12 Feb EcoBits Feb. 12th – Feb. 19th, 2015: Valentine’s Day, Energy Week, and Council Committees

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In case you missed it – AEN's Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Brandi Clark Burton, was invited to work for the Mayor's Better Austin Foundation as a Senior Policy Adviser and Community Cabinet Member. She anticipates working on a wide range of issues, but the bulk of her focus will be on sustainability-related topics.  That is, of course if an acceptable arrangement can be reached between the City and the Foundation.

Regardless, AEN's Editor and Chief Staff Writer, Amy Stansbury, will make sure 
you keep getting the EcoNews delivered to your inbox every Thursday. Brandi will still forward important news and content along to her. You can do the same. 

Lucinda & David are front row, left 2
The time has come for our much beloved and appreciated Lucinda Wallbank (front-left) and her husband David to return to Australia. We thank her for her exceptional service and wish her the best as she pursues environmental graduate studies.

So, Austin EcoNetwork is hiring a part-time Business Development & Outreach Manager (no longer an intern posting).
 

Preach Off on Climate Change[Climate Change] Leaders from 10 different religious communities gathered at The Sanctuary this past Sunday for a Climate Change Preach Off that included Jews, Muslims, Baptists, Lutherans, Buddhists, Unitarian Universalists, and Presbyterians.



Hear their inspirational words and learn more about the role that religion can play in combating climate change with Amy Stansbury's latest AEN/Shades of Green podcast, "Preach Off On Climate Change: Examining Religion's Role in Environmental Activism."
 

The Austin Earth Day Festival is now accepting exhibitors.

 

[Earth Day] The Austin Earth Day Festival 2015 is coming to the historic “Browning Hangar” at Mueller on Saturday, April 18th

 and is currently booking exhibitors.  Featuring fun, interactive attractions, hands-on demonstrations, kid’s activities galore, a diversity of exhibitors, outdoor activities and more, the festival brings together people from all parts of the Austin community for an engaging and inspiring day. Learn more about becoming an Earth Day exhibitor here>>

 

[Valentines Day] It's Valentine's Day this weekend and we Happy Valentines Day!know just how you should celebrate, thanks to a few of our community partners: 

 

UT Energy Week runs February 16th through the 20th.

 

[Energy Week] February 16th to 20th is the University of Texas Energy Week. Energy experts from the world of academics, industry, government, and non profits will gather at UT for a week of panels, discussions and special events.Featured speakers will include Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, Pecan Street CEO Brewster McCracken, and representatives from several major electric utilities. Check out the full lineup here>>



There will also be several free community eventsduring Energy Week! Check out the full lineup below:

 

[Energy] A big story in the Austin American-Statesman this Austin Energy has a debt problem.week revealed that Austin Energy has a bit of a debt problem. "Over the last four years, the amount of money customers owe Austin Energy in unpaid or overdue electric bills has skyrocketed from $15.8 million in 2011 to $76.4 million for the fiscal year that endedSept. 30," the newspaper reported.



"Austin Energy says the problems began back in 2011, when it switched to a new, problematic IBM billing system." And then things have kinda spiraled from there

Utility officials are now asking for a stricter collections policy, despite the fact that a newer, more lenient collections policy was just passed by city council a year ago.

Austin Energy is now arguing that the policy has not worked and instead has prevented it from building up its cash reserves and accomplishing other goals, like keeping its rates low. Read more about the controversy over Austin Energy's customer collections policies here>>

 

[Volunteer] Love chickens? Want the chance to meet a group of really great people? Volunteer for the 2015 Funky Chicken Coop Tour on April 4th. Volunteers are needed to help with photography, videography, and general event organizing. Sign up here>>

 

[Volunteer/Parks]The Austin Parks Foundation's biggest 

city-wide volunteer event is coming up and they need your help. It's My Park Day is March 7th and the foundation is looking for volunteers to work on one of the 84 registered park projects happening in Austin. Sign up here>>

 

Carma now offers toll refunds for its members.[Transportation] Have you heard of Carma? It's 

a carpooling app that pairs people with similar commute routes and schedules so that they can share a ride, which removes excess cars from the road and reduces traffic.

The app got even better this week with the announcement that from now until June, Carma members can get toll refunds on Austin-area toll roads. Learn more here>>
 

[Transportation/Land Use]

It's Time to Construction New Parking Policies

RideScout CEO Joseph Kopser took to the streets last week to continue his quest to fix Austin's many transportation problems. While walking through downtown, he happened to run into a construction worker who was walking to his car to "feed the meter." After talking to him, Kopser discovered two problems with downtown parking – construction workers end up paying a lot of money just to get to work and they take up a lot of parking spaces.

