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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I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by empowering my students to get involved in sustainability efforts and to be environmental stewards.

Meet Sherry Lepine, the Maverick Green STEM Academy Director at Mendez Middle School, where she also leads campus composting, gardening, a…

I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by developing Austin's youth bicycle riders to give them the skills and confidence they need to ride independently

Meet Christopher Stanton, Founder and Executive Director of the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative. The Ghisallo Cycling Initiative is an Austin-based non-profit organization committed to providing Austin’s youth with supervised access to outdoo…

I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by doing more with less.

Meet Paula Camacho, the Office of Climate Action and Resilience's administrative assistant and chief reuse enthusiast. Paula is our office’s biggest advocate for zero waste, reminding us to reuse and repurpose items at work. Paula has even set up and encouraged a compost collection system for our entire floor. Since she started working with us in 2015, we’ve been hearing about her zero-waste journey at home and wanted to know more. We spo…

I’m helping to make Austin Net-Zero by trying to change how my high school, Griffin School, disposes of waste and thinks about our environment.

Meet Lucas Brown, a high school senior at Griffin School. Lucas developed an interest in reducing waste at his school’s campus, which led him to create a proposal to keep more materials out of the landfill and get closer to becoming a zero-…