e n i Z n ree
G e Th
Turning Austin Green
How has the Austin Plastic Bag Ban changed the environment? (pg. 6)
ber 07, . Decem
eI Volum
Green Energy
The rise of renewables in Austin. (pg. 12)
2015.
Tesla cars in Austin
The rise of Tesla in Austin. (pg. 30)
Table of The GreenZine
Page 4: Contributors page. What inspired us.
Page 6-9: Turning Austin green. A quick look at the plastic bag ban.
Page 12-15: Renewable energy in Austin.
What kinds of renewable energies are avalabile in Austin
Page 18-21: Zero waste Austin.
How Austin is reducing its waste.
Page 24-27: El Ni単o 2015.
How Texas will be affected by the upcoming El Ni単o. The GreenZine 2
Page 30-33: Tesla cars in Austin. The rise of Tesla cars in Austin.
Contents Page 10-11: Which cities have banned plastic bags.
Cities in Texas that have banned plastic bags.
Page 5: Letter from the editors.
A short letter from the GreenZine team.
Page 16-17: 10 ways to Reduce emissions. 10 different ways you can reduce emissions.
Page 22-23: 8 things you could recycle. Things you probably didn’t know you could recycle.
Page 28-29: A history of drought in Page 34-35: 4 of the best elec- Texas. tric cars avalabile today. A timeline of drought in 4 great electric cars you can buy today. Texas.
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Contributors Aaditya Ranjit
Born in Dallas, Aaditya is the Editor-in-Chief of this magazine. Having found an interest in nature since he was young, he absolutely wanted to take part in this magazine upon first hearing of the idea.
Henry Quill
Born in Englewood, Colorado, Henry was ecstatic to take part in this magazine due to his fascination of a clean and technologically advanced future and an interest in automobiles.
Aldo Ordonez
An Austin native, Aldo is a large supporter of clean and renewable energy. When offered to write for The GreenZine, he graciously agreed to the proposal.
Marcelo Aldrete
Born in Virginia, Marcelo had a large interest in meteorology since he was young. His love for the weather proved to be of great contribution to The GreenZine in the long run.
Yeojoon Moon
Born in Incheon, South Korea, Yeojoon (or more commonly referred to as “Joon�) found a great disliking in plastic bags and how they affect the environment. The GreenZine 4
Letter from the Editor Dear Fellow Environmentalist, We created The GreenZine in order to teach and show people the environmental isuues that we are facing in Austin. The environment is such an important topic since so many parts of our lives depend on our surroundings or another aspect of the environment. Everybody deserves to know about their environment and the role it plays in their life. We have all put our best work together to bring this magazine from dream to reality. Thank you for choosing The GreenZIne as your guide to the Austin environment! image
Henry Quill Staff Writer
Marcelo Aldrete Aldo Ordonez Yeojoon Moon Aaditya Ranjit Staff Writer Staff Writer Design Editor in Chief The GreenZine 5
Photo courtesy of Achim Thiemermann from Pixabay on 2011. Creek in Austin.
Turning Austin Green
H
ave you sensed a change in Austin? Since 2013, Austin has been going through a massive change. A change into a greener, environment friendly future. The cause of this change is plastic bags. More specifically, the ban on plastic bags. Does the plastic bag ban actually help the environment? This is one of the most frequently asked question concerning the plastic bag ban ever since it has come to effect. There have been lots of mixed responses from the residents of Austin and environmentalists. But does the plastic bag ban actually help our environment? “It seems like [the plastic bag ban] has been generally successful in the sense that there are fewer plastic bags being distributed in the stores. I think that was the chief purpose, to cut down the amount of plastic bags
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By Yeojoon Moon
being littered around town. The reports I read suggest that it’s been successful so far.” Asher Price, an Environment Reporter for the American-Statesman, says Plastic bags were being thrown away all over our environment before 2013. This definitely polluted our nature and also posed a threat to the wild life. The chief purpose of the ban was to cut down the number of plastic bags and it did so by prohibiting any usage of plastic bags in places such as supermarkets and restaurants. Luke Metzger, Director of Environment Texas, has said that the plastic bag ban has brought success in reducing the number of plastic bags by dropping its usage by 75%. Since the plastic bag ban has been in effect, many people voiced negative opinions about it. Most of these complaints were based on the discomfort the
people had to go through and the doubts about the effectiveness the ban would bring. Studies suggest that these opinions are not entirely true. Yes, it is sometimes inconvenient having to bring your own bags whenever you are shopping, but recent studies also found that this inconvenience can be a stepping stone into making Austin a pioneer city in an effort to protect our environment. “Lots of the groups who pick up litter and report it has been finding fewer bags. I heard a number of reports from people that their creeks in their backyards, for example, used to have huge amounts of plastic bags especially after heavy rain. Now they are seeing far fewer bags. It is having an impact though some of the studies are still ongoing.” Metzger says.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia in 2014. Map of places with various stages of plastic bag bans.
