Community Partners

PRO Neighborhoods

PRO Neighborhoods was created in 1994 by a collaboration of four entities. Current collaborative partners include City of Tucson, Pima County, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, and United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. These local public and private organizations joined together to encourage and assist grassroots groups to build on the assets of their communities. PRO Neighborhoods is a strong advocate for problem solving and revitalization. Learn more about the philosophy, mission, vision, and values that underlie our work. We offer both small grants and technical assistance. We assist groups working together to mobilize and build upon existing talents and resources within the community. In addition to helping with the grant application process, PRO Neighborhoods maintains a resource library, organizes workshops, and is available to assist groups with project development. Visit http://www.proneighborhoods.org/ for more information.

Located in the heart of downtown Tucson, BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Action & Salvage) is a non-profit education and recycling center for bicycles that welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds. Through advocacy and recycling of the bicycle, our mission is to promote education, art and a healthy environment, while providing services and opportunity to those in need. Whether you want to fix your bike, build a bike, donate a bike, make some recycled art, take a class, volunteer, or just come check out this unique hub of activity, you will find that sustainability is what we are all about.

AZNPS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Arizona's native plants and their habitats. Besides doing plant surveys to monitor populations, doing restoration work, removing invasive species, and providing public education programs, we also promote the use of native plants in the landscape. Use of native species helps provide habitat continuity for our native fauna, including all-important pollinators. Please see our website for more information: http://www.aznps.org/

Sustainability=Community Food Security

Our purpose at the Community Food Bank is not only to alleviate hunger, but to end hunger. Community security - when all people at all times have economic and physical access to sufficient food for a healthy life - is the best hope for ending hunger. Our Community Food Bank Security Center is implementing programs of self-reliance, consumer education, agriculture, community collaboration and sustainability to eliminate the gaps for everyone. Visit http://communityfoodbank.com/ for more information.

Organized in 1980, Habitat for Humanity Tucson builds affordable housing for qualified families, with the goal of eliminating poverty housing in the Tucson area. Since its inception, Habitat has completed 269 such homes. There are about 20 Habitat homes under construction at any given time. For more information, please visit http://habitattucson.org/ .

Iskash*taa Refugee Harvesting Network is a group of volunteers working with African refugees on a project to identify and map food resources growing in Tucson. We are making a computer-generated map (GIS) and database of fruit tree and garden locations in neighborhoods like yours. We are educating Tucson about our local food system and reducing food waste while helping hundreds of refugee families. We harvest ~30,000 pounds a year from backyards and local farms and redistribute any available food surpluses, donating to organizations assisting families in need. Visit http://www.iskashitaa.org/ for more information.

Desert Harvesters is a volunteer-run, grassroots organization based in Tucson, Arizona, USA. We strive 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 or Prosopis velutina) in water-harvesting earthworks, and then educating the public on how to harvest and process the bounty. Visit http://www.desertharvesters.org/ for more information.

Native Seeds/SEARCH

Native Seeds/SEARCH is a nonprofit conservation organization based in Tucson, Arizona. NS/S works to conserve, distribute and document the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seed, their wild relatives and the role these seeds play in cultures of the American Southwestern and northwest Mexico. Today we safeguard 2000 varieties of arid-land adapted agricultural crops. We promote the use of these ancient crops and their wild relatives by distributing seeds to traditional communities and to gardeners world wide. Visit http://www.nativeseeds.org/v2/default.php for more information.

Tucson Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

One of the greatest pleasures of eating local organic produce comes from knowing that it is grown by farmers who have made conscious choices about cultivating their land in environmentally and socially responsible ways. Participating in such a mode of food production and consumption also fosters closer relationships among us, the foods we eat and those who grow it. Welcome to the Tucson CSA. The goal of Tucson CSA is to provide a direct connection between local producers and consumers. Visit http://www.tucsoncsa.org/ for more information.

Community Foundation of Southern Arizona

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is the community foundation serving Pima and Santa Cruz counties. The mission of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is to work with charitably minded individuals and organizations to strengthen southern Arizona communities, now and for generations to come. As a public charity, we accomplish our mission by: building permanent charitable funds; connecting donors to organizations and programs they care about; making effective grants; and providing leadership on community issues. CFSA is made up of more than 475 funds representing individuals, families, organizations and corporations. Visit http://www.cfsoaz.org/ for more information.

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

For more than 80 years, United Way has held a reputation as our community's fundraiser, but United Way doesn't just raise money. Today’s United Way is a focused, results-driven system working year-round to change community conditions and create lasting solutions. Much like a "general contractor" manages all aspects of constructing a building, we manage people and resources to create lasting, positive solutions in lives that need it most. Through strong partnerships with volunteers, local business, government and nonprofit organizations, United Way accomplishes what no one can do alone. Together, we can Build a Better Community in Tucson and Southern Arizona. Visit http://www.unitedwaytucson.org/ for more information.

AzRISE

AzRISE is a global institute created at the University of Arizona with academic and industrial partners to foster, support, and coordinate collaborative efforts between academia, industry, business, national laboratories, local governments, and the public through research and development, economic and public policy analysis, and education at all levels. Visit http://www.azrise.org/ for more information.

Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS)

CLIMAS was established to assess the impacts of climate variability and longer-term climate change on human and natural systems in the Southwest. Our mission is to improve the ability of the region to respond sufficiently and appropriately to climatic events and climate changes. Visit http://www.climas.arizona.edu/ for more information.

Tucson Clean and Beautiful

The purpose of Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Inc., a non-profit organization, is to preserve and improve our environment, conserve natural resources, and enhance the quality of life in the City of Tucson and eastern Pima County. Visit http://www.tucsonaz.gov/tcb/index.html for more information.

Pima Computer Recycling

PCR serves as a clearinghouse that promotes corporate contributions of new/gently used goods which are made available to low income individuals, non-profit and human service organizations. Instead of throwing away your computers, office equipment, and furniture, donate them! Visit http://www.computerecycling.org/index.html for more information.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy's mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. We have developed a strategic, science-based planning process, called Conservation by Design, which helps us identify the highest-priority places—landscapes and seascapes that, if conserved, promise to ensure biodiversity over the long term. Visit http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/arizona/ for more information.

Tucson Organic Gardeners

Tucson Organic Gardeners is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to promote and encourage the use of Nature's resources as a guide for gardening and sustainable living. To this end we avoid the use of toxic materials in our relationship with the Earth. We promote interest in and the knowledge of organic gardening, including composting, through programs open to the public, workshops, public events and other means of communication. Visit http://iwhome.com/nonprofits/TOG/ for more information.

Tucson Audubon Society

Tucson Audubon Society is dedicated to improving the quality of the environment by providing education, conservation, and recreation programs, as well as environmental leadership and information. The Tucson Audubon website holds information on local conservation issues, provides resources for birdwatchers, and announces current events, volunteer opportunities and news. Visit http://www.tucsonaudubon.org/ for more information.

Pima Association of Governments

Pima Association of Governments is a nonprofit metropolitan planning organization with Transportation Planning, Environmental Planning and Technical Services divisions. These divisions coordinate efforts with all the local jurisdictions in Pima County, and with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Tohono O’odham Nation. PAG's nine-member Regional Council has representatives from the local, state and tribal governments. Visit http://www.pagnet.org/ for more information.

Water CASA (Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona)

Now in its eleventh year, the Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona (Water CASA) continues to provide a means for member water providers to augment their individual conservation programs and to improve the region's overall water conservation efforts. Today, members include Community Water Company of Green Valley, Flowing Wells Irrigation District, Town of Marana Water Department, Metropolitan Water Domestic Improvement District, Town of Oro Valley Water Department, Pima County, Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District, and our newest member, the Town of Sahuarita. Visit http://watercasa.org/ for more information.

University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC)

A research and extension unit of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the WRRC is the designated state water resources research center established under the 1964 Federal Water Resources Research Act. The WRRC conducts water policy research and analysis, and its information transfer activities include publications, conferences, lectures, and seminars.  Water news and information are provided to the academic community, water professionals, elected and appointed officials, students and the public.  The WRRC is one of four University of Arizona water centers responsible for implementing the Water Sustainability Program, which receives funding from The University of Arizona’s Technology and Research Initiative Fund (TRIF). Visit http://ag.arizona.edu/azwater/ for more information.

Sonoran Desert Weedwackers

The Sonoran Desert Weedwackers (SDWW), an outgrowth of the Southern Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society, is a community network of volunteers that began in 2000 with the goal of eradicating non-native invasive grasses with the particular focus on buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) in Tucson Mountain Park. Visit http://aznps.org/invasives/weedwackers.html for more information.

The Sonoran Institute

The Sonoran Institute promotes community decisions that respect the land and people of western North America. Collaborating with communities and partners in the U.S. and Mexico, the Sonoran Desert Program works to conserve and restore unique natural and cultural assets of the region. http://sonoran.org/

U.S. Green Building Council, Arizona Chapter

The distinguishing characteristic of the USGBC Arizona Chapter is a focus on green building techniques, technologies and philosophies appropriate to the arid bio-region that encompasses the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Whether in the pine forests of Show-Low, the lush desert of Scottsdale and Tucson, or the low desert of Yuma, the common characteristics of low humidity and vast sunshine tie this bio-region together, influencing the appropriateness of various green building tools. Our Chapter goals involve educating the marketplace for overall awareness of green building, and understanding and communicating how that applies specifically to our climate. http://chapters.usgbc.org/Arizona/

Watershed Management Group

WMG assists local residents and communities in the management of their water and land resources both in the U.S. and internationally. Watershed Management Group envisions residents and communities capable of actively managing natural resources on their own property or within their local watershed. http://watershedmg.org/content/view/19/32/

Sonoran Permaculture Guild

The Sonoran Permaculture Guild is a group of highly committed individuals who share a common vision of making our Southwest Drylands region more sustainable through Permaculture design and implementation. Our Teaching Team Members put on seasonal events, workshops, and courses in Permaculture and related disciplines, as well as offering individual consultation services. http://www.sonoranpermaculture.org/

Sustainable Tucson

The purpose of Sustainable Tucson is to facilitate an inclusive, dynamic community-building process that ensures economic prosperity, social vibrancy, and ecological health. Sustainable Tucson is a coalition of more than 100 organizations. http://www.sustainabletucson.org/index.php