Podcasts: Recent Episodes
Podcasts
Our guest is Jill Gonzalez. She is the Executive Director for the Women’s Storybook Project of Texas. It is a non-profit organization where volunteers go into Texas women’s prisons, meet with mothers and have them read a book that is recorded and then brought back to their children. A heartwarming program. An incredible statistic: 80 % of incarcerated women in Texas are mothers. Visits for many families are often difficult or impossible because of cost and distance. Listen in on the interview and more information is available at https://storybookproject.org/
In this episode of the Austin Common Radio Hour we continue our focus on the February 2021 storm Uri and its effect on the Texas Electric grid system – why it failed. The University of Texas at Austin recently published a white paper called “The Timeline and Events of the February 2021 Texas Electric Grid Blackouts. It is available online at “energy.utexas.edu/ercot-blackout-2021”. We had the special opportunity to speak with Professor Joshua Rhodes, one of the co-authors on the study. Professor Rhodes shares insights into what caused the catastrophic failure of the Texas electric utility grid based on their study.
Patricia Bauer-Slate is the founder and former owner of the iconic Swedish Hill Bakery in Austin Texas. For over 30 years Patricia fed the hearts of the people of Austin with her love for well baked goods and specialty coffees She shares her exciting journey and the interesting characters she met along the way on this episode of KOOP's Podcast for People. Patricia will soon be publishing her second book and runs a new initiative called Patricia's Lunchbox, a school lunch service for kids.
In Part 2 we prepare for the CleanTX annual GridNext conference scheduled to be online April 20 and 21, 2021. CleanTX Board member Ken Donohoo, and Executive Director Brandon Cosinteno discuss the conference and some of the new clean energy technologies and energy policies that will be presented during the on-line sessions.
Our guests on Shades of Green discuss the new energy future, the 2021 electric grid failure in February, and what is in store for our energy future. Our guest for Part 1 is Renewable and Clean Energy Technology expert Peter Kelly-Detwiler. In Part 2 we prepare for the CleanTX annual GridNext conference scheduled to be online April 20 and 21, 2021. CleanTX Board member Ken Donohoo, and Executive Director Brandon Cosinteno discuss the conference and some of the new clean energy technologies and energy policies that will be presented during the on-line sessions.
This week on Shades of Green we discuss the environmental stresses on our oceans throughout the world. What can we do to help relieve the stress. Our guests are George Cummings, Ocean Activist and Mad Ocean Scientist, and Prasad Jaladi, Founder and Chief Facilitator for Suraksha.
What does in mean now that the United States is back in the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015? The day after his inauguration, President Biden re-entered our country into the agreement. Our guest on Shades of Green discuss how this will affect the United States and the rest of the world. Adrian Shelly is the Texas Director for Texas Public Citizen, Stephanie Thomas is a Ph.D., Community Organizer and Researcher for the Houston Public Citizen, and Rebekah Hinojosa is a Gulf Coast Campaigner with the Sierra Club.
Roger Duncan, Former General Manager at Austin Energy and Michael Webber a professor at the University of Texas at Austin co-authored a new book. It is called “The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power.” Roger joined us on Shades of Green to share his many years of experience in local Austin advocacy, energy issues, and politics. He is a long-time friend to Austin’s environment, energy efficiency and renewable energy. He discussed the highlights of his book that he co-authored with Professor Webber.
Local Austin film makers Karen Kocher and Monica Flores produce a new documentary on the history of our Barton Springs jewel. It is called: “Origins of a Green Identity” and it has featured on PBS and is available streaming on the Web. Karen and Monica are also known for “Living Springs: An Interactive Documentary About Barton Springs.” They are our special guests on this episode of Shades of Green.
The award-winning curbside composting program for residences has expanded by 54,000 households in Austin, Texas. The program now covers all residences in the Austin service area. Our guest on Shades of Green is Ken Snipes, the Director of Austin Resource Recovery. He shares details about the composting program, how to participate, and what is next for the zero waste goals for the City.
Our first Shades of Green program was aired on KOOP radio on November 8, 2006. The original founders of the show were Programmer Ken McKenzie, and co-hosts John Hoffner and Jenny Nazak. Over the 14-year running of the show every Thursday we covered many topics with many varying co-hosts. On our retrospective show today, we are joined by several of the previous co-hosts to reminisce about the past on Shades of Green. We have John Hoffner, Reed Sternberg, Jenny Nazak, Amy Stansbury, Stacy (Guidry) Savage, Howie Richey, Christine Giordano, Brandi Clark Burton.
The iconic Austin Environmental Directory is now online and in print. Paul Robbins the editor, producer and founder of the Directory is our guest on Shades of Green. Paul shares with us the history of the Directory which has been part of the Austin environmental community for 25 years. This years is the 10th edition of the Austin Environmental Directory and it is full of interesting information and a listing of all things environmental in Austin.
Texan by Nature is an organization formed in 2011 by Mrs. Laura Bush with the idea to unite land conservation and business leaders who believe Texas’ prosperity depends on the conservation of our wonderful natural resources. Our guests on Shades of Green from Texan by Nature are:
Joni Carswell – CEO and President, and a fourth generation Texan Taylor Keys – Program Manager, and leader of the TxN’s Conservation Wrangler Program Jenny Burden – Program Manager, and an avid cyclist and leads the TxN’s Certification Program
The 24th annual Cool House Tour is in Austin Texas on September 27 from 2-4 PM. Although you will not be able to physically visit the sites, you will have an enriching and enlightening virtual experience on-line. There will be tours of the exciting Green Building facilities, open discussions, and presentations by experts in the industry. You will be inspired to participate in the Cool House tour by our guests on this episode of Shades of Green:
Patrice “Pete” Parsons, Executive Director of the Texas Solar Energy Society (TXSES) Debbie Kimberly, Vice President of Customer Energy Solutions at Austin Energy
It is time for the annual Trash Makeover Challenge fundraiser for Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE). The Trash Makeover Challenge is a fun, and high energy contest for fashion designers, stylists, and models to create original high fashion pieces out of recycled and recovered materials. This year celebrates Texas Campaign for the Environment’s 29th anniversary and the event’s 10th year and it will be online allowing people from all over the world to participate and watch. The event kicks off on August 29, 2020 at 7:00 PM. More information is available a trashmakeover.com. Our special guest to get listeners fired up to attend the event are:
Ceci Guevara, Event Planner and Fashion Show Producer
Megan Pinto, Fashion Designer and a 2019 winner in the Trash Makeover Challenge
Donna Hoffman, Communications Director for Texas Campaign for the Environment
Can you see stars at night where you live? Or, do you live in an area where the streetlights and other light sources obscure the night stars? The Hill Country Alliance is working to protect and preserve our view of the night skies in the wonderful Texas Hill Country. Our guest on Shades of Green is Cliff Kaplan, the Night Sky and Community Program Manager at the Hill Country Alliance. He shares the details of the program and provides pro-active solutions to keep those night skies visible.
A new algal bloom has invaded Austin’s Lade Bird Lake killing four dogs and affecting recreational activities and could potentially affect our drinking water. Our guest, Dr. Brent Bellinger, Senior Environmental Scientist with the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department explains the issue, and how we can be mindful of it and be safe. He also gives us an update on the invasive zebra mussels that have now affected all the Hill Country’s Highland Lakes and most of the lower Colorado River below Longhorn Dam.
Public Citizen has sued the Texas Railroad Commission, the state's oil and gas regulator, over emergency orders in May that waived fees and relaxed regulations for the storage of crude oil. The the agency's three commissioners voted May 5 to enact orders that waived fees and charges for construction of new oil storage projects through the end of the year. Commissioners also gave oil companies more time to store waste in open pits and to plug abandoned wells. The relaxed regulations will affect our beautiful south and west Texas land and impinge on ranchers. Our guest on Shades of Green are: Adrian Shelly, Director of the Texas office of Public Citizen Hugh Fitzsimons, a South Texas rancher at the Shape Ranch, author and member of the Winter garden Groundwater Conservation District, and a beekeeper.
Our guest on Shades of Green is Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Principle of North Bridge Energy Partners and author of a forth coming book called “The Energy Switch”. Through his weekly 4-minute videos, blogs and social media outreach, Peter focuses on the fast pace of global change in energy and technology. Electric utilities are moving toward a decentralized model, customers want clean energy, and storage is helping to smooth out the smart electric grid. Peter says:
“Humanity is attempting something more audacious than the Industrial Revolution - by orders of magnitude - and Texas is one of the few states that is sending us those proverbial ‘postcards from the future,’ about where the rest of the world may also be headed”
Join us and listen to the podcast.
BioIntegrity started in 2015 as a for-profit focused on connecting altruistic donors to the most economically efficient environmental solutions in the world. Its mission is to help the world's most impactful, global environmental solutions succeed as fast as possible. It endeavors to make the world a better place by promoting partnered solutions that protect and restore the Earth's ecological systems, resources, biodiversity, and beauty, in perpetuity. So far, BioIntegrity donors have protected more than 8,000 threatened species and kept more than 10,000,000 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
Our guest on Shades of Green is Chris Searles, the Founder and President of Biointegrity. Chris has been active in environmental sustainability since 2005. He has worked in many capacities and acquired a broad range of professional experience. Chris is also a musician (drummer), and his career includes touring and/or recording with Shawn Colvin, James McMurtry, The Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Alejandro Escovedo, Joe Ely, Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, and many more.
TexPIRG is an advocate for the public interest. They speak out for a healthier, safer world in which we’re freer to pursue individual well-being and the common good. As part of a national network, TexPIRG advocates for improved public transportation and safer streets for walking and biking here in Texas.
Our guest is Bay Scoggin, the Director of TexasPIRG discussing the recent approval by Capital Metro’s board and the Austin City Council to a $9.8 billion transit plan that would fund three light rail lines through Austin. The plan is called Project Connect.
EcoRise inspires a new generation of leaders to design a sustainable future for all. Its school-based program empowers youth to tackle real-world challenges in their schools and communities by teaching sustainability, design innovation, and social entrepreneurship.
Our EcoRise guests are Abby Randall, Deputy Director, and Jaynell Nicholson, Project Manager
Partners for Education Agriculture and Sustainability (PEAS) is an educational non-profit. “Our mission is to cultivate joyful connection with the natural world through outdoor learning and edible education!” PEAS runs 30 programs in 19 schools in Austin and Pflugerville ISDs during the 2019-2020 school-year! Our guest on Shades of Green is PEAS Executive Director, Lauren Zappone Maples. She co-founded PEAS Community Farm & Urban Orchard at Cunningham Elementary in 2011 and became the founding executive director of PEAS in 2015
Our oceans continue to be threatened by human interaction, climate change, and contamination from toxic wastes. World Ocean Week was June 8 – 12, 2020. This year, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) has issued a call to action in its latest campaign to remind everyone that human health is intricately linked to the planet’s health – from the air that we breathe to the food that we eat.
Our special guests are: George Cummings. He is a United Nations SDG14 Ocean Ambassador, Biochemist, technology enthusiast with 30 years of scuba diving experience as a video journalist.
Anna Farrell-Sherman. She is the Clean Water Associate at the non-profit Environment Texas.
Luke Metzger, the Executive Director for Environment Texas.
The non-profit environmental organization, The Hill Country Alliance plays a vital role in preserving the beauty of the hill country of Texas. Their mission is:
“The mission of the Hill Country Alliance is to bring together an ever-expanding alliance of groups throughout a multi- county region of Central Texas with the long-term objective of preserving open spaces, water supply, water quality and the unique character of the Texas Hill Country.”
Our guest on Shades of Green is Daniel Oppenheimer, Land Program Manager for the Hill Country Alliance.
Amy Stansbury, Shades of Green Co-host and Director of the Austin Common breaks down the upcoming run-off elections that will be on July 14, 2020. Although this is a runoff election, it has major importance for local Travis County places such as the race to fill Senator Kirk Watson’s seat, and other seat for the Texas Legislature, local judges, etc. Join us to hear Amy describe the election procedures, where to vote, and what to know about the important run-off elections.
Clean tech and renewable energy are now combined into CleanTX, a non-profit with the goal of accelerating growth in Texas. The 30-year old Texas Renewable Energy Industry Alliance (TREIA) has merged with CleanTX founded in 2006, to form a broader network in Texas. Our guests on Shades of Green are the leaders of the newly merged association:
Brandon Cosinteno, the Executive director of the new Cleantx, and; Melissa Miller, Board Co-chair of the new CleanTX and former Executive director of TREIA.
Our topic on Shades of Green radio is the Texas Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. Our guests are Charlene Heydinger, President of the Texas PACE Authority, and Bruce Elfant the Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar. Texas PACE is an innovative program that incentivizes Texas’ property owners to upgrade facility infrastructure with little or no capital outlay. The program targets energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements for the buildings. We also discuss some of the issues surrounding voting in Travis County - particularly mail-in voting.
Listen to our latest episode about the 2020 US Census! Our guest helps break down why it's important and how it impacts all of us living in Austin. Our guest on Shades of Green is John Lawler - Census Program Manager for the City of Austin and Travis County.
The growth of electric vehicles (EV’s) on Texas roads and highways is accelerating. It is only a matter of time when electric vehicles become a majority, and the fossil fuel guzzling, air polluting combustion engine cars and trucks become an anachronism. Our guest on Shades of Green is Tom “Smitty” Smith, Executive Director for the Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (TxETRA), a non-profit collaborative with the goal of having “10 million electric vehicles and 75 % of all trips to be electric propulsion by 2035” in Texas. Smitty discusses the latest advances in electric vehicles, activities of TxETRA, and policy developments to help promote the EV industry.
Basic necessities such as water and electricity are critical, particularly during the time of a pandemic such as COVID-19. We spoke with local advocates that are ensuring that utilities in Texas are not cutting off these necessities as people have difficulty making payments. Our guests for the remote broadcast are: Kaiba White, Climate Policy and Outreach Specialist, Public Citizen’s Texas office Keegan Warren-Clem, Managing Attorney with medical legal partnership Texas Legal Services Center Chrissy Mann, Austin Sierra Club, Senior Campaign Representative for Beyond Coal
The Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE) has a mission to empower all Texans to fight pollution through sustained grassroots organizing campaigns that shift corporate and government policy. With offices in Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Forth Worth, they envision a Texas free from pollution. Their main form of communication and organizing is through door-to-door canvassing and grassroots conversations. The COVID-19 crisis has not slowed their canvassing, they have adapted by using online communication and other outreach activities. Our guest is Jeffrey Jacoby, the Deputy Director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment. He gives us an update on the latest actions of TCE and policy issues facing Texans.
The shutdown and shelter-at-home orders throughout the United States have affected all industries. Wind power continues to grow and expand as it become more of a mainstream supply of electrical power. Our guest on Shades of Green is Susan Sloan, the Vice President of State Affair at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Susan gives us an update on the wind power industry in the United States and how it is adapting. We discussed the incredible growth of wind over the last 10 years, new initiatives and new government policies that are affecting the immediate and long-term future of wind power.
The shutdown and shelter-at-home orders throughout the United States have affected all industries. The solar power industry in Texas is still strong and adapting to the new ways of doing business. Our guest on Shades of Green is Charlie Hemmeline the Executive Director of the Texas Solar Power Association. He gives us an update on the solar industry in Texas, both utility and residential-scale and how it is adapting. We discuss new initiatives and policies that are affecting the immediate and long-term future of solar power.
The Advanced Power Alliance is the industry trade association created to promote the development of wind, solar, and storage: resources that are clean, reliable, affordable, and infinite sources of power. The Alliance is the advanced power industry’s voice within the fourteen states including Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. The region is rich in wind and solar energy, along with vast quantities of natural gas. We have a recent and rich history of robust energy development and we are positioned well to lead in energy production long into the future.
