Thursday, March 20, 2008

Zilker Garden Festival

It is less than two weeks until the Botanical Garden's 51st Annual Festival!
If you haven't been the the garden grounds you really need to visit. There are beautiful native plants that thrive off of Austin's natural climate, a dinosaur section where actual dinosaur bones were discovered and a Japanese Garden complete with coy fish. It is a simply gorgeous and green. So don't forget to stop by!
There will be speakers, educational exhibits and lots of demonstrations (like how to harvest rain water). Come Early, Stay Late & Be Green!

Zilker Garden Festival
March 29-30th
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
2220 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78746

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Waller Creek Oil Spill Update

In case you weren't aware, in January 2008 approximately 10,000 gallons of oil leaked into Waller Creek. The City of Austin reports long-term effects that will damage the ecosystem of Waller Creek but will have no affect on Lady Bird Lake ( I don't buy that. As we learned in the last blog, Waller Creek pours into Lady Bird Lake.)
Until now, the question concerning the spill was: who would be held responsible?
According to the Daily Texan story the Littlefield Building on Sixth Street is the proprietor of the storage tank. Although the sole owner cannot be pinned down, the property owner where the tank is located is responsible, even though the installation of the tank dates back to December of 1910.
The tanks were used for heating and lighting in downtown Austin more than 100 years ago. Until recently, the tanks were unused and ignored. The City of Austin has not yet determined if there are any other combustible tanks.
Unfortunately, there are no requirements for identifying these hazardous tanks that are potentially contaminant.
It's a sticky situation and yet another reason to do the Waller Creek Cleanup. Don't forget to register!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Waller Creek Cleanup


Hey Austinites!

The annual Waller Creek Cleanup is happening April 5th from 9-11 a.m. Join in for a morning event of removing trash from Waller creek and restoring its beautiful natural flowing water and habitat. Free breakfast will be provided for all your hard work!

Waller Creek runs through UT Campus and is significant for many reasons.
Waller creek runs from North Austin through campus and into Lady Bird Lake downtown. That means, uh yeah, all the trash, cigarette butts and soda cans really screw up our natural water oasis.
Many types of animals rely on the habitat Waller Creek provides as well. The urban watershed known as Waller Creek is home to the Great Blue Heron and the Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly. If your home was a dump you'd probably give it a good cleaning. Let's help all those little creatures and critters that can't help themselves...like the beautiful butterfly above!

Pre-registration is mandatory and you must be 18 or older to register.
Click here to register.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Quick tips


Quick tips on how to stay in the green scene:
- In the winter, keep heater at no higher than 68 degrees, in the summer no lower than 78. Each degree cooler or lower will increase your energy by 3 or 4 percent.
- Don't place chemicals, paints or oils in storm drains.
- Don't fertilize before a rain.
- Choose native plants that don't require much fertilization or chemicals.
- Fix car leaks.
- Soak up any oil spills with kitty litter.
- Take the bus or carpool.
- Scoop the poop to avoid bacteria in creeks.
- Water grass no more than twice a week on your scheduled days.
- Collect rainwater for use on your landscape.
- Take shorter showers.
- Take your household chemicals to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2514 Business Center Drive in South Austin.
- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

-- info taken from City of Austin website

My reason for being Green


Let me tell you a bit about myself, my blog and why I chose to write about the environment.
It started when I took "Living with the Planet" a GEO course at the University of Texas at Austin. It changed my life. I started learning about global warming then and realized how quickly and vastly our environment is changing (due to US).
In class we learned about the water systems of texas, natural resources disappearing (like petroleum) and yes, how to live with the planet. The reality of it hit me hard. Professor Banner performed several experiments with the entire class, which proved that the only way we can preserve the environment is together. It's important that people stop thinking about their self interest. For example, my neighbor next door has a HUGE truck, which he says needs to be filled up every week. I asked him why he hadn't traded it in for a more economical car. His reply was "I can afford it. So why not? I'll worry about it when I have to." When I realized the global warming crisis we were in I quickly traded my jeep for a small saturn car that got better mileage. But not all people react the same way. So here is my blog, which will hopefully help me vent some of my frustration and help YOU learn how important it is for communities, cities, states and countries to work together to help the environment. I applaud Austin and Mayor Wynn for it's smart green scenes. I'm here to spread the word and all I ask is of you is to pass it on.