Energy Efficiency Expo! - Sunday, March 29, 2015

After weeks of planning, the Energy Efficiency Expo has come and gone with resounding success. The program consisted of presentations on energy rebates from Tucson Electric Power and Tucson Water, as well as a keynote address by resource economist John "Skip" Laitner. To add a more personal element to the expo, there was also a panel of business owners and managers that had taken advantage of these rebates in the past. 

After the event, the general consensus was that the business panel was the highlight of the program. It gave a different perspective to energy efficient technology--one that wasn't all charts, graphs, and numbers. With humor and relatable advice, representatives from Eegee's, Our Mother of Sorrows, Allstate Insurance, Raytheon, and Buffalo exchange helped to make energy efficiency more accessible.

With an overall attendance of over 140 Southern Arizona businesses, this expo was one of the, if not THE, largest energy efficiency summit in Arizona history. It was so successful that we plan to do another one in the near future!

Thanks for reading,

Jacob

State of the City and Scanning - Thursday, March 12, 2015

The State of the City address has come and gone, and was a huge success. Topics were wide-ranging, but focused, detailing the city's successes with what Mayor Rothschild calls Tucson's new biggest resources, the 5 T's--technology, trade, transportation, teaching, and tourism. I won't go into too many details (a complete transcript and video of the speech can be found here), but other points of interest included education funding in the state of Arizona and the importance of internships, which made me feel warm and fuzzy.

As I mentioned last week, I participated in the Southern Arizona Water Users Association Forum on Friday, March 6. Discussion was, unsurprisingly, focused on water conservation and sustainability. We were assured that, though many other southwestern states are experiencing droughts, Arizona is not in any sort of water shortage crisis. I was also glad to hear that as some states, like California, may have to start rationing water, Arizona will not be forced to take such measures because of our long history of conservation and planning.

At the office, preparation for the upcoming Energy Efficiency Expo continues. To gather contact information from possible attendees, I have been given the task of scanning a lot--a LOT--of business cards. While this job isn't the most exciting thing in the world, it is necessary if the office wants anyone to show up, and I'm more than happy to do it. I'm really starting to get excited for the event; seeing the end result of this work will be extremely rewarding.

That's all for now. Thanks!

Jacob

Energy Efficiency Expo - Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Ryan wasted no time getting me involved in the Tucson community. My first two weeks of on-site work have largely been spent working with him on an Energy Efficiency Expo that he has been putting together. It's exciting to see something like this come together, especially when I feel like I am putting forth meaningful contributions. I have been calling and emailing local business organizations and trade associations trying to win over potential attendees. I have also been put in change of researching simple, streamlined possible methods of RSVP-ing, which I have been told is the most complex part of the event-planning process (especially because the expo is being held in the secured Tucson Electric Power building, and all who attend need pre-made name tags). Witnessing--and partaking in--the sheer amount of effort that goes into a mere three-hour long energy efficiency workshop is truly eye-opening; I can only imagine how long and how hard everyone in the office has been working on Mayor Rothschild's upcoming State of the City Address.

As I only work three days a week, I have a substantial amount of free time. I've managed to fill it up with outside reading assigned by the Mayor, particularly Alan Ehrenhalt's The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City, which tackles the tough subject of gentrification in the United States' largest urban areas. [Note: Shawtaroh discusses gentrification in more depth in his Week-Two blog post, which can be found here.]

As an interesting aside, I have also been asked to be the Mayor's representative at this Friday's Southern Arizona Water Users Association (SAWUA) Forum. Exciting!

As always, thanks for reading!

Jacob

Preliminary Project and Canvassing - Monday, February 23, 2015

Before my work in the Tucson City Council building began, Mayor Rothschild assigned me a preliminary task. Through making use of the Arizona Daily Star archives, particularly the Business section, I was to find and list all new or expanding companies in Pima County from December 2011 through December 2014. The results were encouraging, with thousands of jobs in a wide variety of industries being created.

However, as I begin my on-site work with the Mayor's office, it seems as though my project's focus will be a bit different than what Mayor Rothschild initially envisioned. Working with my new project advisor, Mr. Ryan Anderson, I believe the new focus will be on community engagement rather than business interaction.

This new angle presented opportunities almost immediately. Sunday, February 22, I went canvassing to get the mayor back on the ballot for re-election later this year (I have been told it is Arizona State Law that a candidate, regardless of incumbency, must gather a minimum of 2,200 signatures to get his or her name on the next election ballot). Although frustrating at times, it was a tremendous experience, and I hope to canvas again in the near future. It is not only an opportunity to do work for Mayor Rothschild, but also a time to listen to the thoughts and concerns of his constituents.

Today marks the first on-site day of my internship. I look forward to seeking out ways to continue and strengthen my involvement in the Tucson community, and I have no doubt that my work in the coming weeks will help me do just that.

Thanks for reading!

Jacob

Introduction - Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Hello!

My name is Jacob Hansen, and I am a senior at BASIS Tucson North. For my last trimester of high school, several classmates and I have decided to take on senior research projects (SRPs). The SRP Program is comprised of a ten-week long interning period for research on a desired topic or question, culminating in an end-of-the-year presentation for peers, BASIS faculty, parents, and anyone else interested.

I will be spending the trimester interning at the Tucson mayor's office under Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, with a focus on local government-economy interaction. Through research of economic legislation in other cities, methods of drawing businesses to a metropolitan area, and getting the opinions of several prominent city businessmen, I will attempt to discover and develop innovative ways to bring prosperity to Tucson.

For as long as I can remember, politics have fascinated me. The mayor's office has given me a tremendous opportunity not only to gain a deeper understanding of how my city functions but also to gain some experience in the field of politics--experience that will no doubt be invaluable as I continue my study of politics into college and beyond.

I am incredibly excited to get started on this project, and equally excited to share my findings with you.

Thanks for reading!

Jacob