18 Dec EcoBits Dec. 18th – Dec. 25th: Election Recap, Fundraising Success, Zero Waste Holidays, and more….
Remember, we will be taking some time off too. The next edition of the EcoNews will be the 2014 Austin Green Year in Review and it will be published onJanuary 1st.
We are so pleased to announce that our Election Navigator crowdfunding effort has been super successful. Bookended by the title sponsorship of Texas Disposal Systems/Garden-Ville and the $5000 matching grant from Kirk Mitchell, we had a great run! All totaled we have pulled in over $31,104.35 in cash and in-kind services to fulfill on this amazing community project! (A bit of that in-kind value was on top of what we budgeted).
Our total does, however, fall a bit short of our second fundraising target of $15,000. Butcontributions are still trickling in! Maybe our beloved readers can help us pull over the top and make it a 
VERY Happy Holiday!? GIVE HERE
We extend a personal thank you to our most recent round of Election Navigator supporters that helped us keep the momentum flowing. We appreciate you, one and all!
- Rebecca Fisher
- Juli Berwald
- Brad Love
- Congressman Lloyd Doggett
- Thais Perkins
- Bob Gregory
- Frank Kim
- State Rep. Elliott Naishtat
- EnviroLoo
- Revolve Solar
- Green Fern Events
- Travis County Commissioner-elect Brigid Shea
- Rick Cofer
- Native
- John King
- Eleanor McKinney
- Green City Realty
- Roger Duck
- George Cofer
- E3 Properties
- Jeff Wilson aka Professor Dumpster
- Dede Clark's kidsActing
[Election] Austin has a new city council! After what seemed like endless months of campaigning, theelections are finally over. For the environment, the elections were bittersweet. The good news is that a majority (6 out of 11) of the new council members have received the endorsements of at least 2 environmental groups. The bad news is, the most anti-environmental candidate out of the original 78 slate has been elected to represent District 6 in Northwest Austin. For more post-election analysis, read here>>
This new city council has its work cut out for it. The city is growing faster than its infrastructure can keep up, the region is in a perpetual state of drought, and the threat of climate change is closer now than it has ever been before. Tackling these issues will not be an easy task, especially since almost all of the council members are new to City Hall.
This means that if you have a particular environmental issue that you care about, you need to make sure that you get involved, talk to your district's new council member, and make sure that they know what you care about.
But you can't do that unless you know who those council members are, so be sure to check out Amy Stansbury's new blog. It is your go-to-guide on the environmental platforms of each of the city's new council members.
[Elections/ Zero Waste]Now that the runoffs are over, you might be looking at your front lawn thinking, 'what am I going to do with all of these campaign signs?' Well, you're in luck. Thanks to Ecology Action, you can recycle them! Just take them to their downtown location on East 9th Streetand they'll do the rest. They take all shapes and sizes. More info>>
[Holidays/Zero Waste]
Here are some great tips to keep your holidays green:
- 10 Stylish and Sustainable Ways to Wrap Gifts via TreeHugger: According to Stanford University, if every American family wrapped three presents in reused materials, the saved paper would cover 45,000 football fields! This article teaches you how to wrap your presents in a sustainable and cute way.Read here>>
- Gift Wrapping with Austin Creative Reuse: From noon to 5pm Austin Creative Reuse will be offering great materials and ideas for gift wrapping at Whole Earth Provisions. Learn more>>
- Expecting new electronics in your stocking this year? Give them a new life by dropping them off at the Resource Recover Centerfor free. The center accepts all sorts ofelectronic goods and ensures that they are recycled properly. Learn more>>
- Follow EcoRise Youth Innovation's 5 Tips for a Bright Green Holiday, which includesupgrading your holiday lights and giving an upcycled gift.
[Holidays/Zero Waste]You can continue to reduce waste this holiday season byrecycling your Christmas tree. Here's how:
- City of Austin curbside customers can leave their trees on their curb on their trash and yard trimmings collection day. Please remove all decorations and stands from the tree and set it out by6:30AM. Trees over 6 feet should be cut in half.
