Podcasts

We continued our coverage of the environmental devastation in Houston from Hurricane Harvey.

Our Guest was Pat Greer. She is producer for the talk radio program Eco-Ology on Pacifica Radio, KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston.

Eco-Ology, weekly KPFT’s program dedicated to local hero’s at the forefront of environmental action, ecology in and for the community, social justice, health, and spirit. Produced by Patricia Greer, HC Clark and Cath Conlon. Technical support provided by Laura Slavin. Web site: http://eco-ology.org/

The program explores what is happening in the Houston community and who is doing something about it. Pat recently added a new element to the weekly program – FOOD, glorious food: food security, local foods, food co-operatives, farmers markets, food dilemmas, food in the region, composting, urban farming, bees, community gardens, recipes for the Houston region and the season. Michael Pollan, Recipe for Success, Urban Harvest, and more. Eco-Ology

Pat’s program Eco-Ology aims to bring people and their stories to folks. Just regular people, who from life experience, exposed problems and strived to solve them, making a difference in the community of Our earth.

We had a lively discussion with Pat and realized we have a lot in common. KPFT Radio is an independent, noncommercial, community radio station for Houston, Galveston and Southeast Texas region of the Gulf Coast. Just like KOOP it is listener supported and aims to enrich the local community with informative news and public affairs programing.

Our discussion focused on the high level issues associated with climate change and why we are experience hurricane with ever increasing intensity like hurricanes Harvey and Irma. We also discussed ground level issues in the Houston community regarding toxic pollution from local chemical plants and oil refineries.

Our guests were:

Dr. Kerry Cook - Climate Scientists at the University of Texas

Kerry Cook came to The University of Texas at Austin in August 2008. She began her career at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab at Princeton University, followed by 18 years as a professor at Cornell University. At UT, she teaches graduate courses in geophysical fluid dynamics, and a popular undergraduate course on Global Warming. Dr. Cook is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, and served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and an editor of the Journal of Climate.

Dr. Cook's research centers on predicting and understanding climate change and climate variability around the world, including Africa, South America, the central U.S., and home in Austin, TX. She and her group use numerical models of the climate system, including atmosphere, ocean, and vegetation components, along with observational analysis to improve our understanding about how features and processes at the earth's surface interact with atmospheric circulation and precipitation fields.

Kristal Ibarra-Rodríguez - Volunteer Coordinator with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club

After serving as a long-time volunteer with the Sierra Club at both local and national levels, Kristal now works with Lone Star Chapter volunteer leaders and staff to develop and implement outreach programs that support the work of existing volunteers and aim to recruit new ones. Prior to this role, she conducted outreach on waste management practices in California with successful efforts toward achieving the ambitious goal of 75% waste diversion from landfills by 2020. Kristal is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, her home island, where she studied General Science with particular focus on Environmental Education and Sociology.

Luke Metzger - Executive Director of Environment Texas

Luke Metzger is the State Director of Environment Texas, a statewide, citizen-funded advocate for clean air, clean water and open spaces. The San Antonio Current has called Mr. Metzger "long one of the most energetic and dedicated defenders of environmental issues in the state." He has played a key role in dozens of successful environmental campaigns, including winning permanent protection for the Christmas Mountains of Big Bend, getting Shell and Chevron Phillips to cut air pollution at two Texas refineries and chemical plants, and getting the Legislature to dramatically boost funding for water conservation and state parks.

Ashely “Flashe’ Gordon, was on the phone with us as she was on the ground in Port Arthur in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Ashely is an environmental and social activist. Taking care of the community has always been her priority. Both of her parents served in the community during Ashely’s childhood. That is when she learned that our community is our family and we have a responsibility to that family. She returned to Austin in 2013 after the death of my father in 2008 with a renewed passion to serve in Travis County. Ashely was a candidate for Travis County Commissioner in 2017. She now lives in Port Arthur Texas, which was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey.

