Donna Reiner, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about Phoenix history and memorials.  She is a regular contributor to our newsletter. This month, Donna tells us about the Phoenix city flag, which turns 100-years old this month.

Get a group of historians and history buffs together to look at old Phoenix pictures and then try to outwit each other with trivia questions, one is apt to come away with a few story ideas. This is one of those stories.

There had been talk by the state historian, James McClintock, about a flag for the city of Phoenix. And a tourist even remarked that the motto should be “The Miracle City” rather than “Phoenix Rises.” That tourist thought Phoenicians simply did not appreciate their ability to create a Garden of Eden in the desert.

One hundred years ago this month, a group of women members of the chamber of commerce, led by Maie Heard, took the idea of having a Phoenix city flag to the next step. No more talking or discussion. Instead, these women instituted a competition for the design. While there were purported to be guidelines, none were discovered except for the recommendation that “the colors of the flag harmonize with those of the national emblem.” Maie Heard offered a prize of $25 for the winning entry.

A popular contest, the chamber of commerce received hundreds of entries and finally selected one. Frederick C. Green, Sr., a mining engineer was declared the winner since the first place drawing was too elaborate.

In order to become “official,” the Commission of the City of Phoenix needed to approve an ordinance making it so. Ordinance #544 described the flag as a “Phoenix Bird in grey on Gold Sunburst Background on a Blue Ground. [A] White Ribbon Scroll along [the] lower part of [the] Flag on which is the following legend in Gold: ‘CITY OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA.’” The 48 rays of the sun represent the 48 states (some rays are hidden by the Phoenix’s wings) and gold fringe trimmed three border sides.

The ordinance was unanimously approved November 23, 1921. Mayor Willis Plunkett also mentioned that the flag would cost $175, and all the commissioners approved the expenditure.

On November 11, 1921, the silk taffeta flag was exhibited for the first time as part of the Armistice Day parade. And then……no mention is made of the flag until 1929, after the city had moved into the new city hall (now Historic City Hall).

The flag, having been “hidden in a musty vault at the old city hall,” was “rescued from oblivion” and prominently displayed in the commission chambers. For some Phoenicians, it was the first time they had seen it or even knew that such a flag existed. But times changed, and once again the flag disappeared from public view.

Out of sight, out of mind. A piece of Phoenix history was hidden again. However, a new flag design was adopted in 1990.

Coincidentally, that original flag was discovered by one of those history buffs in the city clerk’s vault in the current city hall. While not being stored up to museum standards, especially considering its age, the flag is a gem. Perhaps we can persuade the mayor and city council to put it back on display, at least for its 100^th birthday in November.

Here’s our curated list of November happenings. It’s not everything, of course. But we think these things are particularly notable.

But, it’s beautiful outside! It’s that time of year that you think to yourself, “should I wear long sleeves?” then find out an hour later that you should not have. It’s that kind of warm, but not quite warm.

Ranked Choice Voting, with Andrew Yang. Y’all may know that I’m a fan of ranked choice voting (RCV), with which you can rank candidates in the order you’d like to see them win. I serve on the board of Voter Choice Arizona. While I was not a Yang supporter, I truly appreciated that he supported RCV, even when he ran for mayor of New York and the system probably disadvantaged his candidacy. In any case, join our November 17th state-wide meeting with Yang as a special guest. Get details and sign up here.

Tiny Flea Market. By which they don’t mean tiny fleas, but just a tiny flea. Know what I’m sayin’? It’s at Antique Sugar at 801 N 2nd St on November 6th from 8am to 2pm. The best little flea market in Downtown Phoenix is chock full of weird, wonderful, cheap old stuff. It’s true vintage flea market with authentic flea market prices. Cheap is kind of the whole shtick. Come ready to dig for your hidden treasures. Expect to find vintage clothing, housewares, knick-knacks, collectibles and miscellaneous cool old junk.

Wabi Sabi Pottery with Ping Wei. Try some pottery at the Japanese Friendship Garden on November 6th at 9am, where your instructor will demonstrate the process of making pinched bowls first. After the lecture, he will guide participants as you use the techniques yourselves to make your own tea cup and tea bowl. All materials needed for the items are included. After the workshop, Ping Wei will have your pieces fired and ready for you to pick up in three weeks at the Garden. $65.

Grand Unification. Grand Unification, hosted by Snood City at the Bragg’s Vendor Market, will take place along Historic Grand Avenue. Join the small business community along this unique downtown street while celebrating the arts, local businesses, and the historic neighborhood. Free admission. Let’s face it, as Roosevelt and 3rd St have been buried by apartment buildings and turned in to a deep canyon over the last ten years, Grand Ave is the place to go to see original art and creativity.