Our guest on KOOP Radio Shades of Green is Jeff Clark, the President of The Advanced Power Alliance. He shares his insights about clean energy resources and how they are contributing to our energy demand for now, and into the future.
We discuss the intersection of messaging around the Green New Deal, Earth Day Austin, and local Austin Sunrise Movement initiatives. Now more than ever we see the urgent state of affairs as our US government dismantles environmental protections. Our guests on our remote broadcast are: Janis Bookout, Executive Director of Earth Day Austin, and Vice Chair Board of Directors of Texas Electric Transportation Resource Alliance (TxETRA). Katie Horstman, local organizer for Sunrise Movement in Austin Christopher Cook, author and award-winning journalist, and green advocate. His writing appears in Harper’s, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor, and elsewhere at www.christopherdcook.com
The City of Austin releases its “Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan” for providing affordable, clean energy over the next 15 years. The plan calls for 86% of Austin Energy’s electricity generation to be carbon-free by year-end 2025, 93% will be carbon-free by year-end 2030, and all generation resources will be carbon-free by 2035. Austin Energy commits to advance these goals more rapidly, if feasible given technological developments, affordability, and risks to Austin Energy customers.
We discuss the aggressive and leading edge utility Plan with our guests:
Erika Bierschbach, Vice President, Energy Market Operations and Resource Planning at Austin Energy.
Matt Weldon, Austin Electric Utility Commissioner, and Board of Solar Austin.
Al Braden, Member of the Resource Planning Working Group, environmental activist and photographer.
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Solar Austin, a local non-profit has teamed up with Huston-Tillotson University to provide training and mentoring for minorities interested in entering the solar energy field. Despite the issues associated with COVID-19 the solar mentoring program is forging forward. Our guests for our remote broad cast on KOOP were the following: Kaiba White, President of Solar Austin non-profit in Austin Beryl Dann, Equitable Clean Energy Jobs Program Manager at Solar AustinProject Karen Magid, Ph.D. Director of Sustainability and STEM for Huston-Tillotson University in Austin.
Shades of Green host Amy Stansbury talks with community organizer Angelica Erazo about the importance of considering communities of color during this dire time of Coronavirus. Angelica stressed the importance of keeping people informed and connected. Rather than relying on possible disinformation from the government or corporate America, Angelica and other organizers have developed a community run website: coronavirusaustin.org
How are CBD, Hemp and Marijuana similar, and how are they different; and what is legal?
Our guest unpacked the details regarding CBD, Hemp and Marijuana. What makes them similar, what makes them different and what is legal in Texas and other parts of the United States? Our lively discussion in the KOOP studio included our guests:
Daulton O’Neill, President of Green Light Events and the Hemp Business Exchange.
Leah Lakstins, Founder of Higher Ed Hemp Tours in Austin Texas
Chris Perling, Pharmacist and expert on CBD and other related products at the Pharmacy next door to the KOOP studios.
Sustainability was part of the plan for the SXSW Conference, which was canceled this year because of the threat of the COVID-19 virus. Our guests were part of a panel session that had been scheduled for the SWSW event. The panel participants were to present and discuss opportunities for making conferences and events more sustainable and environmentally sensitive. Our guests in the KOOP studio were:
Cindy Lo, CEO for Red Velvet Events
Kara Wright, Project Manager at the US Business Council for Sustainable Development
Taelor Monroe is the Co-director of the Austin Texas Permaculture Guild. She studied under Caroline Riley, at the Whole Life Learning Center from 2014-2015, where she worked to transform the space into a full functioning permaculture design. She received her permaculture teacher training certificate from Theron Beaudreau in the Fall of 2014. Taelor still helps organize these informational workshops and volunteer events. She previously helped start a Permaculture centered intentional community titled Sacred Roots in San Marcos, TX. She has studied Permaculture design under Theron Beaudreau, Kirby Fry, Caroline Riley and Dick Pierce. Her main focus and drive is to create community and educate others about regenerative permaculture design and practice. Her home base is at Spirit of the Elms, a permaculture community property in South Austin.
Our two topics on Shades of Green are The Nature Conservancy of Texas, and how to recycle your Christmas tree in Austin. Our guests are:
Laura Huffman, Regional State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Texas. She heads a statewide team of scientists, conservation experts and support staff whose work protects the integrity of Texas’ vast natural resources and most iconic landscapes. Huffman is also chair of the North America Cities Committee, created to support cities as they integrate natural infrastructure into local planning and development initiatives in ways that safeguard people and reduce vulnerability to climate change.
Max Anthony Morales, Environmental Technician (Recycling Coordinator) at Travis County, and Bailey Grimmett, with the Austin Resource Recovery Department of the City of Austin.
It is critical that everyone is counted within the borders of the United States! The 2020 census affects our lives more than we believe and the stakes are high for getting it right. The Census affects US Congressional, City Council, and even local school districts. Our guests help break down how the Census works, why it is important, and how everyone should participate. Our guests are: John Lawler - Census Program Manager for the City of Austin and Travis County Maria Milner - Director of Equity and Inclusion, League of Women Voters Sarah Ortiz Shields - Executive Director, Austin Tech Alliance
Our guest is Austin Texas author and journalist ASHER PRICE who writes about energy and the environment for the Austin American-Statesman. Asher has published three books and we discussed his two latest publications:
His latest is a biography of Earl Campbell – Yards after Contact published in the fall of 2019. About racial divides in East Texas, the University of Texas at Austin, and how Earl Campbell became an icon running back for the Houston Oilers, then on to the N.O. Saints to follow Bum Phillips Year of the Dunk, a memoir published in 2016 about basketball, cancer and the frontiers of human potential and his yearlong quest to slam-dunk a basketball in a 10-foot high rim! The Great Texas Wind Rush – about the historic growth of wind power in Texas. Co-authored with Kate Galbraith in 2013. It is the backstory about how the oil-and-gas state became the country's top producer of wind power.
Twenty years ago in 1999 the Texas Legislation set goals for renewable energy. It was historic legislation that involved environmentalists, electric utilities, and the renewable energy industry. It was one of the first states to set hard goals for developing renewables such as wind and solar power. The Bill was known as SB 7 and widely known as the electric utility deregulation bill. It reshuffled the industry from having a defined monopoly to open competition. As part of the bill environmentalist and renewable advocates were able to include the goals for renewables.
Guests: Mike Sloan, independent energy consultant with Virtus Energy. At the time of the legislation in 1999, Mike was the President of the Texas Wind Coalition, an industry lead group to promote the development of wind in Texas.
Ward Marshall, Senior Director, Business Development, Pattern Development – a wind power developer. Ward was the Vice President of the Texas Wind Coalition in 1999.
Jim Marston, Vice President, Political Affairs with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in Austin. Jim was involved in the negotiations with legislators, environmental organizations and renewable industry representatives when SB 7 was being written.
For our Shades of Green Halloween show we focused on the important propositions on the November 5 ballot that will affect the State of Texas, Travis County and the City of Austin. These are not "spooky" issues, rather, they are important for our future. Our guests help unpack the details embedded in the propositions and how they will affect our communities. Our guests were:
Emma Pabst, a Fellow at Environment Texas, and Anna Farrell-Sherman, Clean Water Associate also with Environment Texas.
Christy Muse, Chief External Relations Officer, Shield Ranch.
Fred Lewis, Attorney and representing Unconventional Austin.
Karin Ascot and Patrick Van Haren are our guests on Shades of Green. They are cofounders of an initiative to build a master planned community near Austin, Texas. The goal of the initiative is to work with land owners and developers to create a durable community and investments that can survive climate change and create superior value for all. We are very unique in our skill sets with a focus on the long haul, using systems thinking. Nature's success metrics are soil quality, wildfire and drought resilience, nutritional quality of the food and plants. Society's success metrics are affordability of the community, social resilience, health and wellness, number of jobs produced within the Citadel.
The William R. Sinkin Eco Centro, located in San Antonio, Texas strives to cultivate the understanding, process and practice of sustainability. It is operated by San Antonio College and it serves as a demonstration center for organic gardening, composting, sustainable building, low impact development, water conservation, native landscaping, and healthy living. It is a place to meet, learn, network and get inspired about sustainability.
Our guest is Meredith Miller, Director of Eco Centro.
A large part of the City of Austin’s Net-Zero greenhouse gas emissions goals will be met by its municipally owned electric utility called Austin Energy. As a forward thinking utility, Austin Energy periodically updates its strategies to reach Net-Zero in the “Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan”. The last plan was published in 2017, and a new updated version will be out before the end of 2019. We discussed the goals, and plans with Austin Energy folks and community activists. Our guests were:
Erika Bierschbach, Vice President, Energy Market Operations and Resource Planning, at Austin Energy.
Al Braden, Resource Planning Working Group, appointed by the Electric Utility Commission of Austin.
Phoebe Romero, Program Coordinator, Office of Sustainability, City of Austin.
On October 15, 2019 Huston-Tillotson University (HT) will host the sixth annual Building Green Justice Forum, this year focusing on “Potential through Place.” The modern environmental justice movement understands that our fates are linked to the places we live and work, and that for people of color those places often are ignored, under-resourced, and overly burdened with polluted air, water, and soil. Yet these places also are home to the environmental justice community’s pride, strength, and motivation. Our guests were Karen Magid, Ph.D, Director of Sustainability and STEM, and Dr. Amanda Masino, Ph.D, Professor of Biology and HT.
We also spoke with Parc Smith, CEO of American Youthworks, Austin, Texas about their innovative youth training programs. They have two primary education and career training programs, YouthBuild Austin and our Conservation Corps. They provide the building blocks for learning and engagement that young people can build upon as they grow into adulthood.
We spoke with representatives from People United for Mobility Action (PUMA), a new organization in Austin dedicated to transforming Austin into a community where every person has access to safe, affordable, and convenient choices to get around and meet their daily needs. PUMA facilitates accessible ways for people to learn about and be engaged with mobility planning in our region through community organizing, building local capacity, and supporting existing and future mobility efforts. Our guests on Shades of Green were David Foster and Yasmine Smith to discuss the PUMA initiatives.
Today on shades of green we have our first of a new series called “Shades of Green Flares”. We highlight innovators in the clean energy industry and share their stories.
Our first episode is a Solar Flare with Amanda Bybee. She shares her story about founding the Clean Energy Credit Union (CECU), a first-of-its-kind financial institution dedicated to providing affordable financing for clean energy products and services, such as electric vehicle purchases, home energy efficiency projects or solar installations.
More about Amanda Bybee:
As an innovative forward thinker, Amanda worked as a “Jill-of-all-trades” at Austin-based Meridian Solar. Amanda started her solar career in 2003, promoting renewable energy as the coordinator of Texas Public Citizen’s Solar Austin Campaign."
Our special guest on Shades of Green was journalist and author, Russell Gold. We talked about his recently published book ”Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy” Russell Gold is from Austin, Texas and he has reported on energy regularly in The Wall Street Journal since 2002. His coverage of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was honored with a Gerald Loeb Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The author of two books: The Boom and Superpower.
We spoke with local high school organizer Matthew Kim about the Climate Change strike and what was planned for September 20, 2019 in Austin. It is all part of a world wide protest and strike to raise awareness of the issues associated with climate change. Matthew Kim is a 16-year old climate activist and organizer hoping to inspire others to join the movement and stop climate change, and promote changes in our local, state and federal government to meet the challenge.
Our guests on Shades of Green addressed the question: Can access to solar power provide social and financial justice? What programs are being implemented to empower our community members of color and low income? Our guests were:
Kaiba White - President of the local non-profit Solar Austin Kenneth Thompson – Former member of the Austin African American Resource Advisory Commission Rebecca Brenneman – City of Austin Resource Management Commission
Food Waste: some innovative ways that local businesses and nonprofits are helping to reduce waste and feed people, all at the same time.
Our guests were: 1. Tyler Markham - Central Texas Food Bank 2. Lisa Barden - Executive Director Keep Austin Fed 3. Angie Seto - Angie's Discount Grocery The Central Texas Food Bank and Keep Austin Fed have teamed up to run the Middle Mile program, which allows volunteers to pick up food from small/medium retailers, restaurants, hotels, farms, caterers, and similar businesses—perfectly good food that might otherwise go to waste—so it can help feed our neighbors in need.
Angie's Discount Grocery is a new grocery store in Round Rock Texas that sells salvaged groceries at a discounted price.
We spoke with two women that have been involved in environmental initiatives in the community and green media productions. Our guests were:
Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea who was involved in the 1980’s Environomental TV show “Earthline”. She was also on the City of Austin Council and she is leading climate action plans for Travis County.
Radio and TV producer Betsy Rosenberg. She recently published a book called “Climate Abandoned: We’re on the Endangered Species List” and is working on her next green broadcasting initiative on radio and television.
The Texas Legislature meets every two years, and it just completed its 2019 session. With our guests in the studio, we did a recap of Bills from the 2019 session that will affect the environment. We also covered Bills that did not get passed that would have help our environment and quality of life. Our guests were: Adrian Shelley, the Texas Director of Public Citizen. Bay Scoggin, Director fo the Texas Public Interest Group (TxPIRG).
The City of San Antonio has formed a coalition to develop a new Climate Change initiative. The initiative will be voted on and unveiled in the near future. We got a glimpse of the initiative from our guests Kaiba White and Brianna Barrera with Public Citizen.
Bike to Work Day on May 17, 2019 will feature many exciting refueling stations along the way in Austin, Texas and some stations will have live music. We spoke with Bike to Work Coordinator Shannon Kors about the events of the day and where to get information on-line. Bike Austin is the main sponsor with others helping to support cycling in Austin. We hope it inspires more cycling and bike commuting in Austin to help reduce traffic congestion and clean our air.
Our guests for the show are solar energy experts discussing the incredible growth in Texas. Also, they discuss local and state policy issues affecting solar power. And will the Texas Legislature help move the marker to create even more growth in solar? Charlie Hemmeline is the Executive Director of the Texas Solar Power Association, a statewide industry trade association that promotes the development of solar electric generation in Texas. He discussed Bills in the Texas Legislature that might affect the solar industry and how our listeners can get involved. Stan Pipkin is the VP Managing Director for Lighthouse Solar, an Austin solar company providing solar solutions for residential and commercial customers. He is also on the Board of Solar Austin. Stan updated us on local Austin solar issues and how the industry continues to grow.
Extinction Rebellion ATX, an organization with its roots in England, comes to Austin to help organize around climate change. Our guest in the studio was Alex Norton, a volunteer with the Austin Chapter. The advocacy group helps organize meetings, banner drops, and strives to educate our community about the dire need to stand up and fight climate change.
There is a new documentary coming soon on the history and origins of Austin’s environmental activism. It is part of the on-line interactive website called Living Springs. Our guests on Shades of Green are the forces behind the new documentary called “Origins of a Green Identity – Austin’s Conservation Pioneers”
Karen Kocher is the Creator and Director of the Living Springs Documentary and interactive web side.
Monica Flores is the Producer for the new documentary.
Climate scientist’s research and modeling indicate that the earth’s warming effect is causing firestorm catastrophic wildfires in many regions. They are particularly intensifying in California. We had a climate scientist, and firefighters that were on the ground fighting the recent wildfires in California in the KOOP studio with us. Our guests on Shades of Green were: Bruce Melton, a professional engineer, environmental researcher, filmmaker, author, and CEO of the Climate Change Now Initiative in Austin, Texas. Andre de la Reza, Captain and Communications/PIO/PST with the City of Austin Fire Department. Kregg Phillips, Captain with the City of Austin Fire Department.
The 2019 Texas Legislature is targeting to defund research and incentives for continuing to grow our solar and wind portfolio. What can we do as citizens to let them know if we want more renewable energy in our state?
Shades of Green hosts and their guests discussed the Legislative agenda with Jeff Clark, President of the Advanced Power Alliance, and Adrian Shelly and Michael Coleman with Texas Public Citizen.
