EPA Brownfields Grant Writing Workshop
Thursday, Aug. 26, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Phoenix Historic City Hall, 3rd Floor, Ceremonial Room
17 South 2nd Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85003
If you have any questions, please contact Diane Strassmaier at strassmaier.diane@epa.gov or (415) 972-3247.

Untrashed: A Recycled Rubbish Fashion Show
part of the 2010 Grand Avenue Festival & the Trashy Sculpture Show
Saturday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m.
Bragg’s Pie Factory
1301 West Grand Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85007
The second annual grand avenue festival will once again be featuring a community fashion show of garments created from trash/junk. They will be showing dresses, suits, costumes and accessories made from recovered materials. Garments will be modeled in the unwasted fashion show festival night and displayed alongside other delicious reclamations in the Trashy Sculpture Show, hosted by Beatrice Moore in the re-purposed Bragg’s Pie Factory, for the following two months. The show will also feature a trash percussion band and typewriter corps. and special performances to make the old new again. Anyone can enter a piece in the show. Entry deadline is September 10. They are also looking for models, stylists, and percussionists to participate.
Click here for more information about Untrashed.

Local First Arizona’s 6th Annual Certified Local Annual Fall Festival
Saturday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Duck and Decanter Restaurant
1651 East Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85018 
The festival will have food from 12 of the valley’s best restaurants, over 40 vendors, live music and fun stuff for kids! LFA will host an hourly raffle for great prizes like free dinners at locally owned restaurants. There will also be an auction with tons of items, plus the first 500 people to arrive will receive free gift bags.
Click here for more information.

Authentic Public Participation Full-Day Conference
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010, all-day
City of Peoria, City Hall Complex
The City of Peoria, in collaboration with IAP2, is proud to announce PACE: Positive Action through Civic Engagement. This one-day conference on features distinguished keynote speakers Dr. Anne Udall and Dr. Lattie Coor, well-known experts in the field of civic engagement. The conference focuses on the fundamentals of civic engagement and its increasing importance.
Click here to learn more about the PACE conference and to register. 

Linthicum

Linthicum’s rich heritage includes being a leader in environmentally sensitive design and construction, both in commercial and high-end luxury residential projects. Those efforts and knowledge incorporated into past projects has been recognized. Recently, Cesar Chavez Public Library in Phoenix earned LEED Silver status becoming the second Phoenix public library built by Linthicum to earn a LEED designation in the last four years. Both libraries have been highly awarded with Cesar Chavez Library being singled out by the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (COTE) as one of the “Top Ten Green Projects for 2008.”

“We are equally proud of our long term affiliation with the Valley Forward Association and its distinguished Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Awards,” said Art Jordan of Linthicum. “Both Desert Broom Library and Cesar Chavez Library were chosen to receive their highest award – The Crescordia Award in the category of Public Assembly.”

In the past month, Linthicum has begun construction on three new large residential projects incorporating Green Building measures and materials. Currently, seven Linthicum employees are LEED professionals and continually look for new ways to improve the environment thru the building industry.

Contact Art Jordan, AIA LEED AP, vice president of project development, about Linthicum’s Green Building services and how they can assist your company in Building Green.

Art Jordan
art@linthicumcorp.com
(623) 207-5200
 

Sadly, VFA vice president and long-time friend Vicky White will be moving on as of the end of September to concentrate on growing awareness about the East Valley Chapter of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. The goal of the East Valley-Phoenix Chapter is to further the mission of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association through education and awareness, advocacy and outreach, and support for those whose lives have been changed by sudden cardiac arrest. The organization is working locally to increase awareness of automated external defibrillators (AED) and to encourage CPR training for immediate bystander action. It is a cause that is near and dear to her heart, so we whole-heartedly support her decision. We certainly can’t let her leave the VFA family completely, so she will be staying on in a consulting role. Click here to read more.  

“Vicky has been such a wonderful partner through nearly two decades, and she is completely irreplaceable,” said Diane Brossart, president. “She has been the glue that has held our team together and we will miss her dearly.” 