The small change of banning plastic bags has brought out a strong response from the people of Austin. Before the plastic bag ban came to affect, people had doubts about whether if it could actually affect the environment. The plastic bag ban seemed as a small change to most people and they thought that going through the inconvenience wouldn’t be worth the effort. But now that the plastic bag ban is beginning to show its impact on the environment, those who support the plastic bag ban, has claimed to see massive improvements in our environment. But to some others whose main concern is not the environment or pollution, the negatives of the plastic bag ban, such as inconvenience, overshadow the positives the plastic bag ban is having, like the reduction of plastic bags being littered according to an article published by the CNS News in 2015. The majority of the people in Austin were against the plastic bag ban when it first started. It was something new being introduced to us and naturally brought out concerns from us whether this was
a good idea or not. But two years from then, Metzger believes that the perspective of the people of Austin has changed to a positive one and that they are becoming more accustomed to it and have branded bringing their own bags as normal. “I think that Austin’s a pretty progressive city and I Think Austinites are supportive of the rule. There hasn’t been any ground quell of opposition. One thing to consider is whether people of all financial backgrounds support it equally,” Price says, “For me, it’s just a small hassle if I forget my bag and I have to pay fifteen cents for a bag at HEB. But for somebody who doesn’t have much money, it is a problem. But I think generally the city seems supportive of the ban.” Amy Ponder, a resident at Austin who regularly shops, moved to Austin after the plastic bag ban has come to effect, and said that the hardest thing to get used was to the fact that she had to bring her own bags whenever she had to shop. She said that when she moved to Austin, nobody explained to her the policies of the plastic bag
ban and she had to figure out on her own over the course of a few embarrassing moments with the cashiers when leaving the stores. When she first moved to Austin, she didn’t see the plastic bag ban as beneficial to her. She considered reusable bags as just another thing to remember to bring and said that she forgets to bring her bags most of the times and end up having to buy bags from the stores. She thinks that it can get a bit annoying at times but after seeing that the people of Austin take pride in being a progressive city into becoming more green, she is starting to change her opinions about the plastic bag ban. If she were to go back to Arkansas, and see that there was no change, she would see it as a little lazy and that they should be moving towards thinking about being more friendly towards toward the environment. She also believes that more education of the effects the plastic bag ban is having might encourage her into further supporting the ban.
Photo courtesy of Kate Ter Haar from Flickr on February 10, 2010.
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According to an article published by Environment Texas in 2011, plastic bags played a part in ocean pollution as it choked and strangled wildlife. Plastic bags can also clog drains leading to flooding. Austin became the fifth city in Texas to approve a plastic bag ban on plastic bags and has dramatic changes since then. But according to an article by KUT in June, 2015, the 75% percent drop in the number of usage of plastic bags is not as dramatic as it seems. There is little to no data concerning the usage of plastic bags in Austin before 2013, so this data was collected through comparing the numbers of plastic bags in Austin compared to Fort Worth. Not many people are convinced that this gives an accurate depiction of the situation on the effects of the plastic bag ban, since it only compares Austin to Fort Worth, and not the current Austin to the Austin before the plastic bag ban. Since the application of the plastic bag ban, there have
been reports suggesting that some people are unhappy enough with the plastic bag ban to actually shop outside Austin to avoid the ban. There haven’t any definite evidence of this but according to Luke Metzger, this is definitely one of the industry arguments against the plastic bag ban, but he hasn’t seen any evidence of it being true. “There may be people who shop outside Austin for other reason, because maybe it’s more convenient for them somehow but as far as people going outside Austin just because of the plastic bag ban, I think those people exist but there are not that many of them.” Price says. According to an article by Newsday in August 2015, a major problem with the plastic bags was that they were not being recycled and ended up in regular recycling centers where they cannot recycled and needs to go to special facilities. These bags that ended up in recycling often clogged and damaged the machinery, persuading Austin as one the
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia in 2009. Downtown Austin from across Town Lake.
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reason to promote the plastic bag ban alongside the dangers it poses to wildlife. But the problem is that the reusable bags the city wants people wants people to use are not being reused enough. They too, are being thrown away like the plastic bags were causing a problem in recycling centers once again. “First of all, plastic bags are reusable. I think they want people to reuse bags so there is essentially a small penalty if you don’t reuse your bag. But I believe that any kind of bag is reusable.” says Price. The problem with plastic bags was not because it wasn’t reusable, but because it wasn’t being reused enough. Amy Ponder says that plastic bags are very useful to have by to use for multiple things that she would not do with a bag that she paid money to get. Although she uses it for many different reasons, like cleaning, these reason limit the number of possible usage of plastic bags to a low number.
Photo courtesy Graham Horn on 2007. Plastic bags littered.
“We kept [plastic bags] for different things, every now and then we threw them away, but usually we recycled them or used them for a hundred things. You can use the for so many different things” says Ponder. There has been a few exemptions from the plastic bag ban that allow the usage of plastic bags that are 4 mil in thickness, paper bags that are made of 40% recycled content, and usage of plastic bags nonprofit organizations to distribute food or clothing to name a few. The 4 mil plastic bags that were exempted from the ban has brought unintended results to our city. The number of ordinary, lightweight plastic bags have dropped, but the number of these 4 mil plastic bags being littered have spiked up to match the number of littered lightweight plastic bags before the plastic bag ban. In addition to that, the 4 mil plastic bags are
more expensive to retailers and consumers, resulting in a higher environmental cost. As mentioned before, the 4-mil plastic bags were intended by the city to be reused multiple times by the people of Austin before being thrown away, but these have been ending up in our trash after being used only once or twice.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia in 2008. Example of a reusable shopping bag.
Since our city of Austin has adapted the plastic bag ban, we
have definitely seen positive steps into a greener future, but we have also seen the negatives of the ban that resulted in some disapproval by some people of Austin. One question everyone must have asked is whether the plastic bag ban has been actually worth the effort or not. “One way to define effort is how much money the city spent on promoting this, I expect the city spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on PR campaigns. Would you rather have your money go to campaigns or something else? If pollution issues are important to you than it’s worth it. If it is not that important and you think plastic bags are not that evil, then it hasn’t been worth it” says Price. Before the plastic bag ban, people were quite ignorant on where their plastic bags ended up. Since the plastic bag ban has been in place, lots of people have been putting more thought into how plastic bags can harm the environment and have been more careful with their litter. It is hard to measure the success of the plastic bag ban in Austin through comparing the number of plastic bags before the ban and after the ban because there aren’t a lot of data before the ban concerning plastic bags, but reports have suggested that Austin is progressing into a greener city with the help of the plastic bag ban even though the ban has brought some unintended negative results, the overall progress points our city into a greener future. ••
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5 Cities Implementing the Fort Stockton • There was a voluntary ban through 2010, in 2011, it became mandatory. • Businesses in Fort Stockton can only provide recyclable plastic bags, reusable bags, or biodegradable bags • The Fort Stockton plastic bag ban only allows the usage of plastic bags in businesses when transporting meat, fish, and poultry products.
