13th July, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Tomorrow at 6PM there is a free class at Casa de Luz put on by the Natural Epicurian (a new cooking school in Austin). Here’s the class description:
Cooking Demonstration & Lecture: How Food Affects your Health and Emotions
Enjoy a free cooking demo (and sampling!) presented by a graduating culinary program student and a lecture / information session about Macrobiotics presented by a senior staff member. Learn how food affects your health and emotions and how a clearer understanding of dietary choices can bring you optimum health and maximum vitality.
Register here
6th July, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
The Statesman had this article yesterday, which states that
A Texas official said Monday that tar balls from the Gulf oil spill have been found on state beaches, becoming the first known evidence that gushing crude from the Deepwater Horizon well has now reached all the Gulf states.
Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said two crews were removing tar balls found on the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island on Sunday.
“We’ve said since day one that if and when we have an impact from Deepwater Horizon, it would be in the form of tarballs,” Patterson said in a news release. “This shows that our modeling is accurate. Any Texas shores impacted by the Deepwater spill will be cleaned up quickly and BP will be picking up the tab.”
1st July, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I recently received the following email from the Austin Sustainable Food Center about four AmeriCorps*VISTA positions:
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Sustainable Food Center is currently seeking applicants for four AmeriCorps*VISTA positions: three to assist with the Sprouting Healthy Communities project and one to assist with the Grow Local program. Applications will be accepted through July 16th, 2010. Please see the job descriptions below, and feel free to distribute widely.
Sprouting Healthy Communities Project
Americorps*VISTA Position
Overview
Sustainable Food Center (SFC) cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. Sustainable Food Center is hiring three (3) individuals through the Americorps*VISTA program of the Corporation for National and Community Service to organize school-based teams to plan and implement comprehensive health programming. SFC’s Sprouting Healthy Kids project is a farm-to-school and food-systems education initiative that includes incorporation of locally grown fresh foods into school cafeterias, plus in-class and after-school gardening and cooking educational activities. Marathon Kids is a free six-month endurance building running/walking and nutrition program for K-5th public, private and home-schooled children and their families. We are looking for a dynamic, bilingual, relational individual to organize community members in schools and neighborhoods for a Sustainable Food Center/Marathon Kids partnership project. Monthly living allowance and end-of-service stipend or education award provided through the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Position Description
The VISTA will work through underserved middle and elementary schools in Austin to develop, support, and facilitate school wellness teams consisting of parents, teachers, and community leaders. VISTA will lead the teams in the planning and implementation phases of a comprehensive school and community-based nutrition program, with a focus on local food systems efforts such as local food in cafeterias, community and school gardening, healthy cooking classes, and the Marathon Kids physical activity program. Candidate must be fluent in Spanish and pass a written and oral fluency interview.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have an ability to relate to and connect with individuals and groups within the communities in which the work will be done. Candidate must be fluent in both English and Spanish, and must be able to commit to the Americorps*VISTA terms of service. The ideal candidate will have community organizing skills, a familiarity with school settings, and knowledge of farm-to-school, community gardening, and healthy cooking. Bachelors degree preferred, but appropriate experience may be substituted. Applicants must be able to inspire school, neighborhood, and parent stakeholders to commit to building a program that addresses the fitness and nutrition needs of the community.
Primary Functions
· Meet with potential leaders from among school stakeholders (current district and school program leaders, teachers, parents, neighbors, pastors, homeowner association members, other community organizations, etc.) to identify those who will lead the nutrition/fitness program that includes elements of Marathon Kids and Sprouting Healthy Communities.
· Organize planning and training sessions with wellness teams on healthy food efforts, local food systems projects and physical activity programs.
· Applying SFC resources to provide support and monitoring for school and community programming activities.
Compensation
Sustainable Food Center is an equal opportunity employer; women and people of color are encouraged to apply. This is a full-time (40 hours per week), one-year position. Members of AmeriCorps*VISTA are eligible for a: living allowance of $11,232 per year, health insurance, childcare assistance, student loan deferment, and, upon completion of the program, a choice of a $4,725 education award or a $1,200 cash stipend.
Application Instructions
To apply, email resume, cover letter, three references, and a Spanish/English writing sample (1 page) to Andrew W. Smiley, Projects Director, andrew@sustainablefoodcenter.org. Interested applicants MUST also apply through AmeriCorps at https://my.americorps.gov/.
