EcoBits March 5th – March 12th, 2015: #AmplifyATX, SXSW Transportation, Local Control Texas

KOOP Radio, home to Shades of Green (Austin's only environmental talk radio show), is having its spring membership drive. The nonprofit radio station relies on these donations to keep offering its unique,community-driven programming, like the kind you can find on Shades of Green.

Even better, Shades of Green saves all of its shows online so that you can listen to them whenever you want. Some recent episodes include:

  • Generous Generation – A Social Giving Club of Young People
  • U.S. Green Building Council and an Off-the-Grid and Hydrogen Home
  • State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) Publishes a New Recycling Report

You can listen to these shows (and many others) atshadesofgreenmedia.com and donate to KOOP Radio here>>
 


Amplify Austin starts in one week.

 

One of Austin's biggest charitable events of the year is officially underway! Amplify Austin started today and runs through 6pm on March 6th. Now in its third year, Amplify Austin is a 24-hour event that allows community members to donate money to their favorite local non profits. That money is then amplified by matching grants and donations from corporate sponsors. Over the past two years, Amplify Austin has raised $8.5 million!


We hope that when you participate you will keep in mind these local environmental nonprofits that are Austin EcoNetwork partnersAmerican YouthWorks,Austin Creative Reuse, Austin Parks FoundationAustin Youth River WatchEcology ActionHill Country ConservancyKeep Austin BeautifulNational Wildlife FederationSave Our Springs AllianceSierra Club,Sustainable Food CenterTreeFolksTexas Campaign for the Environment Fund, and Texas River School
Make your contribution today!
 


RideScout is offering lots of great transportation deals during SXSW.[SXSW/Transportation]SXSW comes to Austin next week, and you know what that means…traffic. Luckily,RideScout is working hard to get you around town as quickly and easily as possible. They have made two videos to help you (and out of towners) get acquainted with Austin's alternative transportation options, including B-cycle and car2go. They are also offering discounts for both of these services during SXSW. You can use thepromo code 012015 to get a B-cycle day pass for just$2, and you can use the promo code RideScout1530to get a car2go membership for just $15, plus 30 free minutes of drive time.

 


Capital Metro will be operating on an extended schedule throughout SXSW.[SXSW/Transportation]Capital Metro is also working to increase transportation options during SXSW. They will be offering extended train and bus services throughout the festival, from March 13th – 22nd. That includes 801 and 803 MetroRapid service until 12:30 a.m. fromMarch 13th – 19th and service until 2:30am on March 20th and 21st. MetroRail will also have extended hours throughout the festival. The full Capital Metro extended schedule is available here>>

 


RideScout has put together a list of SXSW transportation panels that you can't miss.[SXSW/Transportation] And if you're actually planning on attending SXSW, RideScout has compiled a great list of transportation-themed panels that are sure to bring out your inner nerd. These include:

Be sure to check out the entire list of transportation panels you can't miss here>>
 


Help divert waste during SXSW.[SXSW/Zero Waste] This year, 10,000 pounds of waste could be diverted from the landfill during SXSW, but only with your help. SpinFish Event Solutions is working with the festival to rescue used event materials and donate them to someone else who needs them. Materials include cardboard, foam core, wood pallets, and furniture. There are two ways you can help:

  1. If you're an individual, artist, or organization interested in receiving some of these event leftovers, schedule a pick-up on March 18th or 19th by sending an email to info@spinfishinc.com.
  2. SpinFish also needs volunteers to organize and hand out the leftovers. Shifts will last 4 hours on March 18th & 19th from 8am to 8pm. Send an email info@spinfishinc.com if you're interested in volunteering.

 


The new playscape at Dove Springs District Park is opening this weekend.[Parks] The Dove Springs District Park Innovative Playscape is opening this weekend. With the help of a generous $250,000 grant from St. David’s to the Austin Parks Foundation, and research efforts from theNational Wildlife Federation, the new playscape will help inspire the local community to reconnect with the environment. Some of the park's new features include a constructed dry-creek that bisects the play site and includes a new ADA accessible path for the bridge crossing over the creek bed, a custom-fabricated tree-form play structure, an interactive bird’s nest feature atop a viewing hill, lawns for gathering that are equipped with picnic tables and grills, and much more. The park is located at 5801 Ainez Drive, so be sure to check it out!
 


The Austin Earth Day Festival has a brand new website.[Earth Day] The Austin Earth Day Festival has a brand new website! Check it out for a full list of speakers and additional details about the event. So far, the speaker lineup includes Mayor Steve Adler, AEN Founder Brandi Clark Burton, Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, Co-Director of theCenter for Maximum Potential Building Systems Pliny Fisk III, and more. 


Also, a reminder – the Austin Earth Day Festival is stilllooking for exhibitorsLearn more here>>
 

Compost Pedallers was one of the local businesses featured in this month's edition of Austin Fit Magazine, in an article about sustainability.

 

[Sustainability]Congratulations to Professor Dumpster, the Compost Pedallers, and RideScout for being featured in this month's edition of Austin Fit Magazine. Along with several other local businesses and environmental leaders, this great group of local innovators was profiled in an article entitled, "Sustainability in the City." The article stresses the importance of sustainability, especially as Austin continues to grow.You can read the entire article here>>

 


Politics



Local Control Texas is a new organization fighting to maintain local city ordinances.

[Local/State] After Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced plans to try andoverturn local ordinancesrestricting plastic bags (like Austin's bag ban) and fracking (in Denton), several disparate groups have gotten together to fight back.Local Control Texas, a new organization that includes Texs Campaign for the Environment, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, and the Workers Defense Project, has formed to try and stop the bills working their way through the state legislature that restrict local ordinances. You can learn more about Local Control Texas here>>
 


State Rep. Anchia is trying to convince his fellow lawmakers to care about climate change.[State] We all know that climate change is a touchy subject in 

the Texas state government. The head of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has expressed skepticism on the topic and many of the state's legislators are climate change deniers. But, as the Texas Tribune reports, several state Democratic lawmakers are trying to change that. Among them is state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, who organized ahearing on climate change for the House International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee earlier this week. At the hearing, Anchia employed alternative tactics in convincing his fellow committee members about the reality of climate change, calling in experts who spoke of military risk and religious duty.

As the Tribune reports, at the hearing, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Ken Eickmann said that, "…Climate change poses a serious threat to America’s national security." Katharine Hayhoe, a world-renowned climate scientist at Texas Tech University, also spoke at the hearing, saying that, "in the Christian faith, we are told to love our neighbors," and noting that climate change will hurt poor countries the most.

You can read more about the climate change hearing with this article from the Texas Tribune>>
 

 

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