Laredo • Laredo is the tenth city to pass the plastic bag ban in Texas. • It came to effect on April 30, 2015. • The Executive Director of Rio Grande International Study Center, an environmental organization in Laredo, has stated the plastic bag ban as a massive victory for the environment of Laredo and Texas. • The RGISC will work with the city of Laredo to educate the city about the effects of plastic bags through campaigns.
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e Plastic Bag Ban in Texas Austin • Since March 1, 2013, Austin has banned the usage of plastic bags. • According to a 2015 report by the Austin Resource Recovery, the number of plastic bags being littered has dropped, but the number of bags being thrown away has still stayed the same. • Bob Gedert, director of Austin Resource Recovery, estimates that the plastic bag ban has reduced plastic bags going to landfill by about 85 percent
Laguna Vista • Laguna Vista approved of the plastic bag ban on Sep. 20, 2012 • There was a voluntary ban from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2013. • The Laguna Vista plastic bag ban states that businesses cannot give out plastic bags, reusable bags, recyclable paper bags. An allowed alternative are compostable bags.
Brownsville • Brownsville became the first city in Texas to implement the plastic bag ban. • The ban started out as a voluntary ban in 2010 and became mandatory in 2011 • Only bags manufactured for reuse will be available for free. There is a 1 dollar fee for other plastic bags per transaction. This is much higher than 5 to 10 cents that most of the other cities have on plastic bags. • Public Health Director Arturo Rodriguez says the plastic bag ban has been well received by the people of Brownsville, and that they are proud of how clean the city looks.
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Renewable Energy As the effects of climate change become more apparent every day, cities world wide attempt to make the difficult switch from fossil to renewable energy. Deep in the heart of Texas, Austin has already made great leaps into a greener future. Austin began like all the other cities. It was armed with coal burning power plants and fossil fuel prevalence. Not much was being done within Austin Energy, the electricity provider for the city of Austin, to try to clean up their methods of electricity production. Nothing was happening, and there was no intention for anything to start, that was until the municipal govern- Market Operations and Resource goals, however from that moment, ment put a plan into effect. Khalil West Texas recieves significantly more sunlight than the rest of the state, making it Shalabi, Vice President of Energy moe attractive for solar panels. the city’s ambition to go green grew tremendously. The city has faced some difficulties in their journey, however. The geography of the city does not help much with the use “It started in, around 2005 with of renewables within or near the something called the Climate city. Thomas Edgar, a Professor at Protection Plan,” Shalabi says. UT and expert in renewable en“Our first goals were from a re- ergy, says how other regional areas newable standpoint to get 35 easily surpass Austin in attractivepercent of our energy by 2020.” ness to harvest the sun’s energy. Planning at Austin Energy, explains how recently the path began, as well as how the aim for clean energy production was very low at first. Photo Courtesy of Dave Ehler The Fayette Power Plant, as seen above, is a traditional coal-burning power plant that Austin Energy would use.
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Austin Energy had the task to slowly add renewables as a source for electricity, eventually to leave out all of the fossil fuel methods. They originally set forth with very small
“West Texas is a lot better. Fewer clouds, more sunshine… [you] get an extra hour of sunlight out there,” says Edgar. “So Austin, although there is going to be a cou-
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
By Aldo Ordonez
ple of what are called utility scale solar facilities, the really big ones are going to be out in west Texas.” Solar panels, however, are not the only way to have renewable energy. Wind turbines, for example, are another widely used and very efficient way to make renewable energy. Yet even with wind energy available, the geography of Austin still gives it issues. “Austin is not very attractive for wind. One of the reasons for that is in this place you got a lot of hills, and it’s hard to harvest the wind successfully,” says Edgar. “So if you have these flatter areas like you have in west Texas, then the wind develops pretty nicely there, and so you got a lot better source of wind.” These challenges are very difficult to overcome; however, Dr. Edgar points out an easy solution
that was developed in the state. growth of renewable percentages. “There is a fairly well developed grid that essentially connects all these things in west Texas back to Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston,” he says. “So the point is you can generate it somewhere else, like west Texas, and then use it where the people live” Austin has already taken advantage of this solution, and purchases much of its renewable energy from farms or plants in other areas of Texas, for example the Sweetwater Wind Farms west of Abilene, Texas. This shows how although Austin may have difficulties accessing renewable energy sources, it will find a way to acquire them anyway. In fact, Austin has been able to prosper more than originally planned. Shalabi says how this year alone will have a shocking
“We produce around 25 percent of our energy from renewable energy… by next year we’ll be close to 35 percent.” Shalabi says. That is a growth of 10 percent from one year to another. That is an immense amount considering how difficult it is for a city already established on fossil fuel production of electricity to switch to renewable energy. The original goals are easily being met, and we are in perfect shape. The original goal was to achieve 35 percent renewable by 2020, starting back in 2005. “We’re going to achieve our goal early... we will have 35 percent not by 2020 but by 2016, we’re going to be early 4 years.” Shalabi says. The city has been obviously meet-
A map of the electric grig showing electricity coming from a few farms in west Texas to the large cities in central and east Texas.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
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Photo courtesy of Aldo Ordonez
A group of rooftops in an East Austin neighborhood show off the high density of solar panels in the area.