For more info about the environmental impacts of Hurricane Harvey, the EcoNetwork wrote two blogs on the subject.

http://austineconetwork.com/hurricane-harvey-how-it-happened-and-how-to-help/

http://austineconetwork.com/environmental-consequences-of-hurricane-harvey/

This week on Shades of Green we discussed the exciting ‘Trash Makeover Challenge’ which is a unique competition for innovators in the fashion industry to highlight creative reuse by showcasing outfits made from 90% recycled materials and reconstructed textiles. It is a fund raising event for the Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE). This year the theme is "LIVING MASTERPIECES" fashion show exhibit, where teams will take famous art paintings as inspiration to create designs with a smart twist. The "LIVING MASTERPIECES museum exhibit" will feature small inspiration pieces showcasing materials used in the team's design. The inspiration items will be included in the silent auction! The date is Saturday, September 16, 2017, 6:00pm - 9:00pm at Rio Austin. Tickets are available at www.trashmakeover.com.

Our guests in the KOOP studio were:

Robin Schneider, the Executive Director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment.

Ceci Guevara, the Fashion Show Producer.

Megan Pinto, a Fashion Designer and previous participant and winner in the Trash Makeover Challenge.

On Shades of Green we talked about alcohol, and the intersection between sustainability and how it is grown, produced and shipped. We had guests from a local Austin, Texas brewery, winery, and tequila company to talk about the many ways that they try and make their business greener.

Our guests were:

Josh Hare - Founder and President of Hops and Grain Brewing

He fell in love with artfully crafted beer and the fantastic community that supports it when he was living in Boulder, CO in the early 2000’s. He moved to Austin in 2005 to pursue a career in triathlon and the running specialty retail industry and eventually helped to open the city’s most successful running retail store. After searching for beer sponsors all over the state with no success, Hare decided to open his own brewery, focused on the highest quality products and marketing them to an active city loyal to locally produced goods. Since 2011 he has been overseeing the day to day operations of the brewery from recipe & product development to quality management. Since day 1, the mission at Hops & Grain has been to enhance the human experience through the medium that inspires them the most, the artful and deliberate expression of thoughtfully crafted beer.

Ross McLauchlan - Founder of the Austin Winery

Cooper and I started making wine on the side while working for other wineries (production, sales, tasting room, brokerage, equipment). After we felt like we had the slightest bit of exposure to each avenue of the industry, and had the chops to make good wine, we quit our jobs. Austin had a gap in the market, Texas winemaking was on the rise, but there as a disconnect between the Hill Country wine trail and Austin. We set about getting legal and getting our winery in operation within the city limits. Fast forward 3 years, we have distribution to Whole Foods, Central Market, and a range of local restuarants, bodegas, bars and hotels. We just built out and opened our new winery off South Congress and moved out of our little warehouse slip in the Industrial part of town.

On Sustainability: We want to make wine in harmony with nature. We don't propose to save the world, we make an alcoholic beverage, so we want to do that in a non-exploitative way that is beneficial to the environment, the people who produce it, and those who consume it. All of the vineyards we work with are bio-dynamically and/or organically farmed. We work with bee rescue organizations to have pollinators around our vines, ensuring biodiversity in our micro-climate. This contribute to the soil, the aroma, the ambiance, and ultimately influence the nuances of the wine. We up-cycle our spent grape skins (nitrogen-rich fertilizer), make vinegar (and pickles) with of old wine, and give our old barrels to breweries. Plus, we have one wine in a 90% reduced carbon footprint POUCH.

Richard Sorenson - Founder of Dulce Vida Tequila

According to Sorenson, the concept of sustainability was very strategic in the selection of our tequila production facility. The facility not only had to be capable of making an award winning product, but also had to meet requirements for organic production and overall sustainability measures – being a kind partner to the environment and local community. A complete recapture of all production waste is performed and yields a nutrient-rich soil supplement to the local farming community. Furthermore, as a by-product of waste collection & processing, methane gas is captured, creating an energy source utilized to power the facility.

