Do you know where the electricity in your house comes from? Coal? Solar? Nuclear? The answer impacts everything from climate change to environmental justice. That’s why we write stories about the local effort to make Austin’s energy supply more sustainable.
“Solar is the best unused equity tool we have, in terms of maintaining the quality of life, maintaining the balance of this city,” explained Kenneth Thompson (former member of the African American Resource Advisory Commission and a current board member with Solar Austin) on a recent episode of Shades of
Austin is about to get more than half its energy from renewables. And that’s a pretty big deal. Austin Energy, our city’s electric utility, just announced a new wind power contract that will allow Austin to get 61 percent of its energy from renewables (once the wind farm
Guest Post – from Janis Bookout Janis Bookout is a local environmental leader and the Executive Director of Earth Day Austin. It’s important to let yourself be inspired once in a while. On Sunday, Brandi Burton (founder of the Austin EcoNetwork) and I put on
Sponsored Post – from the City of Austin Office of Sustainability Meet Pranav Sarma, a student at Artie Henry Middle School in Cedar Park, TX. Pranav recently competed against hundreds of students in the 2019 Austin Energy Regional Science Fair. For his project, Pranav focused
Sponsored Post – from Austin Energy Green Building 15,000. That’s how many single family homes have earned an Austin Energy Green Building rating since the program launched in 1991. The Austin Energy Green Building system was one of the first of its kind in the US, helping
Guest Post – from the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club On Thursday, October 18th in a 9 -1 vote, Austin City Council approved an Austin Energy utility-scale solar contract for a 144 MW solar power plant to be located southeast of Pflugerville.
Who should be the next mayor of Austin? That’s the question all of you will have to ask yourselves when you go to the polls in November. Incumbent Steve Adler is running against several opponents who are trying to unseat him, including Laura Morrison,
Sponsored Post – from the City of Austin Office of Sustainability René Geneva has a long history of entrepreneurship. Back in the late 1990s, she started an eco-fashion line called René Geneva Design. She sold in several stores, including Whole Foods Market, and won Austin Fashion
I live in Austin, Texas, a relatively eco-friendly city with a tree hugging, hippy reputation. I work as an environmental reporter at the Austin EcoNetwork. And in my free time, I enjoy camping, hiking, and rock climbing. In other words, I’m pretty much the
The future is here. Electric buses have arrived in Austin… and more are coming. Last week, Capital Metro (our city’s public transportation provider) began testing out an electric bus, with the hopes of adding 40 to our city’s fleet by 2024. Over the next few
Guest Post – from the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club Last month, at the United States Conference of Mayors in Boston, Austin Mayor Steve Adler took home a first place Climate Protection Award for Austin Energy’s Community Solar Program. In his tweet
Sponsored Post – from Austin Energy Green Building Solar panels. Geothermal energy. Rain chains. Community gardens. Backyard chicken coops. These are the markings of some of Austin’s most eco-friendly homes… and you can explore them all during the 22nd Cool House Tour on Sunday, June 10th. The Cool