ing its own goals with confidence. This is why it has been growing its percentage of renewable energy, it goes above and beyond the plan. After gaining the extra time, however, Austin Energy does not stop to celebrate.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
“I believe in the year after that [2017] we’ll be at 40 percent. And our [new] goal is to be The Webberville solar farm east of Austin at 55% by 2025.” Shalabi says. tious goals. So I wouldn’t be surThese amounts are very large, prised if by 2025 they’re higher. showing Austin has, and will, add Right now our goal is to get 55% renewable sources to its mix very renewable by then,” says Shalabi. quickly. It was surprising to see it meet its first goal, so the Aus- The quick growth of renewtin energy “worked together with able energy in Austin can also be city council to have even more helped even more by other facaggressive goals,” according to tors. Dr. Edgar brings up the pricShalabi. These new goals them- ing aspect of renewable energy. selves, however, may not even be enough to fulfill Austin’s ever “Wind is very cheap now compared growing renewable inventory. to other sources of fuel, and solar is becoming almost as cheap as the “Typically we achieve our goals cheapest option for fossil fuel, like early, then we get even more ambi- natural gas,” Edgar says. “This is all
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changing very rapidly... so the pricing is really much more attractive. He also mentions other benefits that equalize renewable energy to fossil fuels, if not make them seem even better. “As long as you can have natural gas generators to back up, then renewable energy is just as reliable. It’s [also] a lot faster to build solar and wind than it is to build a power plant, so... renewable energy is attractive to utilities now, more attractive than it used to be,” says Edgar. Many cities have also joined the switch over to renewable, but Austin still sees another advantage that many cities do not enjoy. This is that the people of Austin themselves want the city to go green. “Certainly the culture of Austin figures into what city council wants when it comes to the util-
ity that’s owned by the city,” says Shalabi. “ I would say the culture of Austin does figure in a lot into the makeup of the amount of renewable energy that we get.”
stead of just tossing it. Some neighborhoods are being opened with all houses already containing solar panels. The city just has a very green culture, and that is thanks to its citizens. Brockman, for ex-
step is to put rain barrels in, we just put in gutters recently, so we’re going to have rain collection with that and not use as much water.”
It is as if there was a tradeoff where Many local Austinites you are being good to the en“A lot of people are concerned ifvironment, believe it is a part of Ausyou will be rewardtin’s culture to look out about the environment and ed. He is planning on catching for the environment. rainwater, to reduce his impact want to try to help any way on how much water he con“The town seems to they can.” sumes. And even that will have have a green culture a positive economic outcome by -Chase Brockman for the most part, a lot giving him a smaller water bill. of people are concerned about ample, is only one of many homethe environment and want to try owners in his new, typical Austin Although Austin faces difficulties to help anyway they can to de- neighborhood who took the step to in obtaining renewable energy, the crease the carbon footprint,” says use solar panels. This culture is be- city and the citizens are ready to Chase Brockman, a central Aus- ing rewarded in different areas al- tackle anything in the way to achieve tin homeowner with solar panels. most in thanks to its benevolence, a green status. One can see the evifor example, in the financial area. dence in the neighborhoods with Austin is a very unique city. It has most or all houses with solar pana high emphasis on recycling and “We use a lot of electricity, so… we els and things like the plastic ban. reusing. Many even recycle things could reduce the amount we pay •• within their own home before ac- to the city every month [and] it tually sending it to a recycling might benefit us. Eventually down plant. Brockman said that many the road the panels will get paid people also compost their food in- off,” says Brockman. “Our next
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your Reduce
Charity Before you throw clothes or other goods away, see if they could help someone in need. Donate what you don’t need to charities.
Showers If you don’t yet own a water efficient shower head, get one. Try to take short showers as much as possible, as they save much water compared to baths.
The kind of help recycling carbon footprint/energy water The GreenZine 16
AC
If your heater or AC is one, close all your windows. Also, if you are leaving the house for the day, consider turning of your air unit or at least turning it down a bit.
Lawn mowers Next time you cut your grass, raise the blades of the lawn mower to three inches or more to allow the grass to have deeper roots, making it need less water.
Stairs If you are thinking about taking the elevator, don’t do it. Taking the stairs saves electricity and provides you with a workout.
impact Recycling
Power Strip
Simply recycle any of your waste that is recyclable, don’t throw it away.
Brushing Your Teeth
Many machines still consume electricity when they are not on. Just connect a power strip to them and turn it off when you don’t need them.
When you are brushing your teeth, just make sure you turn the water off while brushing. You can save up to eight gallons per day doing this.
Light Buy energy efficient light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are fine, however LEDs are the best option, consuming less than 25 percent energy and have a lifespan 25 times longer that traditional incandescent bulbs.
Napkins and Cleaning Fabrics Instead of using disposable napkins and rags, and only giving sponges a few uses, buy reusable and durable cotton napkins as well as rags and sponges. These will be reused and not have to end up in the dumpster do soon. Sources: Georgetown University EPA CalRecycle Energy.gov
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Photo courtesy of pixabay.com Austin is a city that lives in harmony with the environment.
Environmental Austin
by Aaditya Ranjit
Can Austin achieve 90% waste diversion by 2030?
