Green Living Magazine October 2020

your conscious life

GREEN LIVING October 2020

greenlivingmag.com

Bridget Pettis Stepping away from the WNBA to focus on the community

Remaking the River What’s happening with the Rio Salado

Need Sleep?

How to ensure you get enough

Dharma Discovery The 5 stages of the journey

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Green Living AZ 13845 N Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85254

We had just completed our pool renovation, and I really did not want to put traditional chemicals into our new beautiful pool. I happened to grab Green Living magazine from the grocery store and opened it to find an advertisement about “no chemicals� in your pool. I thought WOW... I was just thinking about this for our new pool! I called Exceptional Water Systems to learn more about their technology.

After our installation, we found there were more advantages than just a pure clean pool that was safe to swim in. Both my husband and I have battled with inflammation from past injuries, and lived with frequent pain. We soon learned that these nanobubbles also infused our bodies with oxygen. As we spent time in our pool, we noticed our pains had subsided and we felt great!

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451 E Juanita Ave. Suite 20 Mesa, AZ 85204

Water Quality at its Finest

Water is undoubtedly one of the most precious elements on earth. It is also undoubtedly one of the most mysterious elements to understand as well. This so called precious and mysterious element is also responsible for providing life to almost every living creature on earth. You would think we as human life would know much more about it since it is our lifeline to life itself. Instead, most people know very little about it and don’t even put much thought into it at all.

For us at Exceptional Water Systems, water is everything! Our quest for attaining the highest level of water quality begins with a better understanding of water itself. Who would be a better teacher than mother nature herself? That’s right… mother nature is truly the pro when it comes to providing us with the highest level of quality water that is filled with the minerals, nutrients, and pH balance we need for healthy living.

So… the question is, would you rather swim in a fresh crystalclear stream of water supplied from the side of a mountain that hasn’t been tainted by man and industrialization or would you rather swim in a chemical infested hole in the back yard we call a swimming pool? Well, that’s an easy decision for me… I’ll take the stream! I think, in saying that, I could speak for most people as well.

Exceptional Water Systems has been researching and developing systems that provide natural sanitation to swimming pools, spas, and water features for almost 10 years. We’ve found that by increasing the dissolved oxygen content in water

increases the health of the water exponentially. Did you know that a Lake is considered “healthy” based on the level of oxygen present in the water? The higher the oxygen level the healthier the lake and as it loses oxygen it becomes more algae ridden and kills off the fish. Why is this important to understand for swimming pools? Because it is ONE of the baselines in understanding water quality for natural life.

Ozone is one of the most powerful natural oxidizers and disinfectants you can use. However, it is important to understand that the purest ozone systems are fed with pure oxygen to provide the highest level of purity and strength for disinfection and oxidation.

The Aqua Fuzion system is designed to dissolve oxygen and ozone into the water naturally providing a much higher level of oxygen in the water as well as providing a disinfectant that is 10,000 times more efficient at killing microorganisms than chlorine. The only byproduct left behind is pure oxygen! The added oxygen makes the water feel soft and silky as if you just stepped out of the shower… except better! Nothing but crystalclear water without all the chemicals the way mother nature intended it!

We have clientele that have used their pool more in the last two weeks than they have in the 20 years of owning their pool.

All because they didn’t like the chlorine. If you’re interested in learning more about our systems please feel free to give us a call. We’ll be happy to assist you.

CONTENTS

October 2020

GOOD

12

Fry’s Food Stores

Dedicated to ending hunger and eliminating waste in Arizona

With Arizona 13 Talking Wilderness Brewing Co. Committed to sustainability

HEALTH & WELLNESS

14 5 Stages of Dharma Discovery to Ensure You 16 How Get Enough Sleep Learn all about the journey

The steps to take now

18 Mmmm, Good… to the Bone 20 A Holistic Approach The health benefits of bone broth

34 Stepping away from the WNBA to focus on the community

26 Healthy at Home

The Rio Salado Becomes the 20th Urban Waters Federal Partnership

SAVOR

Remaking the river

Tucson Botanical Gardens features a stunning new exhibit

The Senate & House Races Where do the candidates stand on environmental policy?

Editor’s Note Contributors On the Web What’s Hot

GR E E N L I V I N G

Easy products to make your home a healthier place

40 Grassroots Kitchen & Tap 42 Recipes

A family-owned and -operated eatery Dishes to try

TRAVEL

44 Happy Campers

Pin Drop Travel Trailers offers self-contained trailers

46 Luxurious Isolation The stunning Amangiri

TECHNOLOGY

48 The 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Compact and eco-conscious

IN EVERY ISSUE

2

Skincare products perfect for the Halloween season

Quita Jackson, along with her family, builds their own shipping container homes

34 A Glimpse of the Gardens

4 4 6 8

22 Spooky Skin-Scare 24 The Ultimate DIY

28 Bridget Pettis

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STYLE

HOME

OCTOBER FEATURES

31

One local doula is changing the way that women navigate pregnancy

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10 52 54 56

Cool Outrageous Stuff She’s Green, He’s Green

DESIGN

Free Sustainable Home 50 ADesign in Phoenix

Marlene Imirzian and Associates Architects

Green Scenes Final Word

greenlivingmag.com

Cover: Bridget Pettis. Photo by Stay Focused Photography

www.WeAreUFE.org

/freshfoodcollab

EVERYONE DESERVES FREEDOM FROM FOOD INSECURITY No one should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from while traditional food supply chains are wasting food every day.

FRESH FOOD COLLAB redirects surplus healthful food to those in need and sets them up for long-term success and independence by teaching them how to grow their own.

JOIN US! FOR FUTURE EVENTS VISIT: www.weareufe.org/calendar-urban-farming-education

partners

EDITOR'S

Note

Contributors Meet some of our contributors!

This month we asked them…

What do you love about fall?

Isn’t Bridget Pettis inspiring? Widely known for her three decades in the WNBA as a player, coach and executive, the basketball star recently decided to step away to help the community. Through Project Roots AZ, she is aiming to provide for and educate the community, and promote a healthier, natural, and more sustainable way of living.

In short, she saw a community need and pursued a way to meet it.

Her actions inspire me—and I hope they inspire you, too.

We had a chance to speak with her about what she's been up to and why.

Check it out on page 28.

We hope the rest of this issue is also just as inspiring, as well. We share community news (read the latest on the Rio Salado!), share the benefits of bone broth, speak with a local doula, offer a variety of wonderful ecofriendly and sustainable products, and so much more. With the elections coming up, we even share where some candidates stand on environmental policy.

John & Jennifer Burkhart, writers John and Jennifer Burkhart have been reviewing products since 2010. Even though they are raising a family and living the green lifestyle in Oregon, Arizona will always hold a special place in their hearts.

“The crisp, cool air, changing leaves, pumpkin everything, and ASU football!” says Jennifer.

There are also stories about eco-friendly dwellings, from a woman who took on the task of creating shipping container homes with her family to a couple who are offering self-contained trailers for travel.

I’m always energized after working on each of our issues, and learning about all the people trying to make the world a better place.

Have you done anything inspiring this month? If so, we’d love to hear about it. Send us an email!

Environmentally yours,

David M. Brown, writer

Michelle Editor-in-Chief michelle.g@greenlivingmag.com

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Born, raised, and educated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, David M. Brown is a Valley-based freelancer.

In addition to sustainability, he writes about the arts, architecture, cars and other topics he is passionate about.

“In the desert, summer is done. Back East, where I was born, the first nip of air, leaves crackling and early night,” he says.

your conscious life

GREEN LIVING greenlivingmag.com

PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSISTANT EDITOR ART DIRECTION & DESIGN DIGITAL COORDINATOR COPY EDITOR

Dorie Morales Michelle Glicksman Kyley Warren Sly Panda Design Kait Spielmaker Michael Ziffer

CONTRIBUTORS David M. Brown Jennifer Burkhart John Burkhart Ric Coggins Katherine Cohen Angel Fuchs

Kat Kozell Karen Langston Maria Lopez Eleanor McHugh Sahara Rose

PHOTOGRAPHERS Vince Alfaro Kait Spielmaker

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Victoria Klotz

GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERNS Jessica Gaimaro Victoria Klotz

SOCIAL MEDIA INTERNS Stephany Preciado Chloe Rapp

EDITORIAL INTERN Tony Barrera

STUDENT ADVISOR Chloe Billingsley

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ADVERTISING Dorie Morales - sales@greenlivingmag.com Victoria Klotz - victoria.k@greenlivingmag.com

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480.840.1589 • www.greenlivingmag.com 13845 N Scottsdale Rd, Ste. 201, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Please recycle this magazine

Green Living magazine is a monthly publication by Traditional Media Group, LLC. Periodical rate postage paid at Scottsdale, AZ. Publisher assumes no responsibility for contributed manuscripts, editorial content, claims, reviews, photographs, artwork or advertisements. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the company or official policies. Entire contents © 2020 Traditional Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of content in any manner without permission by the publisher is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed columns and articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Submissions will not be returned unless arranged to do so in writing. One print subscription is $25 per year or digital subscription is $12 per year. Canadian orders please add $13 per year for shipping and handling. International orders add $22 per year for shipping and handling. Bulk and/or corporate rates available. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is printed subject to errors and omissions. Green Living magazine is printed on recycled paper.

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ON THE

Web

This month on greenlivingmag.com and social media. /greenlivingmagaz

@greenlivingaz

@greenlivingaz

@greenlivingaz

TRAVEL

STYLE

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Breaking Down the Basics of Sustainable Backpacking

Vestiaire Collective Launches Vintage Fashion Campaign

How to Heal From Burnout

The only thing cooler than exploring the planet is protecting it. And in this web-exclusive article from Tony Barrera, we offer tips and tricks on how to plan a sustainable camping trip—with information on everything from eco-friendly campfires to advice on how to leave no traces while camping.

We spoke with Sophie Hersan, co-founder and fashion director of Vestiaire Collective—the global leader in fashion resale—about the goal of their latest Vintage Mania campaign, the importance of giving clothing pieces a second life through resale, and what the future looks like for the brand.

If there’s one thing that Americans know how to do really well, it’s overwork themselves. In fact, a 2014 poll from Gallup revealed that Americans work some of the longest hours per week of any group of workers in the developed world.

For our first “Wellness Wednesday” feature, we discussed the best ways to help you heal from burnout.

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

The Notorious RBG

Clean Up The World Weekend

The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a champion for equality, justice, and the preservation of our planet. We will continue to honor her impactful work and unforgettable legacy by staying committed to our mission—to create content that inspires people to change the world.

To celebrate National Clean Up the World Weekend, we encouraged our incredible audience to step outside of their homes and into their gorgeous neighboring communities— to clean. It’s easier than ever to become an ally for the environment, and caring for your communities is a great place to start.

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Icing on the Cake Complete your look with this graceful Peignoir Wrap in ivory lace classic cape over that little date night dress

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WHAT’S

Courtesy knoodle/Fulton Homes

Hot

PHILANTHROPY

RECOGNITION

CamCo Commercial Inc Chairman Cameron Colvin Pledges $200 Million to Goodwill

Fulton Homes Once Again Named EPA Indoor airPLUS Leader

Cameron Colvin, former NFL athlete, real estate Investor, and philanthropist, has pledged $200 million to Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona Foundation to help individuals achieve lifelong prosperity.