Shades of Green hosts featured three exciting entrepreneurs producing healthy and efficient organic foods. Coyote Creek Farm - Organic Feed Mill and Eggs, is family owned and dedicated to sustainable, organic, and local farming and ranching practices. They have 22,000 chickens that receive humane treatment and provide many organic eggs. We had Owner Rob Cunningham, Brooke Hobby, Feed Mill General Manager, and Farm Manager Jenny Myers in the studio with us.
Snack Jack is an exciting and tasty plant-based jerky made right here in Austin, Texas. Snack Jack is not made from any meat product, rather it is made from JackFruit, a nutrient-dense superfood that is native to tropical regions of Asia, Africa central and South America. It has almost every vitamin and mineral we need, fiber and protein. We had co-founder Diana Dussan in the studio with us.
Fitppl (pronounced FitPeople) is an environmentally proactive, Austin-based company that creates healthy, transparent food and supplement products with an innovative approach to reduce and eliminate plastic waste. We had founder Patrick Schecht in the KOOP studio to discuss his new company.
On our special author profiling show we spoke with two local environmental and social justice authors writing about Austin, Texas. Professor Andrew Busch recently published “City in a Garden: Environmental Transformations and Racial Justice in Twentieth-Century Austin, Texas”
In his book he presents the history of Austin as a natural beauty, which has always been central to the city’s identity. Then, as Austin modernized and attracted an educated and skilled labor force, the demand to preserve its natural spaces was used to justify economic and racial segregation. By demonstrating how the city’s midcentury modernization and progressive movement sustained racial oppression, restriction, and uneven development in the decades that followed, he reveals the darker ramifications of Austin’s green growth. Professor Busch will be giving a lecture about his book on April 25 at the Austin History Center.
Professor Javier Auyero, has published “Invisible in Austin: Life and Labor in an American City” Austin, Texas, is renowned as a high-tech, fast-growing city for the young and creative, a cool place to live, and the scene of internationally famous events such as SXSW and Formula 1. But as in many American cities, poverty and penury are booming along with wealth and material abundance in contemporary Austin. Rich and poor residents lead increasingly separate lives as growing socioeconomic inequality underscores residential, class, racial, and ethnic segregation. In Invisible in Austin, the award-winning sociologist Javier Auyero and a team of graduate students explore the lives of those working at the bottom of the social order: house cleaners, office-machine repairers, cab drivers, restaurant cooks and dishwashers, exotic dancers, musicians, and roofers, among others.
In preparation for the 2019 Texas Legislature we had two high profile environmental activists on Shades of Green. We had in the studio:
Andrew Dobbs, Program Director at Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE). He is an organizer, strategist, and skilled communicator intent on building power for working Texans. His writing has appeared in the Daily Beast, the New York Observer, War is Boring and the Huffington Post.
Juli Berwald, Author and a volunteer with the Citizen Climate Lobby, a non-profit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change. Juli is the author of “Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a backbone.”
Trump’s proposed southern US border ‘Wall’ is immoral and it will have devastating negative impacts on the environment in the region. It will affect wildlife habitat and migrations, plant life, and will create flood conditions that will affect Mexico and the United States. We spoke with Reggie James, Executive Director for the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club about the environmental issues associated with the ‘Wall’.
In the second half of the show we discussed a new documentary about the Wall called “The River and the Wall”. It will be released soon and will be featured at Austin’s SXSW film festival in March. We spoke with the Director, Ben Master’s about the film which presents the beauty surrounding the Rio Grande and the devastating effects that would result from the border ‘Wall’.
The City of Austin, Texas Office of Sustainability has received a $2.5 million national climate change challenge award from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The award was in recognition of Austin’s aggressive environmental goals, which include making municipal operations carbon neutral by 2020. The award means Austin will be part of a two-year accelerator program that will provide the city with technical assistance and support valued at $2.5 million. We had Zach Baumer, Climate Program Manager with the Austin Office of Sustainability, and Amy Atchley, Senior Project Lead, Austin Energy Electric Vehicles and Emerging Technologies in the studio. We also discussed the City of Austin's recently approved 100 year water plan called "Water Forward". We had David Foster, the Executive Director of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund in the KOOP studio with us.
Shades of Green environmental and energy resolutions for 2019. Hosts John Hoffner, Amy Stansbury, and Reed Sternberg share their resolutions for 2019 to reduce their carbon footprint in their personal and working lives. We also had listeners call-in and share their resolutions for 2019.
The annual Shades of Green Hoffner family Christmas episode of poems, music and good humor for the environment. John Hoffner, Jill Hoffner, James Hoffner, Kate Hoffner, Kelly and Colby Malek share their favorite music. And, also Winn, Elliott, and Jimmy Malek.
Bruce Elfant is your Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar. He was first elected to the position in 2012 after spending 20 years as the Travis County Precinct 5 Constable.
The county tax office collects property taxes and Justice of the Peace and county court costs, fines and fees, processes motor vehicle titles and registration, and registers voters and trains Volunteer Deputy Registrars.
We discussed a broad array of topics including: Why is voter turnout so low for run-off elections? Will we ever be able to register and vote on-line? Is voter fraud really a problem? And, what about the history of voter suppression in Texas?
Shades of Green “2018 Year in Review” and the Green Holiday Party In preparation for our Green Holiday Party, we invited several of the leaders of the hosting environmental organizations to share their successes for 2018. This year the Green Holiday Party will be on December 13, at the Barr Mansion. Our guests were: Luke Metzger, Director at Environment Texas Adrian Shelley, Director at Public Citizen Texas Janis Bookout, Directora at Earth Day ATX Scott Gerhardt, Board Chair of USGBC Texas Chapter
The Solar Business Festival is a two-day opportunity to network with representatives in industry, government, and energy companies. It will be on November 27 and 28 at the Sheraton Hotel. Our guest were: Jordan Jarrett, Organizing Committee for Solar Business Festival
Jim Kimo Storke, Manager Partner, KAS Consulting Group
Rachel Stone, with Solar Austin
DJ Rosebaugh, with Native Solar
We had three distinguished guests in the studio to debrief us on the midterm election results and what effect they may have on our local, state and national environment. Our guests were:
Luke Metzger, Executive Director, Environment Texas.
Andrew Dobbs, Central Texas Program Director, Legislative Director, Texas Campaign for the Environment.
Adrian Shelly, Director of the Texas Office of Public Citizen
Texas’ strength lies in its diversity! This is true whether we talk about people or electricity. Texans get their energy from coal, natural gas, wind, solar, and a few other sources. Some sources are on their way out (coal) while others are just coming into their own (solar). A diversified energy market makes electricity in Texas cleaner, cheaper, more reliable, and more resilient.
Our guest for Part 2 of Shades of Green was Adrian Shelly, the Director of the Texas Office of Public Citizen. He spoke of the importance of energy diversity in Texas and how Public Citizen is advocating for it. A new report produced by the UT Energy Instituted called “The Full Cost of Electricity” illustrates the importance of energy diversity and our need to reduce dependence on coal plants.
City of Georgetown runs 100 % on Renewable Energy and Recently Received an Award of $1 million to further its Goals
The City of Georgetown, Texas has been running on 100 % renewable Energy (wind and solar power) since 2017. They recently received an award of $1 million to continue and expand its renewable efforts. They will be implementing an innovative program using large storage batteries in neighborhoods coupled with solar PV systems on residential roofs. Our guest on Shades of Green was Chris Foster who is Currently the Manager of Resource Planning and Integration for the City of Georgetown. He has served in the capacity since 2008, with a primary role of managing the City’s Municipally Owned Utility power supply. Chris is best known for orchestrating the successful transition of Georgetown’s power supply from a single provider that was over 90% fossil fuel based, to being 100% wind and solar powered by 2017
Immediate and Long-term Effects of Climate Change on Water in Austin and the State of Texas
Historic October flooding has caused high levels of silt to build up and overload the City of Austin’s water treatment facilities. The Water Department issued a citywide boil-water ordinance and urged residents to cut consumption.
Will climate change cause historic flooding and droughts to become the norm for Austin and the rest of central Texas? How do we reverse the trend?
We spoke with two water experts offering local and statewide solutions.
David Foster, the Texas Director for Clean Water Action joined us on Shades of Green to discuss the water crisis facing the City of Austin. He offered immediate actions that Austinite’s can take to reduce water consumption to address our immediate crisis. He also presented a thoughtful long-term vision that might help use our water more effectively and slowdown climate change.
Ruthie Redmond, Water Resources Program Manager for the Sierra Club, Lone Star Chapter and the Texas Living Waters Project also joined us in the studio. She discussed “Best Bets for Texas Water”, a guidebook for charting Texas’ water future. Among other important water issues, Ruthie presented the top three strategies from the guidebook that could help Texas make wise water choices.
A Student Sustainability Rally to Support the National Movement started by Our Children’s Trust
Students from St. Edwards University are organizing a Rally as part of a national movement started by Our Children’s Trust supporting the 21 plaintiffs which are suing the US government for allowing climate change to destroy the future generation’s right to life, liberty, and property by promoting a fossil fuel driven economy. The Rally will be on the south steps of the Texas Capitol building starting at 1 PM, October 28. As students studying environmental/world issues and with the heavy impact of the recent report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we have come to a realization: ultimately, the impacts of climate change are going to rest on the shoulders of the younger generation to live with and to solve
Our guests were:
Ally Dean: Students For Sustainability Rally Coordinator and Graphic Design officer, Senior at St. Edward’s University, Environmental Science Major, Graphic Design Minor.
Mary Knothe: Students for Sustainability President, Senior at St. Edward’s University, Environmental Science and Policy Major.
The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) working toward making US business Green
We spoke with Hammad Atassi, CEO and John Minor, Policy Manager with the American Sustainable Business Council about their exciting green programs for businesses.
Mayoral Climate and Energy Candidate Forum - October 2, 2018 in Austin, Texas
Climate change is happening now and local governments must play a significant role in reducing emissions and helping people cope with the impacts. Austin has existing climate commitments and has made progress in expanding its use of renewable energy, but many challenges remain. Solar Austin, 350 Austin, Earth Day Austin, Shades of Green, and the Green Sanctuary Ministry of the First Unitarian Universalist Church hosted a forum for mayoral candidates to speak about their climate change and energy priorities for Austin, Texas. The forum took place on October 2, 2018 and it included: Mayor Steve Adler, Laura Morrison, Travis Duncan, and Alex Strenger.
Shades of Green hosted Environmental Forums for our City Council candidates to find out their positions on critical issues facing the City. Each candidate is asked to elaborate on their position on issues regarding climate change, transportation, water and other important environmental topics. Part 2 today includes candidates running for District 3. In the studio we had candidates: Susana Almanza Justin Jacobson
Other candidates Jessica Cohen, Amit Motwani, James Valadez were invited but unable to attend In the studio we had candidates:
Environmental Forums for City of Austin Council Candidates 2018
Shades of Green hosted Environmental Forums for our City Council candidates to find out their positions on critical issues facing the City. Each candidate is asked to elaborate on their position on issues regarding climate change, transportation, water and other important environmental topics. Part 1 today includes candidates running for District 1.
In the studio we had candidates: Natasha Harper-Madison Mariana Salazar Reedy Spigner
(Other candidates Mitrah Avini, Lewis Conway Jr., and Vincent Harding were invited but unable to attend)
Environmental Forums for City of Austin Council Candidates 2018 Shades of Green hosted Environmental Forums for our City Council candidates to find out their positions on critical issues facing the City. Each candidate is asked to elaborate on their position on issues regarding climate change, transportation, water and other important environmental topics. Part 2 - includes candidates running for District 9. In the studio we had candidates: Linda O’Neal Danielle Skidmore
(Other candidates Kathie Tovo and Isaiah Jones were invited but unable to attend)
Environmental Forums for City of Austin Council Candidates 2018
Shades of Green hosted Environmental Forums for our City Council candidates to find out their positions on critical issues facing the City. Each candidate is asked to elaborate on their position on issues regarding climate change, transportation, water and other important environmental topics. Part 1 today includes candidates running for District 8.
In the studio were candidates: Rich DePalma Bobby Levinski
(Other candidates Page Ellis and Frank Ward III were invited but unable to attend)
In Part 2 – We focused on propositions J and K Our Guests were: Bay Scoggin - Director of the Texas Public Interest Research Group (speaking against Prop J)
Prop J is the "CodeNEXT" proposition that if passed, would require a waiting period and a public vote before any other future comprehensive rewrite of our land development code is passed.
Fred Lewis - speaking in favor of Prop J
Michael Searle - treasurer of Yes PAC on Prop K
Prop K - “Without using the existing internal City Auditor or existing independent external auditor, shall the City Code be amended to require an efficiency study of the City’s operational and fiscal performance performed by a third-party audit consultant, at an estimated cost of $1 million to $5 million?”
On today's show covered nine ballot propositions that Austin residents will vote on in November!!
In Part 1 we covered propositions A thru G and our quest was:
Jovita Pardo, Finance Director of Austin Together (which supports Props A through G).
Props A through G are the bond propositions. They include: • Proposition A: Affordable Housing, $250 million • Proposition B: Libraries, Museums and Cultural Arts Facilities, $128 million • Proposition C: Parks & Recreation, $149 million • Proposition D: Flood Mitigation, Open Space and Water Quality Protection, $184 million • Proposition E: Health & Human Services, $16 million • Proposition F: Public Safety, $38 million • Proposition G: Transportation Infrastructure, $160 million
Jenny Nazak's book sets out to popularize a low-footprint lifestyle by touting the great PERSONAL benefits of said lifestyle. Practical sustainability for individuals, households & small businesses: workshops; presentations; consulting.
Here is what Jenny says about the book: Want to take back your time? Want to enjoy more prosperity, or cut out irksome busy-work from your life, or create a nurturing community; all while improving your health and your connections with other people? What if you could do all that, while also helping to create a much greener society? Well, you can! Open this book and let's get started.
We spoke with Jenny Nazak, one of the three founders of our program “Shades of Green” in 2007. She is a long time green advocate for a low carbon lifestyle, a teacher, writer/editor, fine art; graphic design; marketing & public relations; social media; and of particular note an expert permaculture design consulting. She now lives in Florida.
Water issues in small central Texas towns can by highly contentious and political. Our topic for today was water in two towns outside of Austin: Dripping Springs and Wimberley, Texas.
Our guests were:
Angela Richter - Executive Director of the Save Barton Creek Association.
She discussed their No Dripping Sewage campaign, aimed at preventing Dripping Springs from dumping treated wastewater into Onion Creek (a tributary of Barton Springs).
Steve Thurber – Former mayor and city councilmember of Wimberley.
The City of Wimberley as a community has been studying wastewater issues for decades. The problem is a high concentration of septic systems in the relatively small area of the Wimberley square that is causing pollution of Cypress Creek, an economic engine of Wimberley’s economy.
The City is planning to build a new wastewater plant funded by the City. The purpose of the project is twofold. One to provide a sewer system to the downtown area to alleviate the septic systems to stop pollution of Cypress Creek, and two, to reuse the effluent to irrigate Wimberley’s Blue Hole Regional Park.
The city began construction of the project earlier this year with 2 contractors, both of which are approximately 20% complete. However, the current city council has “paused” to construction of the plant to review the option of contracting with a private company to process the city’s waste. This pause is set to expire the end of August 2018. There are many objections for allowing a private water company to build the plant. Steve describes the issues.
Austin Transportation agency, Capital Metro has made a commitment to be zero emissions in the future. The agency began testing electric buses in Austin and over the next six weeks, they will test electric buses from three manufacturers. The future of electric buses is an exciting technology for Austin commuters that will help reduce emissions and fossil fuel consumption.