Global Warming is a big issue both locally and internationally. In 2012, more than 25,000 temperature records were broken in the United States alone. Why does this affect us? Freak storms hit communities all over the US leaving $10 billion dollars in their wake. The Bastrop fires in 2011 left many people without shelter or food supplies as the raging fire spread across our neighboring city. The fire went out of control due to the excessive amount of brush and dry material that could catch fire easily, because of the current situation with Global Warming. However, Global Warming is just another devastating side effect of Pollution. By eliminating pollution in our environment, we can put an end to Global Warming. Austin is a city that relies on the local environment, with a variety of different outdoor activities to pick and choose from. If we don’t
work to turn the tables on these large scale issues, we may find ourselves in a similar dilemma as our surrounding cities. Global Warming and Pollution have led to drastic changes in the way that people interact with the environment. While most Austinites have become aware of the steady decline in the condition of their environment, many don’t understand the different ways that they can help. Local organizations have created innovative ways to tackle these issues that have led to the decline of our surroundings.
“Our environment is so important, it just encompasses everything around us, every part of where we live.” -Amy Stansbury
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When asked about the importance of the environment, Amy Stansbury, editor in chief of local environmental newsletter EcoNetwork, says, “[O]ur environment is so important, it just encompasses everything around
Recycled materials are taken to a sorting plant and delivered to their respective plant Photo Courtesy @KVDP on Wikipedia
us, every part of where we live, and we just think it’s important that there be a news source writing about it.” The surrounding environment heavily affects the quality of living in that area. Keeping the environment healthy is the way to achieve a safe and friendly place to work, grow up, and live. While many residents have taken action to solve current environmental issues, it will the cooperation of all Austinites to turn the tides on global warming and pollution. One of these local groups is called The Austin Zero Waste Alliance (AZWA). AZWA is an organization that has a main goal of achieving 90 percent local waste diversion by 2040, meaning 90 percent of Austin’s waste is either reused or recycled. AZWA has done work locally to help improve the quality of living in certain communities through environmental work and rallying for . They played a huge role in putting the Bag Ban into effect in the Austin area, which has significantly reduced the amount of plastic that we see in local landfills. According to Postconsumers.com, plastic can take up to 450 years to decompose, unnecessarily taking up our landfills. Connecting people with organizations that work for their local environments will raise awareness for environmental issues that affect us, the people who live in that area. People who fully understand their environment are better informed about their local policies, and can take it into their own hands to change policy for
the better. One recent example is when neighborhoods in Southeast Travis County had to live with the smell and sight of the local landfill. If aesthetics weren’t enough, their property value also declined sharply. The residents decided that they had to do something about this landfill. They voiced their opinions to the City and got a response from AZWA. AZWA worked with the neighborhood residents to fix this issue. Now they don’t have to deal with the smell of trash from the landfill. Another local environmental group is the City of Austin Resource Recovery Department that works to provide trash, recycling, and composting services for customers within the city. They focus on pickups and delivery to the corresponding collection area. One example is branch trimmings. Branch trimmings and other organic materials can be composted for use in other products, such as Dillo Dirt. They recently held
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the grand opening of their Recycle and Reuse Drop-Off center located in downtown Austin. Here they handle appliances recycling and Paint recycling, both of which can be harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly. They’ll find parts of appliances and miscellaneous items that can be recycled or reused as something else and send them to their respective facilities. Paint recycling helps the environment as well as the community. Old and unused paint can be sent to the facility where it is mixed to create new, fresh paint that is provided to the community at no cost.
When asked about the benefits of being waste free, Emlea Chanslor, the Public Information Officer for the City of Austin Resource Re-
to be used for landfills and less waste that just lies in a pile for years before it starts to degrade. Another benefit of being waste free is that items that were once considered waste are now a resource, so your paper or you junk mail that you recycle can go on to be a cereal instead of sitting uselessly in a landfill. The economic benefits can be really great. We did a study recently that quantifies the possible jobs there could be when covery Department, said, “There we implement these Zero Waste are actually a number of benefits goal strategies.” This information to being waste free. For one, we comes to show all of the benefits don’t have to build new landfills, of working as a community to which means less land that has stop practices that cause environ-
“We did a study recently that quantifies the possible jobs there could be when we implement these Zero Waste goal strategies.” -Stacy Guidry
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^Austin has many outdoor and water related activities Photo Courtesy of @Babanwalia on Wikipedia
aware of their local policies are more in the know about the situation of their environment, thus more inclined to helping out. Through this strategy, the City of Austin can more efficiently inform the Austin community about their environment. You can also stay up to date with city There are many ways to get in- policies and get great tips on volved with local organizations. composting and recycling by folAustin residents can sign up for lowing the Resource Recovery the Block Leader Program, a Department on Facebook at faceprogram started by the city to book.com/austinrecycles. encourage people to lead their community towards a better en- If volunteering is not for you, vironment. Block Leaders help there are also ways that you can spread the word about recent help the environment from your events and new policies that have home. The Resource Recovery been made by the city and need Department released a new app approval. People who are more that can help categorize what you mental harm. The job study data shows that for every one landfill replaced with a recycling center, there would be upwards of 700 job opening in that center. This is in stark contrast to the 10-20 new jobs created with every new landfill.
can and cannot recycle. According to a study done by Stanford University in 2001, only about 77 percent of recyclable material is actually recycled. The other 23 percent is thrown away along with non-recyclable items. By using this app, Austinites can better understand their waste and recycle things that they didn’t think to recycle before. Bringing about change in the environment is no small task, but as more and more people become aware of their environments and the challenges that it faces, Austin may be able to turn the tide on this big issue and save the environment that we live in. ••
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8
1
things you
Austin residents are relatively good about recycling household products, but most people aren’t aware of the full list of things that you can put back into the system to recycle. Here’s a list of 8 things you probably didn’t know you could recycle.
