Efficient Use of Natural Resources

Featured Projects: ¡Viva Reciclaje! and the Zanjero Program

Description
In 1998 the Solid Waste Management Department received an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to launch ¡Viva Reciclaje! an innovative education outreach program targeted towards Tucson's Hispanic community. The goal is to raise awareness about waste reduction, reuse and recycling, and increase participation in the city's recycling programs.

Tucson Water Department's Zanjero Program promotes conservation of our most important natural resource: water. It is an innovative customer outreach effort featuring trained conservation specialists that visit homes and businesses that use a large amount of water. During these visits, the specialists check fixtures, irrigation systems, and customer water use habits. Customers receive individualized surveys that help them use water more efficiently, identify problem areas, and provide guidelines to reduce their water use. Some customers qualify to have low-flow fixtures and other water-saving devices installed in their homes.

Key Features
¡Viva Reciclaje!:

• A bilingual education specialist attends events and neighborhood fiestas sponsored by the Hispanic community, as well as educating school children in the targeted neighborhoods about the benefits of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
• Staff walk the neighborhoods and talks with residents one-on-one to discover why they are not recycling and try to engender a change in behavior.
• Media outreach strategies spread and promote the message of ¡VIVA RECICLAJE!.

Zanjero Program:

• Conservation specialists visit homes and business where large amounts of water is used
• Specialists examine fixtures and habits in an effort to increase efficiency
• Water saving tips and water saving devices are provided

Partners
¡Viva Reciclaje!: Hispanic media, including television, radio and print, Fairgrounds Neighborhood Association, Wards 1, 3, and 5 Council offices, Citizen & Neighborhood Services

Zanjero: Pima Community College, University of Arizona, Citizen & Neighborhood Services, Building Owners and Managers Association, Arizona Multi-Housing Association, Mobile Home Park Community, Arizona Landscape Contractors Association, and Southwest Gas

Impact
As a result of ¡VIVA! participation in curbside recycling has increased by 7 percent and there has been a nearly 40 percent increase in tonnages collected at our Neighborhood Recycling Centers in the target areas. ¡Viva Reciclaje! was awarded the 1999 Urban Recycling Program of the Year by the Southwest Public Recycling Association and is being used as a model for Denver, Colorado.

As a result of the Zanjero Program, approximately 35 million gallons of groundwater annually is saved. By conducting free water use audits in homes and businesses, the Zanjero Program staff has not only focused on conservation, but has saved water customers considerably on their water bills.

For more information about ¡Viva Reciclaje!, contact Ernesto Velarde, 791-5543 x1119, evelard1@ci.tucson.az.us

For more information about Zanjero, contact Fernando Molina, 791-4556, fmolina1@ci.tucson.az.us

• The Green Team
• Rillito and Santa Cruz Habitat Demonstration Projects
• Sustainable Energy Standard for City Facilities

Goal Indicator definition for this project.