Capital Metro also is implementing an exciting pilot program to test an electric powered autonomous shuttle bus in downtown Austin. They will operate the pilot shuttle program, which has yet to be named, for 12 months, and rides will be free during that period. The agency will also be seeking bids from autonomous vehicle manufacturers to lease six vehicles for the program Our guests were: Karl Popham, Manager, Electric Vehicles and Emerging Technologies at Austin Energy. He is also a Department of Energy Principal Investigator on 3 separate initiatives that involve renewables, energy storage, and mobility.
Dottie Watkins, Capital Metro’s Vice President, Bus Operation Services. Dottie is leading the program to test and implement the bus electrification program.
We talked about some of the latest issues regarding electric vehicles; a new non-profit initiative to promote them, and the Drive Electric Week plans in September. Our guests were:
Janis Bookout - she is the incoming Executive Director for Earth Day Austin. Janis has helped produce the Earth Day ATX festival since 2016. She also leads climate events locally and is a founding member of 2020 or Bust, a growing global initiative on individual climate action, and recently joined the board of TxETRA (Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance), a new advocacy group focused on paving the way for electric transportation in Texas.
Jennifer Lasseter – she is a Sustainability and Solar Consultant based in Austin, Texas. She has been involved personally and professionally for at least 18 years in sustainability issues mostly focusing on pollution prevention/zero waste and energy issues. She moved to Austin from Kansas to accept her first real job with TCEQ (state environmental agency) in 2001. Jennifer has been an EV owner for 10 years and City Captain for Austin’s National Drive Electric Week event for 3 years.
Drive Electric Week will take place Sept 15th on Electric Drive. Multiple groups are partnering to put on the event, including Austin Energy, TxETRA, Earth Day and Smart Charge America.
We have Roger Thompson, author of "No Word for Wilderness" (Ashland Creek), which details the plight of a certain rare bear as it faces down extinction. The so-called "Italian grizzlies" are facing a perfect storm of threats, from global warming, to genetic degradation, to most surprisingly, mafia incursion into their territory. Exploiting European Union subsidies for cattle grazing organized crime is converting bear territory into cattle pasture, and in doing so, bears are being forced out. Poisoning has been the top cause of bear deaths, and they now only number at most 50 individuals. Their greatest defender is a scientist who did much of his training in the US. Paolo Cuicci studied wolves in America before he returned to Italy to find ways to help preserve the bears. We also have: Steve of "Steve's Weave", which is a new "all things green" classified website recently launched in Austin and a few other cities. The site is stevesweave.net.
We discussed two waste reduction initiatives in Austin, Texas.
For Julie Sondecker, every day is Earth Day… literally. When she noticed a bunch of trash while on a hike after the Memorial Day Weekend festivities, Julie picked up two giant handfuls and still couldn’t collect everything. So she decided to challenge herself to 365 days of hiking and picking up trash, and documenting what she found on Instagram (@365daysofhiking). The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail is among Julie’s favorite places to hike and pick up trash in Austin. She has even done a few water clean-ups via kayak! But the best part is sharing her passion for the Trail with friends, who now pick up trash when they hike and run the Trail, too. Maddie Morgan with Austin’s Resource Recovery (ARR). Maddie is the ARR Planner who first came up with the idea to put all the West Campus curbside discards ‘a.k.a. resources’ to a higher a better use. She’s responsible for bringing all of these partners together to help reuse, recycle and repurpose items that are usually discarded.
Our main topic for today was Sustainable Fashion. Our guests presented the creative way they are re-using and re-purposing materials to make intriguing and fashionable clothing. We also had a guest give us an update on an initiative to remove styrofoam from Texas.
Guests were:
Luke Metzger. Executive Director of Environment Texas. He discussed a new initiative they are kicking off to encourage the state legislature of Texas to ban Styrofoam.
Shaun Auckland - Conservation Coordinator with Travis County - Shaun will be talking about the county's T-Shirts For Hunger program, which teaches women in the Travis County jail how to turn old t-shirts into reusable shopping bags, which are then donated to local food pantries.
Pamela Torres - founder and designer at Classic Childhood, a children's clothing company that turns old men’s shirts into children's clothing.
Najai Mckenzie-Robinson - local 16-year-old that turns old Levi's into 80s and 90s style jean jackets. CEO and Co-founder of KenzerQuest.
CodeNEXT is the City of Austin initiative to rewrite its complex and outdated land development code. The project is a component of the City Council adopted comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin, which aims to promote growth in more connected, sustainable, and affordable ways, embodying the values and character of the Austin community.
It is a complicated and controversial topic with supporters and critics. We had guests with varying views of CodeNEXT on Shades of Green to get us updated on the issues. Our guests were:
Jim Duncan - member of the city's Zoning and Platting Commission. Conor Kenny - member of the city's Planning Commission Susana Almanza - Executive Director of PODER (People Organized In Defense of Earth and Her Resources)
As land use commissioners, Jim and Conor shared information about each of their commission's specific recommendations to City Council around CodeNEXT.
Susana has been involved in several efforts organizing against CodeNEXT, and was one of the co-authors of the People's Plan (an alternative to CodeNEXT focused around curbing displacement and gentrification)
Susana also shared with us an environmental success!!! She gave us an update around her work in getting the Pure Castings Industrial Metal Foundry to relocate away from Zavala Elementary School in East Austin.
We discussed the really cool annual Coal House Tour of 2018 in Austin, Texas on June 10. We had the director and organizer of the tours, a representative from Austin Energy, the main sponsor, and a guest from Whisper Valley one of the stops on the tour in the KOOP studio with us.
Our guests were:
Lucy Stolzenburg, Executive Director of the Texas Solar Energy Society, a non-profit with the goal of promoting the use of solar energy in Texas.
Kurt Stogdill, Director of Green Building and Emerging Technologies at Austin Energy.
David Currie, Whisper Valley Concierge, in Manor, Texas. The Whisper Valley development is one of the sites on the self-guided Cool House tour. It features homes with solar electric systems, smart home technologies, energy efficient appliances and a community-wide geothermal system bringing the homes to virtual net-zero energy usage.
Bats and bees are a critical part of Austin’s environment. We discuss the history of the bat community in Austin, how the Austin Bat Refuge is protecting them, and how to view the bats. And, we learned how bees are a critical part of our environment and economy.
Our guest on bats were: Dianne Odegard After 12-1/2 years as Education and Public Outreach Manager at Bat Conservation International by day, and bat rehabilitator by night, Dianne has now gone full-time with her true passion, as co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge. Dianne has been a wildlife rehabilitator since 1990, always working with animals that live in close proximity to urban areas and human structures, with the hope of educating people about ways to live harmoniously with wildlife.
Lee Mackenzie As a carpenter, then a nationally acclaimed design build remodeler, he has been humanely dealing with a variety of small mammals in structures his whole career. A wildlife worker for over 20 years, and now co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge, he creatively combines rehabilitation and permaculture, providing the highest possible quality of life in our “bat gardens”, an Austin Bat Refuge original concept and the first of its kind.
Bruce Sims is a Captain at Capital Cruises who has been leading bat watching excursions for seven seasons. He first saw the bats at age six with his kindergarten class.
Georgia Swan is a Captain at Capital Cruises and has been leading bat watching excursions for four years. She is a member of Bat Conservation International and has an ever growing collection of bat memorabilia including a tattoo of the Congress Ave Bats taking flight.
And, on Bees we had: Brandon Fehrenkamp , the owner and proprietor of Austin Bees. He has been keeping bees for around 14 years or so and he has been doing removals for at least 12 years. He builds beekeeping equipment, and sometimes give classes and lectures for both kids and adults. He is a member of the Texas Master Beekeeper program.
To be a successful society we need to ensure that low and middle income people have access to solar power and can use energy efficiently. Several organizations in Austin are working toward that goal. Our guests on Shades of Green discussed their goals and policy suggestions for reducing energy poverty and how our listeners can get involved.
We first had film producer, Shalini Kantayya on the phone to highlight her recent documentary “Catching the Sun: The Clean Energy Future”.
Our local Austin solar guests were:
Dana Harmon, the Executive Director for the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI) discussed their initiatives and research in Austin.
Danielle Murray, Manager of Solar Energy Services at Austin Energy is implementing two programs in Austin to help give low income customers access to affordable solar energy. One is a set-aside for low-income customers for purchasing a part of the new community solar project in East Austin, and a new shared solar program for renters.
Scott Nguyen, Executive Director for 1PlanetSol a new organization with community-wide approach to help give low income families access to solar energy.
Emmett Miranker, representing Everybody Solar, a non-profit working toward providing solar power to local charities to their reduce electricity costs and direct their limited resources to the communities they serve.
A new non-profit called the Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (TxEtra) has been formed to promote all forms of electric transportation. Our guests were Michael Osborne, Chair of the Board, and Janis Bookout a founding member of the Board of Directors.
We also focused on bicycles. We had Katie Smith Deolloz , The Executive Director for Bike Austin, a non profit with the mission to improve quality of life for all of Austin and Central Texas by growing bicycling as a form of transportation, exercise, and recreation. Deolloz is well known in Austin as an advocate of biking and walking. She is a member of the City of Austin’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Councils, a board of member of the nonprofit Walk Austin, and the founder of ATX Walks, a local business that designs customized walks and personalized coaching services.
Electric assisted bikes may get more people on the road to work. We had Michael Bruner, the COO and Co-Founder of Z-Bikez on to talk about all their electric options including electric bikes, mopeds, and motorcycles available to the Austin Community.
TreeFolks of Austin launched two new exciting programs, and our guests discussed each of them. The first is called ‘Austin Environmental Heroes’ where the hire high school students to water our city's trees during the summer. And the other is called ‘Remove And Replace’ , a pilot program to provide low-income Austin residents with expert assessment, removal, and replacement of hazardous trees at no charge.
Our guests were: Thais Perkins - Executive Director of TreeFolks Erin Gurak - Development Director, TreeFolks
We also heard about a new book by author Juli Berwald called “Spinless: The Science Of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing A Backbone.”
More than a decade ago, Juli Berwald left a career in ocean science to raise a family in landlocked Austin, Texas, but jellyfish drew her back to the sea. Recent, massive blooms of billions of jellyfish have clogged power plants, decimated fisheries, and caused millions of dollars of damage. Driven by questions about how overfishing, coastal development, and climate change were contributing to a jellyfish population explosion, Juli embarked on a scientific odyssey. She traveled the globe to meet the biologists who devote their careers to jellies, hitched rides on Japanese fishing boats to see giant jellyfish in the wild, raised jellyfish in her dining room, and throughout it all marveled at the complexity of these alluring and ominous biological wonders.
Green Corn Project David Huebel, Program Coordinator
The mission of the Green Corn Project is o educate and assist Central Texans in growing organic food gardens. To help Central Texans have access to nutritious, affordable food grown in ways that conserve natural resources, promote self-reliance, and strengthen communities.
The Green Corn Project (GCP) is a grassroots, volunteer-run organization dedicated to helping Central Texans in need grow their own organic vegetables. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, GCP installs organic food gardens for elderly, low-income, and disabled community members as well as for elementary schools, community centers, and shelters in underserved areas of Austin.
Food For Thought ATX We also discussed the Food For Thought ATX, a week of volunteer opportunities, educational events, and panel discussion around Austin's Food EcoSystem.
Food For Thought ATX is being organized by the Entrepreneur's Foundation, which was founded in 1999 by entrepreneurs, venture capitalists & friends to promote philanthropy & impactful community engagement among Austin’s startup community.
Our guest was Caitlyn Conner, the Start-up Champion at the Entrepreneurs Foundation.
We talked about the City of Austin’s parks, the City’s park budget and the upcoming bond elections. Our guest was John Rooney, Program Coordinator with the Austin Parks Foundation, a non-profit that partners with the community to enhance people’s lives by making public parks, trails and green spaces better through volunteerism, innovative programming, advocacy and financial support.
Our second guest was Roman Gonzalez founder of Gardenio, a new local company that sells urban gardening starter boxes so that you can grow your own food in your own backyard.
The Organic Recycling Ordinance (ORO) will go live on October 1, 2018 in Austin, Texas 3-22-2018
As part of its goal to reach 100 % Zero Waste by 2040, the City of Austin will be implementing the Organic Recycling Ordinance (ORO), which goes into effect on October 1, 2018. All businesses with a food service permit will be required to ensure they have a plan in place, and their employees have convenient access to organics diversion services. In order to help meet the City’s goals, food service businesses will need to learn about the program and how they will need to comply. Our guests helped unravel the details of the ORO program. Our guests for March 22nd on Shades on Green were:
• Teresa Chapman, Senior Planner for Austin Resource Recovery’s Business Outreach Team • Stacy Savage of Zero Waste Strategies. Stacy is a communications contractor for ARR’s Business Outreach Team • Tyler Markham from Central Texas Food Bank
The City of Austin may have a professional soccer team and stadium soon; but, not without controversy. In October 2017, the owner of the professional soccer team Columbus Crew announced that he is exploring moving the team from Ohio to Austin, citing the desire for a downtown stadium as one of the major drivers motivating his decision. The announcement has been marked by excitement for some (it would be Austin’s first professional sports team) and apprehension by others (who fear Columbus Crew might be seeking public funds or favors from Austin taxpayers and don't want public parkland to be used).
And now, in February 2018 the controversy is over where to locate the stadium considering many factors including environmental and social justice issues. Our guests were: • Daniel Llanes, Neighborhood Leader and Activist • Bill Bunch - Executive Director of the Save Our Springs Alliance • Josh Babetski - President and Founder of MLS In Austin, an organization that advocates for bring professional soccer to Austin
EARTHx will be the largest Eco-experience on Earth Day 2018 in Dallas. The three-day event will take place April 20 – 22 at the historic Dallas Far Park. There will be over 900 exhibits, indoor and outdoor interactive activities, virtual reality, an environmental film festival, and many other ways to learn how to preserve our natural environment. We spoke with EARTHx organizers Michael Cain and Steven Kornajck about how to attend EARTHx and get involved.
We celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 on Shades of Green.
International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. On this day we celebrate all the many women leaders and extraordinary women in Austin, Texas.
Our guests were:
Shibiya Sabu who is Originally from India, is a Transportation Planner with the Planning Dept. of CH2M, an international engineering consulting firm specializing in water and several layers of Technology and Planning. She focuses on optimizing the transportation flow and facilities to perform better, with projects involving bike-ped planning, corridor planning (at interstate level to FM roads). Her specialty includes sustainable urbanism, multi-modal transportation planning and community engagement. She is also the Chapter lead of the Global Women’s Network at CH2M. She has been doing Henna Professionally for 11 years now at various events, at weddings, and social/communal gathering. And, she was invited to be a Henna Artist at the East Austin Studio Tour. Hala N. Ballouz has been a lead consultant in the electric power industry since 1991. She is the President of Electric Power Engineers and she has over 20 years of experience in power systems and energy market. Ms. Ballouz is also the former president of the Texas Renewables Energy Alliance (TREIA) and currently serves as board member of several organizations. She is a registered Professional Engineer in several states as well as other countries.
We also had in the studio Janis Bookout and Andrea Alfaro, two influential Austin women representing Earth Day Austin.
We celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 on Shades of Green.
International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. On this day we celebrate all the many women leaders and extraordinary women in Austin, Texas.
Our first guest was:
Shibiya Sabu who is Originally from India, is a Transportation Planner with the Planning Dept. of CH2M, an international engineering consulting firm specializing in water and several layers of Technology and Planning. She focuses on optimizing the transportation flow and facilities to perform better, with projects involving bike-ped planning, corridor planning (at interstate level to FM roads). Her specialty includes sustainable urbanism, multi-modal transportation planning and community engagement. She is also the Chapter lead of the Global Women’s Network at CH2M. She has been doing Henna Professionally for 11 years now at various events, at weddings, and social/communal gathering. And, she was invited to be a Henna Artist at the East Austin Studio Tour.
