Our 2010 theme focuses on "being green" for our community (and others), our homes, our water.   

• What is the future of planned community development and what does "sustainable development" mean, including for Academy Village?
• What does "green" mean for our homes, those built and those to be built?
• How can water, our most necessary and scarcest resource, be best used, especially with decreasing water supplies and climate variability?  

This 2010 series follows the 2009 series that presented solar energy and water management. 

April 8, Thursday, "Planned Community Development - Today's Situation, What's Next" 

Given by: Ken Abrahams, Executive Vice President, Diamond Ventures, Inc.

Ken will outline his distinctive perspectives on future directions for development, especially in the changing social context.  He will examine what future buyers will want, where "green" fits in, and what this means for our neighbor, the Rocking K South Development, for which Ken has key responsibilities.  A graduate of the University of Arizona and a landscape architect, Ken is responsible for Diamond Venture's creative vision and long-range planning. 

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April 9, Friday, "Water Harvesting: Nice or Necessary?"

Given by: Jim Riley, Professor, Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arizona

Jim, a hydrologist with significant international and practical expertise, will outline water prospects for AZ and greater Tucson that compel changes in our water usage.  He will focus on rain water, our annually renewable source of water, and how harvesting it is essential "green" practice.  He teaches "from the end of the shovel" and works with his Spring-term students on field projects, which he will bring to Academy Village.

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April 15, Thursday, "Building Green in Arizona"

Given by: Richard Barna, Director of Green Building and Building Science, Pepper Viner, and Chair, Tucson Green Building Council

Pepper Viner, a key "green builder" in Civano, features its "High Performance home," which has a low carbon footprint and incorporates advanced materials and new technologies.  Richard will discuss the "green philosophy" of Pepper Viner and the components and development of this home, show how it fits into normal building practices, and outline why it is a harbinger of the future and appropriate for Tucson development.

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Later in April, date to be announced, "2010 Solar Initiative"

An open forum.   Come to learn about the success of the 2009 Solar Initiative, lessons learned, and making installations in 2010. 

For more information, please contact: Ted Hullar (300-4284, tlh@hullar.com), chair, Academy Village Sustainability Committee or Lynsey Miller (647-7389, lynsey@rinconinstitute.org), Executive Director, Rincon Institute.