In Their Own Words

"The Historic Y is very pleased that in February 2017 we began producing energy from the sun. We view this as an investment in the future, not only of The Historic Y, but of our planet. Producing our own energy on-site means we now purchase a fraction of what we used to from TEP, resulting in a yearly environmental offset of over 60 tons of coal, 62,000 gallons of water and 140 tons of CO₂. As a mature tree can absorb approximately 45 lbs of carbon dioxide annually, that’s the equivalent of planting 6,222 trees each year. We are glad to be doing our part to reduce our carbon footprint and be a more sustainable community.

As a Center for the Arts, Education, the Environment and Human Rights, The Historic Y is committed to doing its part for our community and the world, and by initiating new energy-saving technologies and practices, our goal is to continue to decrease the amount of energy we purchase in relation to the amount we produce on-site. As home to the largest number of environmental and conservation organizations under one roof anywhere in Southern Arizona, including Tucson Audubon Society, Environmental Education Exchange, Sierra Club, Arizona Wilderness Coalition, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, National Parks Conservation Association, Sonoran Joint Venture Binational Bird Conservation, Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians, and The Wilderness Society, we are tremendously proud of all the invaluable work that comes out of The Historic Y community and wish to do our part as well by being good stewards of both this wonderful historic property and earth’s precious resources."