The Japanese Association of Tucson (JAT) (http://www.geocities.jp/jpntus/) is having a picnic/bake-craft-yard sale and disaster relief fundraiser (donation box) on Sunday April 10, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The March 11, 2011 earthquake (9.0 magnitude) and subsequent tsunami devastated northeastern Japan.

This event will be at Sushi Yukari, a Japanese restaurant at 5655 E. River Rd. # 151 in Tucson. The restaurant is on the NE corner of River and Craycroft.

Activities for children (i.e. face painting ,balloon creations, etc.) will also be offered.

Food (Yakisoba, Takoyaki, and Curry Rice) will be available for purchase. Drinks will be provided by the JAT. Otherwise no entrance fee to this event.

They will be collecting relief supplies for World Care (http://www.worldcare.org/index.html).

A previous fundraising event on March 19 netted over $10,000 to date. Photos at their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60510297352&v=photos, including photos of Japanese taiko drumming and bon dancing.

Email: jpnassoctucson@yahoo.co.jp.

For other upcoming fundraising events for Japan disaster relief, read my previous blog (click here).

Note: large 7.1 after-shock earthquake hit the same area of Japan on April 7. One of my friends send me this USGS link listing all earthquakes in the last 7 days:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

This year for the first time they are using environmentally friendly backpacks made of 100% recycled cotton, and distributing Spanish and bi-lingual books as well.

“A Visit from Saint Nicholas” delivers backpacks filled with toys, books, a toothbrush, and library card to some of Tucson’s most disadvantaged youth in pre-kindergarten through second grade. The backpacks these children receive may be their only holiday gift, but more importantly, the books may be their very first personal book. These children reside in some of Tucson’s most impoverished neighborhoods, and the schools that they attend are chosen to participate in the program based upon the percentage of students eligible for the government-aided free lunch program. On average, 95% of the student bodies of schools taking part in “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” qualify for the free lunch program, meaning that they come from families that are classified as very low income.”

The location for assembling these backpacks is again at the World Care center at 3538 E. Ellington (south of E. 22nd Street,east of Palo Verde Ave.) in the former Julia Keen Elementary School location. The packing party starts at 5 p.m. and goes till they are finished.

I helped pack last year after I read an article in this Tucson Citizen newspaper about the event, and there were lots of enthusiastic people helping, of all ages. And if you want to be a “Saint Nicholas” at the local schools, you can volunteer for the delivery party as well on Dec.3rd from 10 to 4 p.m.

To volunteer please RSVP to Erin Lapidus, 881-3300, x 147 at the Volunteer Center, 940 S. Alvernon, or email her at elapidus@volunteersoaz.org. And please ask your family and friends to help as well.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

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.”