By connecting with CapMetro bus and rail stations, the shuttle route is designed to make it easier for the 125,000 people who commute downtown for work to use mass transit to get there. 

How to use it: The cabs will not make any fixed stops. After leaving the bus or rail station, riders can simply flag down an electric cab on the designated route. Shuttles will run every 5 – 10 minutes. More info>>

The idea for this east to west downtown circulator system came directly from community input collected by MobilityATX, an online forum created to solicit solutions to Austin's traffic problems from the public. 
 

[Transportation] After 3 months of collecting public input, the MobilityATX results are in. At a town hall meeting on Tuesday, the most popular ideas for fixing Austin's transportation problems were revealed.
So here they are, in order:

• Fully fund the Bicycle Master Plan
• Support Reconnect Austin's vision of an I-35that's buried through the center of downtown, reconnecting the east and west parts of the city
• Create more dedicated bus lanes
• Remove all sidewalk exemptions

Throughout the month of July, MobilityATX will compile all of this public input into one report, and then present it to city council. The whole idea is to just start trying things. Even if some of the ideas don't work, what's most important is just to try, said Mayor Steve Adler at the town hall.
 

[Transportation] The City ofAustin's Bicycle Program is putting together the city's first Transportation Resource Guide. If you're a business, non-profit, or community group that supports or engages in active transportation and would like to be included in the guide, send an email to this address.

• Walking groups, clubs, or non-profits
• Bicycling groups, clubs, or non-profits
• Other active transportation groups (skates, scooters, etc.)
• Pedicab services

[Recycling/Zero Waste] What do Austinites throw 

Here are some more key points from the study (which only looked at trash from single family households inAustin):

• Paper and plastic are the top two recyclable materials being thrown into the landfill
• More recyclables are going to the landfill than are being recycled
• The City of Austin lost nearly $5 million last year in potential revenue because Austinites threw so many recyclable materials into the trash.
• 58,000 tons of recyclables are going to the landfill each year. That's enough to fill the UT tower 29 times.

To learn more about the study, be sure to check out AEN Intern Emma VanDelinder's new blog, "What's In Our Trash?"

To learn more about what you can and can't recycle, be sure to visit Austin Resource Recovery's website>>
 

[Recycling/Zero Waste] So, we know that reducing the city's waste is a big priority in Austin. But the question is, how do we do it? Last week, dozens of community leaders and government officials gathered at the Creating Value Through Zero Waste Workshop and Training Series in downtown Austin to discuss just that.

The Compost Pedallers also had a big presence at the conference, and together with Janis Bookout (Food Waste Project Coordinator for the Zero Waste Network), put together a thorough recap of all the food waste/composting components of the event. Their blog, "Coming Together to End Food Waste," is available here>>
 

[Climate Change] AustinMayor Steve Alder was honored for his climate leadership earlier this week at the annual US Conference of Mayors meeting in San Francisco. Adler received anhonorable mention award for the city's greenhouse gas emissions goals and its recently approved community climate plan. 

[Climate Change] In case you missed it – Pope Francis released a sweeping encyclical on climate change last week, reaffirming the scientific consensus that climate change is happening and that human beings are causing it. He also called on the world's countries to get off of fossil fuels and to fight climate change, framing the entire problem not just as an environmental issue, but as a social justice issue as well.

• Bringing the Pope's Message Home: Religion and Climate Change in Austin – AEN Editor Amy Stansbury sits down with Tom VandeStadt, pastor of the Congregation Church of Austin, to talk about the effect the encyclical is having right here in Austin.
• Pope Francis' Message on the Environment: How You Can Get Involved– Faith and Energy Action Team (FEAT) member Patty Stephens tells readers how they can connect with the local faith/environmental community here in Austin.