In September he presented the first installment of $10 million, and he will continue donating $10 million a year for the next 20 years. The funds will be used to create new adult education programs and future projects to help individuals living in poverty. www.goodwillaz.org

The Tempe-based Fulton Homes—which has communities in Gilbert, Goodyear, Maricopa, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley and Surprise—was recognized for the sixth consecutive year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was awarded the EPA’s 2020 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award for going above and beyond to minimize exposure to airborne pollutants and increase overall indoor air quality in homes.

Since 2014 when Fulton Homes first joined the EPA’s program, approximately 3,700 homes have been built across the Valley with the Indoor airPLUS label. www.fultonhomes.com

SUSTAINABILITY Pines Motel Qualifies for Silver/Innovator as a Certified Sustainable Business Although the Pines Motel in Cottonwood was certified as a sustainable business in 2019 by the Sustainability Alliance, that wasn’t enough for its owners Anna May Cory and Bob Uveges. The team got to work making additional improvements, and just one year later, now qualifies for Silver/Innovator, rather than Bronze/ Conservationist.

The biggest improvement was converting the pool into saltwater. They also have several AirDoctor HEPA filtration units, run an ozone machine in rooms after guests check out if there are lingering odors, wash waste baskets instead of using plastic bags, converted most toilets to low-flow, installed an Elkay water station to encourage guests to refill reusable water bottles, and continue to switch out incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs—and this is all on top of what had earned them the original designation, which includes being the first motel in Cottonwood to have EV and Tesla vehicle charging stations. www.azpinesmotel.com

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Boost Your Immunity • 100% Vegan • Organic • Fermented • No Sugar • No Vinegar • 7 Probiotic Strains • Powerful boost of sustaining energy To order or find out more, go to PickUpTheBeet.com

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OCTOBER 2020

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STUFF Outrageous

COOL

1

5

3

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1 Say ‘Om’ Need to de-stress from the holidays? Get your Om on in an eco-friendly way when you use this mat from Corc Yoga. Corc Yoga’s 100% sustainable yoga mats are completely natural and biodegradable, and contain zero rubber or plastic. And, thanks to its honeycomb structure, cork is the ultimate antislip surface, as well as naturally resistant to dust and bacteria.

It’s also lightweight, making it the perfect travel companion and space saver. $175 at www.corcyoga.com

2 The Good Wash

Public Goods believes that our everyday choices can make a big impact on our planet, which is why they created eco-friendly products that do not harm the environment. The cruelty-free body wash, which is made with eco-friendly ingredients, is crafted with relaxing essential oils that nourish the skin.

And, the company remains tree-free by using bamboo and sugarcane materials. $4.50 at www.publicgoods.com

3 Scent-sational 2

Fall is the perfect time to light a candle in your home.

Sadly, most candles are harmful for the environment.

But fortunately for us, Sanari has created eco-friendly, plant-based candles. These organic candles, which are infused with natural essential oils, are made from a GMOfree coconut and soy wax blend that ensures your air remains clean as you relax. All candles are also handmade in reusable and recyclable glass containers. Fill your home with the coziness and natural smells of this fall season without any guilt. Prices vary at www.sanaricandle.com

4 Keep Clean Babies and toddlers are notoriously messy when they eat, and bibs are generally a must. Forgo the plastic ones and reach for Bibito bibs. Made of nontoxic silicone, the bibs are recyclable—the company offers a “ship it back” program where they accept used bibs, clean them, and have them recycled. It is also an almost 100% plastic-free company.

Even the shipping labels are recyclable (most aren’t).

The boxes and notecards are made of FSC and/or 100% post-consumer waste paper, and Bibito carbon-offsets its shipping and gives customers the option to do the same—it frequently ships orders in secondhand boxes. Additionally, the company donates a portion of sales to nonprofits fighting the climate crisis. $18 at www.bibitobaby.com

5 Scoot Around The Micro Kickboard, Maxi is not only an eco form of travel and encourages outdoor play, but Micro is passionate about keeping toys out of landfills and makes all parts of the scooter replaceable—meaning it's extremely durable and can be passed down through families. Perfect for ages 5-12. $139.99 at www.microkickboard.com

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GOOD

Giving Back

Fry’s Food Stores

Dedicated to ending hunger and eliminating waste in Arizona

BY KAT KOZELL Fry’s Food Stores donated $25,000 to the Mollen Foundation to implement a comprehensive sustainability and nutrition-based curriculum for students at Garfield Elementary School in Phoenix.

Pictured from left to right: Pam Giannonatti, Kroger corporate affairs manager - Fry's Division; Katie Poirier, executive director, Mollen Foundation; Paige Mollen, president, Mollen Foundation; Sylvia Bernal, principal, Garfield Elementary School Photo courtesy Fry's Food Stores

Z

Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is Kroger’s social impact plan that focuses on three primary objectives: ending hunger, eliminating waste and saving energy. By ending hunger in communities and eliminating waste across the company by 2025, Kroger and Fry’s Food Stores soften the blow of more than 40% of food in the U.S. being thrown away or going uneaten.

"Fry’s is committed to ending hunger in the communities we call home and taking care of our planet by eliminating waste across the company,” says Monica Garnes, president of Fry’s Food Stores. “Providing essential and nutritious food to Arizona families and caring for the environment allows us to feed the human spirit as well as the body.”

ENDING HUNGER With 1 in 5 Arizonans facing hunger, Fry’s offsets this hardship by sponsoring community food drives throughout the year with food bank partners. Their generous donations and grants to programs in Arizona are designed to feed the hungry, as well as offer nutrition and food education.

Nutritious, edible food is set aside by all 123 Fry’s Food Stores.

Meat, deli, produce, bakery, and dairy are rescued along with nonperishable food items, and are picked up by partnering food programs like St. Vincent de Paul Community Garden; St. Mary’s Food Bank Emergency Food Boxes; Duet Senior Summer Meals Program; Phoenix Rescue Mission: Fill a Bag, Feed a Family; Chicanos Por La Causa Food Pantry; The Mollen Foundation Campus Composting Program; Maricopa Community College Foundation Campus Food Pantries; United Food Bank; and Los Amigos Technology Academy School Garden and Composting Program.

ELIMINATING WASTE Food waste is food that is considered inedible and not donated for human consumption. Fry’s associates place these items in special bins, which are picked up by partners for livestock feeding and composting. Other items are recycled such as cardboard, plastics, used cooking oil, lamps, ink cartridges, paper, and hazardous waste. Fry’s also partners with other grocery stores to recycle plastic bags statewide.

SAVING ENERGY Since 2000, a whopping 44.9% savings in electricity costs at Fry’s stores across Arizona have been reported. Tremendous energy-saving efforts have been put into place such as LEDs, lighting motion sensors, case controllers, and enclosing medium-temperature cases with glass doors. Four stores currently use solar panels, 100 stores are Energy Star certified, and the trucking fleet has had a 10% improvement in efficiency.

Fry’s met goals in 2019 such as donating $990,000 to feed Arizonans; 11 million meals donated; 2,140 tons of food rescued; 107 million pounds of food waste diverted from landfills; 4,306 tons of food waste to feed livestock; 43,987 tons of cardboard and plastics recycled; plus, reduced its energy consumption by 44.9% since 2000.

To learn more, visit www.sustainability.kroger.com.

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GOOD

Business

Talking With Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.

BY MARIA LOPEZ, WITH LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA

I

It takes 5 gallons of water to brew 1 gallon of beer. And in the Arizona desert, our water supply must be used wisely.

Patrick Ware and Jonathan Buford at Arizona Wilderness are two small business owners who are committed to sustainability efforts that help protect our planet and its natural resources—even during a pandemic.

Arizona Wilderness is also taking part in the newest cohort of SCALE UP program business owners working to implement cost-effective sustainability goals throughout their business.

The seven-week virtual workshop series hosted by Local First Arizona helps local businesses and nonprofits in the metro Phoenix and Tucson areas create personalized sustainability goals aimed to help them build back better during an ongoing climate crisis and beyond.

irrigation water diverted from the river during the highdemand, low-streamflow summer period. The result is more water in rivers for people and wildlife, and a profitable crop for local farmers. Sinagua Malt is 100% of our base two-row barley used at Arizona Wilderness.

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. has Gilbert and Downtown Phoenix locations open for dine-in, pickup, and delivery.

You can follow Ware and Buford’s adventures on Instagram at @thewildernesshumanlife and learn more about Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co at www.azwbeer.com.

Take a look at how Arizona Wilderness has committed to its environmental values, and learn more about the SCALE UP program at www.localfirstaz.com/scale-up.

How have you kept up with sustainability efforts in the age of disposable masks and takeout?

We have maintained our values by sticking to compostable to-go boxes, and silverware with messaging attached to encourage our customers to sign up for Recycled City, a full-circle service in Phoenix that makes it easy to turn your food waste back into farmland. Recycled City is returning nutrients to the soil and using it to grow fresh, local, chemical-free produce. In this manner, we are building farmland, reducing landfill waste, reducing transportation and spoilage, and strengthening the local food economy.

We have also printed re-washable branded masks which are for sale at both of our retail locations.

What is something on the sustainability front that excites you about Arizona beer?

The micro-movement of using local malted barley as the base for brewing beer. Sinagua Malt, located in Camp Verde, works with local farmers to shift from a traditional summer crop, such as corn or alfalfa, to a late winter/spring crop, such as malt barley. This shift to a crop that provides equivalent revenue at a different time of year results in less

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HEALTH &

Wellness

5 Stages of Dharma Discovery

BY SAHARA ROSE

T

Through my podcast, Highest Self Podcast, I have interviewed hundreds of people on their journey towards discovering their dharma (purpose), and found a common thread. They all go through what I call the Dharma Discovery Journey, and I saw this echoed in my own. They’re broken down into 5 stages.

STAGE 1: SELF-AWARENESS You realize there has to be more to this life than what you’ve been living. You know that you have a purpose, but have no idea what it is. You know you need a radical change. Through pain or numbness, you are called to take action and transform your life. This is where the seed of dharma is planted.

STAGE 2: SELF-IMPROVEMENT You make it a mission to improve yourself. You may begin practicing yoga asana, following inspirational people on Instagram, reading self-help books, listening to motivational speakers or using a meditation app. You’ve begun changing habits that are no longer serving you. This stage is focused on the physical and mental level more than the soul level.

This is where the seed of dharma is watered.

STAGE 3: AWAKENING Your interest shifts from improving yourself to knowing yourself. You begin to realize that you are not your body or your mind, but rather a soul living in a body with a mind. You are hungry to learn about every spiritual topic such as yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, astrology, and energy healing. Your entire worldview shifts as you become aware of the limiting beliefs passed down intergenerationally and begin to do the healing work. This is when the seed of dharma sprouts.

STAGE 4: HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS You are out of the spiritual closet and no longer feel the need to hide your beliefs to be taken seriously. You have found the practices that resonate with you and begin sharing them,

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Sahara Rose

perhaps on social media or with your family, friends, and colleagues. You know that you have a dharma, but you aren’t exactly sure what it is and are still in the dabbling stages.

You have emerged as an entirely new you and people begin asking you how you did it. This is when the dharma sprout begins to grow.