• CDs/DVDs/Game Discs
image
CDs, DVDs, and Game discs are accepted by local recycling center. Certain game shops such as GameStop and AuralTech will accept old scratched discs for refurbishing to make them functional again.
2
• Clothes
image
3 image
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Old or unused clothing is also another item that can be recycled in a local recycling center. Clothes can also be donated to Goodwill where the money that they earn selling the clothes is spent towards finding jobs for jobless people.
• Fluorescent Lightbulbs
Fluorescent Lightbulbs are another item that can be given to a local recycling center for reuse and recyling. IKEA also takes old or broken bulbs for recycling in their private facilities.
• Eyeglasses
image
Eyeglasses can be repaired or recycled by eyewear centers such as Lion’s Club. Lenses can be salvaged or remelded to another specification for use in another pair of eyeglasses instead of uselessly sitting in a landfill.
4
didn’t think to
recycle
Sources: Greenamerica organization Mother Nature Network
5
• Ink Cartidges
Ink Cartidges can be recycled through stores like Office Depot where the cartidges are refilled or repurposed to make into new ink cartridges or other plastic goods.
• Paint
Old or unused paint can be taken to Austin’s new recycling center downtown, where paint can be re-mixed and re-mousturized to create new paint that is available to the community free of charge.
7
6
• Phone
Old phones can be donated to Collective Good where they are fixed, if needed, and sold to organizations that provide phones to less priveleged people who can’t afford to buy a phone
• Crayons
Over 120,000 lbs of crayons are produced every year, which eventually ends up in landfills. An organization called the National Crayon Recycle Program takes in old crayons and melts them into new ones, diverting over 88,00 lbs of crayons from landfills.
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The GreenZine 23
EL Niño How one of the most influential weather patterns of the world will affect Austin, Texas By Marcelo Aldrete
Tom miller dam overflowing, June 28, 2007 Photo courtesy of wadeferd.
W
hen most people think of Texas winters, they think of it as only a slight relief from the usual searing heat of Texas. However, every few years or so, the temperatures drop far lower than usual and winter storms increase in ferocity and frequency. With the low temperatures and increased rains, the probability for some more solid precipitation is increased greatly. These occurrences of freak winter weather in Texas are the result of one of the largest weather phenomenons in the world, El Niño. But what is El Niño? And why is it here? El Niño is a very large scale weather phenomenon, affecting places all over the world, from Canada to the Philippines. It is caused by the warming of waters in the central Pacific. But how does it do it? “El Niño is caused by the warming of the central pacific and causes a teleconnection pattern that disrupts the jet stream in both hemispheres and causes different rain patterns so some places get wet and some places get dry. [We] know that will change the jet The GreenZine 24
stream in such a way as to bring more rainfall into Texas and tele conne c t ion patterns are waves that exist in the atmosphere that connect different regions of the earth,” says Quiroz photo courtesy of Charles S Jackson,Diego Marcelo Aldrete
“This year’s El Niño, however, won’t be the same as other ones”.-Marcelo Aldrete an Austin-based UTIG climate scientist. El Niño usually bring lots of extra precipitation and colder weather to the Southern U.S. by diverting moisture from the jet stream meant for other regions of the world, leaving them warmer and drier than usual. One of the side effects of this warming is drought and less fish in the Pacific. The fish that are used to colder waters are often killed by the warming
of the ocean, leaving very few fish for south American fishing industries. El Niño also happens in predictable patterns. El Niño’s have been recorded in Texas and many other places for a long time, and each time they have similar effects. Because of this, climate scientists and forecasters are able to predict each El Niño’s power and how it will likely affect the world climate. El Niño also alternates with its opposite, La Niña, which causes the inverse of El Niño events, with a colder central pacific ocean and warmer winters for Texas. This year’s El Niño, however, won’t be the same as other ones. Forecasters have predicted that the 2015 El Niño is likely to be the largest one recorded in Texas since 1990’s. The most powerful El Niño Warm episode relations in the EL Niño season. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. on record developed in the summer of 1997 and this year’s El Niño is going back almost 100 years,” says Wells. “It already sending out much stronger signals. is quite similar to the strongest El Niño ever recorded back in 1997. Because the El Niño “El Niño’s occur about every 2 to 4 years. is so strong, it will likely have an influence The interval is determined by several factors, on weather patterns worldwide this fall and but primarily the buildup of warm water winter. The El Niño has already had a strong across the western Pacific.”says Rob Wells, who influence on tropical weather this summer, works at the Lower Colorado River Authority. leading to one of the most active seasons on Local citizen, Diego Quiroz has record in the western and central Pacific and lived in Austin, Texas for 14 years and has one of the least active seasons in the Atlantic.” experienced El Niño events in the past El Niño consistently occurs during the winter months. This usually means that “I have noticed the changes in winters are colder and wetter, at least in Texas. weather from regular years and El Niño In the north, for example Washington, the years. It usually rains a lot more and weather will be much warmer and drier than it always happens during winter.” usual. In fact The 2015 winter is likely to be one of the warmest winters in Canada on record. “This year’s El Niño is special because it According to NOAA, The southern half of the is one of the strongest El Niño’s ever recorded, nation is likely to be colder this year than most, The GreenZine 25
The differences between the regular thermocline and the El Niño thermocline. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
