23rd August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I finally have a little eggplant growing in the garden! Hang in there, little guy!
here's a sideways picture
And my okra is getting massive! The tomatoes are doing well too, but had some beets and squash die over the past few days.
20th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
The Texas Tribune had this article about a BP unit at a Texas refinery that malfunctioned last spring, which has led to two lawsuits: an enforcement suit brought by the Texas Attorney General seeking up to $1 million in Texas Clear Air Act fines and a $10 billion federal class action suit on behalf of the more than 2,000 workers exposed to carcinogens released during the malfunction. Here is an excerpt:
Each [lawsuit] charges that BP — to avoid bad publicity and lost profits from a shutdown — kept operations going at its largest refinery, exposing its workers and the entire Texas City community to more than 500,000 pounds of dangerous chemicals over a 40-day period….
At its unit in Texas City, BP continued operations between April 6 and May 16, even after the hydrogen compressor — which reduces emissions by trapping noxious chemicals for reuse in other parts of the refinery — had malfunctioned. Instead, the company opted to send the chemicals to the emergency flare device, which, much like pilot lights on a stove, ignites when it comes into contact with gases. In theory, the flare burns most of them up before they are released into the air. But even in the best of all possible worlds, 2 percent of the gases escape….
Long before Deepwater Horizon, the Texas City refinery was the ne’er-do-well of BP’s holdings. The 2005 explosion killed 15 workers and injured another 170. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration imposed a $21 million fine, the highest ever assessed at the time, for safety violations leading up to the accident. BP also pleaded guilty to one violation of the Clean Air Act as a result of the explosion and agreed to an additional $50 million fine. Then, at the end of last year, OSHA fined the company another $87 million — again breaking a record — for failing to implement safety recommendations developed in the aftermath of the 2005 disaster. BP has since agreed to pay about $50 million of that fine but is contesting the remaining amount in court.
photo credit
20th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - 2 Comments
Last week I went to Banzai on North Lamar (3914 North Lamar Boulevard), a small Japanese cafe. This is another restaurant that doesn’t have a website, so without being able to look at the menu online, I can’t say for sure what I ate. Whatever it was, it was delicious and everyone in our group liked their food! I love sushi, and was impressed by the number of choices of everything Banzai had, but I was especially impressed with all of the vegetarian choices they had. I had one roll that had sweetened egg and veggies in it, and another that had cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, and carrots in it. They were both really good and pretty authentic tasting. Plus the restaurant was very clean, and although the service was a little slow, I would recommend checking it out. Sorry the pictures aren’t that great, when you’re with a group of people it’s pretty awkward to pull out your camera to take a picture of your food, so I like to pretend I’m checking my cell phone and quickly snap a blurry, unappetizing pic. But the food really was good!
19th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Austin Business Journal has this article, which says that Austin energy is contracting with a California company to supply more than $2 million in solar panels. The panels will be installed installed on municipal buildings for Austin Public Library, Austin Water Utility, Austin Energy and others. The article also notes that:
The project is part of Austin Energy’s plan to increase renewable energy capacity to 200 megawatts by 2020. The energy produced by the panels is equivalent to removing an estimated 380 cars from roads annually, or planting 59,475 trees.
The city has set aside a total $21.7 million for alternative energy purchases.
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19th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
This is a really nice article about an amazing blog, New Dress A day. The blog, a creation by Marisa Lynch, document’s Marisa’s attempt to transform 365 ugly dresses (often found at thrift stores and garage sales) in 365 days, for only $1 a day. The blog has before and after pictures of Marisa’s creations, with a daily update of what she’s wearing today. It’s amazing to see some of her work and I am a big fan of her crafting skills! Check it out!
19th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Saturday August 28 will be the 3rd Annual Future Craft Collective Zilker Elementary Back-to-School Clothes Swap at Zilker Elementary. Their website says they will have clothing, jackets, backpacks and shoes all sorted by size and gender, and people can bring what they no longer want and take what they need. There is a suggested $2 donation to get in and there will be “silk screening and sewers too ready to make your garments one-of-a-kind!” Click here for more details.
18th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
According to the Austin Business Journal, Austin was ranked number 1 in the Business Facilities magazine in availability of renewable energy and ranked number 2 in the greenest metros category. Go Austin!