STAGE 5: STEPPING INTO YOUR DHARMA Through embodying who you are, you realize the deeper purpose of why you are here. You remember your sacred mission on this planet. Suddenly your worldview transitions from “me” to “we.” Your spiritual practice becomes something so much greater than you; it becomes the foundation from which you heal humanity. You are fueled by the cosmos and tapped into a universal life force streaming through you. You transform any part of your life that is not in utmost alignment because you see how it is holding you back from your mission. You realize that you are here to be of service and through following your highest joy, you serve the world. It is in this space in which you truly embody your dharma and the truth of who you are.

This is where the seed of dharma blossoms.

Where are you on your journey? Learn more and receive support, guidance and inspiration in my upcoming book Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide To Finding Your Purpose with foreword by Deepak Chopra, out Jan 5, 2021.

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HEALTH &

Wellness

‘Early to Bed, Early to Rise, Makes you Healthy, Wealthy and Wise’ How to ensure you get enough sleep!

BY KAREN LANGSTON

P

Perhaps Benjamin Franklin was on to something when he penned the idea, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Did you know we spend nearly a third of our lives asleep?

Scientists are still trying to unravel the mystery as to why.

Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to sleep at all? Imagine the things you could do with an extra eight hours!

Less than seven to eight hours of snoozing, over time, can lead to health problems. Sleep is crucial to a healthy immune system, brain function, proper mood, behavior, weight management, and optimized hormones.

Have you heard the expression “half asleep”? Researchers have found that those who do not get enough zzz’s are actually half asleep. According to a study published in Science Direct, the more sleep-deprived a person becomes, the more inactive parts of the brain become while they are still awake, making it hard to focus and pay attention.

One of the easiest things we can do to boost our immune system and keep ourselves healthy is to get proper

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uninterrupted sleep. Give these tips a try to get the best night’s sleep possible.

GET OUTSIDE FOR 30 MINUTES A DAY We are spending a crazy amount of time indoors, especially these days working from home. We are under artificial lighting and the constant glare of blue-light screens from our electronics. We need natural light!

Thirty minutes of natural daylight increases hormone production of serotonin, which is responsible for alertness and positive moods, and boosts hormone production of melatonin to help with sleep.

CREATE A BEDTIME RITUAL Set a routine so your body will know when it is time to sleep. An hour before hitting the pillow, dim the lights and quiet things down. If you must catch up on Netflix, dim the

backlight and wear a pair of anti-blue-light glasses. Keep your activity soothing to help calm your entire nervous system.

SKIP THE ALCOHOL, CAFFEINE, AND SUGAR A 2002 study published in Europe PMC, “Sleep, Sleepiness, and Alcohol Use,” found a correlation between sugar and sugarsweetened beverages with poor sleep quality. The Journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found alcohol initially improves sleep; however, it affects the second half of sleep, leaving one sleep-deprived, which causes increased daytime sleepiness, impairing performance. According to epidemiological studies, caffeine can make it hard to fall asleep, disrupt deep sleep, and worsens perceived sleep quality, even if consumed in the morning.

TURN THE THERMOSTAT DOWN AND SLEEP NAKED Set your thermostat between 60-68 degrees. Studies show a cooler temperature helps stimulate the sleep hormone melatonin as our body cools at night. Anything above or below this temperature range can result in disruption of sleep.

Sleep on an organic mattress, pillow, and organic sheets.

Conventional fabrics, especially mattresses, contain chemicals including fire retardants, which can affect the endocrine system, in turn affecting sleep. It also affects the ability of the body to breathe while internally detoxifying while you slumber.

Sleep naked! There is no constriction of movement and your body can breathe. If you must, opt for organic loose-fitting pjs to keep your body breathing and flowing, keeping you healthy.

HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND Today, we are bombarded from bright screens and artificial lighting, which has shifted our sleeping patterns. This has led to hormone imbalances, which in turn affects the ability to get to and stay asleep. Numerous studies have correlated

sleep loss with obesity, diabetes, depression, and lower life expectancy—not to mention irritability, moodiness, and the inability to think properly.

According to Physiological Reports, looking at light exposure and children found that evening exposure to bright electric lights lowered melatonin production, resulting in disrupted sleep. Another study found that bright lights before bed stopped producing melatonin in as little as 10 minutes.

An observational study in JAMA Psychiatry found that the more intense the lighting in the neighborhood, the more sleep was disrupted and the greater the risk for depression and anxiety. Adolescents living in the most intensely lit neighborhoods had a 19% increased risk for bipolar illness, and a 7% increased risk for depression. Add blackout blinds in the bedroom. If you can’t, opt for an eye mask with a loose-fitting band.

Blue lights and sounds from electronics disrupt the natural body flow, which is called the circadian rhythm. According to Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, insufficient sleep can lead to problems with poor attention, performance problems, cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, glucose metabolism, hormonal regulation, inflammation, and increased overall mortality and morbidity.

Keep all electronics, including your phone, outside of the bedroom. Overnight, keep them on airplane mode and “do not disturb.” If you can’t remove some electronics such as a TV, block the little indicator lights with LED covers. During the night, those little lights disrupt the circadian system, suppressing normal nighttime melatonin signaling, resulting in a poor night’s sleep.

When you think about it, sleep is the easiest thing you can do to boost your immune system. Incorporating these tiny, effortless tips for a wonderful eight hours of zzz’s will have the biggest impact on your health. Nighty night.

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HEALTH &

Wellness

Mmmm, Good… to the Bone The health benefits of bone broth

BY RIC COGGINS

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There were two exceptions which kept my restorative “whole food, plant-based” diet from becoming all-out vegan—they were my inclusion of ghee (clarified butter) and bone broth.

As you may recall, the purpose of my avoiding animal proteins and fats was to lighten the load on my immune system, so that all of its energy could be directed towards the cancer cells in my body. In the case of ghee and bone broth, my research seemed to indicate that the overwhelming benefit of these two foods far outweighed any “animal drag” they might place on my immune system.

collagen and gelatin in bone broth also promotes joint health, and has even been touted by athletes for aiding in faster joint injury recovery.

Skin, hair, and nails are benefited from the inside out by the collagen in bone broth.

Ghee is rich in butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that nourishes the cells of the gut. Its effects on cancer cells—colon cancer in particular—have been noted in numerous studies for their impact on inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. It is, however, the latter topic of bone broth which we will take up today.

DIFFERENT TYPES Unless the water will be discarded (as in boiling pasta), I pretty much use bone broth to replace water in all recipes that call for it. After dried beans are soaked, I use bone broth to cook the beans soft. I cook rice with bone broth instead of water. Again, as long as the “water” would be absorbed or retained in the food, I replace it with bone broth.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS Like ghee, the reason for my inclusion of bone broth was for its known effect on the gut. Bone broth has a long history of being served as a digestive aid. It is documented in traditional cultures as far back as 2,500 years. What science knows so far is that bone broth’s benefit to the gut stems mainly from the collagen it contains—and by the way, one cannot get collagen from plants.

Bone broth is commercially available, but I’ve always made my own. It’s so easy! Typically you will find poultry and beef “flavors” available. Besides taste, each type offers unique benefits. Chicken bones (especially feet bones) add extra collagen to your broth. A University of Nebraska study found that the amino acids that were rendered when making chicken bone broth reduced inflammation in the respiratory system. This is perhaps of interest in these COVID-19 times.

When bones are boiled down even further, gelatin is formed. Both collagen and gelatin contain amino acids such as glutamine, which supports a healthy gut biome.

Other elements in bone broths can include hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin, calcium, and magnesium. The

Mammal bones (beef, lamb, etc.), when simmered over long cook times, release nutrients from the bone marrow. It’s said that the marrow contains more nutrients than the respective animal meat itself.

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Bone broth is one place where I believe organic is extremely

important and cannot be shrugged off. This is because of the potential that non-organic bones could concentrate toxins and heavy metals. This is not a risk we should take. Also, for similar reasons, do not use pork bones (organic or otherwise) in any circumstance.

HOW TO MAKE BONE BROTH Simply start with the best and cleanest bones you can find. For my chicken and turkey broth, I save the bones from when I serve the meat. Organic beef and lamb bones are a little harder to come by, so I must buy them from a clean rancher. Expect to pay as much for marrow bones as you would for the steaks from the same animal. It’s still worth it for the nutrition and for the many quarts of broth that they will yield. All bones freeze well, and will last until you have enough for a batch.

With beef and lamb bones, I roast them in an oven until browned. This adds additional flavor and color. I place bones in a large stainless steel stock pot (do not use aluminum pots for this, you know why), along with my organic vegetable content. Traditionally this “vegetable content” has always meant carrots, celery, and onions.

While I do this for sure, I also add to those staples my veggie scraps that would otherwise go in the compost bin.

As I trim any fresh organic veggies, I toss the trimmings into a 1-gallon Ziploc bag, which then goes in the freezer until full. This includes potato peels, onion skins, tops and roots, bell pepper trimmings, garlic skins, and anything else that is not moldy or beginning to decay. This adds an amazing variety of nutrients that would not otherwise be in your broth, even if it does steal from your compost pile.

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With the stock pot full of bones and veggies, I add a couple of gallons of spring or distilled water (it’s a big stock pot). To help draw nutrients from the alkaline bones, add a couple of ounces of acid… cider vinegar or lemon juice is fine. Then I bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

I usually simmer my bone broths for 48 hours, reducing the vegetable content to mush and allowing time for the bones to give up their magic minerals and nutrients. I then strain the broth through a sieve first, and after, that through paper towels.

The broth is now ready to go into canning jars, to be either set on the shelf if “canned,” or placed into the freezer if frozen.

If you are canning them, you can fill the jars to the recommended level, which is almost full. If you are freezing your jars, you need to leave room for expansion so the jars do not break as the broth freezes. If it’s a regular-mouth quart jar, I fill to 24 ounces; a wide-mouth will take a little more.

Mine never stay on the shelf or in the freezer that long, but they would keep a year if they did.

Whether you buy it in the store, or make it from scraps, I encourage you to research and explore this wondrous, nutritious ingredient.

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HEALTH &

Wellness

A Holistic Approach This local doula is changing the way that women navigate pregnancy

BY KYLEY WARREN

Photo by Kait Spielmaker

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When Gila Shire worked as a nurse in Germany for 14 years, she felt in many ways like she was exactly where she needed to be. But reflecting back on that season of her life—in what now seems like a lifetime ago—has helped her to see that, similar to so many people in the medical field, she was simply “programmed.”

As the medical approach to pregnancy and birth have become more normalized over recent years, the process has also managed to become more technical—with a greater focus on the logistical elements that go into delivering a child, rather than in helping the woman understand why those elements matter or how they’re affecting her body in the process.

It wasn’t until Shire became pregnant in 1990 that she began to explore other options, particularly becoming more interested in holistic approaches to health and wellness.

Her desire for a career shift led her into roles as a massage therapist, and later as a yoga teacher. It was during this transitional season of her life that she was first introduced to the work of a doula.

experience. An experience that—according to Shire—doesn’t have to be medical at all.

"Birth is a rite of passage, and it's an opportunity to not only get to know yourself, but to get to know your baby—long before your baby is even in your arms. It's an opportunity to tap into a place of empowerment. When women give birth, the first thing that comes out of their mouth is: ‘I did it.’ And you would wonder, why do we all still say that? It's because we didn't really believe it prior to the experience, and because there aren't enough people who tell us that we can do this.”

According to the Journal of Perinatal Education, doulaassisted mothers are four times less likely to have a lowbirth-weight baby, two times less likely to experience a birth complication involving themselves or their baby, and significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding.