Resumes accepted until July 16, 2010. Position begins August 2, 2010.
Additional organization info: www.MarathonKids.org and www.sustainablefoodcenter.org
Americorps VISTA info:http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/vista.asp
Grow Local Education Coordinator
AmeriCorps*VISTA Position
Overview
Sustainable Food Center (SFC) cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. SFC’s Grow Local program offers the resources and education to enable children and adults in Central Texas to develop skills in organic food production, as well as an understanding of the importance of local food production for the health and well-being of themselves, their families and community, and the environment. We are looking for a dynamic, bilingual individual to help SFC incorporate the Citizen Gardener gardening and volunteer program and create a train-the-trainer educational program that will enable us to provide more Basic Organic Gardening classes (in English and Spanish), Community Garden Leadership trainings, and School Garden Leadership trainings in low income communities and throughout Austin.
Position Description
The Grow Local Education Coordinator AmeriCorps*VISTA will create a class management system that integrates Citizen Gardener trainings and restructures SFC’s existing classes into a train-the-trainer program. The VISTA will also assist with implementation and administration of these classes and trainings, as well as assist with the development and implementation of trainings for class facilitators.
Key Responsibilities
· Conduct recruitment and registration of participants, including outreach to low-income communities
· Carry out translation of class materials into Spanish
· Create and implement system to track volunteer hours for Citizen Gardener program
· Assist instructors during classes and trainings
· Process class surveys and carry out other class follow-up activities
· Organize graduation events
· Assist with development of facilitator trainings and materials
· Develop and implement system to recruit and retain facilitators
· Assist newly-trained facilitators with completion of apprenticeships
· Assist with delivery of gardening resources to Grow Local program participants
Qualifications
· Bachelor of Arts or Sciences
· MUST be bilingual (English/Spanish)
· Excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and Spanish
· Ability to work effectively with diverse populations
· Ability to work independently and as part of a team
· Must be organized and detail oriented
· Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office
· Knowledge and experience with food gardening preferred
· Ability to work a flexible schedule
Compensation
Sustainable Food Center is an equal opportunity employer; women and people of color are encouraged to apply. This is a full-time (40 hours per week), one-year position. Serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member, you are eligible for the following: living allowance of $11,232 per year, health insurance, childcare assistance, student loan deferment, and, upon completion of the program, a choice of a $4,725 education award or a $1,200 cash stipend.
Application Instructions
To apply, email resume, cover letter, three references, and a Spanish/English writing sample (1 page) to Sari Albornoz, Grow Local Co-Director, at sari at sustainablefoodcenter dot org. Interested applicants MUST also apply through AmeriCorps at https://my.americorps.gov/.
No phone calls, por favor.
Resumes accepted until July 16, 2010. Position begins August 2, 2010.
To learn more about Sustainable Food Center, go to: www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. To learn more about VISTA, go to www.americorps.org/about/programs/vista.asp.
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Sounds like a great position for a recent high school or college graduate to apply for! I did Americorps Teach for America in college and it was the best job I’ve had so far- a very positive experience!
photo credit
25th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
- Free Rainwater Harvesting Class at the Zilker Botanical Garden:
Saturday, June 26 10am-noon
Free Seminar: Rainwater Harvesting
Come enjoy a free seminar concentrating on capturing rainwater and lowering water usage in your landscape. This session will teach you all the basics on building a non-potable rainwater harvesting system. In addition, lower your water usage by learning about rain gardens which capture valuable rainwater in your landscape. Vendors representing tank and gutter companies will be available to answer specific questions. City of Austin representatives will be available to answer permit and rebate questions.
More info at www.tcmastergardeners.org
- Open House for the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts:
The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, one of the first whole-food and plant-based cooking schools in the United States, is hosting a grand opening celebration at its new location, 1700 S. Lamar, on Saturday, June 26. Cooking demonstrations, food tastings, tours of the new facility, and door prizes (!!!) are on the menu.
Our new state-of-the-art teaching kitchen is fully wired with digital capability for recording and broadcasting cooking classes. Public cooking classes are scheduled to begin at the new location in July. The summer schedule features a variety of courses for new and experienced cooks, including Conscious Cooking Beginner Series, Introduction to Macrobiotic Cooking and Lifestyle, Raw and Living Foods, and Healthy Foods Your Kids Will Love.
more info here.
“A partial lunar eclipse will be visible across much of North America early Saturday morning, according to the editors of StarDate magazine. As Earth’s long shadow falls across the moon, the part in the shadow will turn dark. It will look as though a chunk were missing from the moon.” (UT News)
The eclipse should be visable around 5:17 AM on Saturday morning.
24th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
The Statesman reports that “In a resolution the City Council will vote on today, Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Council Members Chris Riley and Mike Martinez ask city staffers to determine the cost to taxpayers of processing plastic bags in the waste stream. It appears that they want to build an economic case, rather than simply an environmental one, that the bags are bad for Austin.”
Additionally, “As part of the city’s new One Green Step program, which asks residents to make simple changes to reduce their carbon footprints, some council members want to carry out three “green steps” in city buildings: setting printers, “where practicable,” to double-sided copies; changing the default font on city computers to Century Gothic, Ecofont Vera Sans or other “ink-saving” fonts; and looking into the cost of software that can automatically convert faxes to e-mail to save paper.” The council will vote on these changes today.
22nd June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Here’s an excerpt from an NPR article discussing a California business which has been converting regular cars to electric cars since 1979 (1979!!!):
Hybrid cars are everywhere. And all-electric cars are coming: General Motors’ Volt and Nissan’s Leaf are due to hit the streets by the end of the year.
But in Bonny Doon, Calif., one company has been converting gas-sucking cars into all-electric vehicles since 1979. Mike Brown, with his company Electro Automotive, was the first to sell parts for gas-to-electric conversions, and he teaches workshops on DIY conversions.
“The market we focused on was the grocery-getter,” Brown says. He wanted the cars to be able to hold four adults and a load of groceries.
The short-commute market is a natural fit for electric-car conversions because these cars do have limitations: the biggest being how far the car can go on one battery charge.
Recently, Brown and some of his students converted a gold 1984 VW Rabbit from gas to electric in the hands-on workshop.
The Rabbit got an electric motor that runs on 18 batteries like the ones used in golf carts.
Pretty neat! Check out the whole article!
17th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I had two new experiences last night at dinner:
1) We ate our first green bell pepper from the garden. It seemed tastier than the ones at the store but I may be making that up. It looks a little yellow in the picture but that’s just the lighting – it was perfectly green.
2) We ate a vegan pizza from Whole Foods that my husband accidentally bought (he thought it was just vegetarian). I did not enjoy it at all and ended up scraping off all of the fake cheese, but my husband thought it was pretty good.
live it, learn it!
11th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - 1 Comment
In the last 2 weeks I’ve been to the East Side Cafe twice, and both times had a wonderful dinner. Prior to my two recent experiences, my only other trip to East Side Cafe was about 3 or 4 years ago, and at that point I wasn’t wild about the experience – possibly because we ate really late, possibly because of the people we were eating with, and possibly because at the time, I was still in school and it’s a little expensive for a student ($12-25 for an entrée). So I never went back to try it again until about 2 weeks ago, at which point I had a delicious meal. I started with a side salad that wasn’t on the menu but had roasted beets on top of mixed greens with toasted nuts (maybe pecans). Then I had the Artichoke Manicotti, which the menu describes as “Carrot pasta filled with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, pistachios, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese. Topped with sun-dried tomato cream sauce and parmesan cheese.” (Half order was $13.95). 
It was wonderful and the best meal I have had in a long time. I finished up with a dessert that was the special of the night – blackberry cobbler with blue bell ice cream. It was a really tasty end to my meal. The service that night was also excellent.
I enjoyed it so much I suggested to my husband that we go try it out since he hadn’t been there in several years either. This time we had the Baked Brie with Apple Chutney as an appetizer, which was very good, and I had the Smoked Salmon and Shrimp Cake Salad, described on the menu as “Smoked salmon and shrimp cakes served on a bed of mixed greens tossed with lemon remoulade dressing.” It was also very tasty, and probably a lot healthier than the pasta/Mexican fare I am usually drawn to. And it actually came with 2 dressings which I think they made there – they were both really good.
Aside from the great food, the cool thing about East Side Cafe is that they grow some of there own veggies right on side – you can tour the gardens while you wait for your tables. And these gardens are farmed using only organic methods. Plus they just recently purchased some land off site to be able to grow even more of their own food. They do purchase a lot of food from conventional sources as well, but it’s nice that some of it is organic and local.
10th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
NPR had this story about the plastic bag debate in light of the California Assembly’s vote last week to approve the first statewide ban on both plastic and paper “single-use” bags. The article highlights several interesting points, including the arguments advocates of plastic bags make: (“[t]he chemical and plastic industries have long pushed back against bans and bag fees, arguing that plastic bags occupy a relatively small share of space in landfills and that they cost less money and require less energy to produce than paper bags”); the affect of pastic bags on marine life: (“[t]here’s basically no way to go out and do a sample of the number of animals that die as a result of this…For the most part, they occur scattered all over the ocean and quickly get eaten by predators or sink to the bottom and are never found”); and the affect pastic bags have on our cityscapes: (“[a] plastic bag dancing in the wind may have furnished a poetic ending for the film American Beauty, but in most contexts it would be considered blight. “Especially in low-income areas, they may not have the public works funding to clean these up.”‘”)
Check out the article to read both sides of the debate!
And look here for info on the plastic bag debate in Austin.
10th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
KUT has a story about the Jollyville Plateau Salamander, which says:
A tiny, slimy amphibian is creating a big splash. Known as the Jollyville Plateau Salamander, its home consists only of springs, and wet caves in and around Northwest Austin. As the city moves forward with the new [water treatment] plant, environmentalists have begun to raise a red flag. They fear building water transmission lines from Lake Travis to the plant could disrupt the salamander’s habitat.
The Statesman also had this interesting article about a deal between the City of Austin and the EPA that would allow the city to go forward with its water treatment plant facility plans even if the salamander is added to the endangered species list. Here’s an excerpt:
With the odds increasing that Austin’s Jollyville Plateau salamander will be added to the federal endangered species list, city officials are working on an unusual agreement aimed at ensuring that any new federal protections for the amphibian don’t stall several large projects, including a controversial water treatment plant.
“The rumblings have been growing that the salamander could be added to the endangered list soon,” said Nancy McClintock, an assistant director in the city’s Watershed Protection and Development Review Department.
The city and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working on a trade-off, one the federal government hopes will be a blueprint for other communities.
The city would agree that, during construction projects, it would place even more emphasis on protecting the salamanders’ habitat than the Endangered Species Act would require. In exchange, the federal government would impose no additional requirements on the projects if the salamander is finally declared endangered.
The terms will be worked out over the coming weeks and vetted publicly for perhaps a year, according to city and federal officials. The process will start Wednesday , when city officials hold a public hearing to explain how the agreement would work. City and federal officials said the agreement is not intended to influence whether the salamander is ultimately placed on the endangered list — an assertion questioned by some environmental activists.
The agreement would apply only to city projects and not private development. But federal officials said private property owners can also strike such a deal. Perhaps two dozen communities around the country have already struck similar deals, according to the city.
Check out the links for the full story.
I'm not actually sure what kind of salamander this is, but he sure is cute!
7th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Serrano pepper
Roma tomatoes
lettuce
green bell pepper
jalapeño pepper
3rd June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Even with the recent step by the EPA in which the EPA barred Texas from issuing an operating permit to a refinery in Corpus Christi, according to this KUT article, some environmental groups think the EPA needs to do more to protect Texas air quality:
Both the Sierra Club and the group Earthjustice put the Feds on 60-day notice Wednesday: Step in to clean up the state’s air, or the groups are filing suit.
They claim the Clean Air Act gives the EPA the right to step in, when they find a state hasn’t done enough to adhere to federal guidelines. Bruce Nilles is the Sierra Club’s Deputy Conservation Director. He says the EPA’s been shirking its responsibility to protect the air we breathe in Texas, notwithstanding last week’s action over the Flint Hills Refinery in Corpus Christi.
“That step last week will not be adequate to ensure clean air across Texas and to ensure that Texas is not, in fact, continuing to cause enormous amounts of pollution in downwind states, like Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana,” Nilles said in a teleconference Wednesday.
Check out the story for more information.
2nd June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
According to the Statesman,
“Coulomb Technologies said it will provide — for free — 5,000 charging stations, both public and in-home, to Austin and eight other cities over the next year.
