A Message To Our Readers,

Hello, and welcome to the new face of the Austin EcoNetwork. This site has been a dream of mine for almost a year now, and I am so happy to finally have the chance to introduce it to you all. Although I have nothing but love for the old website, I am so excited about all of the opportunities that this new platform will allow us to explore. On the pages of this new website, you’ll still find all of the things you know and love about the EcoNetwork:

• Our comprehensive EcoCalendar, keeping you up-to-date on all of the green activities happening in the Austin area
• Our jobs board, where environmental nonprofits and businesses from across the city are constantly looking for new and passionate employees
• Our blogs section, where EcoNetwork staff write in-depth, thoroughly-reported local stories that you can’t find anywhere else in Austin. This section is also where you’ll find guest blog posts from some of our city’s leading environmental voices.
• Information about our vibrant cast of EcoNetwork partners, without whom none of this would be possible

Not only will our new website allow us to continue doing all of these things in a more beautiful and interactive way, but it will also allow us to respond to the city’s current needs and remain on the cutting edge of the local community here in Austin. This is an exciting time for the city. As it explodes with growth and energy, it is now more important than ever that Austin’s newest residents are welcomed into the civic community. I can’t tell you how many times I run into smart, energetic Austinites who have never even heard of our mayor or city council members, let alone are familiar with any of their policies.

If Austin is going to succeed, this needs to change.

As a city, we have a history of innovation, environmental progress, and a generally cool vibe, but those things didn’t happen by accident. They’re all the result of people like you, who care about where you live, and choose to stay informed and get involved.

This new site will allow us to expand on this tradition by:

• Attracting younger audiences, including the thousands of millennials who are moving to Austin each year.
• Focusing on innovative digital storytelling techniques, including podcasts, photo stories, illustrations, and documentary film series.
• Applying these digital storytelling techniques to long-term news projects that matter to Austinites, focusing on the major issues facing the city today – affordability, transportation, and environmental justice.
• Integrating social media more closely into everything that we do, growing our audience and providing readers with even more ways to connect with us.
• Better responding to the needs of advertisers and local businesses, allowing them to post guest blogs, photos and videos on our site in a more cohesive and beautiful way than ever.

In other words, the new site is only the beginning. I invite you to join us on this exciting journey ahead by continuing to read and rely on the Austin EcoNetwork. We so appreciate all of the love and support you have given us over the years. We could not be where we are today without your help. And if you are a an environmental nonprofit or business that has yet to join the team, we invite you to contact us today. I can’t think of a better time for you to get started.

A big thank you also goes out to Brandi Clark Burton, who founded the Austin EcoNetwork 12 years ago and who has since entrusted me with the privilege of running it. I would also like to thank Selwyn Polit, who helped us to operate our former website, and Lindsay Huck, who helped us to create this new one.

And last but not least, a big thank-you goes out to all of you, the readers who have inspired us to keep working hard all of these years. As you start to explore through the website, please do not hesitate to send me your thoughts, feedback, and ideas.

I am so excited to see what this new year will bring.

Sincerely,

Amy Stansbury, Editor-In-Chief of the Austin EcoNetwork