EcoBits Sept. 18 – Sept. 25: Elections, Energy, Climate Change and Zero Waste

Today was an historic (and emotional) event for me and many allies who have been working for around three years on advancing awareness and practices around food waste prevention and recovery. Kudos to Janis Bookout, Thomas Vinson and Morgan Whitney for pulling off the impressive Project Charter signing event and luncheon at the Long Center today (of course the leftovers were donated to people in need via Keep Austin Fed). I'll write more later but the shortversion is that Mayor Leffingwell, and representatives of the EPA, the Greater Austin Restaurant Association, Austin Hotel and Lodging Association, Keep Austin Fed and UT Arlington Zero Waste Network signed a commitment to integrate food waste prevention into their planning and actions. Read more>>

 


The Austin Environmental Democrats endorsed Ann Kitchen for the District 5 City Council seat.[Election] The Austin Environmental Democrats have endorsed Ann Kitchen and Ed Scruggs for the District 5 and District 8 Austin City Council seats. In District 5, Kitchen distinguished herself as an environmental leader with experience serving in public office. To learn more about her position on everything from SH 45SW to urban rail, check out Amy Stansbury's blog here>>



And to learn more about Mandy Dealey, who received an endorsement from the Austin Environmental Democrats for the District 10 city council seat earlier this month, as well as her fellow candidates Tina Cannon and Jason Meeker, you can read another one of Amy's blogs, available here>>

 


National Voter Registration Day is September 23rd.[Election] Are you registered to vote at your current address with your current name? Is everyone in your family? Work cohort? Please help spread the word that Tuesday, September 23rd is National Voter Registration Day. Registration is easy and only takes only a few minutes, so join the crowd and pick up a voter registration application at any public library or government office. You can also download the application here>>


And don't worry if you don't know much about the candidates yet. The Austin EcoNetwork will continue helping you out with that, keeping you up-to-date and informed about each of the 78 candidates. We've built an incredible Candidate Q&A Tool to that we will reveal next week that will let you see candidates' answers to environmental questionnaires. If you want to help sponsor our election education initiatives please call me at512-850-5895!

Oh, and by the way, October 6th is the last day to register to vote for the November 4th election, so don't delay!
 


Volunteer to help green the election results![Volunteer/Election]Austin EcoNetwork staff and allies are working hard to make sure candidates are briefed on eco-issues, their stances are organized in a way that is useful to voters and we help elect a slate of City Council members who are.

For anyone eager to learn more about the candidates running for Mayor and city council we have a variety of election-related volunteer opportunities available. A bunch of them can be done from home too! Email Brandi to start a dialogue and explore ways you can get involved.
 


The first forum on issues related to Austin Energy was held last Friday.[Energy/Election] A series of candidate forums on issues related to Austin Energy kicked off last week with a forum covering Districts 6 and 10. Matt Stillwell and Jimmy Flannigan from District 6 were in attendance and Tina Cannon, Mandy Dealey, Jason Meeker, and Margie Burciaga were there from District 10. The discussion between them was incredibly substantive and hit on several key issues that are going to be increasingly important as a new batch of city council members take office. These included a discussion over the best path to take in order to wean Austin Energy off of fossil fuels and a debate over which energy efficiency programs will best serve the city's dual affordability and environmental goalsYou can watch a video of the entire forum here>>

 


The are four candidate forums on issues related to Austin Energy being held this week.

 

[Energy/Election] There are four more candidate forums about energy issues coming up this week, so you have no excuse not to go to at least one! Here are the dates, districts, and times:

 

As KUT reports, Austin Energy lost $16.5 million in expected income this year due to a cool summer.[Energy] We've been saying it for years now, and 

the evidence is finally starting to build in support of what seems like an inevitable truth – the old electric utility model needs to change. As KUT reports, this year's relatively cool summer reduced Austin Energy's estimated revenues by $16.5 million. That's because the utility makes 40 percent of its annual revenue in June, July, August, and September, and this year, all of those months except for August have seen lower than average AC use and peak electricity demand.

This story is a perfect illustration of the hard realities of even the most progressive utilities. They make money by selling a product, and if consumers buy less of it (whether that be because of a cooler summer or due to conservation and efficiency efforts), the utility is forced to raise customer rates in order to get themselves out of a tough financial situation. If Austin really wants to be a leader in energy efficiency, these are the types of problems that are going to have to be dealt with.
 