The East Valley Chapter of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association is hosting its inaugural "Keep the Beat" golf tournament on Friday, Sept. 24, at Dobson Ranch Golf Course (2155 South Dobson Road, Mesa, AZ 850202). Proceeds from the tournament will be used to purchase AEDs for schools, churches, other public access areas, to educate citizens and to raise awareness of this critical health concern. Click here for for more information and to register.

On a happier note, we also have two new stellar additions to the Valley Forward team – Public Relations Director Christie Silverstein and Events Manager Jennifer Hunt.

About Christie Silverstein
In assuming the newly established PR Director position, Christie will direct and manage all aspects of VFA’s marketing and communications efforts, including overseeing media relations, social media outreach, collateral production and general public relations activities. As an accredited public relations professional with eight years of agency experience, she has worked with a myriad of clients across a variety of industries including higher education, non-profit, real estate, healthcare, travel/tourism, and sports/entertainment.

Christie previously worked as a public relations account supervisor at Cramer-Krasselt, the second-largest independent marketing and communications agency in the U.S. Prior to moving to the Valley in 2007, she worked in Miami, Fla., as an account director for rbb Public Relations. Additionally Christie is currently serving as the treasurer of the Phoenix Chapter of Public Relations Society of America and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Communications from Florida International University.

About Jennifer Hunt
Jennifer is serving her second stint at VFA and will be responsible for coordinating all of the organization’s event operations and logistics. She will be actively involved with the association’s event committees to plan, manage and implement VFA’s signature programs, including the Livability Summit, EarthFest Educators Night, Environmental Excellence Awards and Annual Luncheon, in addition to mixers and quarterly luncheons. Hunt served as the executive administrator for VFA in 2008 and has been working as a contract employee since the beginning of this year until being brought on board as a permanent staff member last month.

In her role, Jennifer will be able to expand upon her extensive experience in the non-profit industry. Prior to joining the VFA team, she was the marketing manager for the Arizona Small Business Association. She also previously served as the marketing and special events coordinator for Free Arts of Arizona and development officer for Valley of the Sun United Way. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of Iowa.

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VFA will be hosting a party to honor Vicky and to welcome our new staff members on Wednesday, Sept. 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. Be sure to mark your calendars – an invitation with the venue and more details will be sent shortly.

Green Living AZ is one of VFA’s newest members. Check it out online now – the inaugural print edition is slated to be out on Sept. 1. Contact Tina Connors at (602) 882-9211 or tina@greenlivingaz.com if you are interested in subscribing or to ask about special advertising rates available to VFA members.

Phoenix Business Journal will be featuring the Environmental Excellence Awards finalists in a special insertion in the Sept. 17 issue. If you are interested in advertising in this special section to promote your company, please contact Jennifer Kush at jkush@bizjournals.com or (602) 308-6524 for more information and discounted rates for VFA members. 

Valley Forward is excited to announce that we will be featured in a special section of Arizona Business Magazine’s November/December issue. Be sure to pick up a copy! If you are interested in advertising within this section to highlight your involvement with Valley Forward and/or your company’s focus on sustainability, contact David Harken at (602) 424-8832 or david.harken@azbigmedia.com.

 

Corporate:
Air Conditioning by Jay
AV3 Design
Capital Review Group
Creo Architects
Desert Star Construction
Green Living AZ
InitiativeOne
Kleinfelder
Maintenance Mart
Phoenix Speakers Bureau
Premium Solutions
Relumination
Sage Landscape Architecture & Environmental
Scutari & Cieslak Public Relations
SolarCity
Sonoran Studios

Educators:
ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family
Sonoran Sustainable Building Advisor Program

Non-Profits:
Arizona Conservation Partnership
Arizona Investment Council
Mountain States Employers Council

Individual Members:
Laurel Arndt
Roger Baele
Gerry DaRosa
Ron Drewnowski
George Pasquel III
 

MEMBERSHIP TIP! 
Don’t forget that with your corporate membership, ANY employee within your organization can participate on a Valley Forward Issue or Event Committee! Contact Membership Director Jhenifer Krutz at jkrutz@valleyforward.org for more information.