“I always worked with pregnant moms, but I had no idea about the work of a doula—the word, the profession, nothing,” says Shire. “Because I was doing prenatal massages and teaching prenatal yoga, my clients had asked me if I wanted to attend their birth. So, I did—I observed and learned. And that's when my unofficial doula work started.

It's been 15-plus years since I started working as a doula.”

“The overall health benefits are undeniable. It is just so imperative that women know—and I mean really know— who their caretaker is, particularly in a system that just doesn't support the normalcy of birth.”

A doula is a trained companion who supports another individual through a significant health-related experience— such as childbirth, miscarriage, induced abortion or stillbirth, or even non-reproductive experiences such as dying.

For Shire, she believes that birthing doesn’t have to be a painful experience, let alone one that so many women fear.

They simply need a support system beyond family that can champion them through this season.

While they’re not regarded as trained healthcare professionals—nor do they have the certifications to act as one—the supportive and intimate relationships that they build with their clients helps women to make sense of the changes that are happening within their body, and ultimately guide them through a healthier childbirth

“This is where doulas and midwives work hand-in-hand. We can offer the supportive, intimate, companion-oriented approach to pregnancy and childbirth that most hospitals and medical professionals—to put it respectfully—simply lack.”

For more information on Gila and her work as a doula, visit www.yogila.com

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STYLE

Skin Care

Spooky Skin-Scare

BY KYLEY WARREN

For those struggling with skin issues, there are some skincare products that can double as Halloween costumes—and rejuvenate your skin, in the process Halloween is one of the year’s most anticipated holidays, as people of all ages have the chance to join in on the fun and channel their inner kid—children, parents, and even grandparents set out within the neighborhoods each year to make memories, celebrate community, and of course, don their favorite costumes. But regardless of age, everyone is prone to skin issues—and between cheap masks, face paints, and glue-on prosthetics, postHalloween breakouts and skin irritation are often inevitable.

Fortunately, there are some pretty strange—and arguably spooky—skincare products that are out on the market right now, many of which could easily double as a face mask for Halloween. Here are some mask alternatives that will help you perfect your costume and elevate your skincare game, in the process.

The Hanacure Multi-Action Treatment Mask This mask went viral on social media last year after influencers became aware of the magical, face-tightening features brought on by the Hanacure Multi-Action Treatment Mask. While it may make you look like a zombie, the results provided from this treatment cannot be argued—and despite its appearance on your face, it actually has anti-aging benefits and works to lift skin. $29 at www.hanacure.com

Emoji Sheet Masks The laugh-cry emoji is arguably one of the most recognizable images in the world—and with this all-in-one sheet mask, you can be just as iconic this Halloween. When wearing it, the product provides hydrating, brightening, and soothing benefits for skin. $18 on www.amazon.com

Red & Blue Light Therapy Acne Mask This light therapy mask is as terrifying as it is good for your skin—just be prepared to look like the antagonist from your favorite horror film. The special, built-in red and blue lights help to reduce redness and kill acne-causing bacteria. $35 at www.neutrogena.com

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HOME

DIY

Photo by Kait Spielmaker

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The Ultimate DIY

Quita Jackson and her family take off-the-grid living to a new level—by building their own shipping container homes for just $50,000 each

BY ANGEL FUCHS

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What began as hobby gardening has turned into a mission to live sustainably with zero waste for Phoenix resident Quita Jackson and her family.

In 2005, Jackson took up home gardening as a way to make personal changes and improve her family's habits. The hobby led to an interest in becoming more self-sustained and a reevaluation of their lifestyle.

zero-waste journey. Six months of research followed the initial idea, and then the containers were purchased. Six to seven more months followed before the containers were transformed into livable dwellings.

“I decided we needed to downsize and I told my husband the only thing I really needed was my garden,” says Jackson. “My husband redid our garden and was able to sustain it 100% with rainwater.”

The path to off-the-grid, fully sustainable tiny living was not without pitfalls and roadblocks though, from leaks in the roof to legal red tape that ultimately resulted in a major move.

The seemingly impossible feat of maintaining a garden using only rainwater in the Arizona desert piqued Jackson's curiosity, and ignited a passion to explore off-the-grid living to reduce her family's carbon footprint and eliminate waste as much as possible. It also instilled a belief within her that humans should mimic nature's lead and think about the end results.

“We wanted to be self-sufficient and document the journey to help educate others as we went,” Jackson explains.

The idea for off-the-grid living spawned from there, and Jackson, her husband, and her sister-in-law began researching the subject by reading countless books, scouring the internet and watching blogs and YouTube videos. Then came the idea to build tiny houses where she and her family could take off-the-grid living to an entirely new level.

Jackson found further inspiration in HGTV programming and thought to herself, “If they can do it, so can I.” It’s a motto she has lived by throughout the journey.

Jackson admits to not even being able to use a drill when she began the project, and calls herself “frugal and cheap,” yet she and her crew have managed to create two fully livable tiny homes out of shipping containers for $50k each.

“You can hire companies to design and build tiny homes out of shipping containers for you, but we wanted to save on costs and do it ourselves,” she says.

The ultimate DIY project has been a life-changing adventure for the family. During this time, Jackson retired from her job as a producer at a local television station, which allowed her more time to focus on this new chapter in her

“We started building the tiny homes on our property in South Phoenix, but we ended up moving them to Texas to be completed,” Jackson shares.

The move was due to the endless runaround they encountered with the City. During construction, they were forced to stop building due to not having the proper permits. When they tried to obtain the right documents, nobody could tell them what those were.

“We were given different information by everyone we spoke to, and referred to different departments. Nobody had the answers we needed; nobody could help us,” says Jackson. “I don't blame the City—it's just that the idea is so new, the City hasn't had the chance to catch up.”

The best solution for Jackson and her family was to pack it all up and move the shipping containers to Texas, where they own land that has been in the family for over a century.

Once in Texas, they were back in business. Jackson's husband has a mechanical engineering background and completely designed the homes using free programs he found online. They learned to weld, and commissioned friends and family to help clear land, build, paint, and more to get the containers ready for move-in.

“It took about a year and a half from the initial idea until the homes were completely livable and self-sufficient,” says Jackson. “We use solar panels for power on sunny days and propane on cloudy days, and we use a gray water system for indoor plumbing and rainwater for drinking.”

Jackson is enthusiastic about educating others about the benefits to sustainable zero-waste living. You can follow her journey at www.greendesert.org for tips, tricks, and more information.

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HOME

Products

Healthy at Home

Easy products to make your home a healthier place

See the Light Start your day off the right way with this LIGHT—Crystal Intention Candler created by lifestyle entrepreneur Bradley Ryan. Handcrafted by Ryan with locally sourced pomegranate zest and botanicals from California, he infuses each one individually with positive energy. Each contains Triple Grade A crystals that are instilled with the user’s intentions. An affirmation card is included with the candle to declare the intention and focus the user’s energy. $40 at www.undercoverman.com

Sleep Saver Everyone needs sleep! If you’re struggling to get enough zzz’s, a few spritzes of YUNI Beauty’s Sleepy Beauty Tranquility Pillow Spray might help. It helps set the stage for restful slumber with a tranquil, aromatherapeutic blend of sage, rose and petitgrain—natural botanicals known for their calming properties. Mist onto your linens or use as a room spray, and let these gentle natural aromas create a sense of harmony to help you get ready for a good night’s sleep. $9 at www.target.com or www.yunibeauty.com

Plant Power Plants help clean the air, and can boost your mood and calm your mind. And with the variety of plants offered through Desk Plants, you don’t have to worry if you don’t have a green thumb—their indoor potted plants are virtually indestructible (not to mention delivered to your door).

Sansevieria Laurentii, $39 at www.deskplants.com

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Former WNBA powerhouse Bridget Pettis answers questions about her decision to leave the WNBA, and on her new venture, Project Roots AZ

BY MICHELLE GLICKSMAN

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Bridget Pettis—who has over two decades of experience in the WNBA as a player, coach, and executive—recently stepped away from the WNBA to focus on her venture Project Roots AZ. Pettis’ WNBA career began in 1997 when she was selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the seventh overall pick in the WNBA Elite Draft.

She played in the WNBA for eight seasons with the Mercury and Indiana Fever before joining Phoenix’s coaching staff as an assistant in 2006, helping lead the team to two WNBA championships (2007, 2009). Since then, she’s served as the Mercury’s director of basketball operations, an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Sparks, an assistant coach with the Dallas Wings. and most recently, as an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky. Here, she opens up about her next move—Project Roots AZ. You recently stepped away from the WNBA—can you explain why?

With everything that is going on in the world I felt like the journey to health was bigger than me. Our health needed to get back in a stable place.

You are now focusing on Project Roots AZ, which you founded. Can you explain what Project Roots AZ is?

Project Roots is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is in Central and South Phoenix. We focus on ways to educate the community about growing their own food through many educational programs. We support the homeless and others in need by providing food from our local community gardens and other local farmers' gardens, as well. We know that we can’t do this alone, so we have partnered with farmers who grow with the same integrity that we do and have the same passion to feed those who need access to healthy food without worrying about how to pay for it.

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What inspired you to start it?

I started Project Roots thinking about my own family and the health concerns that we have, and I knew I needed to stay on this path and not give as much to basketball.

Why is having a nonprofit like this important to a community?

There are so many nonprofit gardens in this state, and for good reason. We have a desire to grow food, teach others how to grow, and give what we can harvest to people who need access to it. Any nonprofit that has those pillars and treats them as goals is beneficial to any community and most certainly the communities who lack access to fresh, healthy food.

What is your day-to-day involvement with the organization?

When I first started Project Roots back in 2019, I was at the gardens all day, every single day, learning how to grow from my peers and sharing my harvest with those who wanted it.

I like to be a part of all of it. I am at some of the farmers’ markets. I enjoy visiting with school administrators to talk about the importance of having a garden in their schools.

I love to cook, so when we started our mobile soup kitchen Project Soups that produces free soups for the homeless and local food banks, I kept pretty involved with that task as well. I like to be a part of it all. But, I do have an amazing team of people who help me with many of these tasks.

Photos by Stay Focused Photography

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What communities does Project Roots AZ serve?

Right now, we serve the South and Central Phoenix communities, and the East and West Valley as well. We are able to do this through our seasonal produce bag delivery program.

Why is giving back important to you?

I just feel it in my heart to give back and I just try to stay connected to my heart.

You’ve said that you encourage other players to find a project they are passionate about and jump in. Can you explain why?

Because this is a good time to make movement and change in our communities.

What is your long-term vision for Project Roots AZ? Our long-term goal at this time, which can change, is to partner with other local farmers as we continue to educate, and grow healthy and sustainable food.

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Do you plan any future involvement with the WNBA? And do you miss it?

Not at this time. No, I do not miss it.

When you’re not working with Project Roots AZ or the WNBA, how do you fill your time?

By spending time with God and my family.

Is sustainability important in your life? If so, how do you incorporate it?

Absolutely. I incorporate it by educating my community on the importance of growing their own food.

Any hopes for 2021?

That we acquire more land and open a produce market. I also hope to obtain delivery trucks for our local produce bag program.

For more information, as well as a list of upcoming Project Roots AZ’s farmers’ markets, visit www.projectrootsaz.org.

