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As we near the end of another vibrant fall season, the AZSA team has been hard at work, making a meaningful impact across the valley. From fun and insightful Green Career Pathways student field trips, to countless tree plantings, and witnessing Sow It Forward tower gardens across the valley celebrating their first lettuce harvest, this season has been a celebration of progress and growth.
As the holiday season approaches, we are deeply moved by the unwavering support from our incredible partners and funders. Your trust fuels our mission, enabling us to do what we love most: fostering and supporting innovative sustainability solutions across Arizona.
We are profoundly grateful for the moments that remind us why we do this work— we are thankful for the curious faces of students lighting up as they ask if they can help plant trees at their schools. We are thankful for the dedicated teacher partners who, despite their full plates, inspire their students to grow bok choy and other greens in their MarsFarms. We’re in awe of the district staff who navigate complex federal funding processes with grace and determination, making it possible to bring life-giving infrastructure and much-needed trees to their campuses this season.
While 2025 is on the horizon, there’s still so much to accomplish in these final weeks of 2024. There’s no better time to join us—whether by attending an upcoming community volunteer event or contributing to our mission as a one-time donor or as a sustaining donor with as little as a $5 recurring gift on our website.
Together, we are the change we wish to see. Thank you for standing with us every step of the way.
See you in the community!
Orlando Cazarez, CEO
Arizona Sustainability Alliance
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We're extremely proud of these Tree Planting Fall season stats:
- 18 planting events
- Total of 499 planted trees
- 280 Volunteers
- Over 1000 volunteer hours delivered!
We provide much-needed shade for students while offering valuable hands-on education about urban forestry through our pre-tree planting classroom sessions and post-tree planting site visits, where we engage students in collecting data points such as height, circumference of the tree canopy, and temperature on and off the shade from the trees they helped plant at their school.
Thanks to the collaborative spirit and support from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response & Mitigation, AZSA is dedicated to nurturing a greener, more sustainable future for Phoenix.
Check out our recent tree-mendous events and visit our photo galleries to see the impact we’re making.
9/17/2024: Capitol Elementary
9/24/2024: Dunbar Elementary School
9/27/2024: West-MEC
10/1/2024: Excelencia Elementary
10/10/2024: Heritage Park Planting
10/15/2024: Gateway Elementary
10/18/2024: Edison Elementary
10/22/2024: Loma Linda Elementary
10/25/2024: El Oso Park
10/25/2024: Faith North Elementary
10/31/2024: UFED Cordova Elementary
11/5/2024: Garfield Elementary
11/8/2024: William T. Elementary
11/12/2024: Herrera Elementary
11/15/2024: Monte Vista Elementary
11/19/2024: Papago Elementary
11/21/2024: Lowell Elementary
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With a packed calendar of tree plantings scheduled through the end of the year, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Join us in making a difference by participating in our upcoming volunteer events.
Explore our calendar and register today!
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Two field trips took place to Arizona State University Tempe (Go Devils!) & West-MEC Technical School Buckeye Campus.
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10/28/2024: BioScience and North High School students toured the Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health at ASU. They also attended an insightful presentation by the U.S. Green Building Council on LEED certification and green careers in construction, architecture, and engineering.
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11/16/2024: The students had a wonderful time at West-MEC, learning all about nuclear power, clean energy, and careers in STEM from the true professionals at APS.
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The City of Phoenix has issued the Shade Phoenix: An Action Plan for Trees and Build Shade. This is a $60 million, five-year plan to increase shade in Phoenix, Arizona, to help combat extreme heat. The goal is to plant 27,000 trees and build 550 shade structures. The priority focus is on equity, vulnerable communities, and areas where people spend the most time outdoors.
Check out our AZSA CEO, Orlando Cazarez, on page 37, with City of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego… and our A La Sombra de Un Mesquite Corrido (song) lyrics are featured on the back cover!
Click below to learn more about the action plan for trees and built shade.
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A RESILIENT PHOENIX: COOLING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
A la Sombra de Un Mesquite/Beneath a Mesquite’s Shade Song lyrics in Spanish version written by Heriberto Payan Cazares.
This video was filmed at the October 25th tree planting at El Oso Park and highlights a unique cultural collaboration at AZSA funded by the Arizona Community Foundation in the form of a commissioned 'Corrido' or a song that tells the story of the current space in time we're experiencing here in the Valley of the Sun with tree plantings and community engagement around improving our urban forests in times of extreme heat.
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The Arizona Sustainability Alliance, American Forest, Tree theory, and City of Mesa are excited to introduce the Tree Stewards from Cohort One. These stewards will actively apply their knowledge by organizing and carrying out a tree planting initiative, aiming to plant up to one hundred trees in Mesa.
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If you're interested in joining Cohort Two, please reach out to AZSA Program Director Bill Donato at William.donato@azsustainabilityalliance.com for more information.
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AZSA has teamed up with the City of Mesa for the Trees Are Cool initiative. This incredible program is funded for the next 5 years by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and we’re thrilled to be working with teachers to bring Urban Forestry and Project Learning Tree to life!
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A GROUP OF MESA TEACHERS LEARNING URBAN FORESTRY
Residents, community groups, and businesses are being challenged to help reach the bold goal: One Million Trees in Mesa by 2050 to make a greener, cooler future together.
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Participate in the Sustainable Workforce Challenge
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Deadline extended through January 31, 2025
Arizona State University, through the Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine (SWSIE), is tackling the Southwest's biggest environmental challenges.
The SWSIE Sustainable Workforce Challenge invites organizations to upskill employees with FREE, sustainability-focused courses on topics like ESG reporting and climate solutions.
By joining, you'll enhance your team's skills, lead in sustainability efforts, and compete for recognition as a sustainability leader.
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How to participate:
- Visit the website: add courses to your cart
- Spread the word: encourage your organization and colleagues to sign up for courses and boost your team's sustainability skills
- Compete to win: the partner company with the most employee enrollments per tier will win an SWSIE Sustainable Workforce Award.
The more courses your team completes, the higher chances of winning a SWSIE Sustainable Workforce award.
Allies in action, together for change!
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🌱 Join the Green Team! 🌳 Ready to get your hands dirty for a cleaner, greener world? Help us plant trees at schools, clean up parks, care for community farms, and give green spaces the love they deserve. 🌎✨ Your small actions make a BIG impact—let's grow something awesome together! 💪🌻 We'll provide training and tools - no experience required!
Typically 3-4 morning hours on Weekdays & Weekends.
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Support AZSA!
You can support all of AZSA's projects and programs by
donating, sharing our mission, or volunteering at future events!
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