KXAN reports that Austin Energy has replaced about a quarter of its street lights with LED bulbs.[Energy] Speaking of energy efficiency, Austin Energy is continuing to push 

forward with its own initiatives to reduce energy use with new LED streetlights. As KXAN reports, the utility has replaced 13,000 of its 56,000 street lights with LED bulbs. The new lights conserve the energy equivalent of 360 homes, saving 4 million kilowatt hours per year, and preventing the emission of 2,700 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. You can watch a video of KXAN's story here>> 
 

Austin is hosting a solidarity People's Climate March on Sunday at 11am.

[Climate Change] The largest climate march in U.S. history is taking place this weekend in New York City, but that doesn't mean that us Texans don't get to have any fun. Austin is hosting a solidarity march on Sunday,September 21st from11am to 3pm at the State Capitol building. The march will begin on the south steps of the Capitol and then continue down South Congress Avenue, onto West 6th Street, to Lavaca, to 11th Street to complete the loop back to the Capitol. Anyone is welcome to participate, so start making your signs, and get ready to march. More info>> 
 


Joing the Austin EcoNetwork Green Cup Challenge Team!Join the greenest team in town (Austin EcoNetwork) to have fun while expanding your green actions. September 23 through October 2nd, Austin Green Business Leaders will compete using theRethink/ mobile app to see which team is the greenest. The winning team will earn the cherished Green Cup and significant bragging rights. We say Austin EcoNetwork staff and partners are the GREENEST people in town. Join in the fun, share your achievements with friends, and help make Austin greener.

If your company/org is not yet a partner or you are a partner and want to play contact Brandi today!
If you are not an AEN partner you can start your own team for the Green Cup Challenge to compete too! Bring it!
 


The LCRA is making change to the amount of water that flows into Matagorda Bay.

[Water] The Lower Colorado River Authority approved new amendments to its Water Management Plan earlier this week that are being lauded by the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Federation for slightly improving conditions in Matagorda Bay. A press release issued by both environmental organizations reads:

"The revisions to LCRA’s Water Management Plan are minor, but we support them because as compared to the previous LCRA staff version they provide slight improvements to the way water is managed for Matagorda Bay. The revisions would redistribute the limited water available for the bay to the times when it is most stressed, and reduce the lengths of period of extreme high salinity. We applaud the stakeholders who attended LCRA meetings over the last three weeks for finding ways to make better use of the limited amount of water available for agriculture and the environment under the limited framework previously adopted by the LCRA Board." You can read the entire press release here>>

 

Council member Chris Riley is moving forward with plans to make Uber and Lyft legal in Austin.[Transportation] Plans to bring the currently illegalridesharing companiesUber and Lyft out of the shadows moved forward this week with an announcement from Austin City Council Member Chris Riley. At a press conference on Monday, Riley announced that he will be proposing a resolution at next week's city council meeting that will immediately allow companies like Uber and Lyft to start operating legally. He said that his resolution can serve as a sort of stop-gap measure, until a more permanent solution can be agreed upon after a council-approved stakeholder process is complete. You can watch the video of Riley's press conference here>>

 


Austin Creative Reuse is raising money to open a creative reuse center in Austin.

[Recycling/Zero Waste]Austin Creative Reuse wants to bring a creative reuse center to Austin, but they can't do it without your help. The group has alreadyraised $17,000 of its $40,000 goal and are working hard to raise the rest so that they can get a facility up and running. Once open, the center will offer workshops and instructional resources to promote reuse, provide a well-supplied and inspirational maker space for creativity and invention, and support crafting classes and art gallery space. You can learn more about the project and make a donation here>>
 


ReBlend Paint from Austin Resource Recycling can go a long way in freshening up your home.[Recycling/Zero Waste]Looking to update your home with a fresh coat of paint for the fall? WithReBlend paint from Austin Resource Recovery, you can give your house a new do without breaking the bank. IT'S FREE! Learn more about the ReBlend program and discover several amazing tips for painting your house like a pro with this new blog from Austin Resource Recovery>>

 

The Border Energy Forum will be held this October in Mexico.

[Conference] Some of the best energy minds from the United States and Mexico will be joining forces this October 15th – 17th for the U.S. Mexico Border Energy Forum in Monterrey, Nuevo León. The forum is a collaborative effort amongst the 10 states along the U.S.- Mexico border to meet and share information and ideas about the best ways to produce and consume energy in such a fast-growing region. The theme of this year's forum is Mexico's energy reform efforts. Register today for this truly unique event>>
 


The Sustainable Honky Tonk Connection has been rescheduled for November 7th.[Networking Event] Save the date for theSustainable Honkey Tonk Connection, which has been rescheduled forNovember 7th from5:30pm to 10pm at Delta Millworks. Join the USGBC, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, and the Organic Horticulture Benefits Alliance for a night of networking, live music, and the official launch of the Texas Green Building MarketplaceMore info>>

 

 

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