On Shades of Green we talked about “alternative” electric vehicles… and we don’t mean cars! Instead we discussed the growth of electric Pedi cabs and other alternative vehicles in Austin, Texas.
Our guests was:
Kevin Chandra – Project Lead for Austin Energy’s Electric Vehicles & Emerging Technologies group. He’ll be talking about the city’s new electric-assist Pedi cab pilot program.
'Trump’s Solar Tariff on Imported Solar Panels and The Growth of Solar Power in Texas'
We discussed the impacts of the Solar Tariff on US solar manufacturers, large-scale developers and residential installers. How will affect the market, and will it really help manufacturers in the US? Will in cause a slow-down in the residential and utility-scale solar industry in Austin, and Texas? And, while we are talking to the guests – how is the present and future solar market looking in Texas? The solar tariff is applied to foreign manufactured solar PV panels at a rate of 30 % in year 1 scaling down to 15 % in year 4. Here is a good link: https://www.cfr.org/article/trumps-solar-tariffs-create-far-more-losers-winners
Our guest were: Charlie Hemmeline, Executive Director of the Texas Solar Power Association The Texas Solar Power Association is a statewide industry trade association that promotes the development of solar electric generation in Texas. Our member companies invest in the development of solar photovoltaic products and projects in Texas, cost-competitively serving customers in both wholesale and retail markets. Our membership includes manufacturers, large-scale power plant developers, residential and commercial rooftop integrators, and other Texas companies participating across the full solar photovoltaic supply chain. David Jankowsky, President, Francis Renewable Energy. They are a solar developer/installer for large-scale projects as well as residential projects. Their signature project in the Austin area is a large housing development called Wisper Valley where all the homes are planned to be zero energy with solar PV and energy efficiency measures. He will talk about the development and the potential effects of the solar Tariff on his large-scale developments. Stan Pipkin, Owner and President, Lighthouse Solar Lighthouse is a local solar installer specializing in commercial and residential buildings. Lighthouse Solar is a solar energy companies and a leader in paving the way for sustainable, renewable energy for homes and businesses. Our mission is to accelerate the switch to clean, renewable, secure, and democratized energy sources while contributing to a clean energy workforce.
On today's show we talked about the Austin Reuse Directory. The Austin Reuse Directory is a project from the Austin EcoNetwork, supported by Austin Resource Recovery, designed to make it as easy as possible for Austinites to find a second home for everyday items. Reuse saves items from the landfill and makes them available to your neighbors, who in turn, can use them again!
Our guests were: • Rebekka Adams - Bloomers and Frocks: a local vintage thrift store. • Liza Wilson – Toybrary: like a library, but for toys! • Terry Cole - Austin Street Youth Ministry a nonprofit organization that serves homeless young people in Austin. • Rick Lacey - Rick's Refills: he refills printer cartridges, so people don't have to throw them away. • Christopher Moken - Program Director with Re-Mat: a nonprofit organization dedicated to mattress recycling in Texas. All of our guests run local reuse businesses or nonprofits that are listed on the Austin Reuse Directory.
Smart Green Energy, and Sustainable Environmental Programs in San Antonio, Texas 1-18-2018
Citizens of San Antonio, Texas and its municipal electric utility CPS Energy are implementing some of the most innovative and forward thinking programs to make their City smart, green, and sustainable for future generations. Our guests spoke passionately about two major initiatives: Anita Ledbetter, Executive Director of Build San Antonio Green and Jill Vassar, the Director of Development and Partnerships for the EPIcenter project.
Build San Antonio Green
The mission of Build San Antonio Green is to protect and enhance the quality of life of the citizens of the metropolitan San Antonio Area by developing standards by which to certify newly constructed and existing structures to green standards, and to provide leadership, expertise, and education for the wise, efficient, and sustainable use of energy and resources. Three nationally recognized programs are: the Green Building Program, Bring Solar Home program, and Community Outreach Events like Solar Fest. It provides valuable resources for the community in each of these areas. Build San Antonio Green is committed to a sustainable, progressive, and renewable San Antonio of tomorrow!
The EPIcenter Project
The EPIcenter project is an initiative to transform an historic power plant in San Antonio into a world class center that will serve as a cradle for invention and a catalyst for clean energy innovation and technological advancement. The project is similar to Austin’s Seaholm EcoDistrict. Founded in 2015, the EPIcenter is a new initiative, launched by CPS Energy and its New Energy Economy partners (NEE), to create a center for energy education and innovation development on the banks of the San Antonio River. The “EPI” stands for “Energy, Partnerships, and Innovation,” and the center will be unique in the country in terms of combining education, research and development, an innovation think tank and energy museum all in one spot.
Climate change will affect cities in many different ways, and not just on the coasts of our continents. Our guests discussed what actions we can take as a society to save our cities, and a new book is out called "Extreme Cities" by Professor Ashley Dawson. Out guests in the KOOP studio were: Professor Ashley Dawson of City College of New York, is the author of "Extreme Cities". He is the Currie C. and Thomas A. Barron Visiting Professor in the Environment and Humanities at Princeton Environmental Institute.
Bobbie Tsukahara is one of the founders of 350-austin.org
James Cole, with the Democratic Society of America.
The Texas Green Building Marketplace is an on-line directory of qualified green businesses -- design professionals, contractors, suppliers, operations and maintenance companies, and other service professionals -- that make commercial green building projects easier.
Our guest in the studio was Kay McManus, the Administrator for the Texas Green Building Marketplace.
The 2017 Austin Environmental Directory is now available. It is meant as a user-friendly guide to readers for learning about environmental issues, for identifying and purchasing environmental products, and for becoming involved in environmental organizations. The print version is distributed free to the Austin area. The Directory is also on the Internet at www. environmentaldirectory.info/. Our Guest on Shades of Green was the editor Paul Robbins, a long-time environmental advocate in Austin, Texas since 1977.
A new non-profit initiative has undertaken to memorialize the history of renewable energy in Texas. The Historical Foundation for Texas Renewable Energy (HFTRE) was formed to address the fact that over 40 years of history in the development of Texas renewable energy exists in the form of documents, memorabilia, electronic files, and hardware currently scattered among many individuals, organizations, and institutions, and not always stored in a fashion that adequately protects them. There is a concern that much of this history is being, or may be, lost as time passes. Our guests on Shades of Green were: Russel Smith, former Exec. Director of TREIA. Artist – photographer, and now new initiative for renewables history. Dr. Gary Vliet: Former professor at UT Mechanical Engineering. He is a solar researcher and author of several text books and historical accounts of Texas.
A celebration of sustainability! A star-sprinkled evening will celebrate Mueller as a nationally certified LEED Gold Neighborhood Development, award the new Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Mentoring Center an Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB) 3-star rating and debut a short video featuring over 30 local non-profit organizations with AEGB rated projects. Special commemorative gifts (while they last) will showcase local artists and businesses.
The 700-acre Mueller neighborhood was transformed from a municipal airport into a sustainable community through a collaboration with the City of Austin and Catellus Development Corporation. This community is the largest neighborhood of AEGB rated buildings. AEGB awarded star ratings to the homes and businesses here for being resource-wise contributors to a cleaner environment through efficient energy and water use, better health and greater comfort.
Our guests on Shades of Green were:
Mr. Stogdill - currently works for Austin Energy as the Manager for Green Building and Sustainability, a workgroup that also includes the Electric Vehicles and Emerging Technologies workgroups. Specific areas of focus include the drive toward a better built environment, electric mobility and Distributed Energy Resource integration. With over 15 years of experience with Austin Energy, other roles have included interim Solar Program Manager, extensive work with electric vehicles and emerging technologies as well as utility strategy. Mr. Stogdill’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master of Science in Science and Technology Commercialization, both from the University of Texas at Austin.
Matt Hart – Associate Principle at Barley and Pfeiffer Architects in Austin.Matt’s career began in Ohio, where he grew up working for his parent’s custom home building firm. After years of field experience, he decided to follow in his Grandfather’s footsteps obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Architecture at The Ohio State University. During his time there he received the Construction Award and was awarded the Austin E. Knowlton Faculty Prize for distinguished work.
His career continued while working for local firms in Columbus, Ohio where his deep interest in building science and sustainability eventually brought him to Austin, Texas and Barley| Pfeiffer Architecture. Over many years of Project Management, he has developed a broad understanding of architectural design and environmentally responsive construction techniques.
The Seaholm EcoDistrict is an exciting area of the City of Austin set up to be a model for an eco-friendly district with multi-uses including commercial, residential, municipal and outdoor spaces. There are many stakeholders ensuring the district develops according to the goals of the City. We discussed the new initiative to develop the Seaholm water intake building and what you might see on October 28 when the new library has its grand opening.
Our guests were:
Colin Wallis, CEO of the Austin Parks Foundation
Colin Wallis is the CEO of the Austin Parks Foundation, a non-profit organization that is devoted to building public/private partnerships to develop and maintain the more than 300 parks, trails, and open space in Austin and Travis County. APF seeks to fill the gap between what needs to be done and what our parks department can afford to do. Since 1992, Austin Parks Foundation has initiated, promoted, and facilitated physical improvements, new programming, and greater community involvement for Austin's 19,000-plus acres of parkland. Each year, APF generates millions of dollars in volunteer time, in-kind donations, and financial support for city parks.
For more information, visit https://www.austinparks.org/.
Brian Ott, The Trail Foundation
Brian Ott is an award-winning, LEED-accredited landscape architect. Brian served as The Trail Foundation’s interim executive director for nearly a year and aided in the non-profit’s appointment of Heidi Cohn as executive director in June 2017. He is also a former president of the board of directors for TTF and a longtime board member.
Brian was a managing principal of TBG Partners’ Austin office and an integral member of the distinguished landscape architecture and planning firm from 1991 to 2016, playing an essential role in many of the firm's most successful projects during that time. In addition to leading the Austin office, he played a key role in the firm wide leadership including serving as practice director for the firm. He has diverse project experiences that include exemplary and award-winning projects that encompass many project types including healthcare and healing environments, urban infill, corporate, and park design.
Our Guests were:
Stacy Savage, member of the Shades of Green “extended family” and zero waste Guru discussed about training opportunities for local businesses to get up-to-speed on meeting waste reduction goals.
Susanne Harm, Public Information Specialist Senior at City of Austin Resource Recovery
Our guests were:
Tom “Smitty” Smith, ex-director of Public Citizen Texas, still on as a much-needed consultant.
David Foster, Director of Clean Water Action, Austin Texas
Smitty and David discussed some of the hazards associated with fracking and impacts on water, the environment and local communities.
SOME KEY ISSUES WE EXPLORED:
Fracking and drinking water issues - Issue: There are concerns that fracking may contaminate drinking water supplies with harmful chemicals, raising public health issues.
Fracking and earthquakes and tremors- Issue: There have been well-publicized concerns that fracking wells, drilled thousands of feet down, may change geology in a substantial way, leading to earthquakes.
Fracking and leaky wells, methane, and climate risk - Issue: The extraction process results in leakage of some greenhouse gas emissions.
The one Texas Park inside the border of Austin, Texas is the McKinney Falls State Park, a beautiful site for camping, hiking, fishing and enjoying the outdoors. We had Ryan Spencer on the show to talk about new initiatives at the park and his other volunteer efforts at the Westcave Outdoor Discover Center and the Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin (CiNCA).
Our own host Reed Sternberg was in New York City for a week attending the Climate Week NYC – Sept 18 - 24. He shared what he learned, and described some of the people he met.
CodeNEXT is the first major rewrite of Austin’s Land Development Code in 30 years. The existing code lacks the tools our city needs to effectively shape and manage growth. As we look to the future, we need a Land Development Code that embodies the values set out in the City Council-adopted Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan. The new Land Development Code should give us the tools we need to make Austin a more livable city for all. Draft 2 was released by the City Council with some significant changes. Our guests discuss the new changes and how they may affect neighborhoods in Austin. We hear opinions from both sides of the issues.
Our guests were:
Greg Anderson - Director of Operations with Austin Habitat for Humanity, Planning Commission member
Carmen Llanes Pulido - Executive Director of Go Austin/ Vamos Austin
Jim Duncan - member of 'Community Not Commodity'
Natasha Harper Madison - community activist
The grand opening of the new Austin Public Library is Saturday, October 28 from 10 AM to 6 PM. We discuss many of the exciting features of the library and how you can view them at the grand opening.
Our guests on Shades of Green were:
Kanya Lyons, Public Information Specialist Sr., Austin Public Library Office of Programs and Partnerships (AOPP). She talks about the grand opening of the new Central Austin Library and some of the exciting features such as special meeting rooms, an outdoor deck for studying and reading, a roof top garden and many other cool features.
Lucia Athens, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Austin Lucia Athens is the City of Austin’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. Recognized internationally as an authority on sustainability, she is author of the Island Press book Building an Emerald City: A Guide to Creating Green Building Policies and Programs. She discusses the many eco-friendly and sustainable features of the new library.
The annual Texas Renewable Energy Industries Alliance (TREIA) conference is on October 23 and 24 in Georgetown, Texas. It is called GridNext.
TREIA is a nonprofit organization working to promote and advance the renewable energy industry in Texas. It is a network of project developers, corporations, financial institutions, end users, utilities, manufacturers, service providers, academia, and government leaders working to scale renewable energy, grow the local economy, and create jobs. Its industry stakeholders are involved in solar, wind, biomass, biofuel, energy efficiency, geothermal, hydro, ocean, and energy storage.
The GridNEXT conference is TREIA’s power industry conference focused specifically on how renewable energy technologies are transforming the electric grid of the future. The keynote speaker will be Former Vice President Al Gore. Our guest on Shades of Green this week were: Melissa Miller, President of the TREIA Board. She is also the Project Development Manager at EDF Renewable Energy, and has experience developing Texas renewables since 2002. At EDF, Melissa’s primary focus is in the development of large-scale wind and solar in Texas.
Vijay Betanabhatla, Senior Consultant, Energy and Utilities Group, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. He will be giving a pre-conference workshop called “GridNEXT 1.0 Renewable Energy Project Development and Finance”
Cris Eugster, Chief Operating Officer at CPS Energy in San Antonio, a municipal utility with aggressive renewable and energy efficiency goals. He will be a featured speaker talking about “The Present & Future State of Utilities”
Joshua Long, Professor of Environmental Studies at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Southwestern will be receiving an award from TREIA for their innovative sustainability plan that includes the campus receiving 100 % of its energy from renewable energy sources.
Bert Haskell, Chief Technology Officer at Pecan Street, a project which is focused on advancing university research and accelerating innovation in water and energy. They provide utilities, technology companies and university researchers access to the world’s best data on consumer energy and water consumption behavior, testing and verification of technology solutions, and commercialization services to help them bring their innovations to market faster. They also help prepare technically focused students for careers with industry, and help them conduct research that will change the world.
We continued our coverage of the environmental devastation in Houston from Hurricane Harvey.
Our Guest was Pat Greer. She is producer for the talk radio program Eco-Ology on Pacifica Radio, KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston. Eco-Ology, weekly KPFT’s program dedicated to local hero’s at the forefront of environmental action, ecology in and for the community, social justice, health, and spirit. Produced by Patricia Greer, HC Clark and Cath Conlon. Technical support provided by Laura Slavin. Web site: http://eco-ology.org/ The program explores what is happening in the Houston community and who is doing something about it. Pat recently added a new element to the weekly program – FOOD, glorious food: food security, local foods, food co-operatives, farmers markets, food dilemmas, food in the region, composting, urban farming, bees, community gardens, recipes for the Houston region and the season. Michael Pollan, Recipe for Success, Urban Harvest, and more. Eco-Ology Pat’s program Eco-Ology aims to bring people and their stories to folks. Just regular people, who from life experience, exposed problems and strived to solve them, making a difference in the community of Our earth. We had a lively discussion with Pat and realized we have a lot in common. KPFT Radio is an independent, noncommercial, community radio station for Houston, Galveston and Southeast Texas region of the Gulf Coast. Just like KOOP it is listener supported and aims to enrich the local community with informative news and public affairs programing.