The Rio Salado Becomes the 20th Urban Waters Federal Partnership

The Salt River made the Valley; now Valley residents have an opportunity to remake the river

BY DAVID M. BROWN

"The River Connects Us."

–Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community

Tempe Town Lake at dusk. Photo by An Pham

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In September 1966, then-Associate Professor Robert McConnell asked his fifthyear College of Architecture studio class at Arizona State University (ASU) to re-vision 40 miles of the Salt River, adjacent to the Tempe campus.

Earlier, the school’s dean, James Elmore, FAIA (1917–2007) had challenged the faculty of the growing university, “Let’s do something with the river.” In turn, the 16 students, including future Valley architects such as Edward B. “Ned” Sawyer, went to their drawing tables for eight weeks. How could the waterless river scar become a beautiful community asset for the young Valley?

This classroom assignment became the source of the Rio Salado Project, which has since inspired communities—in particular, Tempe—to revitalize areas of the once dry watershed. In May 1998, Elmore contacted those former students, recalling their work: “1966-1967 was a remarkable year for the future of the Salt River Valley’s people, thanks to you,” he wrote in part.

Thanks to their work and that of many others since, including the late Senator John McCain, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in September 2020 that the Rio Reimagined-Rio Salado Project in Arizona

would become the 20th Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) location.

With this designation, six Valley cities, two Native American communities, and Arizona State University will collaborate with 15 federal agencies to restore 58 miles of the Lower Salt, Gila and Agua Fria rivers, from the Granite Reef Dam to State Route 85 in Gila Bend.

Federal, local and tribal partners can work together in innovative ways to find new value in this underutilized natural resource.

“The Urban Waters Federal Partnership designation will help promote enhanced water quality and access, reconnect communities to their waterways and foster sustainable water stewardship and management,” says EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “This represents a major step forward toward EPA’s urban waterways goals in the Pacific Southwest region.”

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THE RIVER RUNS IN ALL OF US When Professor McDonnell addressed those future architects more than a half century ago, much of the Salt River was a dried-up dumping-ground, an eyesore and a periodically flooded hazard.

But for thousands of years it had been a perennial albeit volatile waterway, which attracted people 15,000 years ago and Hohokam settlements as early as the 8th century C.E. “The Valley of the Sun exists because of Native American tribes who ingeniously transported water across the Valley floor through an innovative canal system,” says Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

Partnership, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Westmarc, East Valley Partnership, Arizona Forward, and others.

ASU has coordinated federal funding opportunities with direct impact to river communities, explains its president, Dr. Michael Crow. These include a grant-funded, two-year heat mitigation project in disadvantaged and vulnerable neighborhoods in West Mesa; a three-year brownfields assessment and clean-up grant to restore and revitalize contaminated parcels along the river for future use; and a water quality/quantity testing and research by the Flood Control District of Maricopa County to facilitate riparian planning, restoration and vegetation management with the Salt and Gila River corridor.

After them, and reusing those canals, early pioneers founded towns such as Lehi, Mesa, and Phoenix. Other settlements followed and thrived. The towns became cities, and people heard about the agricultural and other economic opportunities and health benefits of living in the Valley.

Because of the vagaries of the Salt River, settlers petitioned the government to enact the National Reclamation Act of 1903, which harnessed the water to irrigate farms and provide hydro-power. This also eliminated much of the damage and death from flooding but also created the blanched riverbed that Dean Elmore called on Professor McDonnell and his students to address six decades later.

In 1990, a referendum for a Rio Salado Project development failed with the voters. About the same time, the City of Tempe adopted the idea and commissioned Tempe Town Lake in 1995.

Costing approximately $47 million to build, the lake operates with a hydraulically operated dam with eight gates; these can be lowered to allow storm waters to pass through and raised to capture the tail end of the flow to re-establish the lake.

Senator McCain formally requested that the EPA designate 45 miles of Rio Salado as an Urban Waters Federal Partnership on December 13, 2017, less than a year before he died. “[W]e have formed a project working work that includes nonprofit, commercial, and tribal and community leaders that have all agreed to pursue this vision,” he wrote thenEPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “For this to be successful, it will require constant coordination between these stakeholders, including the many federal agencies that have a nexus in the river.”

A WATERSHED OPPORTUNITY As Senator McCain noted, the Rio Reimagined Project will require robust public-private partnerships to create sustainable projects and protect the watershed for the future.

In addition to the municipalities and tribes, local groups, led by ASU, have supported the effort: Salt River Project, Maricopa Association of Governments, Greater Phoenix Leadership, Arizona Community Foundation, Valley

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ASU President Michael Crow. Photo by Deanna Dent, ASU

Dr. Crow adds that the Rio Reimagined project also offers many opportunities for research and discovery for professors and students.

“Faculty and leadership of the Design School continue their active engagement in the Rio Reimagined initiative, contributing to sustainability and resilience work in the community,” he says, noting that many other schools at ASU are actively participating.

The EPA and other federal agencies are also looking forward to Rio Reimagined projects that will enhance the lives of people and their communities.

After the March 2018 Rio Reimagined Kickoff event in Phoenix, the EPA began work with Valley partners. For

example, the agency funded an Urban Waters planning project to help the City of Phoenix develop a communitybased revitalization plan for the Rio Salado within its western river footprint. Also in Phoenix, the EPA Community Revitalization program invested funds to help the City develop an action plan for promoting local food systems and healthy, walkable, economically vibrant communities.

In addition, since 1995, the EPA’s Brownfields Program has funded more than $6 million to support redevelopment in the Rio Salado watershed.

“Once sites are assessed, the communities will be able to work with property owners through the Urban Waters program to identify funding opportunities and streamline regulatory requirements,” explains Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

And, last spring, EPA, FEMA, the Bureau of Reclamation, Maricopa County, the Cities of Phoenix and Tempe, and ASU finalized a report on integrating green infrastructure and low-impact development into the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Most recently, the EPA has been working with local partners on identifying Opportunity Zones, which are low-income and distressed areas where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment in the Rio Reimagined footprint.

Finally, “As part of the Urban Waters Partnership,” Busterud says, “we will begin identifying actions that citizens can take to help improve the water quality and quantity in the watershed.”

In turn, the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, will focus on “ensuring that natural resources, including the water from the watershed, are available to enrich the lives of the people living there,” it said in a statement. “The Urban Waters Partnership will restore waterways and environments, which will in turn help local economies by boosting recreation and creating jobs. This partnership will ensure that this section of the watershed is managed sustainably.”

Valley cities will also be able to plan specific projects.

Mayor Gallego says that the designation creates possibilities to accelerate planning and development of revitalization projects such as blighted riverfront areas which might ultimately support recreational, housing ,and entertainment/ arts opportunities.

“Renewing our riverfront will require a diverse group of leaders and community members to come together and agree to compromise for the good of future generations,” she says.

“For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation, which significantly funds infrastructure including bridges, river crossings and mass transit, will be a huge asset in this work.”

The Urban Waters designation also facilitates coordination with federal programs.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Photo by Tony Taafe

“With Urban Waters support,” she explains, “proponents of a future project can work directly with an agency such as the EPA and incorporate recreational amenities into a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers design for the adjacent river improvements.”

In Tempe, the lake has already generated $1.5 billion of economic impact including shoreline mid-rise commercial and residential developments. In addition, the City’s longrange Rio Salado + Beach Park Master Plan will complete the pedestrian and bicycle loop circling the lake and create other recreational and entertainment nodes, explains the City’s principal planner, Bonnie Richardson.

With the Urban Waters designation, the City can plan sustainable landscape improvements, providing cooling, shade, and additional habitat for birds and native animals.

“We’re also envisioning birdwatching sites and educational opportunities to complement more action-oriented activities such as water sports, rock climbing, volleyball, exercise plazas, and perhaps a zip line, among other activities,” she says.

Senator McCain said, “I believe if we get this done, someday your kids and you will be walking along and you’ll be able to say, ‘I played a role in that. I was part of the effort that made this such a wonderful place to raise your kids, and for you to have a better life than the one you had before I started on it.’

That’s kind of a nice legacy.”

For more information on the Rio Reimagined project, see www. rioreimagined.org. Here you can register for a virtual Urban Waters Federal Partnership On-Boarding Workshop, held on Oct. 7 and 8. The UWFP website is www.urbanwaters.gov.

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BY KYLEY WARREN

Tucson Botanical Gardens features a stunning new exhibit Photos courtesy Tucson Botanical Gardens

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A

After being closed for several months earlier this year, the Tucson Botanical Gardens is back with a stunning new exhibition, and a slew of new safety precautions to ensure that all visitors can enjoy the beauty of the gardens, and feel comfortable at the same time.

La Calavera Catrina—which debuted in mid-September—will be hosted outside of Denver for the first time, and will be on display through the end of November in Tucson. This exhibition was organized by the Denver Botanic Garden, and features the work of Ricardo Soltero.

Soltero’s creations are regarded as some of the most recognizable figures through the Día de los Muertos celebration. La Catrina was born out of Mexican social satire depicting the upper classes, and is still depicted in art today in celebration of the holiday.

Soltero created 8- to 9-foot-tall figures that represent nine figures from Mexican culture, with a goal of specifically highlighting La Catrina de Diego Rivera, La Friducha, La Catrina garbancera de José Guadalupe Posada, and La Catrina vestida de mariposas, along with many more.

For Michelle Conklin, the executive director of the Tucson Botanical Gardens, the exhibition showcases more than just a reopening collection for the organizaton—it’s an example of the innovation and brilliance of her team, who have managed to pivot their initial agenda for the year, and craft something even better.

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"I work with a group of very creative people who are excited and in love with the job that they do with the Garden. So, they pulled together. I think things like pandemics and disasters bring out the best in people, and it certainly brought out the best in my staff,” says Conklin. “We have had to close all of our indoor galleries, and our butterfly house through the end of the year. I did have to cancel shows that were scheduled for indoor spaces. But again, a creative team pulls together, and we think we've got a few great surprises that will make this year even better than we could have thought."

The team at Tucson Botanical Gardens has worked tirelessly since their reopening in July to ensure that guests could indulge in the full scope of fun provided by the Gardens, in a COVID-friendly atmosphere, of course.

“We built a new, small admission building to re-route our visitors, allowing us to have a one way in and one way out— that way the Gardens would be accessible to all who come.

We've had to install the hand washing stations and sanitizing stations in it. It's just been a lot of preparation.”

The visitor capacity has been limited to ensure the wellbeing of everyone at the Gardens, and guests are required to wear masks.

Tucson Botanical Gardens is open daily from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with special evening exhibit hours 6– 9 p.m. Purchase tickets ahead of time online at www.tucsonbotanical.org.

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WHERE DO THE CANDIDATES STAND ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY?

BY ELEANOR McHUGH AND KATHERINE COHEN

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As the climate changes in Arizona, the political climate is drastically changing, as well. For decades, Arizona has been an undeniably red state.

However, Arizona is now an important swing state.

According to US News, the current party breakdown in Arizona is, “35% Republican, 33% Democrat, and 32% other.”

These statistics indicate that this election could bring new candidates and new policies to Arizona after a decade of single-party rule that has been less than friendly to our environment. The outcome of this election may determine whether Arizona will protect its natural resources and diverse ecosystems for years to come or not. This article focuses on legislative districts with close Senate and House races where significant change can happen. It is important to view the records of incumbents and statements of challengers to determine where our state’s environmental policy is headed.

