Discovering Scottsdale’s Green Side

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Aug. 4, 2009) – Part celebration, part art exhibit, part music festival, and all environmentally friendly, Green Street Scottsdale will celebrate the city’s sustainability efforts on Nov. 12. The free event, which takes place during the 2009 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo at the Phoenix Convention Center Nov. 11-13, will kick off with a special ArtWalk in the Scottsdale Arts District at 7 p.m. along Main Street and Marshall Way in downtown Scottsdale. The event continues at the South Bridge and Scottsdale Waterfront districts with a live Latin Jazz concert, organic beer tastings, eco-friendly public art installations and interactive exhibits that highlight Scottsdale’s green projects.

“The City of Scottsdale and its residents have a deeply rooted commitment to sustainability, which is evidenced by the voter-initiative preserving 36,000 acres of land in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve,” said Lauren Simons, vice president of marketing for the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “In the shadow of this beautiful mountain preserve, Scottsdale has developed a world-class green building program as well as outstanding environmental management efforts in the city and private sector. We’re looking forward to sharing some of our best initiatives with locals and visitors during the event.”

The Green Street Scottsdale ArtWalk will feature artist demonstrations with recycled and reusable materials and live music from local bands while nearby restaurants will dish out special promotions to event attendees. Meanwhile, the SouthBridge and Scottsdale Waterfront areas are set to feature interactive exhibits highlighting the city’s most dynamic sustainability initiatives. Displays will include a photographic journey showcasing conservation efforts in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve along with a virtual hiking and rock-climbing experience, talks by renowned local architects, a gallery of all LEED-certified projects in the city and more.

Green Street Scottsdale also will throw some Latin flavor into the eco-friendly mix. The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ free Latin Jazz concert will be at Southbridge and all event participants can “live la vida Locavore” while they enjoy specialty cuisine made with local and organic ingredients from a Scottsdale vendor. An outdoor beer garden on the Marshall Way Bridge will provide samples of some of the world’s tastiest organic brews, courtesy of Draft Magazine.

Transportation options will be available to those who take the Valley Metro Light Rail to the Priest and Washington station in Phoenix. From there, the free and eco-friendly Scottsdale Trolley (they run on biodiesel) will pick up conference attendees, leisure travelers and Valley residents to take them to downtown Scottsdale. The trolley will run from 5 to 11 p.m., and there also will be plenty of hybrid taxis from Discount Cab for guests wishing to extend the festivities later into the night.

Green Street Scottsdale is presented by the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Cultural Council in partnership with several local businesses and volunteers. The producers invite Green build attendees, area visitors and local residents to experience the event in downtown Scottsdale on Thursday, Nov. 12 from 7 to 10 p.m.

For international stories: For travel in the United States visit In The Know Traveler USA

For USA stories: For travel around the world visit In The Know Traveler

Written by ITKT Media Partners