especially Texas and the Gulf Coast states . Meanwhile, the west coast, pacific northwest, the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast is expected to be warmer than average. NOAA also expects winter to be wetter than average over much of the southern states, from California into the Southwest and the southern and central Plains, as well as into much of the Deep South and Gulf Coast. The East Coast, Southeast, and portions of the Mid-Atlantic including southern New England, may also see a wetter than average winter. A drierthan-average winter is expected over parts of the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, northern Plains, and parts of the Great Lakes. Texas is one of the southernmost U.S. states so it is likely that Texas will have a very wet and cold winter similar to the 2010-11 El Niño, which brought Texas an unusually wet and cold winter. “Forecasters don’t know exactly what this El Niño will bring to Texas and Austin,” says Wells. “But looking back in history, most El Niño’s produce a jet stream across the southern US. Numerous storm systems often track along this Jet, producing frequent periods of wet weather. With numerous days being cloudy and wet, the temperature is The GreenZine 26
Snow in Portland, Texas, 2004. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
“Higher probability for a little snow this winter.”-Rob Wells often a held a little below normal. Based on this, November through February weather in Austin should be fairly wet and the temperature should be a little cooler than normal. There will likely be lots of cloudy, damp days. El Niño winters also often bring the Austin area some teases of snow during the winter months. As a result, we should see a slightly higher probability for a little snow this winter.” With such a strong El Niño this year, it is possible for the increased rains and precipitation to bring an end to the drought in Texas. El Niño could also bring some much
needed rain to southern California. However, too much rain could lead to flash floods and landslides like the ones we saw in 1997 in California and the Southern U.S. “Well, if we’re short on rainfall and we get a lot of rainfall in the winter that could help us quite a bit. We’ve been in a drought for a long time and so any amount of rain is good,” says Jackson. “In fact, it’s kind
changes in the thermocline and changes in the mean wind and we expect both with climate change and for ENSO (science term for El Niño)they work in opposite directions so a lot of our predictions we don’t actually expect changes in ENSO because those two factors are working against each other but we also, you know, there’s a lot of surprises so that’s kind of a more theoretical result which is we don’t expect changes even with climate change because we think that the changes in mean wind will counter the effects of a change in the thermocline.” said Jackson.
of nice to get rain in the winter because actually when it rains in the summer, a lot of that rain evaporates. But if it rains during winter, it can settle into the ground and into our groundwater before it leaves through evaporation, so it’s actually pretty good for Texas when it rains in the winter.” El Niño’s strength is determined by two factors, The Hurricane Patricia off the West coast of Mexico courtesy of Ray Sanchez 2015. thermocline and the mean wind strength across the pacific equator. As you can see, El Niño is a powerful and very The thermocline is the boundary between special weather phenomenon that we still have cold deep water and warm surface water. In much to learn about and is very influential on the past few years, the global temperature has world climate. El Niño brings both positive been rising as well as ocean temperatures. effects to different areas throughout the world. Is it possible that continued global warming Although we can speculate all we want, we could lead to more El Niño’s like this one? will still have to wait and see how El Niño “With climate change, you can expect affects Texas in the coming winter months. ••
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1950 1950-1957: The worst drought in Texas history lasts 7 years.
1956: 244 of
Texas’ 250 counties are declared drought disaster counties.
1960 1961-1967:
Drought lasts six years.
1968: TWDB
Adopts new state plan, recomending new reisivoirs and standards for water.
1957: TWDB
(Texas Water Development Board is founded to prepare for future droughts.
1970 1970-1971:
Drought lasts one year.
1972: U.S. con-
gress passes the Federal Clean Water Act.
1974: U.S con-
gress enacts the Safe Drinking Water Act.
DROUGHT
The GreenZine 28
1980 1977:
storms $6 milli damag
1985:W
conserv recogni more ec solution drough develop water re
1990
Dust s cause ion in ges.
1988-1990:
Water vation is ized as a conomic n to ht than pingnew esources.
Drought lasts two years.
1992:The
Texas Water Commission declares the Edwards Aquifer to be an underground river.
1995-1996: Drought lasts 1 year.
2000 1999-2002: Drought lasts three years.
1999:Drought
Preparedness Council established by the 76th Texas Legislature.
2001:The
Rio Grande stops flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
2015 2011present:Dro
ught. October 2010September 2011 averages 11.18 “, the driest 12-month period recorded in Texas.
2007-2009:
Drought lasts two years
IN TEXAS
Sources: Texas Water Recources Institute, Sate impact, National Public Radio.
The GreenZine 29
The Rise of In Austin Written by Henry Quill
One of many Tesla galleries in North America (Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia)
R
ecently, you may have noticed this brand of car. Whether you saw them on the news or the nightmare known as Interstate-35, Tesla automobiles have become more noticeable in Austin. That was the reason for me standing in front of the Tesla Gallery in The Domain, nervously preparing my tools of journalism (a composition book and a phone to record). I look into the gallery that appears
The GreenZine 30
almost futuristic to see three people: a couple and the employee explaining the features of these utopiaesque automobiles to them. I kindly wait until they are about to go out the door before stopping them. After asking for their time and names, we begin the interview. I begin with a simple question. “Why are you here?�.
