If you missed the first of two Cyclovia Tucson events on April 7, here’s information on the 2nd one in midtown/north central Tucson, on April 28, also 10 to 3 p.m.

The April 7 event was well attended with hundreds of bicyclists (two wheels, tandems), three wheeled vehicles, scooters, baby strollers, wagons, skaters, walkers, etc. enjoying the downtown streets sans automobiles/trucks. There were numerous family-friendly activity centers along the route, as there will be on April 28 as well.

More info: www.cycloviatucson.org. And below are the activities scheduled at each activity area:

La Madera Park Hub

Official event Kick-off Celebration with Ward 3 Council Member Karin Uhlich at 10 am.
Cox Communication’s Kids Zone, Strider Obstacle Course along with El Grupo’s Bike Rodeo and free youth helmet give away while supplies last.
Zumba classes, food trucks, and more!

Keeling Neighborhood Activity Hubs

11 am – 1:30 pm Live Entertainment: Tucson Friends of Traditional Music, Contra Dance Flash Mob, and The Saguaro Stompers
DJ Carl Hanni and DJ Herm
Tucson Audubon Society Bird Watching Activity
Keeling Neighborhood “Glazing in the Park: Art Activity to Beautify the Bike Boulevard”
BICAS Recycled Art hosts a “Fur and Flower Your Bike Decorating Station”

E. Glenn St. and Mountain Ave.

Bike Boogie: Learn to Dance with your Two-Wheeled True Love with Kimi Eisele
Solar powered Music by Chet Gardiner
Ben’s Bells
Cakes for Causes
Bookman’s Recreation Exchange
Bicycle Tune-Ups by Road Runner Bike Shop
Rocks and Ropes Climbing Wall

“Farm Corner” at Mountain Ave. and E. Blacklidge Dr.

HabiStore, FreeCycle™, Pima County Office of Sustainability, Technicians For Sustainability Solar Demo
Honeybee Demo, Tucson Village Farm, Zen Hens Urban Chickens
Tucson Organic Gardeners Compost Experience, Community Food Bank
Music by Tucson Ukulele Meet-Up

North Dodge Boulevard

DJ Alias with Solar Power provided by the Solar Store
Bicycle Tune-Ups by Arizona Bicycle Experts
Pima County’s “The Loop” Info Booth, Giant Bubbles by the Pima County Library
Living with Urban Wildlife Trailer by Pima County Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation
Feed the Koi, Tucson Koi and Water Gardens
Raku Pottery Demonstration by Tucson Clay Co-op
Drum and Drummer School of Percussion at Tucson Metal Arts Village

Enjoy the streets of Tucson and enjoy Spring outside.

Pima County Public Library invites you to the grand opening of its Seed Library and introducing the new Pima County Public Library Bookbike!

Saturday, January 28
10am – 5pm
at Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone (south of Alameda) in downtown Tucson

Special guests will offer presentations and demonstrations about planting, cultivating, and harvesting your own food. Find out about resources for experienced gardeners, as well as ideas about getting started with your own patch. Get a look at the Bookbike and hobnob with bicycling enthusiasts.
The Seed Library

In the case of Pima County Public Library’s seed lending library, it’s a collection of edible, decorative, and herb seed varieties that community members will borrow, use to grow plants at home, and then return a portion of the seeds they harvest at the end of the season. Over time, the seed library’s collection will become self-sustaining and most importantly, the seeds will become super seeds–strong, resilient, and well adapted to Arizona’s harsh climate.

And, a Bookbike?

The Bookbike, and Bookbike volunteers, will represent Pima County Public Library at events in Tucson. Bookbike volunteers will stock the shelves of the Bookbike then accompany and assist the Pima County Bike Ambassador, who will ride the Bookbike to the event. The books will be given away free of charge to readers.

Grand Opening Activities

Talk with folks from local seed and garden organizations
Native Seeds/SEARCH, Sustainable Tucson, Marana Heritage Farm, Community Gardens of Tucson, Tucson Organic Gardeners, Arizona Native Plant Society, and others.
Photographic Wheat Murals
The Youth Photo Farm Project, with photographer Josh Shacter and Marana Heritage Farm, will create photographic wheat paste murals on the library’s exterior.
Demonstrations and Workshops
Autonomous Community Sustainability Project will bring a hand-cranked acorn mill and have an indoor milling demonstration.
A thirty minute workshop by Tucson Village Farm.
Seed Ball drop-in workshop by Josh Banno of Dry River Radical Resource Center.
“What is food mapping?”, you ask. Katie Martinez will explain.
Planting in soil? Marana Heritage Farm will demonstrate best practices.

Schedule of Events
Seed Library Grand Opening (and Bookbike Introduction)

Saturday, January 28, 2012
11:00am – 12:30pm
Joel D. Valdez Main Library
Why Organic and Seasonal is Best
Why eating seasonal organic food makes sense. How to meal plan using seasonal produce and how to store your farmer’s market bounties.
Presented by Certified Health Coach, Nutritional Educator and Culinary Playshop Artist, Tiffany Rose Wood

1:00pm – 2:30pm
Joel D. Valdez Main Library
Plan Your Garden Space
Use Legos to plan out your garden space. Plant a seed to take home.
Presented by the Community Food Bank

3:00pm – 5:00pm
Joel D. Valdez Main Library
Forks Over Knives Film Screening
In the film “Forks Over Knives” the idea of food as medicine is put to the test. Throughout the film, cameras follow “reality patients” who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Doctors teach these patients how to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments – while the challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed.

So if you’re interested in this seed lending library and about planting, or the Bookbike, show up on Saturday at the Main Library to learn more.

UPDATE: 5 libraries will have these seeds to lend out: Main, Ajo, Himmel, Flowing Wells and Quincie-Douglas.

WHEN: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Habitat for Humanity’s HabiStore, 840 S. Palo Verde Road, Ste. 201 (Southwest corner of Ajo and Palo Verde).

The free Green Living fair will feature information tables offering advice from local experts, the “Gurus of Green”, including Mrs. Green, Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, Pima Computer Recycling, The Solar Store, Tucson Organic Gardeners, Tucson Electric Power, Cartridge World, World Care, Technicians for Sustainability, and others.

Activities and information at the fair will include: Growing a home garden, organic gardening & composting, green transportation, rainwater harvesting, solar power, air quality, saving energy, recycling, resource-conservation, alternative fuels, and other bargains at the HabiStore. There will even be hands-on “green activities” for kids as well.

For this event only, bring your E-waste items for recycling: cell phones, TVs, empty ink and laser cartridges, computers, and other electronics.

“Habitat for Humanity Tucson offers an innovative solution to the crisis of poverty housing by giving a hand up, not a hand out. Habitat Tucson works to end poverty housing by creating opportunities for homeownership in partnership with low-income families; and by making decent shelter a matter of community conscience and action.” They built 300 homes last year.

“The HabiStore is changing the world one couch at a time! By selling surplus new and used building and home improvement materials, appliances and furniture to the public the HabiStore is diverting more than 150 tons of material from the landfill each year. Usable materials, donated by retail businesses, contractors, individuals, and other organizations, are sold to the public at below cost prices. Proceeds from the HabiStore fund the Habitat Tucson mission of eliminating poverty housing within our community. ”

For more information please visit www.habitattucson.org, or call HabiStore at 520-889-7200.

Sounds like a wealth of information on “living green.”