Livability Summit (April 22, 2010)
 

May Luncheon (May 18, 2010)

 


May Member Mixer (May 26, 2010)

 

 


Congressional District 3 Candidate Forum (July 8, 2010)

 

Tempe Town Lake...The City of Tempe is working as quickly as possible to restore Tempe Town Lake and wants to keep Valley residents informed of everything being done. To do that, they have created a special webpage on the Town Lake website. When you visit this page, you will find the Friday Status Report, which will provide a quick-to-read list of weekly accomplishments and photos showing some of the work, links to the newsroom, where information releases are stored, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and a variety of videos and informative links. There's even an video animation showing the path the water will use to come into Town Lake in October. The lake should be ready to open in early November. For more information, please email townlake@tempe.gov or call (480) 858-2188. Valley Forward's next luncheon on Friday, Oct. 22, will feature Mayor Hugh Hallman on the topic of Tempe Town Lake.

SRP Announces Community Solar for Schools…Salt River Project is launching a new innovative solar option for schools - Community Solar for Schools – which offers an alternative to the traditional method of installing solar systems on rooftops. School districts can purchase a portion of the energy output of a 20MW photovoltaic plant to be built in the Southeast Valley. SRP is developing a similar program for residential customers to be launched later this year. Additionally, an income-qualified ARRA Residential Solar Electric Program was just launched thanks in large part to SRP, which will benefit up to 13 residential group homes, owned and managed by The Center for Habilitation (Empowering People with Disabilities). Each home will be equipped with an American-made 5 kW solar electric system which will offset nearly 50% of the homes monthly electric bill. The $1.7 million funding was the result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act via the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office and a matching grant from SRP.

Center for Teacher Success…After a year of strategic planning and with significant financial support from private supporters, the Phoenix-based Center for Teacher Success is officially launched. Formerly known as the Arizona Foundation for Resource Education (AFRE), the new organization’s mission is to advance the academic achievement of K-12 students by elevating the professional performance of their teachers and education leaders. The Center for Teacher Success has a broad portfolio of professional development tools that address Arizona teachers’ demanding reality. The portfolio features training and support in research-proven best practices, strengthening teachers’ knowledge of science and mathematics and related teaching skills, and implementing systemic reforms. All tools are customized for teachers, schools and districts, respectively.

PHX Sky Train…Construction of the first stage of the Sky Train that will connect to the East Economy parking facilities and deliver riders to Terminal 4 is underway and scheduled for completion during the first quarter of 2013. Terminal 4 serves about 80 percent of Sky Harbor’s passengers. When Stage One is complete, it also will connect to an airport ground transportation center at 44th Street and Washington and to the METRO Light Rail station. In late August, onlookers will begin seeing cranes placing large, pre-cast concrete horizontal bridge segments in between Terminal 4 and the East Economy Lot on top of existing columns. Additionally, the formwork and steel falsework over the Taxiway R bridge are set for removal in September as scheduled to allow the reopening of the Taxiway in October.

Town of Gilbert Turns 90…The Town of Gilbert celebrated its 90th Birthday in July. Plus, Gilbert once again made the list of "Best Places to Live" by Money Magazine. The magazine routinely rates cities on quality of life, and ranked Gilbert high, pointing to its unique destination spots and amenities for residents who live, work and play in the Town.

Rioglass Solar Brings Jobs, FDI to Surprise…Madrid-based Rioglass Solar has announced plans to invest $50 million on a solar mirror manufacturing plant in Surprise. The new foreign direct investment will bring 100 jobs, 200 during construction.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations a Reality…Earlier this summer, ECOtality, a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, unveiled its flagship electric vehicle charging stations: Blink. The first truly smart chargers to hit the market, the Blink Level 2 charging stations will be available in two models—one, an in-home residential wall-mount unit and the second, a commercial stand-alone charger. They are designed to be the centerpiece of the rich EV charging infrastructure system that will pave the way to long-term success in the adoption of electric vehicles in the United States and around the world. The first Blink charging stations will be installed in the fall 2010 as part of The EV Project. As project manager of The EV Project, ECOtality will deploy nearly 15,000 charging stations in 16 cities across six states. The company is the process of building its EV Micro-Climate Roadmap for Phoenix and Tucson, which includes the locations for the charging stations and will be meeting this month to develop the roadmap plan.