The program is funded by a $15 million federal stimulus grant, and is a partnership with Ford, Chevrolet, and SmartUSA, which have committed to delivering electric cars to the nine areas.”
Look for stations as early as December, with completion by September 2011. Check out the Statesman link for more details.
28th May, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Carsi and I will be enjoying our long weekend with our families and friends – we hope you all get to do the same this weekend! Check back on Tuesday for new GAD posts 
28th May, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Last week I went to Sagra’s for lunch and had a delightful sandwich, the caprese panino. It had tomatoes, pesto, and mozzarella on toasted homemade cibatta bread and it was sooo good. For $7, I thought it was a great deal for lunch because, along with coming with a small mixed salad, the restaurant has a very classy atmosphere that would make you think things would be more expense. Everything was very fresh and tasty, and I would say it’s the best lunch spot I have been to that’s near the capitol. My mother-in-law also had a vegetarian sandwich, the florentine panino, which was $8 and consisted of truffle mushrooms, spinach, and goat cheese served on cibatta bread – also very good. 4 stars! I took a picture of my sandwich, but now of course I can’t find it, so you’ll just have to trust me that it looked delicious.
24th May, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
The Statesman had an update on the oil spill efforts, including discussion of the criticism of BP for the chemical dispersant the company has been using:
“Oil giant BP PLC said Saturday it wants to keep using a contentious chemical dispersant to fight the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, despite orders from federal regulators to use something less toxic.
The chemical dispersant, Corexit 9500, is “the best option for subsea application,” BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA raised concerns about the agent Thursday and ordered BP to identify an alternative and start using it within three days of its approval by regulators.
“Because of its use in unprecedented volumes and because much is unknown about the underwater use of dispersants, EPA wants to ensure BP is using the least toxic product,” the agency has said.”
And also, an update about nationwide efforts to collect hair to make natural booms to collect oil:
“Despite a widespread volunteer effort, engineers won’t use booms made out of hair to soak up the oil spill. Barbers around the nation have collected hair in hopes that it could fight the ooze. But crews said Saturday they concluded using the hair isn’t feasible, and the groups collecting the hair were asked to stop doing so. Engineers said tests in February at a small Texas oil spill showed that commercial booms absorbed more oil and less water than hair booms. ”One problem with the hair boom is that it became waterlogged and sank within a short period of time,” said Charlie Henry with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”
Sad news all around.
19th May, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
Here’s a brief KUT segment on the UT panel discussing the oil spill that we posted about yesterday. Experts noted that a lot of questions still need to be answered and more research needs to be done to understand the long term effects that the oil at this depth will have on the ecosystem. One expert noted that this is a complex system with no easy answers, and a fresh look is needed for better understanding of what will happen and how it can be prevented. Keep checking the Energy Institute’s website for the full webcast of the discussion.
18th May, 2010 - Posted by carsi - 1 Comment
Several experts from the Energy Institute at the University of Texas will be discussing the oil spill in the Gulf at 10:00 this morning. Topics will include the reasons why the spill happened, how it can be stopped, the environmental damage that is occurring, the legal and financial repercussions of the incident, and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. The discussion will be broadcast here.
4th May, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently announced its rankings of voluntary green energy program sales across the nation, and Austin Energy topped the list for the eighth year in a row! This past year, Austin Energy sold 764.8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy to 480 commercial customers and 9,750 residential customers. Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program allows consumers, both commercial and residential, to elect to have their energy provided by clean, renewable resources. The program provides consumers with a locked-in price for this clean energy for five years, and that has proven a lucrative choice for companies and residents who opted in during the first offering and are now paying less than the standard fuel charge.
If you haven’t already, check out the GreenChoice option and consider switching over to renewable energy for your home. I did a few months ago and my bill has only gone up by about $5-10/month, which is such a small price to pay to support renewable resources. And who knows, depending on how much the fuel charge changes in the next five years, it could end up saving me money!
22nd April, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Austin Business Journal has this article about the energy provider ThermalSoul, which is looking for sites to build Austin’s first solar thermal power generation facility. According to the article “[t]he company said unlike traditional solar-panel produced energy, solar thermal stations can generate power at night and in cloudy weather by using stored thermal heat” and the new plant would be the first one in the US. The article also notes that “[o]nce the facility is complete, ThermalSoul plans to generate up to 10 megawatts of electricity – or enough to power 7,000 to 9,000 homes.”
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