The Outdoor Product Industry and how it intersects with the Environmental Community 8-24-2017

Many corporations and retailers providing outdoor products and services are become highly environmentally conscious. They are showing leadership and responding to customer desires. We spoke with two representative industry leaders: our local Austin Patagonia store, and the Crux Climbing Center also in Austin, Texas.

Our guests were:

Richard Tornton – Environmental Outreach Coordinator, Patagonia

He leads Patagonia’s efforts to be to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Their values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted. The approach we take towards product design demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility. Patagonia has also implemented a new concept called Worn Wear to re-pairs or re-purpose you old or worn Patagonia products.

Kevin Goradia – Owner of Crux Climbing Center in Austin

He is an avid climber and co-owner of the Crux Climbing Center. Crux is designed to be much more than a gym—it’s a place where you can form a community. It is a 22,000 square foot facility stocked with rope climbing, bouldering, and strength training areas, a flex space for fitness and yoga classes, locker rooms, a kids’ area, and a lounge space that gives folks a place to hang out with old friends or meet new ones after your workout. Social events ranging from small, intimate community gatherings to large, blow-your-mind competitions are held at Crux all year long.

School starts in Austin Texas on August 21 and we talked about how to be Green as students prepare for school and throughout the year. Our guests were from Austin Creative Reuse sharing tips on the best ways shop for back-to-school without creating waste. Austin Creative Reuse collects, sells, and distributes reusable arts and craft supplies so that everyone can enjoy them (without sending trash to the landfill). We also talked with EcoRise, a nonprofit organization that brings environmental education and social entrepreneurship into the classroom.

Our guests:

Gina LaMotte - Executive Director of Ecorise

Gina LaMotte is a social entrepreneur who is most passionate about unlocking the power and potential of youth as leaders, innovators and visionaries. Gina has extensive experience working in education and sustainable development, including innovative educational programs serving youth in Brazil, India, Nepal, and Guatemala, as well as Harlem, New York, and Taos, New Mexico.

Gina founded EcoRise with the intent of providing a transformative educational program integrating sustainability, leadership and innovation into the traditional K-12 classroom. Since 2008, she has led its growth strategy, transforming EcoRise into a scalable social enterprise which now delivers world-class curricula, training and support to teachers around the world and has earned the support of thousands of community partners across all sectors.

Abby Randall - EcoRise Program Director

With more than 12 years of experience in the field of sustainability education, Abby Randall is passionate about inspiring a new generation of green leaders. Abby holds an MS in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from Tuft’s University, and has taught and designed curriculum for a wide variety of K-12 science classes in Austin ISD and for UT High School.

In her current position as Program Director, Abby oversees the implementation of EcoRise's Sustainable Intelligence Program, as well as leading-edge Biomimicry and Science, LEED Prep, and Design Studio curriculum. Abby's enthusiasm for authentic, STEM-based sustainability education is evident in her engaging teacher trainings and year-round support for environmental educators around the country.

Carole LeClair - Austin Creative Reuse, Board President

Their mission is to foster conservation and reuse through creativity, education, and community building. Austin Creative Reuse collects, distributes, and sells reusable materials donated from industry and individuals. They educate the community about how to reduce, reuse, and create in responsible and fun ways. We make instructional kits, have a library of design and art ideas, and share these online and in our Creative Reuse Center.

The topic of today's show is parks and the City of Austin, Texas. The upcoming budget process and how it may affect our public parks.

Our guests were:

Ladye Anne Wofford - Chief Mission Officer with the Austin Parks Foundation.

David Todd - long-time parks steward and representative of the Friends of Blunn Creek Partnership. He is also the author of The Texas Landscape Project: Nature and People, and The Texas Landscape Project: Studies of Courage and Conservation. He is the executive director of the Conservation History Association of Texas.