18th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Austin Energy Power Savers is a cool program a coworker was telling me she had signed up for. According to AE’s website,when you sign up to be a Power Saver Volunteer, Austin Energy will contact you up to ten times during the summer(you pick the method of contact – telephone, email or text message). When they contact you, they will ask you to take four actions to use less electricity between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm:
- Switch off unnecessary lights
- Delay washing and drying clothes, and using your dishwasher
- Cook dinner in your microwave oven, rather than with an electric range
- Turn up the AC thermostat by two to three degrees
It’s completely voluntary, so there’s no penalty for signing up and then running your dishwasher when they ask you not to, it’s just a nice way to try and help decrease electricity usage. The website also explains that by joining the program and helping to reduce peak demand, Power Saver Volunteers are helping to put off building new power generation plants (which would make be bad environmentally, but also would make rates go up).
If you do sign up, you get a free home weatherization kit, including:
- Weather stripping
- Outlet sealers
- Two compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs)
- An energy saver nightlight
Check out the link above to sign up.
photo credit
18th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
If you’re interested in learning more about gardening in Texas, check out the UT Go Native Classes that are being offered through the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Check out this link to register and look at prices and times. The classes are a little pricey but they are supposed to be really good. Here are the descriptions of the classes offered:
Native Plant Gardening: Design – Proper design will help ensure a successful native plant garden. In this class you will learn how to create a list of goals for your landscape, analyze your site (soils, light, water, drainage, slope, traffic patterns, neighboring conditions, etc.) and perform an inventory of existing features. You will also learn about base maps (what they are and how to create and use them) and designing a garden layout and conceptual plan. We will also discuss how to incorporate existing plants and other features into a fresh design and how to find resources or professional assistance. Dress for the weather (sunscreen, hat, water, etc.); some class time will be spent outdoors. Instructor: Ginger Hudson (mailto:ginarama@yahoo.com). Cost: $45.00.
Native Plant Gardening: Plants I – Choosing the right native plants for your garden is both art and science. In this class you will learn about common and botanical names, basic garden ecology, and plant requirements. We will also introduce native plants that will thrive in your garden and learn their characteristics (height, bloom color, bloom period, fragrance, seasonality, light requirements, deer resistance, etc.). Dress for the weather (sunscreen, hat, water, etc.); some class time will be spent outdoors. You may bring a camera to class. Instructor: Andrea DeLong-Amaya (adelongamaya@wildflower.org). Cost: $45.00.
Native Plant Gardening: Plants II – The Texas flora is so rich and native plant selection is so important, we have divided it into two parts. In Part II, you will continue to learn about the top natives for your garden, where to find them and where to go for more information. Native Plant Gardening: Plants I (#8363) is a recommended prior to enrollment in this class. Dress for the weather (sunscreen, hat, water, etc.); some class time will be spent outdoors. You may bring a camera to class. Instructor: Andrea DeLong-Amaya (adelongamaya@wildflower.org). Cost: $45.00.
Native Plant Gardening: Installation – Now that you have plants and a plan, you are ready to install your native plant garden. In this class we will cover site preparation (clearing, weeds and weed management, soil additives, earthworks, drainage), irrigation, best planting times and techniques, and mulches and mulch application. Where to go for additional resources and professional assistance will also be covered. Dress for the weather (sunscreen, hat, water, etc.); some class time will be spent outdoors. Instructor: Troy Nixon (tdnixon@mindspring.com). Cost: $45.00.
Native Plant Gardening: Maintenance – A common misconception about native plants is that once they are in the ground they require no maintenance. Topics will include basic plant morphology and physiology, selecting the right tools for the job, watering guidelines and water conservation, fertilizers, soil additives, mulches, pruning, trimming, mowing, grooming, cold and heat protection, gardening hazards and gardener’s health. Dress for the weather (sunscreen, hat, water, etc.); some class time will be spent outdoors. Instructor: Ginger Hudson (mailto:ginarama@yahoo.com). Cost: $45.00.
Native Plant Gardening: Pests – This class will introduce you to native plant diseases, garden pests, insects and weeds. In addition, you will learn about beneficial insects and their interaction with pests as an important part of understanding the ecological systems of our gardens. Topics will include basic identification, determination of threat to the garden and environment, integrated pest management, treatment and safety. Proper plant cultivation techniques to reduce pests and where to go for resources and assistance will also be covered. Dress for the weather (sunscreen, hat, water, etc.); some class time will be spent outdoors. Instructor: Grady Glenn (GJGlenn@ag.tamu.edu). Cost: $45.00.
