12 Sep Best of Austin 2013: Green-filtered edition
CONGRATULATIONS to all the Austin EcoNetwork partners who were honored in
the Austin Chronicle's 2013 Best of Austin. Being voted best in the whole city is pretty awesome! We love that they have a category for Best Green Program and Best Environmentalist. We REALLY love it when green groups win mainstream categories, and we extra special with a cherry on top love it when the winners are Austin EcoNetwork partners. Check 'em out!
Also, at the end of this blog I pay special tribute to this year's winner of Best Environmentalist, George Cofer.
note: "Award titles and quoted content is the Chronicle's wording"
Best Green Program: Eastside Compost Pedallers (Reader's Poll) 2921 E. 17th, 512/436-3884
I love these guys! Creative, committed, visionary, willing to pave a new path…Dustin and his crew are helping return nutrients to the soil in THE most eco-friendly manner possible.
"This genius compost recycling program was built on four core values: sustainability, community, simplicity, and creativity. When members sign up, they're given everything they need to start turning their compostable waste into a rich resource. Then once a week, pedallers pick up the compost using specially designed compost-churning cargo bikes and haul it to neighborhood gardens and nearby farms, where it will be used to nourish the soil and grow more food. ESCP works to connect neighbors and presents an inspiring new way to support Austin's local food movement."
Best Food Delivery: Greenling (Reader's Poll) Order online – Delivered to YOU, 512/440-8449
"Using technology as an essential tool for sustainable change in the food industry, Greenling delivers local, organic food to your doorstep. Order online and Greenling will pick up, pack together, and bring you all the ingredients you need to cook a homegrown meal you can feel great about. Supporting local farmers and artisan food makers, Greenling offers a variety of items, including fresh veggies, coffee, and tortillas. Grocery shopping has never been so easy."
Best Dry Cleaner: EcoClean (Reader's Poll) Now in TWO locations: 2915 Guadalupe & 2438 West Anderson Ln., Suite C-3 512/236-8645
"This town can get pretty down and dirty. So, it's EcoClean's job to wash away those late-night adventures (but you'll always have the memories) in a safe and clean environment. From its humble beginnings in 1995 to the opening of its second location, EcoClean maintains its eco-friendly "wet cleaning" process and uses biodegradable detergents. But now it offers free pickup and drop-off at your home or office to keep your secrets squeaky clean."
Best Bicycle Repair: Bicycle Sports Shop (Reader's Poll) Now with THREE locations! 517 S. Lamar Blvd- 512-477-3472; 10947 Research Blvd- 512-345-7460; 9900 W. Parmer Lane- 512-637-6890
"It's a real bummer when your bike is out of commission, kind of like when your best friend gets drunk and jumps off a roof and breaks their ass or their ankle, and suddenly you don't have a pal to lurk around with for two months. At least when your bike breaks, you can take it to Bicycle Sport Shop. Their staff of professional mechanics can repair and tune-up your bike, so you can stay on the road, where you belong."
Best Gardening Store: The Natural Gardener (Reader's Poll) 8648 Old Bee Caves Rd., 512/288-6113
"You can't honestly call the Natural Gardener a simple gardening store. They do sell plenty of soil, compost, and organic plants from their nursery, but with their gardening and sustainable living classes, on-site butterfly garden, and open invitation to post up on the lawn for a picnic, Natural Gardener distinguishes itself as more than a shop. What John and Jane Dromgoole have created is a growing, blooming, year-round celebration, dedicated to Austin's adoration of our natural world."
Best Way to Save Your Honey: Central Texas Bee Rescue (Critics Pick)
"Austin's Bee Czar, Walter Schumacher, runs the CTBR (which operates under the nonprofit American Honey Bee Protection Agency) and gives honey bees a fighting chance through humane rescue and relocation. The king bee and his colony of workers give the extracted bees love and sanctuary, facilitate harvests of honey and bee pollen to make super sweet local products, and offer public education on the plight of the honey bees. Naturally, in the unnatural world of mass honey bee deaths and disappearances, our hometown hive has a viable, tattooed alternative to extermination. Rescuing honey bees, Central Texans (“emergencies take precedence!"), and the ecological balance of the planet are just all in a day's work for Central Texas Bee Rescue."
Best Nature Education for Kids and Families: Austin Families in Nature 512/454-9237 (Critics Pick)
"Founded on the principles outlined in Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, Austin Families in Nature is a club dedicated to, well, getting families out into nature in an effort to build community, promote creativity and curiosity, and reconnect families in the midst of busy lives. Under the direction of Heather and David Kuhlken, a former middle-school science teacher and Eagle Scout (respectively), the group’s outings range in scope from building bat houses and backyard habitats to marine biology trips in Key Largo, Fla."
Heather Kuhlken is also being recognized at the Westcave's Celebration of Children in Nature Awards for Visionary Leadership on Tuesday September 17th, 2013.
Best Guide to Living Green: The Austin Environmental Directory 512/447-8712 (Critics Pick)
"Everyone who's serious about protecting our environment should own a (free) downloadable or print copy of The Austin Environmental Directory. The 2013 edition is one of the best directories that activist Paul Robbins has published since starting this exhaustive endeavor in 1995. Appropriately, water is the theme of this year’s guide, which also includes updated info on clean energy programs, energy-efficient lighting, recycling, an expanded list of local enviro groups, and so much more. Think you know everything already? You're guaranteed to learn something new."
Best Environmentalist: George Cofer (Reader's Poll)
"It's easy to talk green. Longtime Hill Country Conservancy Executive Director George Cofer really makes things happen. From helping landowners preserve their property in its natural state to working with the city on comprehensive transport solutions, Cofer has a way of bringing everyone together in the green places we all love."
Most do not know this, but "Cofer" actually played a role in the origin of Austin EcoNetwork. Prior to the formation of the Austin EcoNetwork, members of the environmental community relied on Cofer's list. Whenever there was important news to share he would blast an email to a special distribution list in his Outlook account. (Actually I believe he sent faxes before emails were prevalent.) Anyway, as software is prone to do, his Outlook crashed and all the special groups were merged into one. I bugged him about getting it going again for some time, but he had given up being the local eco-announcer. He was extremely supportive of our plans for and launch of the Austin EcoNetwork, which first started out as a Yahoo Group.
For well over a decade George has been my mentor and friend. He has role-modeled being collaborative, positive, and persistent. Whenever I am considering my next big move I consult with him and get his perspective. Though he is busier than most people I know, Cofer manages to keep it real with beer and surfing. I love you George!
No Comments