Carmen Llanes Pulido - Executive Director of Go Austin Vamos Austin.

The Trust for Public Land recently ranked Austin’s park system 46th amongst the 100 largest US cities. It wasn’t exactly the kind of stellar review or ranking that Austin is used to receiving.

Now, a group of environmental organizations are calling on our local elected officials to do something about it.

Austin City Council is currently on summer recess for the month of July, but when they return, most of their energy will be spent on one thing – the city’s budget. Throughout the months of August and September, they’ll be hosting public meetings and hearings on exactly where the city should be spending its money next year. The new budget will go into effect on October 1st.

In response, the Austin Parks Foundation is leading an effort to convince City Council to support a $5 million budget increase for the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. On its website, the Austin Parks Foundation explains that these increases are necessary because the department is dealing with a $700 million backlog in repairs and renovations. They also point to the Trust for Public Land ranking, which found that Austin spends $103 per resident each year toward maintaining and enhancing our parks. The top cities spend an average of $208.

As the Texas Legislature returns to Austin for a Special Session many local city ordinances throughout Texas are being attacked. Governor Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick are zeroed in on local ordinances despite the Texas constitution that gives broad authority to local jurisdictions. Our discussion on Shades of Green focused this week on the 90 cities in Texas, including Austin, that have implemented local ordinances to protect valuable trees. Our guests were Robin Schneider, Executive Director of Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE) and Emily King, Urban Forrester for the City of Austin.

Joshua Blaine, Manager for in.gredients.com joined Shades of Green in the studio to give an update on the City of Austin’s curbside composting program. After implementing a curbside composting pilot program with 14,000 residential participants, the City of Austin is planning to expand the program. Several hurdles have to be over come to get there and help achieve Austin’s Zero Waste Master Plan calls for at least 90% diversion from our landfills by 2040.

On Shades of Green we featured guests from a local food forest, cricket farm, and a new urban farming and food distribution network.

Aspire Food Group is the industry leader in cricket farming. Head quartered in Austin, Texas. Aspire has also created a brand of cricket protein products called Aketta. Their mission is to provide economically challenged, malnourished populations with high protein and micronutrient-rich food solutions derived from the supply and development of insects and insect-based products. Our guest was Vincent Vitale, Business Development/marketing Manager. He has managed every imaginable facet of digital marketing for over 40 different companies. He started with Aspire Food Group in January 2017.

Festival Beach Food Forest is a grassroots pilot project neighboring the Festival Beach Community Garden and RBJ Residential Center in East Austin. They intend to transform three acres of a 90-acre park into an edible forest garden where visitors can openly forage and enjoy fresh food on the shores of Lady Bird Lake. Fruits, nuts, vegetables and herbs will now inhabit the city-owned land. Our guests were Jonathan Barona, who serves as the board president of the Festival Beach Food Forest and Christopher Sanchez, a co-founder of Festival Beach Food Forest and has been part of the project since it's inception in 2012.

Lettuce is an urban farming & food distribution network. They grow food in urban neighborhoods & deliver it to residents. Delicious, nutritious, affordable. Their mission is to create a sustainable, hyper-local ecosystem that grows and distributes food that's healthier, tastier, fresher, and costs less.

How you can be involved: Be a Subscribers: Get produce grown in your neighborhood. Be a Member: Get a food garden in your yard. Be an Anchor: Let us grow food on land you don't use. Our guest was Yogesh Sharma, a co-founder & CEO of Lettuce. Yogesh is a career entrepreneur who has built companies in the media, entertainment and technology industry - in India and Silicon Valley. He moved to Austin with his family in the summer of 2015, took a step back and decided to build a company that is more aligned with his life long personal passions: Food, environment and sustainability. He started Lettuce in 2016 with the idea that we can find an alternative to the environmentally damaging, unhealthy and unsustainable food supply chain that has spawned over the last several decades, and in the process redefine the where, what and how of the way food is grown, distributed and prepared.