12 Apr Great options available for Earth Week in Austin

This week is Earth Day/Week!
There is something going on EVERY day this week. Check out this expanded list of events.

Sunday

East Side Urban Farm Tour

Sunday April 17th from 1 – 5pm enjoy a Sunday stroll through four East Austin Urban farms—Boggy Creek Farm, Rain Lily Farm, Springdale Farm, and Hausbar Farm. Tour includes cooking demos and tastes by local celebrity chefs and samples of local wine, beer, and spirits!
Farm tours on the quarter hour at each of the Host Farms.
Purchase tickets here  (Children under 12 free)

Monday

Planning Austin's future is important and the process is underway! You can review all the Working Groups' ideas or just focus in on the Conservation & Environmental Resources Working Group.

The Conservation & Environmental Resources Working Group of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive planning process meets tonight to review all the ideas received at the Kickoff meeting held on April 2nd.
Date: Monday, April 18, 2011
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm (please arrive a bit early)
Location: Seton Administrative Offices (St. Vincent de Paul Auditorium at Mueller), 1345 Philomena Street, 78722
Carpool, parking, and bike parking info has been added to the events page.

Tuesday

Meet Our "Sustainability Exchange Fellows" from Australia
Austin is participating in an international exchange program organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Office of Sustainability. It's called Global Partnerships for Climate Change and Sustainability. Hear international insights, policies and strategies around climate change and sustainability shared by our counterparts from Australia.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
City Hall, Council Chambers 301 W. 2nd Street

Find out what’s happening "down under" with:

• Waste and resource recovery projects
• Energy efficient lighting projects
• Local food initiatives
• Climate action programs
• Regional sustainability plans

Mr. Green and Mr. Prangell will be in Austin for two weeks, touring around to learn about a broad range of sustainability initiatives. Contact Melissa Martinez at the Office of Sustainability to learn about other events where they will be present, or to schedule time with them.

Wednesday

This year's Earth Day community celebration, produced by Austin Green Art, will be Wednesday, April 20th from 4 – 8 pm at the SFC Farmers' Market at the Triangle (between Lamar & Guadalupe at 46th Street)  www.austinearthday.com 743-4245

Join Farmhouse Delivery's peeps on the farm to watch the sun set over Boggy Creek, say hi to the hens, listen to music from Two Bits & a Dollar and enjoy smoked & braised pulled lamb sliders with pickled radishes ($6).

On Wednesday, April 20th from 6:30 – 8:00 in the AL Auditorium of Huston-Tillotson University, Dr. Doug La Follette, the Secretary of State of Wisconsin will present at talk entitled “Black Smoke to Sunshine – 40 Years of Earth Days.”

Dr. La Follette received his Masters in Chemistry from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Columbia University.  He has been the Wisconsin Secretary of State since 1982, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands since 1991 and is the current Public Affairs Director of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Dr. La Follette is a National Board Member of the Sierra Club and a 2003 Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar. He is the Founder and Director of Wisconsin Environmental Decade and author of The Survival Handbook.  He was one of the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970.
His talk is free and open to the public.

Trash Becomes Treasure: Architectural Salvage hosted by Design~Build~Live

7:00pm – 9:00pm at Backyard Salvage and Garden map and details

Like many cities, Austin is changing rapidly, and old buildings are being removed and replaced with new (and usually larger!) structures. Rather than simply being demolished and taken to the landfill (not green!), those old buildings can be moved or deconstructed for usable components and materials (good green!).

This month’s presentation will help us understand the often-neglected portion of the building materials loop – from the “end” of a building’s life to new use in another structure. Backyard Salvage and Garden is an ideal host and presenter for this topic, as they rescue entire buildings, pieces of buildings, and building contents.

The presentation and tour will take a look at the retail side of reclaimed materials – from architectural components, wrought iron, and windows and doors, to bricks, stone and antiques. Learn what items are available, how to use them, where they come from, and what they cost. Also get a guided tour of a historic property and landmark.

Thursday

Hill Country Conservancy staff Harper Scott & Andrea Rado will be featured on Shades of Green Energy Radio to talk about activities and events raise fundsoing on for Earth Day 2011. You can find out more about Give 5 and the Earth Day concert at 1pm Thursday on 91.7 FM.

The Austin Climate Protection Program is proud to announce the winners of this year's City of Austin Environmental Awareness Awards! The goal of the awards is to recognize the efforts of individuals and groups that are making significant contributions to the protection and enhancement of our environment.

Awards will be presented by Mayor Lee Leffingwell during a ceremony in the Council Chambers at City Hall on Thursday April 21, 5:30pm. Please join us as we congratulate Austin's environmental stars.

• City of Austin Department: Solid Waste Services – Recycling Program for City Sponsored Events
• Community/Non-Profit: Clean Air Force – Clean Air Partners Program
• Government Agency: Austin-Travis County EMS – Departmental Emissions Reduction Plan
• Large Business: Spansion – multi-year water conservation project
• Individual Achievement Award: Brandi Clark Burton
• Education: Brentwood Elementary School – Boltage Program encouraging bicycling to school
• Small Business: Car2Go – carsharing program

Visit the Environmental Awards website to learn more about the awards and see past winners.