In swing district Legislative District 28, Representative Kelli Butler has co-sponsored a number of environmental bills. Currently, Title 49, chapter 1, article 6 limits the capacity to enforce regulations of greenhouse gas emissions.

However, Representative Butler recently co-sponsored HB2766 to repeal Title 49, chapter 1, article 6 so that Arizona can regulate greenhouse gas emissions. She also co-sponsored HB2888, which would allocate $1,000,000 from the state general fund to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for protection and enhancement of water quality. Representative Aaron Lieberman, also from LD28, hopes to encourage the renewable energy industry in Arizona by launching a Solar x Prize for innovation in battery storage. He opposed and successfully curtailed a pipeline that was initially intended to run through the Piestewa Peak Mountain Preserve. Challenger Kenneth Bowers echoes President Trump’s environmental policies, including supporting the transfer of federal land in Arizona to private ownership. If this land were removed from federal regulation, it likely would not be conserved. Jana Jackson, who has also endorsed President Trump, doesn’t address environmental policy on her webpage.

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State Senate candidates in LD6 are Wendy Rogers and Felicia French. Rogers supports less federal land regulation and wants the US to return federal land to the states. “I am so glad that President Trump approved the Keystone Pipeline, opened up drilling in ANWR, and opened up offshore drilling. We must have clean coal and expand mining efforts all across the nation,” writes Wendy Rogers. French opposes fracking and uranium mining for its waste of water and contamination of soils and groundwater. As a state senator, she pledges to “put Arizona's families before profits!”

State House candidates in Legislative District 20 are Judy Schwiebert, Shawna Bolick, and incumbent Anthony Kern.

Schwiebert supports policies that ensure proper water supply, clean air, and sustainability. “We all need to take care of our environment, because if we burn down the house, nothing else matters,” states Schwiebert. If elected, Schwiebert wants to convert State-owned vehicles to electric power and provide the necessary infrastructure for people who own electric cars. She also plans to encourage the use of solar energy and supports bills SCM1008 and SCM1001.

State Senate Candidate in LD 28 Christine Marsh

The State Senate election in Legislative District 28 is a repeat of 2018, when Christine Marsh lost to incumbent Senator Kate Brophy McGee by 267 votes. Senator McGee, who received a D rating from the Sierra Club, voted for bill SCM1008 in 2017 to increase allowable ground-level ozone levels from 70 ppb to 75 ppb. She also voted for bill SCM 1001 urging the President to repeal the expanded definition of critical habitat. In addition, she voted for bill HB2686, which prevented communities from limiting the expanded use of fracked gas within their jurisdictions. Marsh intends to support strong environmental policies. According to Marsh, “Climate change is real, and we're seeing and feeling the effects in Arizona. Protecting our water and our environment needs to be a higher priority than it has been in recent years.” She wants to encourage Arizona to invest in renewable resources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.

Legislative District 6 encompasses Flagstaff, Payson, Snowflake, Sedona, and Camp Verde. Coral Evans, Representative Walter Blackman, and Brenda Barton are competing for the two seats in the State House. Evans testified against uranium mining in the Grand Canyon before the House Natural Resource Committee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Land while Mayor of Flagstaff.

She also passed the only Climate Action and Adaptation Plan in the state of Arizona. She also invested in forest thinning projects to prevent forest fires. Rep. Blackman sponsored HB2640 in 2020, which supported businesses that manufactured, distributed, or processed environmental technology or renewable energy. Barton is not an advocate for environmental policy, voting for SCM1008 to relax regulation on ground ozone levels. She was also endorsed by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, which aims to limit regulation on natural gas and opposes the Green New Deal.

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LD 6 State Senate Candidate Felicia French

Representative Bolick’s environmental stance is murkier than Kern’s. While she did co-sponsor bill HCM2009, a bill allowing the harvesting of floodwater to be studied for drought prevention, she also voted for bill HB2749 in 2020 to make information about endangered species confidential.

Bolick was listed on the 2020 Sierra Club Grand Canyon

Chapter’s “Anti-Environmental Toxic Team.”

In Legislative District 20, Doug Ervin is running against Senator Paul Boyer for State Senate. Ervin received endorsements from the Sierra Club and the AZ Youth Climate Coalition. He supports long-term investment in renewable resources to make Arizona a leader in renewable energy. Ervin says, “Our health, our economy and our community are all impacted by climate change. I am committed to protecting the environment and preserving our natural resources.” Senator Boyer voted for the aforementioned bill SCM1001, as well as bill HB2749. In addition, Boyer received an “F” from the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter in 2020.

Legislative District 21 State House candidates are Kathy Knecht, Beverly Pingerelli and Representative Kevin Payne.

The Sierra Club endorsed Knecht for the State House; one of her key issues is to protect natural resources. Representative Payne received a 14% rating by the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter and voted for bills SCM1001, SCM1008 and HB2749, all of which oppose environmental regulation.

Pingerelli writes, “We must responsibly protect and preserve wild spaces and water reserves as our metropolitan areas grow, for our own well-being as well as for future generations.” However, she also has endorsed President Trump and his policies.

Running for State Senate in District 21 are Brian Whitman and Rick Gray. Brian Whitman wants to protect water cleanliness and incentivize xeriscaping, a method of landscaping that reduces water waste. He also champions solar energy. Senator Gray voted for the previously mentioned bill HCR2004 in 2012 which established state sovereignty over air, water, public lands, and wildlife.

He voted against bill SB1118, which established and appropriated funds for a Land Conservation Fund and a Forest Restoration and Treatment Fund. Senator Gray got a 0% rating in 2012 from the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter and in 2020, he was put on the Sierra Club’s “AntiEnvironmental Toxic Team.”

Senator J.D. Mesnard, District 17, is on the Sierra Club’s “AntiEnvironmental Toxic Team,” and received a 0% rating from the Arizona Chapter Sierra Club. Mesnard’s opponent Ajlan Kurdoglu plans to invest in sustainable energy and reduce the cost of renewable resources across the board in Arizona. Additionally, Kurdoglu wants to conserve land and water supplies and create policies to reduce carbon emission. Kurdoglu’s climate policy focuses on investing in science and creating more renewable energy in Arizona.

LD 20 State Senate Candidate Doug Ervin

lands and HB2749 to keep information about endangered species confidential from the public. Jennifer Pawlik voted against HB2749, and sponsored bill HB2766 to regulate and reduce greenhouse gasses. Pawlik received a “B” from the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter. Liz Harris is sponsored by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club that aims to limit regulation on natural gas, and opposes the Green New Deal and other protective climate legislation.

Arizona is at a pivotal moment in political history. It is up to all of us as voters to support candidates who will enact impactful and smart environmental policies. The future is in our hands.

Graph courtesy Eleanor McHugh and Katherine Cohen

Running for the State House in Legislative District 17 are incumbents Jennifer Pawlik and Jeff Weninger, and candidate Liz Harris. Jeff Weninger received an F from The Sierra Club and is part of their “AntiEnvironmental Toxic Team.” Weninger also voted in favor of HCR2015 to remove protection over public OCTOBER 2020

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SAVOR

Restaurant

Grassroots Kitchen & Tap

BY KYLEY WARREN

O

Photos courtesy Grassroots Kitchen & Tap

One of Scottsdale’s most underrated restaurant gems is Grassroots Kitchen & Tap—a family-owned and -operated eatery that serves an expansive menu of lunch and dinner options daily.

Grassroots tempts with a from-scratch menu of classic Southern-influenced American cuisine, polished service-first style, and a friends and family-focused vibe. The casually upscale eatery prioritizes farm-fresh, organic fare with quality ingredients that you can taste.

Christopher Collins—the Grassroots Kitchen & Tap chef—is a fourth-generation restaurateur, and the founder of Grassroots and Twisted Grove Parlor & Bar. After graduating from Boston University with a degree in hospitality management, Collins was recruited right out of school to join Hillstone.

Collins' passion for food led him to launch Grassroots Kitchen & Tap, which was officially founded in 2011. His extensive industry experience has helped him to garner an unparalleled reputation in food and hospitality, as well as an impressive instinct for cultivating spaces built on flavorsome dishes served in an authentic environment.

Beyond the food, visitors can also enjoy an extensive menu of craft beers and wines—which are available on tap—and signature cocktails that are served in a distinctive atmosphere that’s complemented by colorful Americana artwork and expansive dining patios. The eatery offers a daily Social Hour from 3-6 p.m., which features signature cocktails and appetizing bites like Common Ground Burrata and Pork Belly PB&J at affordable prices.

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Grassroots has adapted its restaurant to honor CDC guidelines, including required masks from guests upon entry, daily wellness checks for all employees, and limited inside seating, which restricts reservations for groups of 10 or more.

For more information, visit www.grassrootsaz.com.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Feed a Bee in Your Own Backyard

BY JACOB T. KERR

I

In 2015, Bayer made a commitment to help save pollinators with its Feed a Bee campaign. In the first year, they pledged to fund 50 million plants, which they exceeded. Since then, Bayer has continued to support projects every year and has funded projects in all 50 states.

This year, one of the recipients is the Tucson Audubon Society, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “inspire people to enjoy and protect birds through recreation, education, conservation, and restoration of the environment upon which we all depend.” With the award, they have created more educational programs for Tucson homeowners.

Employees at Tucson Audubon Society mainly work in the field restoring native habitats, surveying local land and building nest boxes for local species. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, they would also be hosting field trips and other educational programs. After plans were thrown off-track, the entire organization shifted to an online format, hosting educational programs such as the “Habitat at Home” project led by Kimberly Matsushino.

“Habitat at Home is a program developed in response to Tucson's rapid growth and urban sprawl,” Matsushino says. “We recognize that critical habitat for birds was being destroyed at an alarming rate as southeast Arizona's population exponentially increased. Knowing that there's not a lot we can do to prevent homes from being built, we decided to work with homeowners.”

Although the program has been around since 2015, Bayer’s Feed a Bee grant helped get the Habitat at Home initiative off the ground—providing funds to educate the public about native bees and pollinators, teach homeowners how to provide for these pollinators, and to expand their existing gardens to incorporate pollinator plants.

“We were able to add more native, bee-loving plants to our demonstration gardens, as well as botanical signs that both identify the plant as well as its benefit to pollinators,” Matsushino says. “We were also able to hold native bee nest-making workshops that were free and open to the public. The funding allowed participants to take home the nests they made. Since then, the interest in native bees has grown immensely.”

With the increase of requests for pollinator habitats, Matsushino now makes native bee nesting blocks herself and sells them at Tucson Audubon Society’s Nature Shop, where they put all the proceeds toward the Habitat at Home program. They have also added a pollinator section in their Habitat at Home manual and hope to create an entirely new manual with a large focus on pollinators later in 2020, giving homeowners a step-by-step guide to providing pollinators a habitat.

To learn more about the Habitat at Home program visit www.tucsonaudubon.org/habitat. This story brought to you by the Bayer Marana Greenhouse team.

