As I sit outside the Main Building of St. Edward’s University I hear a loud truck pass by. This truck is part of a department within the City of Austin that is tasked with collecting waste by those who live within the boundaries defined by the city. This truck and the many more that are part of the fleet contribute to that hum I’ve mentioned in previous posts. It is part of the comfort of modern living where individuals and businesses pay taxes and fees to have their waste collected. If we stop to think of why we have governmental structures and constructs it is because as individuals we unite and agree to give government on various levels legitimacy and power in return for services such as national defense, education, social security, and environmental protection.
While out on a stroll I snag a picture of Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel at St. Edward’s University as the sun sets.
This relationship varies in complexity, but is determined by what the constituents of a defined region demand. If we observe two different levels of government and the inputs they receive from their constituents we can see that impact is determined by the input given by the majority of those who participate in a certain system. If we take a city like Austin for example we observe that the City of Austin has actually established an office under the preview of the City Manager and City Council to specifically focus on sustainability. This office is then tasked with establishing ways of meeting goals defined by City Council. The fact that such an office exists is a testament to the constituents and citizens of the city of Austin and what they demand of their local government.
While volunteering for St. Edward’s Big Event we tend to small gardens at local senior living facilities.
Conversely we observe the State of Texas as a whole and we see that the extent of environmental action and protection is with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. This commission is a result of federal government requirements that impose certain goals which the various states must meet. The extent of the commission’s action comes from what the legislature decides should be law and then it becomes the executive’s duty to enforce the law through the various agencies such as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Eco Lead helps a local non profit establish a garden for an AISD alternative school.
I had the opportunity to speak with Amy Petri who is the Public Information and Marketing Manager for the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability and after our conversation, I was certainly very optimistic about Austin’s future. I asked her a series of questions from how the city establishes sustainability goals and implementation to civic engagement and other levels of government and their influence. She explained that the city establishes goals through the city council, in that resolutions will be brought forward that offer a directive and then the city council instructs the city manager to take action and the city manager who overseas various offices gives the directive to study and plan a project so that it can be presented back to city council for approval. Such a situation took place in December of 2014 when a resolution was brought forward for the city to reach zero carbon emission and the process unraveled as previously explained.
Progress being made on garden at AISD school.
“Austin is unique among other cities because the city owns its own utility” said Petri “which allows it to set goals such as having 55% of the energy mix come from renewables”. She also explained that Austin Energy is very much engaged in weatherizing homes for low income families, establishing Austin Energy green building programs so that residential and commercial buildings are more energy efficient. When we talked about jurisdiction and scope of power the city has and she explained that sometimes it can get complicated, but that each case is unique. For example she mentioned that the state of Texas cannot tell the city of Austin that it cannot have a goal of zero waste, while the federal government might have means to intervene in protecting the salamanders in Barton Springs that are endangered.
Larry John Porras is State Representative César J. Blanco’s District Director in El Paso, Texas and I had the opportunity to talk to him about the state’s breadth in terms of sustainability and green initiatives. We had a candid discussion considering legislative action or rather inaction in terms of sustainability. However Mr. Porras was quick to ensure me that although the state is a few steps behind, cities like El Paso are already working on sustainability. El Paso for example has been working on water conservation for several years now and its model is being looked at as a reference across the country. He further mentioned that since Texas isn’t a leading innovator in this realm that much of the state’s action in terms of sustainability trickles down from federal laws and regulations.
Mr. Porras like Ms. Petri stressed public involvement. I noticed a very interesting interplay within the state of Texas where there are cities like El Paso and Austin working to be sustainable and conserve our environment existing within the boundaries of a state who’s “Commission on Environmental Quality” name doesn’t even bear mention of protection or conservation. Mr. Porras mentioned that “the culture isn’t there” in reference to the state of Texas’ inaction in terms of sustainability. Yet the dichotomy that exists between the state of Texas and the city of Austin is striking. The culture certainly exists in this green city, yet the rest of the state seems to be resistant to environmental stewardship.
This past month I spent time outside observing the skyline, volunteering at a local school establishing a garden, walking around campus and I really got to thinking about what it is populations demand of their public servants and what happens when the void exists where the state doesn’t act but the city does or vice versa. But alas, there are non profits that step in to fill these gaps in policy and as I did some research I found that groups like 350.org aim to educate people and mobilize them, because at the end of the day, unless we vote, unless we demand change, it won’t happen, and the dichotomy at play with the state of Texas and the city of Austin is a clear example of that. If we want something to happen all we have to do is vote.
Hanging out on a St. Edward’s lawn with a friendly goat.
Works cited:
Larry John Porras, District Director for State Representative César J. Blanco of House District 76.
Amy Petri, Public Information and Marketing Manager, Office of Sustainability, the City of Austin.
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs
http://www.austintexas.gov/
http://www.austintexas.gov/department/sustainability/about
http://350.org