17th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I still haven’t had a ton of success in the garden, but I am continuing to get a lot of cayenne peppers, some jalapeños, and an occasional tomato. I’m most excited about my okra though – my husband and I came back from being out of town this weekend, and out of nowhere there was one okra ready to be eaten. I’m amazed that it grew so much in a few days. And look at this quiche my husband made using onions, tomatoes, parsley, and garlic chives from our garden! Delicious!
17th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Last week my husband tried out this new recipe and it turned out really well! We actually saw the recipe on the back of the farro package (farro is a type of grain), but I also have seen the same recipe several places online. He used acorn squash rather than butternut squash because we had some leftover, and he didn’t use walnut oil, just olive oil. Here are the ingredients he used:
2 cups farro, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
5 cups water (or stock)
3 cups acorn squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large red onion cut into 1/8ths
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup walnuts, deeply toasted
3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil (or more olive oil)
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
And the directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine the farro, salt, and water in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to an hour, or about half the time if you are using semi-pearled farro. Taste often as it is cooking, you want it to be toothsome and retain structure. Remove from heat, drain any excess water, and set aside.
While the farro is cooking toss the squash, onion, and thyme with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a couple big pinches of salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer and place in the oven for about 20 minutes. Toss the squash and onions every 5-7 minutes to get browning on multiple sides. Remove from the oven, let cool a bit, and mince just 1/2 of the red onions.
In a large bowl gently toss the everything (except the goat cheese) with the toasted walnut oil (or olive oil). Taste and add a bit of salt if necessary. Garnish with the goat cheese.
16th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I’m traveling back from Boston today, and I started thinking about airlines and recycling and how hard it is to recycle sometimes when you’re traveling. I noticed though that today on my first Delta flight, the attendant said the stewards would be coming around to collect recyclables, which is the first time I have ever heard any mention of recycling on a plane. Check out this Scientific American article from 2009 about airline and airport recycling. Here’s an excerpt:
The U.S. airline industry discards enough aluminum cans every year to build nearly 58 Boeing 747s and enough paper to fill a football field–size hole 230 feet deep—that’s 4,250 tons of aluminum and 72,250 tons of paper. The 30 largest airports in the country, with the help of the airlines, create enough waste to equal the trash produced by cities the size of Miami or Minneapolis.
Unlike other aspects of the travel business, the airline industry has moved at a snail’s pace to get onboard the green revolution. Although hotels, for instance, have plenty of monetary reasons to encourage patrons not to have their towels changed every day, the airline industry has little economic incentive and even less government pressure to go green.
Several factors have discouraged airlines and airports from following the nation’s recycling trends, says Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In December 2006 he published a report quantifying the waste from the industry and lambasting it for its lack of initiative toward recycling.
One of the problems is that airports have been reluctant to change their infrastructure to accommodate recyclable materials. Some airlines even separate the recyclables from the trash onboard the airplane, but if the airport is not equipped for recycling, it all goes into the same place. “Airports have been designed without recycling in mind,” Hershkowitz explains. “There are, for example, waste chutes that are all too convenient to dump trash. But there’s no chute for recycling.”
It will be interesting to see how the requirements for airline and airport recycling changes in the future – hopefully things will start to get better faster!
photo credit
13th August, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
This weekend, eco-friendly fashionistas have a few events to choose from to satisfy their green and sartorial urges. On both Saturday and Sunday at the Palmer Events Center, the City-Wide Garage Sale will provide an opportunity to make some great vintage finds. I have yet to go to this event, but friends tell me it’s a worthwhile experience. Five bucks to get in and you’ll find not just vintage fashion, but home decor, jewelry, antiques, books, and other collectibles. The event happens on several weekends each year, so if you can’t catch it this weekend, keep an eye out for the next round.
Also, this weekend kicks off Austin Fashion Week, bringing a wide variety of fashion events to Austinites all week long. This Sunday at 2, if you’re in the mood for even more green fashion, check out the Keep Austin Beautiful Fashion Show at the Austin Museum of Art downtown, where designers have taken recycled materials and crafted beautiful garments, similar to challenges on Project Runway. To get in, it’s $10 or $5 for members of the museum.
12th August, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
The Edwards Aquifer Authority recently granted $160,000 to various projects to help save water around the Edwards Aquifer, a large groundwater system that stretches from Austin to San Antonio, providing fresh water to 1.7 million people. Seven projects were selected, including toilet replacement programs, high efficiency washing machine rebates, and leak detection surveys. Altogether, these projects could save up to 390 acre-feet of groundwater every year. For more details, check out the Austin Business Journal’s article.