Our discussion focused on the high level issues associated with climate change and why we are experience hurricane with ever increasing intensity like hurricanes Harvey and Irma. We also discussed ground level issues in the Houston community regarding toxic pollution from local chemical plants and oil refineries.
Our guests were:
Dr. Kerry Cook - Climate Scientists at the University of Texas
Kerry Cook came to The University of Texas at Austin in August 2008. She began her career at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab at Princeton University, followed by 18 years as a professor at Cornell University. At UT, she teaches graduate courses in geophysical fluid dynamics, and a popular undergraduate course on Global Warming. Dr. Cook is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, and served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and an editor of the Journal of Climate.
Dr. Cook's research centers on predicting and understanding climate change and climate variability around the world, including Africa, South America, the central U.S., and home in Austin, TX. She and her group use numerical models of the climate system, including atmosphere, ocean, and vegetation components, along with observational analysis to improve our understanding about how features and processes at the earth's surface interact with atmospheric circulation and precipitation fields.
Kristal Ibarra-Rodríguez - Volunteer Coordinator with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club
After serving as a long-time volunteer with the Sierra Club at both local and national levels, Kristal now works with Lone Star Chapter volunteer leaders and staff to develop and implement outreach programs that support the work of existing volunteers and aim to recruit new ones. Prior to this role, she conducted outreach on waste management practices in California with successful efforts toward achieving the ambitious goal of 75% waste diversion from landfills by 2020. Kristal is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, her home island, where she studied General Science with particular focus on Environmental Education and Sociology.
Luke Metzger - Executive Director of Environment Texas
Luke Metzger is the State Director of Environment Texas, a statewide, citizen-funded advocate for clean air, clean water and open spaces. The San Antonio Current has called Mr. Metzger "long one of the most energetic and dedicated defenders of environmental issues in the state." He has played a key role in dozens of successful environmental campaigns, including winning permanent protection for the Christmas Mountains of Big Bend, getting Shell and Chevron Phillips to cut air pollution at two Texas refineries and chemical plants, and getting the Legislature to dramatically boost funding for water conservation and state parks.
Ashely “Flashe’ Gordon, was on the phone with us as she was on the ground in Port Arthur in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey
Ashely is an environmental and social activist. Taking care of the community has always been her priority. Both of her parents served in the community during Ashely’s childhood. That is when she learned that our community is our family and we have a responsibility to that family. She returned to Austin in 2013 after the death of my father in 2008 with a renewed passion to serve in Travis County. Ashely was a candidate for Travis County Commissioner in 2017. She now lives in Port Arthur Texas, which was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey.
For more info about the environmental impacts of Hurricane Harvey, the EcoNetwork wrote two blogs on the subject. http://austineconetwork.com/hurricane-harvey-how-it-happened-and-how-to-help/ http://austineconetwork.com/environmental-consequences-of-hurricane-harvey/
This week on Shades of Green we discussed the exciting ‘Trash Makeover Challenge’ which is a unique competition for innovators in the fashion industry to highlight creative reuse by showcasing outfits made from 90% recycled materials and reconstructed textiles. It is a fund raising event for the Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE). This year the theme is "LIVING MASTERPIECES" fashion show exhibit, where teams will take famous art paintings as inspiration to create designs with a smart twist. The "LIVING MASTERPIECES museum exhibit" will feature small inspiration pieces showcasing materials used in the team's design. The inspiration items will be included in the silent auction! The date is Saturday, September 16, 2017, 6:00pm - 9:00pm at Rio Austin. Tickets are available at www.trashmakeover.com. Our guests in the KOOP studio were: Robin Schneider, the Executive Director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment. Ceci Guevara, the Fashion Show Producer. Megan Pinto, a Fashion Designer and previous participant and winner in the Trash Makeover Challenge.
On Shades of Green we talked about alcohol, and the intersection between sustainability and how it is grown, produced and shipped. We had guests from a local Austin, Texas brewery, winery, and tequila company to talk about the many ways that they try and make their business greener.
Our guests were: Josh Hare - Founder and President of Hops and Grain Brewing
He fell in love with artfully crafted beer and the fantastic community that supports it when he was living in Boulder, CO in the early 2000’s. He moved to Austin in 2005 to pursue a career in triathlon and the running specialty retail industry and eventually helped to open the city’s most successful running retail store. After searching for beer sponsors all over the state with no success, Hare decided to open his own brewery, focused on the highest quality products and marketing them to an active city loyal to locally produced goods. Since 2011 he has been overseeing the day to day operations of the brewery from recipe & product development to quality management. Since day 1, the mission at Hops & Grain has been to enhance the human experience through the medium that inspires them the most, the artful and deliberate expression of thoughtfully crafted beer.
Ross McLauchlan - Founder of the Austin Winery
Cooper and I started making wine on the side while working for other wineries (production, sales, tasting room, brokerage, equipment). After we felt like we had the slightest bit of exposure to each avenue of the industry, and had the chops to make good wine, we quit our jobs. Austin had a gap in the market, Texas winemaking was on the rise, but there as a disconnect between the Hill Country wine trail and Austin. We set about getting legal and getting our winery in operation within the city limits. Fast forward 3 years, we have distribution to Whole Foods, Central Market, and a range of local restuarants, bodegas, bars and hotels. We just built out and opened our new winery off South Congress and moved out of our little warehouse slip in the Industrial part of town.
On Sustainability: We want to make wine in harmony with nature. We don't propose to save the world, we make an alcoholic beverage, so we want to do that in a non-exploitative way that is beneficial to the environment, the people who produce it, and those who consume it. All of the vineyards we work with are bio-dynamically and/or organically farmed. We work with bee rescue organizations to have pollinators around our vines, ensuring biodiversity in our micro-climate. This contribute to the soil, the aroma, the ambiance, and ultimately influence the nuances of the wine. We up-cycle our spent grape skins (nitrogen-rich fertilizer), make vinegar (and pickles) with of old wine, and give our old barrels to breweries. Plus, we have one wine in a 90% reduced carbon footprint POUCH.
Richard Sorenson - Founder of Dulce Vida Tequila According to Sorenson, the concept of sustainability was very strategic in the selection of our tequila production facility. The facility not only had to be capable of making an award winning product, but also had to meet requirements for organic production and overall sustainability measures – being a kind partner to the environment and local community. A complete recapture of all production waste is performed and yields a nutrient-rich soil supplement to the local farming community. Furthermore, as a by-product of waste collection & processing, methane gas is captured, creating an energy source utilized to power the facility.
The Outdoor Product Industry and how it intersects with the Environmental Community 8-24-2017
Many corporations and retailers providing outdoor products and services are become highly environmentally conscious. They are showing leadership and responding to customer desires. We spoke with two representative industry leaders: our local Austin Patagonia store, and the Crux Climbing Center also in Austin, Texas.
Our guests were:
Richard Tornton – Environmental Outreach Coordinator, Patagonia He leads Patagonia’s efforts to be to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Their values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted. The approach we take towards product design demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility. Patagonia has also implemented a new concept called Worn Wear to re-pairs or re-purpose you old or worn Patagonia products.
Kevin Goradia – Owner of Crux Climbing Center in Austin He is an avid climber and co-owner of the Crux Climbing Center. Crux is designed to be much more than a gym—it’s a place where you can form a community. It is a 22,000 square foot facility stocked with rope climbing, bouldering, and strength training areas, a flex space for fitness and yoga classes, locker rooms, a kids’ area, and a lounge space that gives folks a place to hang out with old friends or meet new ones after your workout. Social events ranging from small, intimate community gatherings to large, blow-your-mind competitions are held at Crux all year long.
School starts in Austin Texas on August 21 and we talked about how to be Green as students prepare for school and throughout the year. Our guests were from Austin Creative Reuse sharing tips on the best ways shop for back-to-school without creating waste. Austin Creative Reuse collects, sells, and distributes reusable arts and craft supplies so that everyone can enjoy them (without sending trash to the landfill). We also talked with EcoRise, a nonprofit organization that brings environmental education and social entrepreneurship into the classroom.
Our guests: Gina LaMotte - Executive Director of Ecorise Gina LaMotte is a social entrepreneur who is most passionate about unlocking the power and potential of youth as leaders, innovators and visionaries. Gina has extensive experience working in education and sustainable development, including innovative educational programs serving youth in Brazil, India, Nepal, and Guatemala, as well as Harlem, New York, and Taos, New Mexico.
Gina founded EcoRise with the intent of providing a transformative educational program integrating sustainability, leadership and innovation into the traditional K-12 classroom. Since 2008, she has led its growth strategy, transforming EcoRise into a scalable social enterprise which now delivers world-class curricula, training and support to teachers around the world and has earned the support of thousands of community partners across all sectors.
Abby Randall - EcoRise Program Director With more than 12 years of experience in the field of sustainability education, Abby Randall is passionate about inspiring a new generation of green leaders. Abby holds an MS in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from Tuft’s University, and has taught and designed curriculum for a wide variety of K-12 science classes in Austin ISD and for UT High School.
In her current position as Program Director, Abby oversees the implementation of EcoRise's Sustainable Intelligence Program, as well as leading-edge Biomimicry and Science, LEED Prep, and Design Studio curriculum. Abby's enthusiasm for authentic, STEM-based sustainability education is evident in her engaging teacher trainings and year-round support for environmental educators around the country.
Carole LeClair - Austin Creative Reuse, Board President Their mission is to foster conservation and reuse through creativity, education, and community building. Austin Creative Reuse collects, distributes, and sells reusable materials donated from industry and individuals. They educate the community about how to reduce, reuse, and create in responsible and fun ways. We make instructional kits, have a library of design and art ideas, and share these online and in our Creative Reuse Center.
The topic of today's show is parks and the City of Austin, Texas. The upcoming budget process and how it may affect our public parks.
Our guests were:
Ladye Anne Wofford - Chief Mission Officer with the Austin Parks Foundation. David Todd - long-time parks steward and representative of the Friends of Blunn Creek Partnership. He is also the author of The Texas Landscape Project: Nature and People, and The Texas Landscape Project: Studies of Courage and Conservation. He is the executive director of the Conservation History Association of Texas. Carmen Llanes Pulido - Executive Director of Go Austin Vamos Austin. The Trust for Public Land recently ranked Austin’s park system 46th amongst the 100 largest US cities. It wasn’t exactly the kind of stellar review or ranking that Austin is used to receiving.
Now, a group of environmental organizations are calling on our local elected officials to do something about it.
Austin City Council is currently on summer recess for the month of July, but when they return, most of their energy will be spent on one thing – the city’s budget. Throughout the months of August and September, they’ll be hosting public meetings and hearings on exactly where the city should be spending its money next year. The new budget will go into effect on October 1st.
In response, the Austin Parks Foundation is leading an effort to convince City Council to support a $5 million budget increase for the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. On its website, the Austin Parks Foundation explains that these increases are necessary because the department is dealing with a $700 million backlog in repairs and renovations. They also point to the Trust for Public Land ranking, which found that Austin spends $103 per resident each year toward maintaining and enhancing our parks. The top cities spend an average of $208.
As the Texas Legislature returns to Austin for a Special Session many local city ordinances throughout Texas are being attacked. Governor Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick are zeroed in on local ordinances despite the Texas constitution that gives broad authority to local jurisdictions. Our discussion on Shades of Green focused this week on the 90 cities in Texas, including Austin, that have implemented local ordinances to protect valuable trees. Our guests were Robin Schneider, Executive Director of Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE) and Emily King, Urban Forrester for the City of Austin.
Joshua Blaine, Manager for in.gredients.com joined Shades of Green in the studio to give an update on the City of Austin’s curbside composting program. After implementing a curbside composting pilot program with 14,000 residential participants, the City of Austin is planning to expand the program. Several hurdles have to be over come to get there and help achieve Austin’s Zero Waste Master Plan calls for at least 90% diversion from our landfills by 2040.
On Shades of Green we featured guests from a local food forest, cricket farm, and a new urban farming and food distribution network.
Aspire Food Group is the industry leader in cricket farming. Head quartered in Austin, Texas. Aspire has also created a brand of cricket protein products called Aketta. Their mission is to provide economically challenged, malnourished populations with high protein and micronutrient-rich food solutions derived from the supply and development of insects and insect-based products. Our guest was Vincent Vitale, Business Development/marketing Manager. He has managed every imaginable facet of digital marketing for over 40 different companies. He started with Aspire Food Group in January 2017.
Festival Beach Food Forest is a grassroots pilot project neighboring the Festival Beach Community Garden and RBJ Residential Center in East Austin. They intend to transform three acres of a 90-acre park into an edible forest garden where visitors can openly forage and enjoy fresh food on the shores of Lady Bird Lake. Fruits, nuts, vegetables and herbs will now inhabit the city-owned land. Our guests were Jonathan Barona, who serves as the board president of the Festival Beach Food Forest and Christopher Sanchez, a co-founder of Festival Beach Food Forest and has been part of the project since it's inception in 2012.
Lettuce is an urban farming & food distribution network. They grow food in urban neighborhoods & deliver it to residents. Delicious, nutritious, affordable. Their mission is to create a sustainable, hyper-local ecosystem that grows and distributes food that's healthier, tastier, fresher, and costs less.
How you can be involved: Be a Subscribers: Get produce grown in your neighborhood. Be a Member: Get a food garden in your yard. Be an Anchor: Let us grow food on land you don't use. Our guest was Yogesh Sharma, a co-founder & CEO of Lettuce. Yogesh is a career entrepreneur who has built companies in the media, entertainment and technology industry - in India and Silicon Valley. He moved to Austin with his family in the summer of 2015, took a step back and decided to build a company that is more aligned with his life long personal passions: Food, environment and sustainability. He started Lettuce in 2016 with the idea that we can find an alternative to the environmentally damaging, unhealthy and unsustainable food supply chain that has spawned over the last several decades, and in the process redefine the where, what and how of the way food is grown, distributed and prepared.
Invasive Zebra Mussels Have Been Discovered in Austin’s Lake Travis
Zebra mussels, an aquatic invasive species have been positively identified for the first time in Lake Travis in the Colorado River Basin in Central Texas. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) biologists confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Lake Travis June 22, 2017 after an observant staff member at a local marina reported the sighting of a single zebra mussel attached to the outboard motor of a moored boat on the lake. On-site, biologists found the mussels attached to other nearby boats and on submerged marina infrastructure. The State of Texas and the LCRA are asking boat owners to take extra precautions to ensure that the Zebra mussels are not inadvertently transported from lake to lake. They suggest strictly adhering to the principle of “cleaning, draining and drying” when removing a boat form a lake, and before transporting it to another. This will help prevent the infestation of Zebra mussels.
Our guest on Shades of Green was Monica McGarrity. She is the Aquatic Invasive Species Team Leader for the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. She works to protect the lakes of Texas from invasive species and is specifically addressing the issues associated with Zebra mussels.
The US Pulls out of The Paris Climate Agreement: What are the effects, and what can we do?
Today we talked about the Paris Climate Agreement and President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States. Our guests helped explain what exactly the Agreement aims to do, as well as what the consequences of Trump's actions are, and what comes next.
We also discussed an important local effort in Austin, Texas to reduce carbon emissions through Austin Energy's Generation Plan. A group of environmental organizations are pushing City Council to adopt a goal of 75 percent renewable energy by 2027 and a fossil-fuel-free utility by 2030.