“To buy a Tesla, of course”, he quickly replies.Simple enough. “So where did you hear about Tesla in the first place?” “They’re everywhere.” says Jenny. Understandable, especially when Tesla is gaining more and more popularity among car users. Proven by the 11,580 sales the American car brand had processed in their last quarter to the publication of this article and the release of their long-awaited Model X, Tesla could soon be putting themselves on the larger map of automobiles without pumping carbon emissions into the atmosphere, but instead taking advantage of the many features these automobiles
Tesla’s Model S.
possess. Two certain features catch the couple when I ask what they like about the Model S, the most popular model. “I like the electric aspect,” he says, “and the body”. The electric aspect that George speaks about is none other than the fact that this brand runs entirely on electricity instead of gas. But while you can charge it at home, you can also take it to one of many super-charging stations (one of which is in San Marcos and even more are being built), where you can recharge your car for free since Tesla thinks that it’s just part of your initial payment for the car. As for the body, you’d just have to look at the picture that
is within the pages of this feature story to understand. I then ask, “Is Tesla the only car brand that you’ve been looking at?” “I have a couple other cars, but this will be my next car”, he says, “The next step up”. I proceed to tell them that will be all that I need and how thankful I am for their assistance. A while after they leave, a welldressed man with a sharp glance behind his rectangular-framed glasses walks in with a Tesla key in his hand and hands it to the employee before engaging in a conversation. My mother motions me over to her. She
The GreenZine 31
A Tesla Supercharging Station. With these, you’ll be able to charge your car much faster than at home. (Photo Courtesy of Flickr)
informs me that she overheard the man who just walked in say he was a Tesla owner. I once again kindly wait until the employee and the man finish their conversation before asking the man for his name and if I may interview him. He introduces himself with his first name, John, and agrees to my proposed interview offer.
earlier, but also the 17” inch touchscreen that is installed right by the driver’s seat. As well as the all-wheel drive and the highest safety rating for any car ever tested in America. Or another feature that is the reason he’s at the dealership.
hoods with no center line, and it also doesn’t work if you are, if there are a lot of turn lanes, it breaks up, it gets confused. So that is the main reason I’m here tonight looking at it”.
So basically, he came here to check out the autopilot before installing it into his own “So the reason I’m in here tonight is to actually Model S wirelessly I ask John why he look at the, to test out the (another Tesla feature). I ask him if he would purchase a Tesla, autopilot feature. Which would recommend it to which he quickly anis you punch a button, to friends. pull a lever, and there’s swers, sensors and cameras “Yeah. I’ve got three “All of the technological that knows where it is, or four people in the advancements and inno- and it drives itself”, he vation”. says, “So I found it to be office that have actuvery useful in bumper ally bought them after seeing mine. It’s really Another simple traffic and if you were interesting”, he says, on I-35 where you have answer. Most likely due to not only the zero emis- straight lines on the road “Once you get inside sion and electric facthat it can see, perfect. It one and you drive and doesn’t work in neighbor- see the things it does tors that I mentioned
The GreenZine 32
interview with John, I had engaged with the employee in a somewhat interview. I say somewhat due to the fact that I couldn’t record due to Tesla policies, so I just Which, in 2017, will be less of a problem had to take notes. I later find out why he couldn’t as Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, has stated that give me some information such as price. It he will unveil the Tesla turns out that Tesla can’t Model III in 2016. He also stated that this ve- directly sell to consumhicle will cost $35 thou- ers in Texas because of sand dollars. Car Dealership Franchises.. It’s a legal war that I, like with the first Tesla is currently fightinterviewees, thank him ing with lobbyists inside many state capitals. The for his time and assispoint of the war? To cretance. But before my and how it’s different from a normal luxury sedan, it’s an easy sell. The only downside is the price”.
ate a loophole in many state franchise laws so that they can sell directly to a customer instead of through dealers, who rarely display electric cars due to more favorable income from the gasoline-driven vehicles that they’re accustomed to. But hopefully, Tesla wins in these battles. And if they do, be prepared for a massive increase in the amount of these cars you see on the way to your occupation. ••
The recently released Model X showing off its wing-door feature. This will allow for easier exit from the vehicle in tight spots. (Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia)
The GreenZine 33
Four of the best
As electric cars are rising in popularity and you’re either nearing the age or already of the age to drive one , it’ll be in your best interest to know of these amazing automobiles.
Tesla Model S
image
Tesla’s main vehicle, the Model S is basically the pinnacle of electric vehicles. With some of the best statistics out of electric vehicles and charging is free if you live near a charger, the only downside of the vehicle is it’s price and you’ll have to pick it up from where it is able to sell in (See The Rise of Tesla in Austin for more information).
Safety Rating:
Total Range:
Top Speed:
5/5
208 Miles
130 MPH
Nissan Leaf
image
With the 2010 Model winning awards such as the Green Car Vision Award and even the World Car of the year for 2011. It’s only obvious that they should make some upgrades with the newer models such as better range, charging capabilities, and even a lower price than its predecessor. With these new upgrades, the Leaf will be one of the electric series to look after.
Safety Rating: 4/5 The Greenzine 34
Total Range: 75 Miles
Top Speed: 90 MPH
Electric Cars
Information courtesy of Plug-In America ; National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration ; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S, Enironmental Protection Agency Photos Courtesy of Flickr; WikiMedia; Pixabay; Wikipedia (User M 93)
Fiat 500e With the motto “Ugliness is the worst form of pollution�, the 500e is one of the more attractive electric cars with its retro-futuristic design. The 500e utilizes features such as an app on cell phones so you can watch over the status of the vehicle and upgrades so it has less drag than its gasoline-using counterparts.
image
Top Speed:
Total Range:
Safety Rating:
88 MPH
87 Miles
*but other 2015 Fiat 500s were given around 4/5
Chevrolet Spark EV
Not Rated*
image
The first all-electric passenger vehicle series released by General Motors since the beginning the century, the Spark is one of the more popular electric series with over sixteen hundred sales in the U.S. as of the end of last year. And with it joining the next generation of Chevrolet vehicle, expect to see this car with better safety and more features to adapt with technology.
Top Speed: 90 MPH
Total Range: 82 Miles
Safety Rating: Not Rated*
*but other 2015 Chevrolet Sparks were given around 4/5
Range based on a fully charged vehicle and the assumption that the vehicle drives on highway 55% and in the city 45% of the time.
The Greenzine 35
Please recycle.