- If you don't get curbside services from the City of Austin, you can drop off your tree at 2304 Rollingwood Dr. between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th. All trees collected by the City of Austin will be composted and turned intoDillo Dirt, an EPA-certified soil conditioner that is donated to landscape public places and sold commercial vendors for sale.
- Texas Disposal Systems will also be collecting and recycling Christmas tress (free of charge) from Dec. 26th to Jan. 31st.The full list of locations, dates, and times is available here>>
[Holidays] And for all youlast minute gifters, check out these green/local holiday gift ideas:
- Go Local Austin card is the perfect gift, a great stocking stuffer, and gives your friends and family the gift of savings all year long. Not to mention that you are supporting your favorite local businesses. Buy one for yourself and a few more as gifts. Check out golocalaustin.com to see holiday specials.
- Very Best Tips for Meaningful Green Gift Giving via the Austin EcoNetwork: check out Brandi Clark Burton's comprehensive gift guide to make sure you give a gift everyone will love.
[Zero Waste] Read all about the great work thatAustin Resource Recoveryand the US Green Building Council are doing with theAustin Materials Marketplace with this great article on GreenBiz.com. The marketplace is an online system that allows businesses in Austin to swap used goods and materials amongst themselves, instead of sending them to the landfill. So far, about 30 companies and organizations have signed on, including 512 Brewing Company, General Motors, 3M, and W Hotels.
[Energy] City council passed a new Austin Energy Generation Plan at its final meeting last Thursday. This plan will determine where Austin gets its energy for the next 10 years. You can read about the proposed plan here and stay tuned for further analysis and details about the plan in ourJan. 1st newsletter!
[Energy] It's wintertime in Texas, which means that the weather is about to get a whole lot more unpredictable. It can go from sunny and warm to rainy and cold in minutes, and your home needs to be prepared. Learn how to make your house as energy efficient as possible during this wacky weather season with this new blog from Native>>
[Climate] For the first time ever, at a UN meeting in Peru, every single country has agreed to submit a plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. This is a major breakthrough. It signifies an acceptance of the problem and a willingness from everyone to get involved.
But of course, the agreement still leaves a lot to be desired.
The plans that each country submits will be voluntary and countries can promise to cut as little or as much emissions as they want. This has led experts to warn that the deal doesn't do enough to prevent the most significant side effects of global warming. At the negotiations, John Kerry even said that, "we’re still on a course leading to tragedy."
[Climate] Austin's own Niyanta Spelman (of the Rainforest Partnership) wason the ground in Peruattending the UN climate conference. See her first-person recap of the negotiations in the blog to the left.
[Climate] In the wake of these negotiations, Buzzfeed interviewed several climate researchers and asked for their honest opinions about the human response to climate change. Their answers are as sad as they are terrifying.
Kevin Walsh, associate professor at the University of Melbourne, said: "I wish climate change were not real…Life would be so much simpler if climate change didn't exist. But as scientists, we don't have the luxury of pretending."
While the article is scary, it's also incredibly powerful and offers up a beautifully emotional side to climate scientists that we don't normally see. It reminds us to take a step back from the politics for a minute and remember why we are doing this in the first place.Read the full article here>>
[Climate] On an even morelocal level, Austin has committed to beinggreenhouse gas emission free by 2050. It's an ambitious goal that will require the diligence and effort of the entire city, including you. The city is asking residents to take this survey, in order to identify consumer habitsand determine what changes Austinites are willing to make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The information gathered will be crucial in helping city staff to develop effective and efficient programs, sotake the survey now!
[Water] As the year comes to a close, look back on theTexas drought with thistime lapse video from the Brazos River Authority. In just 37 seconds, it provides a good snapshot of the state of Texas' water resources over the past few years.Watch the video here>>
[Volunteer Opportunities]Mark your calendars for a bunch of great volunteer opportunities coming up from TreeFolks:
- Saturday, Jan. 10th– Reforestation inBastrop County
- Saturday, Jan. 17th– Planting seedlings at Bartholomew and Dottie Jordan parks
- Thursday, Jan. 22nd – Planting seedlings atShipe Park Greenbelt
- Saturday, Jan. 24th – Reforestation inBastrop County
- Saturday, Jan. 31st – Planting seedlings atBattle Bend Greenbelt
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