In 1969, a massive oil spill occurred near Santa Barbara, California. Over 21,000 gallons of crude oil were dumped into the ocean, killing thousands of marine animals and igniting public outrage. It was this event that inspired the first Earth Day.
Founded on April 22, 1970, as a national “teach-in” to educate the public about environmental issues, this past Earth Day marked the 49th anniversary of the largest secular event on the planet. What started as a relatively “small” movement — 20 million people participated in that first Earth Day — has grown exponentially. It’s estimated that more than a billion people took part in Earth Day activities around the world this year.
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I'm helping to make Austin Net-Zero by changing the conversation about nature's role in keeping our city resilient
Meet Laura Huffman, Texas state director of The Nature Conservancy. In her role at TNC, Laura heads a statewide team of scientists, conservation experts, and support staff whose work protects Texas’s vast natural resources and most i…
I'm helping to make Austin Net-Zero by embarking on a Legacy of Good.
Meet Trisa Thompson, Senior Vice President and Chief Responsibility Officer at Dell. Trisa has been with Dell for almost 20 years, and has played a key part in social initiatives through her various roles as the founding co-chair of the Women’s Networking Group, PRIDE Executive Board, and Global Giving and Sustainability Councils. Along the way, Trisa has helped to shape initiatives that are cent…
Eastside Memorial High School is known for tackling environmental issues head-on. This became even more evident when they became the first high school in Texas to be recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as an Eco-Schools USA Green School.
The road to becoming a Green School began in 2014, when the school embarked on a campus-wide beautification project. The overall effort included building a garden, compost system, flow form, and wicking bed for plant propagation. They also built an outdoor learning area using grant funding from the City’s Bright Green Future Gran…
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…