Our guests were: • Kaiba White - Energy Policy and Outreach Specialist at Public Citizen Texas, member of the Electric Utility Commission Resource Planning Working Group. • Niyanta Spelman - founder and executive director of Rainforest Partnership, a nonprofit organization that protects and regenerates tropical rainforests by working with the people of the forests to develop sustainable livelihoods that empower and respect both people and nature. • Robert Schuwerk – a Senior Counsel for Carbon Tracker Initiative, an independent think tank that produces research and regulatory analysis of the financial implications of the low-carbon energy transition. He is Senior Counsel for Carbon Tracker, where his work focuses heavily on who capital markets disclosure regimes (i.e., SEC requirements) need to evolve to make climate-related financial risks more transparent to investors.
To be buried in an environmentally friendly manner is becoming more accessible throughout the country. It is actually an old practice that is being modernized. You can lower your carbon footprint even after you pass on from this our earth. We will be discussing what a green burial means, the role of funeral directors in green burial, how you can find out where to be buried ‘green’ and the resulting environmental benefits. Our guest were:
Ann Hoffner is an environmental journalist and author, and among other things an avid world sailor. She has published many articles in environmental and sailing magazines and publications. She recently published “THE NATURAL BURIAL CEMETERY GUIDE”, a result of a years-long exploration of green burial, a new-old way of making the final recycling choice–what happens to your body after death. Before beginning the research she spent10 years on a 44-foot sailboat, traveling with her husband down the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to Australia and Southeast Asia, writing freelance articles for sailing magazines as she went. Follow Ann at greenburialnaturally.org as a platform for the cemetery guide and Facebook to share news and information about green burial.
Melissa Unfred, better known as the ‘Modern Mortician” is undertaking Natural Burial funeral care for People and Pets in Austin, and the Central Texas area. She is a first generation Funeral Director/Embalmer, residing in Austin. She prefers to be called a Mortician, as it encompasses both titles. Her entry into funeral service began at 17 years old. She is licensed and serves on several boards related to the funeral industry. She was featured in the November 2015 issue of Texas Director Magazine in an article written by Alice Adams. Follow Melissa on Facebook and Instagram, or her website themodernmortician.com.
Ellen Macdonald is the owner and Queen of the ‘Eloise Woods Community Burial Park” located in Cedar Creek, Texas. She says “If you see a woman pushing a wheelbarrow mulching trails or digging holes in the mornings at EloiseWoods that would be Ellen.” Before taking over the burial park, she earned a PhD in Neuroscience at UC San Diego, but got tired of chopping off rat’s heads. When she is not mulching trails or digging graves, Ellen also delivers groceries for Meals on Wheels homebound clients, volunteers at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House, and traps feral cats for the Austin Humane Society. You can follow Ellen at www.eloisewoods.com or on Facebook.
he Federal Government, the US Department of Energy, and the nuclear industry are still searching for a site to permanently store high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants. High-level radioactive waste is so dangerous that it must remain isolated from living things for thousands of years. It is mainly irradiated (spent) fuel rods from nuclear reactors, which still contain most of their original uranium, as well as with radioactive strontium, cesium and plutonium, which are created during the reactor fission process.
A site in the Texas Panhandle is being considered for permanently storage radioactive waste. The environmental and social risks are staggering, without even mentioning the risks of terrorism. Is this a risk Texas should own? To give us an update on the situation, and how citizens can participate in the conversation and take action, we had long time environmental activists Tom "Smitty" Smith and Karen Hadden in the studio with Shades of Green.
Tom "Smitty" Smith recently retired after leading the Texas Office of Public Citizen as its Director since 1985. Smitty has been a prominent advocate and activist in state and local environmental, ethics, and campaign finance battles since he arrived in Texas in the 1970's. Although he is retired, he is still active in environmental issues.
Karen Hadden is the Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition which works for clean air and clean energy. It supports affordable energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions to meet our energy needs. Karen is also the Chair for the Electric Utility Commission which advises the Austin City Council regarding Austin Energy policy issues.
As solar becomes more mains stream, there is a need for consumer education and protection. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council IREC , an independent not-for-profit organization since 1982, makes clean, efficient, sustainable energy possible for more Americans through forward-thinking regulatory reform, quality workforce development and consumer education. IREC's consumer protection trio includes the Clean Energy Consumer Bill of Rights, the Be Solar Smart Consumer Checklist and a list of related resources. Each one spotlights safeguards and pointers for consumers, government, industry, retailers and others in the solar market.
Our guests were: Larry Sherwood is IREC’s President and CEO. He has worked with IREC in different capacities for more than 10 years. Prior to becoming President/CEO, he was IREC’s Vice President/COO, the author of IREC’s U.S. Solar Market Trends report and editor of IREC’s Small Wind Newsletter. He has over 35 years of experience in renewable energy leading several organizations. Jane Pulaski, joined IREC in 1999 and is responsible for social and web communications for IREC. In addition to maintaining IREC’s social and website presence, she publishes the IREC Report, IREC’s monthly newsletter. Before joining IREC, Jane spent 17 years working for the State of Texas in a variety of communications positions at the State Energy Conservation Office, The Texas Department of Agriculture, the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate.
The 21st Annual Cool House Tour, a collaboration of Austin Energy’s Green Building (AEGB) and the Texas Solar Energy Society (TXSES) will be Sunday June 11th, from 10 AM to 6 PM. This year we present seven homes, one multifamily community and the world’s largest LEED Gold Neighborhood Development. Austin Energy and City of Austin departments will be at two of the tour stops showcasing energy saving and sustainability programs to help you create your own cool house. Our guests were: Lucy Stolzenburg is the Executive Director of The Texas Solar Energy Society (TXSES), a non-profit organization that has been engaged in outreach and education on solar and renewable energy since 1976.
Deborah Kimberly is the Vice President, Customer Energy Solutions at Austin Energy. She oversees the departments responsible for managing Austin Energy’s energy efficiency and load management program, which includes energy efficiency services, distributed solar programs, green building, and emerging transportation technologies.
The Climate Change Now Initiative Our guest was Bruce Melton, a professional engineer, environmental researcher, filmmaker, author and CEO of the Climate Change Now Initiative in Austin, Texas. The Climate Change Now Initiative is a nonprofit outreach organization reporting the latest discoveries in climate science in plain English. Information on his book, Climate Discovery Chronicles, can be found along with more climate change writing, climate science outreach and critical environmental issue documentary films at ClimateDiscovery.org.
Wire One is a vision to use urban cable over South 1st Street to create a meaningful mass transit line in the center of the city, and the backbone of a future system to grow. Wire One can add entirely new capacity equal to running 100 buses per hour. Boarding is continuous, with cable cars coming every few seconds, speeding over traffic and slowing to unload. With an enjoyable, quiet ride, this urban cable line would serve as a complement and amplifier of all other forms of transit. Other background information at thewireaustin.com for some good background as well as this TEDxKC talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoQmgSOB9n0 https://www.facebook.com/WireAustin/
Our guests:
John McCready, Chair of Wire One Austin Citizens Group With a broad and impressive history of business creation, John has consistently introduced new products and product categories to the marketplace while raising awareness for social responsibility and positive impact. His business partnerships and collaborations repeatedly introduce new ways of thinking and positively shift awareness within the people they serve. . Jared Flicklin is co-creator of the cable car based mass transport vision known as The Wire. He is also the Co-Director of the Austin Public Skatepark Action Committee helping design and construct quality concrete and steel skateparks for Austin, TX. For many years Jared directed the SXSW Interactive opening party which served as an outlet for both interactive installations and a collective social experiment hosting over 7000 guests.
CodeNEXT is the city of Austin, Texas' effort to rewrite its land development code, which is basically a rule book for the city, explaining what can be built where. CodeNEXT will determine how Austin looks 10, 15, and even 50 years from now. And it will affect everything from affordability, to transportation, to the environment. In other words, it’s a really important process for its future.
The draft code was released at the beginning of 2017, but the big news came in April when the maps were released. The maps actually apply the rules laid out in the new land development code to certain neighborhoods and regions in Austin.
Shades of Green hosted a lively discussion about CodeNEXT. Our guest were:
Greg Anderson - Director of Operations with Austin Habitat for Humanity, member of the City of Austin Planning Commission Andy Cantu - Executive Director of Evolve Austin, an organization that champions the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan, crafted by the people of Austin to create a more affordable, mobile, and sustainable city. Lauren Ice - Staff Attorney with the Save Our Springs Alliance, member of the City of Austin CodeNEXT Advisory Group Daniel Llanes - longtime community activist in East Austin, as well as a musician and performer.
Shades of Green, Part 2 on May 4, 2017 we explored innovative and nature-based solutions to our increasingly alarming climate crisis.
Our guest was Chris Searles, Founder of BioIntegrity, a group protecting and restoring the world's most valuable ecosystems -- those with the greatest density of species diversity and ecosystem services, for enormous positive planetary impacts. BioIntegrity brings a new era, global solutions to global problems. The initiative offers an effective way for people to help solve the world's most pressing environmental challenges, it's accessible, affordable and actionable, and it starts with preserving and restoring our most biodiverse ecosystems. BioIntegrity connects potential donors to environmental stewardship and restoration opportunities of global proportions.
Shades of Green hosts re-cap Austin's Climate March (April 29). Our own Janis Bookout gave an emotion filled speech during the event in front of the Texas Capitol building.
Our guest was Emma Lierley, the Forests Communication Manager with Rainforest Action Network (RAN), a group that campaigns for the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life by transforming the global marketplace through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action. Emma Lierley is a long-time freelance journalist and poet, and her writing has appeared in numerous publications. She has also worked with youth in environmental justice organizations, in sustainable agriculture as an apprentice farmer, and as a trail crew lead and wild land firefighter with the United States Forest Service. Emma works to tell the stories of RAN's forests campaigns and to amplify their impact in the world. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she currently lives in Oakland with her cat, and happily makes the commute across the Bay to work alongside some of the savviest agitators affecting change today.
Austin Texas is Leading the Way Toward Full-scale Autonomous Vehicle Development and Deployment.
Austin is leading the way to autonomous vehicles with strong support from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). Shades of Green hosts were joined by Brandi Clark Burton and Jonathan Walker of Rocky Mountain Institute to discuss the exciting progress being made in Austin with testing autonomous vehicles. In addition to developing and testing the technology they are surveying drivers to capture their view on the future of human mobility. Participants in the Austin Earth Day on April 22, 2017 will be able to take a test ride an autonomous shuttle vehicle among many other impressive mobility solutions.
EarthShare of Texas is celebrating 25 years. The organization makes it easy for employers throughout the state to enable their employees to donate funds for their environmental non-profit of choice. It happens through a simple paycheck deduction. Our guests were:
Janet Maykus is the executive director of EarthShare of Texas. Janet has almost 30 years’ experience in the not for profit world where she has served as a chaplain, the director of spiritual care and bereavement for a hospice, a faculty member at a seminary, the director of church relations for Texas Christian University, and a development coordinator for the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems in Austin. She is thrilled to be in the position because she believes the protection and care of the world is now the most important call in her life. If she could be anywhere right now she'd be camping in Big Bend.
Fleetwood Jacobs is the Campaign Director for EarthShare of Texas where she has worked for the last 5 years. She manages the City of Austin Combined Charities Campaign which raised almost $500,000 for local and statewide charities last year. Previous to EarthShare of Texas she served as the Development Director for Project Transitions. She and her family love spending time in all of the Lakes, Creeks and Swimming Holes in and around the Austin area.
Austin’s more pressing environmental, social and economic issue is mobility for its citizens! Project Connect is a plan designed to create a system of high-capacity transit options that will connect people, places and opportunities in an affordable, efficient and sustainable way. High-capacity transit travels the entire trip, or a portion of its trip, on a dedicated lane or guideway. The goals of Project Connect are to identify and evaluate potential transit projects over the next two years. Capital Metro will work with local agencies, stakeholders and the public to identify high-capacity transit solutions that will offer options for travel into, out of and around Central Austin. Central Texas has seen many transportation studies done in recent years, by both public and private organizations. Project Connect isn’t another new beginning. We will take those ideas and — together with the people of the Austin area — decide which projects will move us all forward.
Our guests on Shades of Green are integral leaders for Project Connect:
Amy Peck - Communications Specialist with Capital Metro. Sam Sargent – Community Involvement Coordinator with Capital Metro.
Will the 2017 Texas Legislature Stifle Effort to Protect Our Environment and Slow the Grown of Clean Energy? 03-30-2017
Our special Shades of Green guests are keeping their eyes on the Texas Legislature to make sure we are not sent back to the dark environmental ages (as we are seeing on the National front). Representatives from several local environmental organizations shared their legislative priorities and assessments for the 2017 Legislative Session. They also offered suggestions regarding how we all can participate and make our voices heard. Our guests were:
Andrew Dobbs – Central Texas Program Director with Texas Campaign for the Environment Luke Metzger – Director at Environment Texas Cyrus Reed – Conservation Director at the Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club
Earth Day Texas is ranked as the largest Earth Day celebration in the world, clocking over 130,000 attendees in 2016 in Dallas. Its “sister” event in Austin, Earth Day ATX is a local event with similar activities and excitement. EARTHxFilm, featuring environmental films is the newest major component of Earth Day Texas.
In preparation for this year's Earth Day celebrations in Austin and Dallas our guests were Ryan Brown, President of Earth Day Texas and Michael Cain, President of EARTHxFilm Festival.
Part 2 - Water and Gas Pipeline Issues – How Gas Pipelines are Affecting Native Lands in Texas 03-16-2017
Recognizing the importance of protecting our water and ensuring that everyone has access to clean water, the United Nations marked March 22nd each year as World Water Day. Part 2 or our series focuses on environmental and social effects of gas pipelines in west Texas.
Lori Davis, Environmental Activist, is working with allies against the TransPecos Pipeline in west Texas. This pipeline is operated by the same Texas-based company responsible for the North Dakota Access Pipeline (Energy Transfer Partners) and will gut areas near Big Bend National Park and Balmorhea State Park for hydro-fracking in Fort Stockton, piped under the Rio Grande River, and the natural gas will be sold on the international market through Mexico. There is an indigenous camp set up called Two Rivers Camp, which is modeled after the DAPL resistance where people are chaining themselves to equipment and being arrested.
Juan Mancias, Tribal Chair of the Corrizo Comecrudo Tribal Nation, is working with a coalition of activist to stop the TransPecos Pipeline to protect their sacred land.
Part 1 - Water and Gas Pipeline Issues – Protecting our Clean Water in Texas 03-16-2017
Recognizing the importance of protecting our water and ensuring that everyone has access to clean water, the United Nations marked March 22nd each year as World Water Day. Our 2-part series on water and pipeline issues starts with a discussion of water issues in Texas with David Foster, Statewide Program Director for Clean Water Action Texas (CWA).
He discussed CWA's organizing efforts and important upcoming lobby effort on Texas Water Day (3/22) in tandem with World Water Day. Other topics will include the Alliance for a Clean Texas, made up of many statewide groups, like Public Citizen, Texas Campaign for the Environment (CE), and Sierra Club, to present a united front against hydro-fracking deep well injections, reforming the Texas Railroad Commission under the Sunset Review process, and methane emissions.
Part 2 - Texas is Leading the Way Toward a Clean Energy Economy – CleanTX 03-09-2017
Shades of Green produced a two part series on Clean Energy in the State of Texas. Together with our guests we drilled down into the data, discussing how the clean energy economy is doing in Texas, how many people it employs, and how much energy it creates. We also talked about this year's Texas Legislative session and what our state lawmakers have planned for our state's energy future.
In Part 2 our guests were Dwain Rogers, Executive Director of CleanTX and Jose Beceiro, Co-Chair of the CleanTX Board of Directors
CleanTX is an economic development and professional association for clean energy technologies, known as cleantech. The mission of CleanTX is to accelerate the growth of the cleantech industry in Texas through information exchange, thought leadership, and strategic partnerships. Founded in 2006, CleanTX is the networking engine for cleantech in Central Texas, a $2.5 Billion industry that employs 20,000 individuals. The CleanTX community encompasses over 250 companies and an active ecosystem of entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and regional partners.