TreeFolks.org: Introducing April, Thanking Scott & Celebrating Austin's Tree Partnerships

Drop by City Hall this Thursday, between 5 & 7 to celebrate big changes within our organization — and the many people who've helped keep Austin's tree heritage green. Celebrating the many friends and partners of TreeFolks who have helped our organization plant more than 165,000 trees in the Austin area since 1990. Thanking Scott Harris for 11+ years of service as TreeFolks executive director, and Introducing our new executive director April Rose (both pictured below).

Special Features:

• Brandi Clark Burton is M/C¹
• Social hour & tasty food by local favorites²
• Beautiful setting on the Mayor's balcony³
• Tree proclamation made by City Council⁴
• Great, short program⁵

For more info about the event, click here.

Takoba, 1411 East 7th Street – 78702 presents, “Green Drinks for Clean Creeks” benefitting Keep Austin Beautiful and the volunteers who work to protect and improve our waterways throughout the year.  What better way to get in the Earth Day spirit than to relax in a locally owned businesses backyard while sipping local brews from Circle Brewing Company or Jester King Brewing?

Happy Hour at Tecolote Farm

Thursday, April 21st 6pm-sunset

Tecolote Farm, Decker Lane Rd. Manor, TX 78653
Music by the Skillet Heads

We will enjoy wine from Ambiente and beer from one of our local breweries.  Appetizers sourced directly from Tecolote Farm will will be served al fresco!
We request a $10 CASH donation to cover the cost of food and drinks.  Proceeds from the Happy Hour will go to Slow Food Austin to support local programs.

Friday

“Austin Give 5” campaign. 

ALL DAY!!!
Just eat, shop or play at local businesses and 5% of the purchases you make on Earth Day will benefit several local non-profit organizations that support the environment.

Earth Day Workday at Barton Creek Greenbelt (Spyglass Access Trail)

Friday 9:00am – Noon at the Trailhead: intersection of Barton Skyway/Spyglass Drive. Address: 1601 Spyglass Drive

International Earth Day Celebration at Austin Hostel
10am – 2pm Friday at the International Hostel located on Austin parkland along the shores of beautiful Lady Bird Lake.
If you ride your bike or take bus to event you will be entered to win a cool prize.

• Silent auction to fundraise for Austin Hostel
• Earth Day Activities for Kids
• Community Art Projects
• Learn Eco-Friendly Travel Tips
• Summer Garden Project
• Lakeside, Trail and Park Clean Up
• Food, Drink and Music — please bring your own reusable plate and cup
• Travel Gear, Camping Gear and Biking Gear Swap–bring gently used items to swap with fellow enthusiasts

In partnership with Keep Austin Beautiful.
Volunteers needed from 9 am to 3 pm.

Hill Country Conservancy's Earth Day Concert at the fabulous new downtown ACL Studios is this Friday April 22nd.

Tickets for the Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers concert are just $35. You also have the option of heavy appetizers from the Salt Lick and a speech by Time Magazine's Hero for the Planet Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Tickets for that AND the concert are $125

Order Tickets Here

You are invited to the Green Carpet Premiere of Dare to Go Zero, a Zero Waste reality show starring four Austin families reducing their waste at home.

  Friday, April 22, 6pm at Austin City Hall
RSVP to guarantee your seat in Council Chambers for the viewing of the premiere!

The Environmental Science Institute at UT is hosting an Earth Day lecture “Creative Conservation in a Changing Climate” given by Prof. Camille Parmesan on April 22 from 7:00 to 8:15 PM at The University of Texas Welch Hall.

The third annual, ever-so-awesome Austin Women's Clothing Swap is Saturday April 23 noon to 6pm. Free to attend.

Here's how it works:

1. Clean out your closet and find items to swap. Clean, gently worn clothing, plus shoes, handbags, jewelry, belts, scarves and more make great swap items.
    
2. Donate your items in advance at any of our convenient locations.
    
3. Come to the swap party on April 23rd with your own shopping bag plus a suggested cash donation of $5-10.

AND A WEEK AWAY – NEXT SATURDAY Join the Lone Star Sierra Club and the Texas Pecan Alliance for our 2011 Earth Day Dance out at the famous Swiss Alp Dance Hall! (http://swissalphall.com/) We're having a hoe-down complete with some of the best honky tonk, two-step bands in Texas to celebrate one of our favorite days of the year, Earth Day!
Saturday, April 30 · 7:00pm – 11:30pm
7:00 – Join as for dinner at the Swiss Alp Restaurant next door
8:00 – Boogie Allen Band, local LaGrange area act
10:00 – Miss Leslie, Houston two-step band

Sliding scale $10-$20; kids under 12 free