So, he took the issue to city hall and spoke with council member Greg Casar (D4) about the possibility of providing a shuttle for these workers so they can avoid parking downtown. The suggestion raised some interesting points about the intersection of city labor laws, land use, and transportation, that Casar discusses in this blog and video>>
 

Austin's Complete Streets ordinance has been nationally recognized.[Transportation/Land Use]Austin's new 

Complete Streets ordinance has been recognized by theNational Complete Streets Coalition for its exceptional policy language and vision.Complete Streets policies establish a process for selecting, funding, planning, designing, and building transportation projects that allow safe access to destinations for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income or ethnicity, and no matter how they travel. In 2014, more than 70 jurisdictions established these policies. The national coalition ranked Austin's as the 3rd best in the country. Learn more about the coalition's rankings here>>
 

The EPA has just awarded the City of Austin with a grant.[Land Use] The City of Austin, in collaboration with Capital Metro, has been selected to receive anequitable development grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The money will be used to support a workshop focused on bringing together City leaders, residents, business owners and stakeholders to discuss equitable solutions as part of the Burnet-Anderson Corridor planning process kicking off later this year. The project area is Burnet Road, a high-frequency transit corridor along the MetroRapid Route 803 from 45th Street to Highway 183 and Anderson Lane from MoPac to the MetroRail Red Line.


The grant is part of the EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program, which provides technical assistance to stimulate smart growth and sustainable approaches that protect the environment, improve public health, create jobs, expand economic opportunity, prepare for the effects of climate change, and improve overall quality of life.More info>>

a limited time, all AE customers can get a $3 discount on LED lightbulbs at select Home Depot stores in the city. LED lightbulbs use up to 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer. The discount is being offered at the following Home Depot stores:
  • Mueller Airport, 1200 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Suite 100
  • North Austin, 10515 N. MoPac Expressway
  • Sunset Valley, 1200 Home Depot Blvd.
  • Southeast Austin, 3600 S. Interstate Highway 35
  • Slaughter Lane, 8801 S. Interstate Highway 35

Politics

What are the Mayor's Environmental Priorities?

 

[Austin City Hall] Austin's new mayor, Steve Adler, laid out his key environmental priorities for his next four years in office at an exciting Austin Environmental Democrats meeting last week. His eco goals include:

  • Get serious about water reuse
  • Stay vigilant on SH 45SW
  • Take a hard look at the business model ofAustin Energy
  • Institute a transportation impact fee
  • Utilize social impact bonds to fund city initiatives
  • Make climate change fundamental to everything the city is doing

Learn more about Adler's goals with this blog from Amy Stansbury>>
 

[Austin City Hall] The committee assignments are out! The mayor announced his picks for these important city council positions earlier this week and council is voting on them today. Below is a list of all the eco-related committee assignments: City Council committee assignments are out.

  • Austin Energy – All city council members serve on the AE committee with Sheri Gallo (D10) Chair and Leslie Pool (D7) Vice Chair
  • Mobility – Ann Kitchen Chair, Sheri Gallo Vice Chair, Delia Garza, Don Zimmerman
  • Planning and Neighborhoods – Greg Casar Chair, Sabino Renteria Vice Chair, Sheri Gallo, Kathie Tovo
  • Public Utilities – Delia Garza Chair, Don Zimmerman Vice Chair, Ann Kitchen, Ellen Troxclair
  • Open Space, Environment, & Sustainability – Leslie Pool Chair, Delia Garza Vice Chair, Kathie Tovo, Don Zimmerman

The mayor also announced his appointments to several intergovernmental committees. The most notable council committee assignments involve Don Zimmerman (D6) and his appoint to several environmental committees (Capital Area Council of Governments Clean Air Subcommittee, Clean Air Force of Central Texas Board of Directors, Texas Colorado River Floodplain Coalition). This is despite the fact that during the election, Zimmerman waged a strong anti-environmental campaign, even going so far as todeny the very existence of man-made climate change.
 

City council policy briefings will continue over the next several weeks.[Austin City Hall] City Council started its policy 

briefing workshop series last week. In an effort to get all of the new council members up to speed on city issues, the mayor's office has organized 24+ of thesepolicy briefings, covering topics ranging from public safety to healthcare. Although these are somewhat untraditional council meetings, they are still open to the public and will be streamed on ATXN.

Below is a list of all of the eco-related policy briefing sessions. They are a great opportunity for you to learn more about these topics as well:

Thursday, Feb. 17th

  • 9-11am Watershed Protection, Environment and Endangered Species
  • 12:30-2:30pm Parks and Open Space

Monday, Feb 23rd

  • 9-11am Infrastructure & Capital Planning
  • 12:30-2:30pm CodeNEXT

Monday, March 2nd

  • 9-11am Resource Recovery
  • 12:30-2:30pm Austin Energy

There will be also a session on Resiliency announced at a later date.
 

 

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