Copy
Bright Green Future Grant recipients, Green Cup champions, Net-Zero Hero Heidi Tse, recycle your tree, and more!
View this email in your browser
Rethink/ A Newsletter from the Office of Sustainability
Kids and teachers standing with bicycles in front of a school holding a big check.

Announcing: New Bright Green Future Grant Recipients
What's on your holiday wish list? For many Austin-area schools, it's funding and support to help get sustainable projects done at their school campuses. We're happy to report that 28 schools will be awarded grants through our Bright Green Future Grant Program  — just in time for the holidays!

Launched in 2012, the Bright Green Future Grant Program was designed to recognize and support innovative projects that will inspire students to become lifelong environmental stewards. Through a competitive process, schools apply for grants up to $3,000. Funding for the program is provided through several City of Austin departments.

Funding for this year includes innovative sustainable projects at local elementary, middle, and high schools in the Austin area. They include creating community gardens and wildlife habitats, conserving water, implementing green infrastructure projects, diverting waste from the landfill, improving air quality by getting out of cars and onto bikes, and more!
SEE THE FULL LIST OF GRANT-AWARDED SCHOOLS
Heidi Tse: Net-Zero Hero, Photo of Heidi in garden setting

Meet Net-Zero Hero: Heidi Tse

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 the new Central Library project. The library opened in October, and has already captivated the hearts and minds of Austinites. Heidi brought many skills to the project team, including experience in architecture, design, technology, and sustainability. Her vision helped shape the new library, including its many sustainable features, which will be used for generations to come.

We spoke with Heidi about her commitment to Net-Zero, what her toughest challenges have been, and what advice she has for others looking to live Net-Zero. 
READ MORE
Do you know a sustainable superstar who should be recognized as a Net-Zero Hero? Send your nominations to sustainability@austintexas.gov.
Graphic: snowflake divider
Lucia Athens speaking on a panel.

Lucia Athens on "The Business of Being Green"

Chief Sustainability Officer Lucia Athens recently spoke on a panel hosted by The Atlantic, which explored the relationship between businesses and the environmental policies they employ.

Questions explored in the forum include: how are companies taking the lead to reduce emissions, promote environmental policies and curb climate change? How is sustainability affecting their bottom lines, through consumer demand today and long term changes tomorrow?

Watch the video to hear the panel's discussion as well as Lucia's thoughts on green building and the Seaholm EcoDistrict.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO
Graphic: snowflake divider
Text: Green Cup Challenge over collage of photos.

SeaLab wins the Green Cup

Although the rivalry was fierce, the custom web designers of SeaLab were able to defend their title and were crowned Green Cup Champions for the second year in a row. Teams competed using the City of Austin’s Rethink/ mobile app to track each green action taken by players over the course of one week. This year saw the largest field of competitors, with ten businesses and over 115 employees vying for the coveted Green Cup.

Here are the top 5 businesses from this year's challenge, based on team point totals:

1. SeaLab

2. BCL of Texas

3. McKinney York Architects

4. Baer Engineering

5. Texas Parks & Wildlife HQ

Did your business miss out on the fun? There's always next year! Become an Austin Green Business Leader to join in and see if you have what it takes to win the Green Cup.
LEARN MORE
Graphic: snowflake divider
Graphic of child swinging, text reads: Green Your Schoolyard!

New school garden resources available

Three years ago, the Austin School Garden Collaborative was formed to bring together individuals and organizations interested in creating thriving gardens on local K-12 campuses. Through the efforts of 122 individuals representing 212 gardens in the Collaborative, helpful resources have been collected and posted online to help people get started or maintain the following programs:

If you want to learn how to start, maintain and teach these programs, check out the available resources online or contact the ASCG with any questions.
LEARN MORE
Three chickens in the snow

LET IT SNOW!
Last week felt even more like the holidays with rare winter weather in the Austin area. 1.3 inches of snow was recorded at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Thursday. The last measurable snowfall in Austin was almost seven years ago when .9 inches fell in February of 2011.
Graphic: gold bar divider
Winter 2017 Recycle your tree
Once the presents have been opened and the pine needles have dried, don't throw out the Christmas tree. Give it new life by recycling it!

As a City of Austin curbside customer, all you have to do is leave your tree at the curb on your regular collection day by 6:30 a.m. Don't forget to remove all decorations and stands! Trees collected will be "given a new life" by being turned into mulch that you can pick up for free.
LEARN MORE
Graphic: gold bar divider
Photo with lettering overlay: Shop Zero

SHOP ZERO WASTE

This holiday season, consider practicing the concept of Shop Zero Waste! This means choosing where you buy gifts to ensure the least amount of waste possible.

Tons of local businesses have adopted the concept with open arms, giving you many options for those on your shopping list.
LEARN MORE
Graphic: gold bar divider
Amanda Rohlich of the Office of Sustainability accepting an award.

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS

We're delighted to report that our office recently brought home a couple of awards!

Shown above, the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact presented our office with an award recognizing our efforts to create an equitable food system in Austin.

We also earned a MarCom award for our video on Climate Change in Austin that we released and promoted earlier this year. If you haven't seen it yet, you should check it out!
Graphic: gold bar divider
Happy Holidays
From all of us at the Office of Sustainability: have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
Graphic: string of christmas lights

USEFUL LINKS
Graphic: snowflake divider
Logo: City of Austin Office of Sustainability
Copyright © 2017 City of Austin Office of Sustainability, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
City of Austin Office of Sustainability · PO Box 1088 · Austin, TX 78767 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp