Rotary Club Tucson Verde would like the environmental stewardship surrounding Earth Day to last all year — and beyond. They are maintaining the buzz with the Second Annual Sustainable Home & Building Tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 27.
The self-guided tour will feature eight homes and buildings throughout Tucson. Go to www.rotarytucsonverde.com for tickets, which are $25 per person.
“With the current leadership there is some uncertainty and unpredictability about what may be happening with the Environmental Protection Agency and environmental regulations, but we think that people are more committed than ever. They realize that climate is a top priority for everyone, or it should be. We all want healthy water and healthy air and less pollution,” said Ellie Patterson, Founder and Projects Chairman for the club.
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The tour, described as “even more diverse than last year” by organizer Linda Fugate, follows on the heels of the statewide Rotary Club Service Week, which begins on Earth Day and focuses on environmental initiatives.
Highlights include an off-the-grid house designed 20 years ago that features water harvesting and passive and active solar that changes with the seasons.
“It also has an example of a cooling tower that was used by our ancestors to take hot air out of homes before there was electricity. That is not something we normally see these days, but you can see it in some of the older homes that are 100 years old in the Barrio and elsewhere ... I find it very interesting that it can still be used in different ways in today’s buildings,” she said.
Other stops on the tour include two all-electric homes with solar featuring onsite experts who can offer information about the financial and environmental benefits of switching to all-electric power.
“There are many things that can help low income folks, including grants for people who don’t have the means to buy what they need on the open market,” Fugate said.
Also featured is the Milagro Co-housing Community with 28 mud adobe homes; a Santa Rosa Barrio eclectic modern build with a 1911 art studio renovation; a 7,000-square-foot Barrio Viejo urban-infill home build in 2003; transformation of a 1929 garage to an artist studio with water harvesting in Iron Horse; a backyard infill and award winning ADU in midtown; and a tour of the Watershed Management Group’s Living Lab.
The tour will also showcase initiatives such as the City of Tucson FoodCycle Program, which offers education about food waste and composting.
Ultimately, Rotary Club Tucson Verde hopes to raise at least $5,000 to fund environmental initiatives year-round throughout Southern Arizona.
“We also feel like this tour is a public service. The homes and buildings on the tour are showing people a new way of looking at their home and making the environment better for everyone,” Fugate said.