This Week Tonight Sucks. Phoenix’s Best Comedy Show (2018 Phoenix New Times) is now at Stand Up Live every Thursday. Join hosts Anwar Newton & Michael Turner as they irreverently round up the week in news in an outrageous late night setting. Comedians who join them get roasted and ripped apart if they don’t deliver the funny or treated like royalty if they bring the heat. There’s never a dull moment! Anwar and Mike will keep you up to speed on what’s going on in the horrible world around you! $20.

Small Business Advocacy Workshop. This event is hosted by the folks at Local First Arizona, of which we are members. There are a wide variety of policies that impact small businesses every day. From understanding zoning policy that impacts your business in your neighborhood, to state and federal policy that may impact the long term sustainability of your business. It’s important that business owners understand the effective ways to elevate their voice to officials molding policy in different ways. Attend this workshop to learn best practices to build relationships with officials, stay in tune with policy that may impact you, and how to best advocate for your small business.

There. I said it. Gas Stoves are Dangerous.

It is a heretical thing for a realtor to say, especially knowing that so many of our clients want them.

Heck, I have one in my home!

But with more information coming out about how dangerous they can be, particularly for children, I’m considering switching out to a induction stove.

There are two major reasons that we all need to consider removing gas stoves from our homes. The first is personal lung health. The second is about climate change.

Gas Stoves are Bad for Your Lungs

Let’s start by addressing the idea that fossil gas, or what the industry likes to call “clean natural” gas for marketing purposes, is not really as clean… especially when it is in your home.

Gas in home use releases dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde; levels that the EPA considers dangerous for even outdoor exposure. This can trigger breathing problems for people with asthma, particularly kids.

And, let’s face it, how often do you remember to turn on the fan above your stove? As a realtor, I’ve seen homes where there is only an interior fan over a gas stove –meaning it just recirculates carbon monoxide and other poisons inside the kitchen. The inspector usually points it out, but the buyers move ahead because they’ve been lead to believe that gas is clean-burning.

The multi-billion dollar, multi-decade, “cooking with gas” campaign from the gas industry has mislead people.

Gas is a Huge Contributor to Climate Change

The gas industry spends incredible amounts of money to tell us, for instance, that burning gas is better than burning coal. They also spend incredible amounts convincing lawmakers of the same.

Coal fire power plants are terrible and need to go away. But the idea that methane gas is a good alternative, or “bridge fuel” is very mistaken.

According to National Geographic, “On a 20-year timescale, a methane molecule is roughly 90 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than a molecule of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that wields the most control over Earth’s future warming in the long-term.” (emphasis added)

Furthermore, unlike coal, we have millions of miles of pipes all over the earth that deliver gas to homes, or from refineries, or from gas fields… and they all leak at rates we vastly under-estimated.

As such, we learn more and we know more. We need to move even more quickly as individuals and as governments to transition away from gas.

Can You Be Blamed for Not Knowing?

I don’t think so. The challenge is that the information has been evolving. For instance, back when I was the director of the state’s energy office in 2005-06, the common thinking was that it was better for the environment to have a gas water heater. That was because it took 60 gallons of water to generate the energy at a coal-fired power plant 300 miles away just to heat one gallon of water at your house.

So, of course it was better to heat that gallon of water with a flame in your home.

But, the calculation is changing. As we have shut down more coal fire power plants and more renewables have come on line, it is increasingly better every year for you to use electric to heat water, heat your home and cook your food.

Furthermore, the more we learn about the huge problems with leaks (and explosions) throughout the system, the more it makes sense to move to electricity.

Heck, I wish I would have thought of that before I installed a gas-fired tankless water heater back in 2014. So, we are all learning.

What Can Be Done?

1. Rebates for electric appliances. We need to demand from our policy makers and our utilities that they provide rebates for moving from gas stoves, gas water heaters and gas home heating. We did it with great success when we moved from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs and then LEDs.

2. If you can make the shift now, consider doing it. Perhaps your water heater is getting old, consider making the shift. I am.

3. Look in to cooking with induction stove tops. As a realtor, many people I talk to wants a gas range. But many folks don’t know that you can brown those potatoes just as well with an induction stove top. Plus it cleans up better! There are a bunch of YouTube videos out there of professional chefs debunking gas industry myths.

As with everything in this realm, cleaner energy is a combination of personal change and political change. We need both.