Part 1 - Texas is Leading the Way toward a Clean Energy Economy - The Environmental Defense Fund's New Report 03-09-2017
Shades of Green produced a two part series on Clean Energy in the State of Texas. Together with our guests we drilled down into the data, discussing how the clean energy economy is doing in Texas, how many people it employs, and how much energy it creates. We also talked about this year's Texas Legislative session and what our state lawmakers have planned for our state's energy future. In Part 1 our guest was John Hall - Associate Vice President of Clean Energy for the Environmental Defense Fund. He is the author of a new report out from EDF called, "Texas' Clean Energy Economy: Prioritizing Jobs, Investments, and Economic Growth." The report outlines the current state of energy in Texas and explains how Texas has been able to begin transitioning to a clean energy economy. The reports focuses on the economic benefits of embracing natural gas, solar and wind power, as well energy efficiency and demand response. In the end, the report also lists recommendations for our state's leaders on the best ways to embrace and strengthen Texas' clean energy economy. "Texas has a global competitive advantage because of its wind, solar, and natural gas resources and potential, as well as the opportunity to save money through energy efficiency. Moreover, wind and solar power generation now employs more than four times as many Texans than fossil-fuel electricity, and 85 percent of Texas voters support increasing clean power. State leaders need to leverage this advantage to provide Texans a cleaner and healthier, as well as less water-intensive and wasteful, electricity system. They can do so by developing and implementing a bold, comprehensive Texas energy plan to grow the state’s economy, create jobs, attract investment, and save billions of dollars." - from the Texas' Clean Energy Economy Report. The report is available on line at this link to EDF.
Mobility in Austin, Texas – A Critical Issue for Our Livable City 03-02-2017
This week Shades of Green focuses on several transportation plans the City of Austin is developing. Plus, we discussed how citizens can get involved in the discussion and help chart the future
Our guest was Melissa Ayala , the Communications Specialist with Capital Metro Austin’s prime mobility organization. • Melissa presented the new Connections 2025 plan (which is designed to boost ridership and increase frequency on our city's bus lines). The plan was just approved by Cap Metro's Board on Monday. • We also covered the re-launch of Project Connect. Project Connect is a plan designed to create a system of high-capacity transit options that will connect people, places and opportunities in an affordable, efficient and sustainable way. The goals of Project Connect are to identify and evaluate potential transit projects over the next two years. Capital Metro will work with local agencies, stakeholders and the public to identify high-capacity transit solutions that will offer options for travel into, out of and around Central Austin. • And last but not least, Melissa discussed Cap Metro's upcoming event - Traffic Jam, A Mobility Solutions Workshop on Saturday, March 4th from 8:30am to 1pm at the Bullock Museum
Austin has a ‘Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights’ which was passed by the City Council in January 2017
Our guest was Ryan Spencer, the Manger for Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin (CiNCA). He also is Manager with the WESTCAVE Outdoor Discovery Center.
The Austin Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights was developed with the help of dozens of community partners throughout Austin, all working hard to get more kids enjoying the great outdoors.
But what does the bill of rights actually do? It makes a promise that the city of Austin is dedicated to ensuring that all children have the right to climb trees, hike trails, ride bikes, gaze at the night sky, and so much more. You can view and sign the Bill of Rights on line.
Two housing developments are going up in Central Texas. One is urban the other is agrarian, yet they both share a common theme: SUSTAINABILITY. In downtown Austin the new development is called Fourth&, while the other is called the Elgin Agrarian Community in the rural town of Elgin, Texas east of Austin. Our guests in the KOOP studio discussed these exciting new living spaces.
Scott Sproat is the Marketing Manager for Capsa Ventures, the sustainable developer of Fourth& which is a brand new solar condo community in East Austin. They are all part of a 4-Star Austin Energy Green Building offering solar panels for every residence, LED lighting, variable speed A/C units, pre-insulated steel framing, LED lighting, all set on a concrete structure. Their mission is to change the way Austin is built.
Sean Garretson is the President of Pegasus, the sustainable developer of the Elgin Agrarian Community (or EACo), a 23-acre sustainable, mixed use community featuring 80 cottage-style homes built around a community-supported farm and commercial spaces. Elgin Agrarian is built around the idea that to be truly sustainability as a society, we must create smarter communities that are more connected to their food systems.
Both projects are part of a global movement among developers to create communities that are increasingly more self-sustaining and resilient.
Clothing Recycling in Austin - Can Non-Profits and For-Profits co-exist to meet our Goals? 2-9-2017
The City of Austin, Texas has a goal of reaching zero waste by 2040. Clothing recycling and reuse is an important part of the equation if we are going to meet our goal. The City of Austin recently signed a contract with a for-profit company called Simple Recycling to provide curb-side pickup of clothing from residences. Several local non-profits such as Salvation Army and Goodwill have criticized the plan indicating it would take away from their programs to received donated clothing from Austin citizens. We had both sides represented on the show this week:
Adam Winfield is President and Founder of Simple Recycling. With a focus on offering simplicity and convenience, Adam created Simple Recycling to dramatically reduce the significant waste stream of clothing, shoes and reusable home goods clogging our nation’s landfills. As the largest and fastest growing curbside clothing collection company in the country, Simple Recycling is highest impact environmental initiative a city can implement for no cost and will no operational requirements.
Traci Berry, Sr. VP of Community Engagement and Education at Goodwill in Austin, Texas. Goodwill has been accepting clothing for recycling, reuse, and repurposing in Austin for almost 60 years. Goodwill is concerned that the new curbside recycling plan will reduce donation to its organization and other non-profits in Austin while also possibly reducing jobs and local flow of funds.
Can the for-profit and non-profits co-exsist and increase clothing recycling in Austin? Listen to our Shades of Green Podcast to find out.
How did 350.org come to Austin? Our Guests Bobbie and Gil give us the breakdown:
An exploratory meeting held in our living room on October 11, 2016 was attended by about 40 people concerned about climate change who were interested in starting a local affiliate of 350.org. We became an official affiliate in November 2016. We have had several events since our launch (e.g., Austin Stands with Standing Rock, a Holiday Event and our first Open Meeting), the big event on February 9 2017 is our official Kick Off. Our guest on Shades of Green were:
Bobbie Tsukahara: (soo-ka-hara)
Clinical psychologist and co-founder of 350 Austin with husband, Gil Starkey. I made the decision to retire from my practice in order to devote myself full time to launching 350 Austin and to fighting against climate change.
Gil Starkey:
Co-founder of 350 Austin and am committed to bringing the principles, goals, and strategies of 350.org to Austin in the fight against climate change here at Ground Zero of the fossil fuel industry.
Susan Lippman:
Member of the 350 Austin founding organizing team, became active in 2014 with Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal team’s effort to retire the Fayette coal power plant, Co-Chair of the Wildflower [Unitarian-Universalist] Church’s climate action team, and also active with Sierra Club’s Environmental Justice team.
Bob Hendricks:
Member of the Core Team of 350 Austin, active in ATX Environmental Justice group of the Sierra Club, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and the Austin Climate Alliance as well as members of almost every other organization fighting global warming.
Generation Citizen – a new Non-Profit in Austin – 11-10-2016
A new non-profit comes to Austin called Generation Citizen to inspire young persons to participate in civic initiatives. Our guest was Meredith Norris, the Central Texas Site Manager for Austin’s local chapter of Generation Citizen.
Annual Green New Year’s Resolution Call-in Program 01-05-2017
Shades of Green hosts shared their 2017 Green New Year’s resolutions and reflected on resolutions from 2016. Did they make their resolutions stick? We also heard from listeners and what their Green resolutions for 2017.
Progressive Environmental Initiatives in Travis County, Texas 1-26-2017
Travis County has some of the best parks in Texas and the staff is proud to tell you about them. They also have implemented highly innovative environmental initiatives including a cool recycling program. Often on Shades of Green, we are talking about the City of Austin, so in this episode we give some love to our Travis County friends to discuss their initiatives.
Our guests were: Shaun Auckland - Senior Conservation Coordinator with Travis County. Timothy Speyrer - East District Park Manager at Travis County Parks
Finding Innovative Solutions for Recycling in Austin, Texas
On this week’s show we covered new innovations in recycling. We had some of the City of Austin’s Design, Technology, and Innovation Fellows in the studio to talk about new research they’ve been conducting, looking at how people in Austin, Texas view recycling. The research study involved meeting people in their homes. Austin residents took researchers on a tour of their home recycling systems, pointing out what was easy or challenging. The interviews were documented with notes, photos, and video recordings. The collection of these stories and observations form the foundation of the research conclusions and will guide the development of service recommendations The idea is that this new research will help the City of Austin develop more efficient recycling programs in order to reach its zero waste goals. Guests included: • Celine Thibault and Katherine Duong – City of Austin Design, Technology, and Innovation Fellows in the Innovation Office. • Emlea Chanslor – Public Information Officer and Marketing Program Manager with Austin Resource Recovery. • Ron Neumond – Zero Waste Program Development for the City of Austin.
Electric Vehicles! 100,000 for Austin's Roadways coming Soon!
The City of Austin has a plan for 100,000 electric vehicles on the roadways. Shades of Green guests discussed the future of electric vehicles and the push to bring these large numbers to Austin in the near future. We will be joined by Joep Meijer of Climate Buddies and Karl Popham, Manager of Electric Vehicles and Emerging Technologies at Austin Energy.
Preparation for the Ninth Annual Austin Green Holiday Party
n preparation for the Ninth Annual Austin Green Holiday Party, we had representatives from several of the hosting organizations discuss their achievements for 2016 and what they are planning for 2017.
Shades of Green Celebrates 10 Years on the Air at KOOP
Shades of Green has been on the air for over ten years. Our first broadcast was November 8, 2006. We celebrated the event with our past and present hosts and friends in the KOOP studio. Original founding Producer Ken McKenzie Grant and Co-producer John Hoffner with original Co-host Jenny Nazak on the phone from Florida. We reminisced about the fun and interesting shows we have had over the last 10 years starting with the first broadcast from the KMFA studio on Lamar Blvd. We also had former Co-host Christine Giordano (year 2010) in the studio and Debrah Dubay, Co-host from October 2010 - March 2011. EcoCalendar contributor over the 10-years, Howie Richey also joined us to reminisce. We played some of the original pieces that were played over the 10-year period by Howie, Ken, Christine, Amy, John, Stacy, Brandi and Debrah. And, of course our present-day Producer, John Hoffner and Co-hosts Reed Sternberg, Stacy Savage and Amy Stansbury joined in the conversation and memories. Our previous EcoCalendar contributor, Brandi Clark Burton called in all the way from Mexico City where she was attending the C40 Mayors Summit 2016 Conference to help advance urban solutions to climate change . Our 2007 Apprentice Deese Eckstein was busy working for Travis County. We all had fun and hope you enjoy the Podcast.
A One-year Update after the UN Climate Change Conference, COP21
After 21 years of meeting, the Conference of Parties, or COP21 reached a climate change agreement. The agreement was culminated at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, December 2015. Janis Bookout, the Outreach Manager for Earth Day Austin, gave us an update on COP21, what it means and what happens now and in the future. Janis Bookout began her environmental work in 2012 when she began consulting for EcoNetwork (Austin's curator of all things environmental) and then became project coordinator of an EPA-funded city-wide project on food waste prevention and recovery. She also is co-founding a global citizen's climate initiative called 2020 or Bust.
The organizers of the Texas Renewable Energy Industry Alliance annual GridNext Conference were in the KOOP studio to discuss the exciting event. We had Raina Hornaday, General Manager for Caprock Renewables and Leslie Libby of Libby Solar present the exciting Austin conference of professionals and renewable energy leaders. The conference was held in Georgetown Nov 9 - 11.
Mexico City hosted the sixth biennial C40 Mayors Summit, November 30 – December 2, 2016. The Summit brought together C40 mayors from all over the world and hundreds of urban and sustainability leaders to advance urban solutions to climate change and highlight the leadership role of cities in addressing climate change. The City of Austin was a big participant in the conference with Council Members, the Mayor and staff attending and showcasing the important environmental initiatives dear to Austin.
We had in the KOOP studio Zach Baumer, Climate Program Manager for the City of Austin and Khalil Shalabi, Vice President of Energy Market Operations and Resource Planning for Austin Energy, our local electric utility. Both attended the C40 Conference and shared their insights on the landmark conference.
The Shades of Green team covered many important environmental and political topics during 2016. Listen to several of the episodes dealing with our Austin transportation issues, the City Council Elections, and KOOP 'Goes Solar' with its 6 kilowatt solar power installation. We are now "Solar for People, not for Profit". And, finally, Shades of Green turned 10 years old in 2016. We have been on the air since November 8, 2006. We celebrated that important milestone.
Shades of Green featured James Hoffner, a long time advocate for cooperatives including KOOP radio, Seven Bridges Cooperative, Black Star, and others. James discussed organic coffee, home brewing products, and his latest initiative – a craft beer start-up in Santa Cruz, California call Corralitos Brewing Co.
This year on the Hoffner Family Holiday show we featured the Hill Elementary School Green Team with guests Kate Hoffner and Katie Holguin. They are both talented elementary school teachers that are implementing innovative green initiatives to make their school the greenest in the City.
Shades of Green, City of Austin Council Candidate Forum on the Environment, District 6
In our third and final part of our series of City of Austin Council candidate forums on the environment we focused on the candidates for District 6.
District 6 Candidates –
Jimmy Flannigan - He is a small business owner and community leader that has lived in the Northwest part of Austin for over 16 years.
Don Zimmerman - Is the incumbent City Council Member and is a fifth generation Texan and a mechanical engineer. He was unable to attend our forum.
Shades of Green City of Austin Candidate Forum on the Environment
In our third and final part of our series of City of Austin Council candidate forums on the environment we focused on the candidates for District 10.
District 10 Candidates –
Alison Alter - She is a mom, an entrepreneur, a community advocate, and an educator.
Sheri Gallo - Incumbent Council Member, and is an owner of a small, independent Austin business for 30 years.
Nicholas Virden - He is a lifelong Austenite, University of Texas and was not able to attend our forum.
Robert Walker - He was managing director of his own accounting firm. He was not able to attend our forum.
Shades of Green Austin City Council Candidate Forum on the Environment - District 7 10-13-2016
In our second series of City of Austin Council candidate forum on the environment we focused on District 7. The candidates for District 7:
District 7 Candidates -
Leslie Pool - Is the incumbent and we had her in for a prerecorded interview.
Natalie Gauldin - The other candidate for District 7. She was live in the studio with Shades of Green. She is now a technical writer, and formerly an elementary school teacher in Austin. She is a native of Austin.
Shades of Green, October 13, 2016 Austin City Council Candidate Forum on The Environment
In our second series of City of Austin Council candidate forum on the environment we focused on District 4. The candidates for District 4:
Greg Casar - The incumbent, was presented on a pre-recorded interview.
Louis Herrin III - Was in the studio live with Shades of Green. He currently works as an environmental engineer for the state Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ),
Gonzalo Camacho - Is a transit engineer and was invited to participate in the forum but he did not return requests to appear on the show.
Brandi Clark Burton and Howie Richey present the Austin Econetwork Calendar of environmental events starting with December 4, 2014. The calendar can also be viewed on-line at www.austineconetwork.com
Shades of Green host John Hoffner talks with Laure-Jeanne Davignon, the Director of Credentialing for the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) at the Solar Power International Conference (SPI)October 21, 2014 in Las Vegas. Ms. Davignon discusses the importance of a highly trained solar workforce and the need for skilled educators as the solar industry grows exponentially.