The San Marcos River’s water is supplied by Edwards Aquifer
photo credit
12th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I got an email from the Sustainable Food Center about the 2010 Fall Citizen Gardener Sessions. You can get more infor here, but basically there’s a choice of 4 different sessions, each that in a 10 hour class spread over 3 days will teach you about site design, making a raised bed, planting a square-foot garden, building a compost pile, learning about Austin climate, soil, planting times; building a mulch bed, turning compost, rain water collection, and more.
The cost is $30 due on the first day of class (cash or check made out to “Sustainable Food Center”). $10 dollars will be refunded if you complete 10 volunteer hours at one of their partner gardens.
Here are all of the session choices from their website:
-CG #15:
August 14 & 21 (Saturday mornings): 8:00am – 12:00pm, at Festival Beach Community Garden: Waller & Flores, Austin 78702
August 17 (Tuesday evening): 7:00pm – 8:30pm, at Terrazas Public Library: 1105 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX 78702
Instructors: Dick Peterson (Lead) & Sandy Brazwell (Assistant)
-CG #16:
August 28 & September 4 (Saturdays mornings): 8:00am – 12:00pm, at Kipp Academy in East Austin, FM 969/MLK, past 183; right just before Decker Lake Rd; follow signs to Kipp and baloons to garden
Sept 1 (Wednesday evening) – 7:00pm – 8:30pm, location TBD
Instructor: Dick Pierce
-CG #17:
September 11 & 18 (Saturday mornings): 8:30am – 12:30pm
September 15 (Wednesday evening): 7:00pm – 8:30pm
All classes are held at The Rock Methodist Church: 2001 W. New Hope Road, Cedar Park
Instructor: Leslie Keller
-CG #18:
September 25 & October 2 (Saturday mornings): 8:30am – 12:30pm, location TBD
September 29 (Wednesday evening): 7:00pm – 8:30pm, location TBD
Instructor: Khaled Jafar
Check out their website to register for a session – it sounds like a great deal!
photo credit
12th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
The Statesman has this article today, which states:
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to end a moratorium on deep-water oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.The drilling ban, announced July 12 amid fears of additional catastrophic blowouts after the Deepwater Horizon disaster pumped millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf, was enacted without consulting Texas — or properly weighing the economic impact — as required by federal law, Abbott told a U.S. District Court in Houston.
“Affected states are guaranteed the right to participate in offshore drilling-related policy decisions, but the Obama administration did not bother to communicate, coordinate or cooperate with Texas,” Abbott said Wednesday. “Worse, the secretary of the interior failed to consider the economic consequences of his decision.”
11th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Check out this KUT article, which says that Texas reached a new energy consumption record yesterday afternoon, at 63,830 megawatts. An Austin Energy representative Carlos Cordova said that “An air conditioner can only offset about 20 degrees from the outside temperature to the inside temperatures…so if you’re setting your thermostat at 75 or lower your air conditioner will run virtually all day long because it cannot cool that house down.” Cordova also recommended avoiding washing dishes or clothes during the day.
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11th August, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments
Help protect our water! The city is recruiting volunteers to mark storm drains in an effort to remind people not to allow pollutants and trash to go down the drain. To get involved, follow these steps:
Decide on an area of Austin you’d like to mark (or they can assign an area)
Determine the number of volunteers and an event date.
Call 974-2550 to request kits.
For individuals under the age of 18 years old, turn in a liability release form.
Schedule a time to pick up the kits from City of Austin, Watershed Protection Department office at 505 Barton Springs Road, 11th floor (map).
Storm drain Marking volunteer coordinator will train event coordinator on marker installation.
Volunteers must record drains marked on the map provided.
After the event, return all materials and marked maps (including number of drains marked) to City of Austin within 30 days.
11th August, 2010 - Posted by katherine - 1 Comment
KUT has this story today about efforts in Austin to build affordable net-zero developments. One such effort is a mixed-income development called SOL in East Austin. Homes in SOL are affordable, subsidized by the city to match owner’s income, and “net-zero” energy capable. There are also plans in the works for an entirely affordable, net-zero subdivision is Guadalupe-Saldana, also in East Austin. The article notes that “In 2015, the city’s goal is that all new single-family homes will be able to make net-zero.”
10th August, 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.
Would you like to learn that brittle bones, low-back pain, diabetes, and cancer are sometimes not inevitable? Through the application of intuitive macrobiotic principles and by learning common sense eating and living, you can achieve balance in your body and a peaceful mind.
Register here
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