CMGA General Info

Apple blossoms. Photo by Cynthia Murray.

Welcome to the Coconino County Master Gardeners Association

The Coconino Master Gardener Association began in 2009 to create a corps of well-informed volunteers, and to deliver quality horticultural education programs adapted to our regional high elevation environment. The association provides support for Master Gardener graduates and volunteers as well as continuing education and opportunities to participate in community programs that increase the visibility and participation in the Master Gardener Program.


Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
1601 N. San Francisco St. in Flagstaff, Arizona.

On this page you will find:
- How to become a member Membership form
- How to report volunteer and education hours Report your hours
- Upcoming events calendar
- Gardening columns and articles
- Links to other useful websites and resources
- Master Gardener Association documents and forms

Change in Contact Information

Make sure you are receiving the regular emails from Master Gardeners, which are filled with reminders about upcoming events and useful gardening information.Click here to update your contact information!

Event Calendar

Monday, March 18, 2019

Notes from my Recycle class on 3/14

We had 3 speakers tonight. First was the director of Willow Bend on teaching recycling to children. They teach a class at the recycle center once a month on the first Friday at 1pm for all ages. They also partner with the city, and the Azulita Project to teach recycling primarily to school children from K-6th grade. They also include climate change and renewable energy. The director spent her time mostly in telling us how to teach children.  The primary sugesstions were simple, clear, short, with lots of participation and demonstration,.

The next two speakers were about sustainable building - Nina Schmidt from Coconino County's Sustainable Building Program and Tom Elsass who is a local builder who emphasizes sustainable building practices.

The mission of the Coconino County Sustainable Building Program is to encourage, educate, support and develop sustainable building practices and processes for residents of Coconino County and all the communities within it.
Coconino County Sustainable Building Program offers the following services to all residents of Coconino County, and the cities and communities within it, for free:


Consultations

Certification Program

Resources for Sustainable Building

Code Support

Educational Opportunities


Current Initiatives and Projects

Construction Waste Initiative

Pollinator Habitat Initiative

Real Estate Initiative

Radon Outreach

2018 ICC Code Adoption

Why reduce construction/demolition waste?
25-40%  of landfill content is construction waste

80-90% of this could be diverted



Reducing construction waste:

Minimizes waste of embodied energy

Reduces methane emissions

Saves money

Reduces environmental damage
Reduces landfill size

Tom Elsass talked about how our homes become sick and can contribute to our health. He talked about many things we should think about in buying or building a home. A few tidbits were remove any existing carpeting, and avoid carpeting if you can.  Look for natural materials (best flooring wood or cement). Avoid cleaners that are antimicrobial or antibiotic - use probiotic cleaners if you can find them. There was so much else in this lecture that you really needed to be there.


They both talked about how much building material goes into the land fill - 25-40% of the landfill is this. The city and county are both working on ways this can be changed. Places like ReStore that sell used materials are one answer, and the builder talked about thinking about remodels or refits rather than tearing down and building new. The county has a plan. Check it out on there site.

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