Austin could be the first Texas municipality to establish composting access for residents who live in multifamily properties. Austin Resource Recovery, the city’s waste management utility, is turning its efforts to reach multifamily complexes, in which more than half of Austin’s residents live. Expanding composting access could come with some challenges, such as cost, contamination […]
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Austin is giving away free winter prep kits this week
Austin’s utility companies and Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will distribute free winter-weather supply kits this week at customer service centers. The kits include water meter keys, styrofoam hose covers, hand-crank flashlights, first-aid supplies and winter weather tip sheets. Austin Water’s public information manager, Ginny Guerrero, said there are hundreds of kits available […]
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City moving ahead with five-year food security plan
The Office of Sustainability will soon begin recruiting community members interested in helping to create the city’s first comprehensive food plan, which is intended to address food scarcity and build up the community’s resilience to withstand natural disasters. The plan is one of the objectives in a June 2021 resolution passed by City Council in […]
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Austin sees success with youth rowing program
The Austin Rowing Club reported on the success of the STEM to Stern program at the Parks and Recreation Board’s Monday meeting. STEM to Stern, which was brought to the city by the Rowing Club and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area, combines athletics and education. After coming to Austin in January […]
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Gas companies seek more cash from consumers
Texas Gas Service, as well as other utilities throughout Texas that provide natural gas to consumers and businesses, is asking the Texas Railroad Commission to allow it to put a surcharge on customers’ bills in order to pay for natural gas used during Winter Storm Uri. TGS filed its application with the commission to recover […]
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Travis County Commissioners field 2020 sustainability report
Tom Gleason, sustainability project manager with Transportation and Natural Resources, presented the 2020 annual sustainability report to the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday. While the report has historically focused on solid waste and TNR’s diversion efforts, it has expanded within the last couple of years to cover more comprehensive sustainability efforts. Such efforts include […]
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Austin Resource Recovery reworking Zero Waste Master Plan
When City Council unanimously adopted the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan in 2011, it was a bold step toward making Austin “the most livable city in the country.” At more than 300 pages, the plan laid out a number of environmental sustainability goals for the city over the next three decades, but the primary objective was […]
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County launches Civilian Climate Corps to create green jobs
The Commissioners Court approved a resolution Tuesday to create the Travis County Civilian Climate Corps, sharing the goals of a city initiative created last May, the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps, to create green jobs and redress pandemic-era unemployment. Commissioners Anne Howard and Brigid Shea led discussion on the project. “This is a resolution for us, […]
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Zero Waste Advisory Commission reassembles C&D ordinance subcommittee
At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission discussed the Construction and Demolition Recycling Ordinance, a law that went into effect in 2016. The ordinance mandates that building permits with more than 5,000 square feet of new, added or remodeled floor area divert at least half of the construction project debris from the […]
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Zero Waste Advisory Commission unanimously recommends contract for bridge and underpass cleanup
At its July 17 meeting, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission unanimously recommended approval of a multiterm Public Works contract agreement to clean debris and trash under bridges and overpasses. The contract is with Relief Enterprise of Texas Inc., a nonprofit that provides disabled and disadvantaged people with job opportunities, for a term of up to […]
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Travis County to fund Las Lomitas pipeline
Las Lomitas, a subdivision of 30 homes in southeastern Travis County, has functioned for decades without access to water or wastewater service. Now Travis County, in partnership with Creedmoor-Maha Water Supply Company, a private water utility, is working to change that. This past Tuesday, the Commissioners Court approved $289,000 to install a waterline for the […]
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Council rejects Texas Gas Service rate hike
City Council voted unanimously Thursday to reject new rates proposed by Texas Gas Service. The vote came as no surprise. The decision had strong support from a group of environmental and consumer advocates who wrote a letter to Council last week urging them to reject the new rates, which would have brought in more than […]