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SAVOR

Recipes

Sicilian Caponata

RECIPE AND PHOTO COURTESY OF STRATTA KITCHEN, WWW.STRATTAKITCHEN.COM

4 Tbsp. olive oil ½ cup minced garlic 1 cup red onion 1 cup red bell pepper 1 bunch fresh thyme 1 cup green zucchini 1 quart eggplant ½ cup capers (rinsed/chopped) 1 cup dried black currants (soaked in red wine vinegar) 2 Tbsp. reserved vinegar from currants 1 cup toasted pine nuts 1 quart crushed San Marzano tomatoes (drained) To taste salt and pepper ½ cup basil (chiffonade) 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

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Dice the vegetables into ½-inch cubes and reserve separately. Heat a heavy pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the diced onions, peppers and garlic with thyme and coat well with oil, searing until light golden brown. Add the zucchini and eggplant and continue to color, stirring often. Add the capers, raisins, pine nuts and vinegar. Reduce and add the sauce. Bring to a boil and gently simmer until thick. Adjust seasoning and cool, adding the extra virgin oil and removing the thyme. Reserve refrigerated for up to three days.

Serve the chilled caponata in a bowl, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with pieces of torn basil.

For more recipes and food-related articles, visit www.greenlivingmag.com/savor

Spicy Southwest Salad

RECIPE AND PHOTO COURTESY FIRED PIE, WWW.FIREDPIE.COM

4 cups mixed greens (¼ medium head of romaine lettuce, ⅛ iceberg lettuce, ½ cup cabbage, ¼ cup basil) ½ cup shredded mozzarella ½ cup grilled chicken ¼ cup black olives ¼ cup red onions ¼ cup jalapeños ¼ cup roasted peppers ½ cup tortilla strips 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro ½ tsp. salt and pepper 3 fl. oz. chipotle ranch

Gather all ingredients and chop up mixed greens. Roast peppers by using either red or green peppers and tossing ⅛ cup of olive oil with ½ tsp. of salt and pepper and roast on a sheet pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until limp and browned. (If you’d like to skip step number 2, you can simply purchase roasted peppers in a local grocery store.) Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Top with 3 fl. oz. of any chipotle ranch of your choosing.

Sprinkle ½ cup of tortilla strips on top of salad.

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TRAVEL

Outdoors

Photos by Vince Alfaro

Happy Campers

BY ANGEL FUCHS

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During these times of COVID-19, it seems most people are looking for a safe way to escape and enjoy the great outdoors. One Arizona company provides a way to do exactly that while keeping the creature comforts of home. Pin Drop Travel Trailers are building self-contained trailers with classic styles.

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In 2018, husband-and-wife team Ruth Ellen and Tim Elinski launched Pin Drop Travel Trailers, makers and manufacturers of the iconic teardrop trailers. Teardrop trailers are a historic style of travel trailer that originated in the 1930s.

and have a battery bank to supply power on cloudy days. They can also be charged using power from the tow vehicle.

The vintage look of these campers coupled with their lightweight durability appeals to consumers.

“You don't need a truck or a large SUV to tow these,” says Ruth Ellen.

However, the Elinskis do recommend checking the vehicle’s tow capacity before use.

Tim is a builder and licensed general contractor and Ruth is an entrepreneur, so their professional backgrounds combined with a mutual love of the outdoors has been a perfect combination to get Pin Drop Trailers up and running.

The Elinskis try to employ local companies whenever possible in the manufacturing of the trailers.

“From the chassis to the finished product, we are sourcing materials from Arizona business,” says Tim. The couple is hands-on in the manufacturing, and makes the three-hour drive to Miami from Cottonwood, where they currently reside, about once a week to oversee operations.

Photos by Vince Alfaro

The idea to build a travel trailer was born out of necessity as the Elinskis planned their own extended road trip to Montana.

Tim wanted to tow a trailer using Ruth Ellen's Ford Focus. He liked the teardrop style and decided to build one himself.

Pin Drop Travel Trailers also rents their trailers, allowing potential customers to experience what they offer.

“There is no obligation to buy, but if they do decide to purchase, we apply the rental fees to the purchase price,” says Tim.

“I just worked out the design in my head based on what we needed,” he explains.

Currently the trailers can be rented or “sampled” in the Globe/Miami area, and soon in the Verde Valley. Pin Drop Trailers is fully committed to making happy campers all across Arizona and beyond.

Thus, Pin Drop Travel Trailers was born.

For more information, visit www.pindroptraveltrailers.com

The couple purchased an old commercial building in the historic mining town of Miami, Arizona, and had it retrofitted to set up shop. The couple is passionate about rural communities and they loved the charm and history of Miami. They envisioned it as the perfect hub to manufacture and sell their trailers.

The latest 2020 version of the Pin Drop trailer is fully solarpowered and available in three different designs—Vintage, Roadrunner, and Scout. All designs come equipped with a complete solar package, full kitchen and dry storage, bed, radio and Bluetooth compatibility, and internal and external speakers.

Pin Drop trailers are fully customizable and all designs come equipped for add-ons, so customers get everything they need to build the camper of their dreams. The trailers are solar-powered

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TRAVEL

Getaway

Photos courtesy Amangiri

Luxurious Isolation

I

BY KYLEY WARREN

In a year dominated by social distancing guidelines and travel restrictions, Amangiri—a 600-acre luxury resort tucked away in a protected valley of southern Utah—serves as a blueprint for what hospitality, wellness, and travel could look like in a post-COVID-19 world.

In the isolated desert of southern Utah, encircled by piercing red rock formations, national parks and towering sandstone buttes, lies Amangiri—a destination resort that invented the rules for socially distanced travel long before it was cool—or even required, for that matter.

Opened in 2009 and located only 20 miles outside of the Navajo Reservation, the luxurious retreat boasts an unparalleled reputation for its casual grandeur, ability to balance adventure and tranquility, and the impressive list of guests who frequent the property—which includes everyone from A-list celebrities to Silicon Valley’s top billionaires.

The concept comes from Aman Resorts—the international luxury hotel group founded in 1988. Since its inception, the

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group has taken the allure of experiential travel to a whole new level through remote resort locations, restrained design concepts, and a mission to create spaces that feel less like a hotel, and more like a haven of peace.

Anthony Andra, the spa manager and a wellness aficionado at Amangiri, believes that the brand serves as a blueprint for the future of travel.

“When reassessing travel in a post-COVID-19 world, it is important to go back to Aman’s roots as the pioneer in this ultra-luxury and niche segment of hideaway resorts,” says Andra. “In numerous ways, the generosity of space and efforts to slow down time have always been firmly ingrained in Aman’s DNA. This definitely applies to Amangiri—from the

architecture and design of the suites to the low room count and subtle service.”

The delicate and unconventional stillness of the resort makes guests feel as if they’ve been transported to a simpler time— one with less of the noise brought on by the modern world.

The cost of staying at the property isn't exactly cheap—rates start at $2,000 per night.

A typical stay will encompass early morning outdoor activities, an afternoon of relaxation, and an early bedtime. And while guests can enjoy a number of physical activities like horseback riding, rock climbing, hiking and yoga sessions with crystal sound bowls, it’s the wellness activities and spa that get the most attention from visitors.

The property’s proximity to the Navajo Reservation inspires a lot of the cultural offerings that are incorporated all throughout the DNA of the resort—particularly, at the Spa at Amangiri. The Hózhó healing massages—a restorative therapy which encourages the notion of being in tune with your inner self and in harmony with the world—and the Sage Smudging Ceremony—performed before each treatment as a means to drive away negative energy and restore balance—are two prime examples of this.

“Living in harmony with the universe and acknowledging the interconnectedness of all beings with a spirit of their own are at the core of many Navajo rituals that inspire the holistic approach of Amangiri.”

For more information on Amangiri, visit www.aman.com.

For more photos and eco-travel articles, visit www.greenlivingmag.com/travel

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TECHNOLOGY

Teansportation

Compact & Eco-conscious The 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid

Photos courtesy Toyota

The 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is one of the most environmentally positive vehicles on the market—and its sleek design has helped to elevate its allure to consumers of all types. The model features a notably high fuel economy at 53 city/52 highway mpg, while still maintaining an affordable price point.

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After being awarded the Green Car Journal’s 2020 Green Car of the Year, the Corolla Hybrid has continued to garner an untainted reputation for its smooth delivery, advanced technological capabilities, and indescribably cool aesthetic.

The vehicle is priced at $23,100. For more information, visit www.toyota.com.

IMMUNE BOOSTING HEALTHY GOURMET VEGAN MEALS Delivered To Your Door

Made fresh by an award-winning vegan chef and approved by a Harvard professor of nutrition

THE VEGAN TASTE

thevegantaste.com

SEPT/OCT 2020 VOLUME 18, ISSUE 6

PROACTIVE PARENTING

Mothers Awareness on School-age Kids offers tools to help families thrive FALL FASHION + PROJECT ROOTS + EXPECT MORE ARIZONA

Celebrating the people and groups who give generously and work to build the future of our community.

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE + THE KNOCK + FRONTDOORS TV WITH CAREY PEÑA frontdoorsmedia.com

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DESIGN

Architecture

A Free Sustainable Home Design in Phoenix

BY TONY BARRERA

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Marlene Imirzian and Associates Architects creates a net-zero home plan, and develops a new entry-level connected multiple single-family home project in downtown Phoenix

The City of Phoenix has a goal that requires all newly constructed buildings to be net-positive, meaning that they will generate more energy than they consume.

So, in an effort to invite Arizonans to construct greener homes in the Valley, the City of Phoenix is offering free design and construction plans for a three-bedroom sustainable home designed by Marlene Imirzian and Associates Architects.

The HomeNZ, which is the official name of the project, was created in 2017 through an architectural design competition in which Marlene Imirzian entered. The competition, called Sustainable Home Design, was conducted by the City of Phoenix and the Arizona Interscholastic Association nonprofit organization.

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“I did the competition for its sustainability goals and the potential that a demonstrated feasible sustainable house could provide impetus for significant change in sustainable home construction practices,” Imirzian says.

The selection of Imirzian’s home design was unanimous.

It met all requirements that the competition established.

It operates at a near-net zero energy use, it is adapted to the hot Arizona climate, it is attractive, its cost is within affordable range ($347,490), and its design can be easily widespread.

But of course, designing the perfect sustainable home was not easy.

“A key factor was that the required performance measurement system was not expensive or complicated,”

Imirzian says. “The competition basis for sustainable measurement is the Home Energy Rating System, which is a highly common and simple system used by home builders throughout the country, making it easy to understand and implement.”

The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of the HomeNZ is 30, which is 70% lower than an average home. And when paired with solar energy generation, the HomeNZ has a score of -4, meaning it generates more energy than it consumes on a daily basis.

But Imirzian says that obtaining that ideal score was a challenge that led her and her team to seek professional help.

“We teamed with Desert Skies, an expert HERS evaluator, starting at the beginning of design. They collaborated with us to evaluate the system measurements and optimum approach to minimize the HERS Index of energy use.”

“Currently we are developing a design for a new entry-level connected multiple single-family home project in downtown Phoenix that incorporates optimum efficiency of land use for low-income residents, recycled content building materials, and near net-zero operation.”

The house design is 2,600 square feet, and its price is within the average range of homes of the same size. It has a living room, a family room, a kitchen, three bedrooms (including a master bedroom), a laundry room, two and a half bathrooms, a garage, and a porch.

Thanks to Marlene Imirzian and her team, the future of sustainable architecture is looking a lot brighter.

For more information, visit www.imirzian-architects.com.

In order to control for the Arizona heat, the home utilizes many features, including high-performance glass and retractable fabric screens. All of these features required careful consideration.

