I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by involving kids in sustainable practices in meaningful and fun ways.
Meet Chris Brooks, Environmental Science teacher at Clint Small Middle School. Chris has been teaching at Small for 16 years and has been involved in shaping the school’s Green Tech Academy curriculum. Small is one of the first Austin-area schools to implement green…
I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by going green at work.
Meet Rosa Ríos Valdez, President and CEO of Business and Community Lenders of Texas (BCL). BCL helps community members and businesses reach their financial goals by offering coaching, classes, and help with financing. Formerly, Rosa worked at the Lower Colorado River Authority, where she learned a lot about energy eff…
Oftentimes, women are unsung heroes in the world of farming. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, nearly one million women are working America’s lands. Together, these women are generating $12.9 billion in annual agricultural sales. In Texas, we have over 120,000 female farmers working 43 million acres, making up 33% of Texas farmers, with an $818 million economic impact.
Women have deep roots in our state’s agricultural community, and in order to help foster their continued invol…
I'm helping to make Austin Net-Zero by designing a library for the future.
Meet Heidi Tse, a facilities planner for the Austin Public Library. Heidi has a background in architecture and design, and spent most of her time working in the private sector before joining the City of Austin about nine years ago. She was drawn to the City because of her interest in working on th…
I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by reducing food waste at my business, Bento Picnic!
Meet Leanne Valenti, owner of Bento Picnic — a local Austin food business founded in 2015. At Bento Picnic, Leanne and her team create fresh, Japanese-inspired meals for Austinites to enjoy. They put a lot of thought into the fresh ingredients they choose for their dishes, and also take great care to waste…
In the heart of downtown sits a former power plant that once served as the sole power source for the City of Austin. In its heyday, the Seaholm Power Plant could produce up to 120 megawatts of power. But as Austin's population continued to grow, other plants were built to keep up with the rising power demand, decreasing the city's reliance on Seaholm. The plant was eventually decommissioned in 1989, and it lay derelict for many years.
Around 2004, a major effort to transform this area from a contaminated brownfield to an ecologically resilient neighborhood district was initiated, making this area Austin's first EcoDistrict. Visitors and residents now experience a thriving area that…
We're helping to make Austin Net-Zero by powering our synagogue with solar energy.
Meet the Net-Zero Heroes of Congregation Beth Israel: Forrest Novy, Leon Barish, Jennifer Smith, David Todd, and Rabbi Steven Folberg. A few years back, this team helped lead an effort to install a rooftop solar array at their place of worship. The project was a great success and ended up being an opportunity to teach their fellow congregants, as well as the…
Located in South Austin, the Whole Life Learning Center is a beautiful and sustainable school campus that serves about 100 children. The campus’s grounds feature vibrant wildlife habitat areas, food gardens, a serene pond, and farm animals like chickens and goats. But it wasn’t always this way. What is now greenery, wildlife gardens, and a peaceful pond took lots of hard work, dedicated volunteers, and help from the Bright Green Future Grants program.
With Bright Green Future Grant funding, the Whole Life Learning Center was able to restore an…
Most people think gardens are good for one thing — growing fresh fruits and vegetables. But the community garden designed and constructed by the Green STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Academy students at Mendez Middle School is doing so much more. Their Bright Green Future Grant project has big plans to feed surrounding residents, teach students about how to run a small business, reduce waste, and improve the health and well-being of the Dove Springs community.
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As Austin’s new Central Library enters its completion stage, Austin Energy Solar Inspectors David Burgos and Rorey Voigt inspected the solar arrays at the downtown library. As with any solar project within Austin Energy’s area, inspections are needed to ensure that the solar installation is compliant with the National Electrical Code and the utility’s interconnection guidelines.
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