09 Sep EcoBits: Big Solar Vote, UT Fracking, & Citywide Composting
[Energy] The US government wants you to improve the energy efficiency of your home. And, to make this as easy as possible, they’re deploying an army of trained professionals to cities across the country, all with one mission in mind – to give Americans a Home Energy Score.Kind of like a car’s miles per gallon rating, the Home Energy Score is an indicator of a home’s energy efficiency. It also includes personalized advice on the best ways to improve a home’s efficiency and information about how much each improvement will cost. The Home Energy Score program launched this month in Austin. You can request a free Home Energy Score by visiting this website. More info>>
The Spirit Foundation (which is running the Home Energy Score program in Austin) is also hiring hundreds of people to conduct these energy efficiency assessments. If you’re interested in applying, more information is available in our latest AEN blog>>
[Energy] There is a big solar vote coming up next week in city council. On Thursday, September 17th, they’ll decide whether or not to approve a resolution directing Austin Energy to purchase 600 MW of solar power.
In July, Austin Energy announced that it received bids from developers to build 600MW of new solar capacity at the lowest prices (less than 4 cents/kWh) the world has ever seen. But after receiving these bids, Austin Energy told city council that they would prefer to contract out 200MW of solar now, and then wait a few years for solar prices to come down even further before purchasing the remaining 400MW. If next week’s resolution passes, Austin Energy will have to move forward with the 600 MW purchase, it’s largest and cheapest yet. More information about attending and speaking at the city council meeting is available here>>
[Energy] In recent years, more than 4,000 natural gas wells have been drilled on lands owned by the University of Texas. The school leases large swaths of its land in west Texas to oil and gas companies, who give the university royalty payments in exchange for allowing them to frack and drill on the land. According to a new report from Environment Texas, all of this drilling has used at least 6 billion gallons of water, released greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and potentially threatened endangered wildlife and natural areas.
Together with the Sierra Club and UT student leaders, Environment Texas is now calling on the university to eliminate the worst industry practices and write strong environmental protections in the leases it signs with oil and gas companies. If you’re interested in getting more involved with this issue, you can sign this petition being circulated by Environment Texas.
[Energy] Huston-Tillotson University is on a mission toward sustainability. This week, it installed solar panels on three of its buildings, which will provide the university with about 10 percent of its total electricity. And because of rebates from Austin Energy and the decreasing cost of solar in general, the school expects the panels to easily pay for themselves.
It’s all part of the school’s larger plans to become the greenest historically black college in the country. In an article for the Austin American-Statesman, university officials said that they see their environmental initiatives as a big benefit, a way to set themselves apart from other colleges.
[Energy/Budget]Austin’s City Council has been doing a lot of decision-making this week, finally voting on the particulars of next year’s budget.
One of their decisions revolves around Austin Energy demand charges for small businesses. For weeks, business leaders and the Austin Independent Business Alliance have been asking for a change in the current policy, which is designed to encourage lower energy use. Their complaint is that under the current policy, excess energy use during a single 15 minute interval during the summer months can bump up a business into a higher (and more expensive) energy class for an entire year. Council voted on Wednesday to change that policy, allowing Austin Energy to determine a business’ price class based on their average electricity use over the summer months instead. Learn more in this article from the Austin Monitor>>
[Budget/Zero Waste] Austin Resource Recovery’s plans to bring curbside organics pickup to every single-family household in Austin lives to fight another day. After some members of city council expressed resistance to the composting program, there were fears that council would strike the program from next year’s budget. In the end, council adopted their new budget with the initial phases of the city-wide composting rollout still in place. As the Texas Campaign for the Environment writes in a new blog for the EcoNetwork, this is a big step forward in the city’s zero waste goals, but there is still more work to be done. The program will take a long time to rollout and there will surely be more to vote on and discuss in the future.
[Zero Waste/Recycling] After years of service to Austin, Ecology Action’s Downtown Recycling Center is closing its doors on Sunday, September 13th. The Downtown Recycling Center has been a staple of the environmental community here in Austin, providing recycling services before they were cool or widespread.But, this isn’t the end for Ecology Action! The organization will continue to work on its brownfield remediation project at Circle Acres, as well as provide management and expertise for the Austin Materials Marketplace.
And if you’re looking for a new place to take your recyclables, Austin Resource Recovery is currently in the process of expanding their drop-off center on Todd Lane. Starting on October 17th, the drop-off center will be merging with their Household Hazardous Waste Facility to create a convenient, one-stop facility for recycling and reuse. More info>>
[Volunteer] How’s this for a fun volunteer opportunity? Austin B-cycle is looking for help running their bike valet station at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October. Starting at 10:30am each day of the festival, Austin B-cycle will be hosting a B-cycle Valet at the Zilker Park B-station, guaranteeing a parking spot for all B-cycle riders. Volunteers are needed to run bikes back into the city and to keep the bikes in tip-top shape throughout the festival. Everyone who agrees to help out will receive 50 percent off a B-cycle Annual Membership and a free t-shirt! Sign up here>>
[Volunteer] The Save Our Springs Alliance needs your help!
Volunteers are needed during their big Barton Springs University event on Friday, September 18th. Barton Springs University is a full day of outdoor learning and fun at Barton Springs Pool, featuring more than 20 experts sharing information about the hydrology of the Edwards Aquifer, biodiversity, spring ecology, water quality, and more. If you’re interested in helping out, send an email to sosinfo@sosalliance.org.
[Green Education] The City of Austin is now accepting applications for the Bright Green Future Grant. Each year the program provides funding for school-based sustainability projects up to $3,000. Learn more about past grant-funded projects here.
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