Of this, Marlene Imirzian notes, “The key for the heat is the performance of the exterior envelope and reduction of direct solar gain into the occupied space from windows. The HomeNZ exterior envelope performance is comprehensive including roof, walls, glazing, and even under-floor insulation using the high-performing structural insulated panel system. Direct solar gain is managed with solar shading at the majority of the glass exteriors.”

It is also important to note that the work did not end once Marlene Imirzian won the competition. After being named the winner, Imirzian and her team spent time creating construction documents and getting permits approved. Additionally, the project’s design had to be altered in order to fit the City’s building code.

Although this project required a lot of work, Imirzian and her firm’s effort to encourage sustainability continues.

OCTOBER 2020

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GREEN LI V I NG

51

She’s GREEN He’s GREEN

BY JENNIFER & JOHN BURKHART

Non-Toxic Products Going “green” isn't just about saving the environment—it's also about reducing exposure to toxins, and removing them from your home and body. That can seem like a daunting task, but just take one small change at a time. You can do it! We've got your back with reviews of simple switches to give toxins the boot!

Joie MSC

Counter Culture

Jasön

silicone stretch lids

probiotic cleaning tonic, Geranium

He said: Calling these “stretch” lids is a bit of a… well, stretch. Too small and the lids just sat on top like a goofy hat. Too big and I had to muscle the heck out of it to get the lid on. I felt like Goldilocks hunting for that bowl or cup that fit just right. They had deep sides that held great when they did fit.

He said: This is the anti-Lysol cleanser.

The back of the bottle proudly states that it doesn't kill 99.9% of bacteria. It cleans the natural way with probiotics. Basically good little bacteria commandos that go in and kill bad bacteria and break down grease. Pretty cool stuff. The downside is it takes quite a bit more time to do its thing.

De-stress moisturizing crème, cannabis sativa seed oil

She said: The handiness of Saran Wrap can't be denied, but it's just not a healthy option. Nontoxic silicone stretch lids like these can replace plastic wrap. These weren't as stretchy as I'd hoped, but they do a great job if they fit the container perfectly. The small one works nice for coffee mugs, a coaster, or dampener on the bottom of stainless steel water bottles.

She said: Need to clean the house but feeling too stressed or down? You might be able to banish those germs AND blues with this cleaner! Geranium oil is said to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and gives this product a lovely, light scent. The lactic acid bacteria cultures balance the “bad” bacteria, and overall create a clean, non-toxic home. Win-win!

He said: This lotion was totally far out, maaan! It made hugging hands and my dancing feet feel soft and it didn't have any THC, so it didn't make me feel all mellow yellow. It had a faint earthy floral scent and it dried quick. You should get hip to this 'cause I think you'd dig it.

She said: I don't know about you, but I'll take ALL the de-stress ideas I can get nowadays. Hemp, CBD, cannabis sativa, yes please! This crème was super thick, and did appear to smooth out and quench my skin. Too thick to use on the face during AZ summers, but definitely OK for winter. Just wish it lasted longer—my dry skin was back in hours.

Greenpanda bamboo toothbrush He said: I'm all for reducing plastic waste, but this was a bit rough… literally. The brush head is very porous and rough, and it left the sides of my mouth all scraped up after one use. I have used other bamboo toothbrushes in the past that didn't pulverize my mouth. Maybe this toothbrush was designed for pandas and Whole Foods stocked it by mistake? I dunno.

She Said: I loved the feel of the 100% bamboo handle, which is biodegradable, and the fact that these are made in the U.S. However, the “luxuriously soft” bristles might seem so to an actual panda, but steer clear if you have even slightly sore gums. Ouch.

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GREEN LIVING

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greenlivingmag.com

Are you interested in the value of your property? I am happy to provide a comprehensive real estate review.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Ryan Rybarczyk | R E A LT O R

480-381-3724

C E L L | 480-948-4711 O F F I C E

RYA N @ A R I ZO N A B E S T. CO M | W W W. R RY B A RCZY K . A R I ZO N A B E S T. CO M

OCTOBER 2020

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GREEN L IV I NG

53

GREEN

Scenes

October Events Throughout Arizona CENTRAL ARIZONA October 8 Green Living Eco Event Senderos at South Mountain You’re invited to Senderos at South Mountain Apartments Grand Opening Event at 9700 S. Central Ave., Phoenix, in collaboration with Green Living magazine’s Eco Events AZ. There will be networking opportunities, property tours, raffle prizes, and delicious local fare. Senderos at South Mountain is an eco-friendly and luxurious apartment community. 4:30-7 p.m. Free to attend. Social distancing precautions will be enforced, and guests are required to wear masks to this indoor/outdoor event. RSVP at www.greenlivingmag.com/events.

October 1-31

October 8

Wild Rising Art Exhibition

Art + Chocolate Gold Palette ArtWalk Come and celebrate art at this event hosted by the Scottsdale Gallery Association. Admire the works displayed by different galleries while enjoying some refreshments. The artwalk, which will be held in Old Town Scottsdale, will also feature live music and special exhibits, as well as artist meet-and-greets.

This free event begins at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.experiencescottsdale.com/event/summer-spectacularartwalk/363575/.

October 16-18 Glass Pumpkin Patch Enjoy the majesty of the Wild Rising art exhibit in the heart of the beautiful Desert Botanical Garden. The exhibition, comprised of more than 1,000 animal sculptures made from recyclable plastic, has traveled all the way from Italy. The exhibit is open every day from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. If you visit after sunset, you’ll see the sculptures light up the garden with their beautiful colors. General admission is $24.95 for adults and $14.95 for kids. Face coverings are required to attend. For more information, visit www.dbg.org/ exhibits/wild-rising-by-cracking-art/2020-09-14/.

October 3 Shop to Support our Local Communities Get your shop on and support small businesses at this event hosted by the Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort. This event was created to support local vendors that have been affected by COVID-19. A limited number of people will be allowed in the ballroom at the same time, and masks will be required during this free event. For more information, visit www.visitphoenix.com/ event/shop-to-support-our-local-community/129626/.

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greenlivingmag.com

Attend the nonprofit organization Holland Center’s inaugural Glass Pumpkin Patch, where more than 1,000 different vibrant glass pumpkins will be on display. These glass sculptures, handmade by acclaimed local artist Gregory Tomb, will be available for purchase. Additionally, glass-blowing classes will be available to those interested in learning this artistic technique. This free event runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. All proceeds will benefit Desert Foothills Theatre. For more information, visit www.hollandcenter.org.

NORTHERN ARIZONA

SOUTHERN ARIZONA

October 1

October 17-18

Zoo by Moonlight

Willcox Wine Festival

Bring the entire family to this fun nighttime experience in Prescott, where you can explore Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary after hours, and see many animals that you would not regularly see during the day, including wolves, clouded leopards, coyotes, and more. The event is $5 for members and $8 for nonmembers, and runs from 8-9:30 p.m. Don’t forget to bring your flashlight. For more information, visit www.heritageparkzoo.org/ index.php/events/zoo-by-moonlight.

October 1-31 Ales on Rails Welcome the fall season with a party! This event is a Germanstyle luncheon featuring a beer-tasting of local brews and European ales, held amid the beautiful fall foliage of the Verde Canyon in Clarkdale. The event begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The train departs at 1 p.m., where the party continues on board. Prices vary. For more information, visit www.visitphoenix. com/event/ales-on-rails/105661/.

Spend a relaxing evening at the wine festival in Willcox. The festival will feature 15 of the best wineries in Arizona. You will also have the opportunity to buy from over 70 vendors of fine arts, artisan foods, antiques, and more. There will also be live music and other forms of entertainment. Designated drivers, non-drinkers, and those who are underage are admitted for free. The price for other attendees starts at $20. For more information, visit www.willcoxwinecountry.org/event/willcoxwine-festival-2/.

October 2-3

October 3-31

Night of Light Begin the weekend with this fun nightlife event at the Green Room bar in downtown Flagstaff. It will feature a fun exhibition of the work of local artists, painters, photographers, musicians, and more. The event starts at 9 p.m. and ends at 2 a.m. It is free to attend, and is only for those ages 21-plus. For more information, visit www.flagstaffgreenroom.co.

October 31 Haunted History Halloween is here, so prepare yourself for a fun and spooky performance by poet and author Michael Peach. Peach will read some of his original ghost stories at this event held in Sedona, including Peoria’s Runaway Pumpkin, The Hauntings of the Red Ghost, and more. The event will run from 3-4 p.m. Admission is $6. For more information, visit www.visitsedona.com/eventscalendar/haunted-history2/.

Marana Pumpkin Patch Visit the Marana Pumpkin Patch in Tucson and choose from over 50 acres of pumpkins. There will also be wagon rides, a hay maze, a petting zoo, a small train, a straw mountain, and much more.

Delicious festival food, such as hamburgers, corn dogs, nachos, pumpkin pies, and apple cobbler, will be available all day. The price of admission starts at just $11. For more information, visit www.maranapumpkinpatch.com/events-at-a-glance/.

October 1-12 Arizona International Film Festival Calling all movie aficionados. The rescheduled International Film Festival is back! Enjoy impressively innovating independent films crafted by filmmakers from all over the world. This is the longestrunning film festival in Arizona. The “Bridging Cultures” theme of the festival aims to educate viewers on the many diverse cultures on our planet. For more information, visit www.visittucson.org/ event/arizona-international-film-festival.

BUSINESS October 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30

October 22

Business & Breakfast

Community Networking

Join other business owners at this networking event at the Deer Valley airport restaurant in Phoenix. Build relationships with like-minded individuals looking to bring more sales into their businesses. Exchange ideas, ask questions, make friends, but above all, have fun. This event is free and will run from 7-8 a.m.

For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/businessand-breakfast-tickets-87757516093?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.

Join the Arizona Green Chamber for a networking virtual event with breakout sessions. This Sip & Connect series event allows you to connect with other business owners and share from your own experiences this year. The session will be via Zoom and will be held from 5-6:15 p.m. Registration is required. And also, do not forget to bring your favorite beverage! For more information, visit www.azgreenchamber.org/event-3948435.

OCTOBER 2020

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GREEN L I V I NG

55

FINAL

Word

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”

—Jane Goodall 56

GREEN LIVING

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greenlivingmag.com

Are you still on track for retirement?

Time for a second opinion.

Investors have survived market swings and corrections before. But a twinge of uncertainty may have you wondering if you should get another opinion to help confirm your wealth is in the right place. That’s why we’ve made it as easy as we can to have a complimentary, face-to-face meeting with a Financial Advisor.

Maybe you just want to know if you’re really on track for retirement or if your investments could be better aligned to your goals. Or in the process of working hard for your money, you worry you’ve overlooked some necessary steps to transfer your wealth.

Whatever’s on your mind, we’re here to listen, and we’ll help you evaluate your plan. It’s free, and there’s no obligation. Then you can decide if your wealth is getting the care it deserves.

WEALTH MANAGEMENT | INVESTMENT PLANNING | RETIREMENT

Investment and Insurance Products: u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2015 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Mark Morales First Vice President - Investment Officer 180 W Continental Rd Ste 120 Green Valley, AZ 85622 Toll Free: (800) 925-7470 mark.morales@wellsfargoadvisors.com https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/mark.morales

CAR-1018-02592

Experience the Tucson Botanical Gardens like never seen before.

Wonderful new exhibits and experiences now on display through January 3, 2021. • TucsonBotanical.org • (520) 326-9686