Net-Zero Hero: Emily Hernández-Corona

I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by promoting clean water in Central Texas and helping homeowners adopt informed, sustainable practices for their landscapes.

Meet our newest Net-Zero Hero, Emily Hernández-Corona! Emily is a current undergraduate at St. Edward’s University, where she serves as an intern for the Kozmetsky Center for Civic Engagement and team lead for the Get Fertilizer Wiser student group. Get Fertilizer Wiser is on a mission to educate Austinites about the potential pitfalls of certain fertilizers and encourage informed landscaping decisions. Through her efforts, Emily is stepping up as a leader in her community and demonstrating that all of us can find our role in the larger climate movement.

What inspired you to take action?

When people think about the causes of environmental pollution, fertilizer is rarely the first thing that comes to mind. Yet fertilizer runoff is a significant contributor to water contamination and broader environmental degradation. In a highly recreational city like Austin—where people regularly walk their dogs, swim in local waterways, and go for morning runs—protecting our natural spaces is essential to preserving our quality of life. If we want to continue enjoying these amenities, we must take proactive steps to reduce preventable sources of pollution, including how and when we use fertilizer. Get Fertilizer Wiser was born to help work towards this goal.

How did you do it?

We began Get Fertilizer Wiser as a project for a course we were taking called Civics Lab. As the project developed, we divided into smaller action teams to focus on different aspects of the initiative. A research team collected soil samples from several volunteers. Our community outreach team went door-to-door distributing flyers to invite our St. Ed’s neighbors to a town hall we organized at the end of October. 

Our survey team supported the outreach and research teams and was responsible for recruiting volunteers. Our design team created our logo, our media team monitored our social media and developed our website, and our logistics team coordinated and ran our October town hall event. With the success of our project over the semester and our passion for this work, a group of us have continued Get Fertilizer Wiser as a grassroots initiative since the course ended.

What’s been most rewarding about getting involved in this way?

I think the most rewarding part of being involved in Get Fertilizer Wiser has been seeing the seeds of our work start to sprout (pun intended). Slowly but steadily, we’ve begun to see people recognize our organization, which reassures us that we’re on the right track. The encouragement we’ve received from our community has motivated us to keep pushing forward. 

Most rewarding of all, however, has been working alongside Bella Rodriguez, Hadley Strickland, Paul Volek, Reece Perez, and Lauren Saman, who have all played a key role in making this project successful. They’ve dedicated their time and energy to this initiative, constantly thinking of new ways to expand community outreach.

What’s been the toughest part?

We are a student-led organization, and a relatively new one at that. We sometimes struggle with visibility and are more likely to be overlooked since we are still building the partnerships and networks that larger groups have already established. Another challenge is that fertilizer runoff isn’t an issue that many people recognize as a source of environmental pollution, which means a large part of our work involves simply raising awareness. Our initiative has been compared to the story of David and Goliath. However, David defeated Goliath with a small stone, and in the same spirit, I’m confident that with persistence and creativity, our organization will continue to grow and thrive! 

Can you share some of the highlights you’ve experienced during your time with Get Fertilizer Wiser?

Through this project, we’ve had the opportunity to connect with several outstanding environmental professionals, including Nessa Spence from MicroLife, who serves as our advisor and one of our strongest supporters; Roy Johnson, our campus arborist and the Sustainability Coordinator at St. Edward’s University; Justin Hayes from The Trail Conservancy; and Micah Sutton from the Great Outdoors, among others. We can’t thank them enough for their time and dedication to this project.  

What advice do you have for others?

One good piece of advice I would give to others who want to start a similar initiative is not to be discouraged by starting small. Many impactful projects begin with limited resources and a small group of committed people. Focus on educating your community and taking advantage of every opportunity for outreach, no matter how small it may seem. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with persistence and collaboration, even a small organization can begin to make a meaningful impact. 

Is there a book, documentary, or other piece of media you would recommend for folks wanting to learn more about these topics?

Two things that have been inspiring me lately are the documentary film Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story and the song ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños? by Latin American artist Maná.

Dive deeper

Emily’s work reminds us of the power of small, collaborative actions in the climate movement. Visit the Austin Climate Equity Plan to discover ways you can take action toward our community’s net-zero future!

Know a sustainability superstar?

Nominate them as a Net-Zero Hero by emailing Climate@AustinTexas.gov.