Category Archives: Local

Earth Day 2021: 3 Fun Things to do in & Near ATX

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Get excited about earth day!

Earth day is one of our favorite days over here at Envirojunkies! This holiday is such a great way to really celebrate, show our appreciation for our Earth, and promote living a sustainable lifestyle. Austin, Texas is one of the top green cities in the state, so of course there are plenty of fun, COVID safe, events that are taking place all around the city in celebration of Earth Day! Here are a few that are totally worth participating in: 

Earth Day 2021 Run/Walk Challenge 

This year will be the 3rd annual Earth Day run/walk challenge held right here in ATX! However, unlike years past, this virtual event takes place during the entire month of April. The idea of this challenge is for participants to document their runs/walks throughout the month and once it reaches Earth Day, the goal is to see how many miles collectively add up. Then your miles will be converted to show how many times you made a trip around the Equator! ! SOO cool right?! The Equator is 24,901 miles, and last year’s earth day run/walk challenge total was 51,023.592 miles. Clearly, so many folks in ATX participated in this last year, so it’s time to do it again! For the Earth! Also, at the end of the month you get a finisher T-shirt for finishing the challenge, which is awesome!

2023 Earth Day Challenge (24,901 Miles)

Earth Day Outdoor Yoga

(VUKA – Bouldin Creek, 411 west monroe street, austin TX 78704) 

Release your stress and celebrate Earth Day at this awesome outdoor yoga event! “AdZENtures” has teamed up with the local non-profit, Treefolks, to put on an awesome, fun, and covid safe event to celebrate the Earth! Even better, all proceeds from purchased tickets will be donated directly to Treefolks, so they can continue their great work in saving, preserving, and planting more trees here in ATX! Don’t worry, even if you cannot make it to the event, you can still donate to Treefolks! Get your ticket now!

https://adzenturesyoga.com/

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/outdoor-yoga-for-earth-day-tickets-148810039835

 Earth day festival (Round Rock) 

Round Rock is just outside Austin, so it is close and this festival is definitely worth the short drive! This event is free for anyone, and all ages are allowed to go! This Earth Day festival is geared towards coming together as a community to clean up the Old Settlers’ Park creek area, as well as spreading awareness about the importance of maintaining a healthy Earth. Not only do you get to help clean up the park creek area, but there are also so many other activities at this festival that will keep the fun going! Plus, the first 400 people to arrive will receive a free T-shirt!!! Do your part by participating in this amazing event for Earth Day, 2021! 

https://www.roundrocktexas.gov/event/earth-day-festival-2021/

Now that you know what kinds of events are happening in the ATX area in celebration of Earth Day 2021, it is time to PARTICIPATE! These are not the only events taking place either, but at least now you have an idea of a few amazing activities that the ATX community does to highlight our amazing Earth. Sign up ASAP and get excited for Earth Day 2021! 

Places to Thrift in Austin

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Americans are buying more clothes now than ever. Clothing items have never been cheaper and this is thanks to fast fashion. While fast fashion is a highly profitable business model, it is detrimental to the environment. Producing a pair of jeans requires 2,000 gallons of water and emits the same amount of carbon as driving a car for 80 miles. The fast fashion industry leaves a giant footprint in the environment and is responsible for a tenth of all humanity’s carbon emissions. The fashion industry is also considered as the fourth most polluting industry under food retail. 

A way to avoid spending money on fast fashion is thrift shopping. Thrift stores sell used clothing at an affordable price. That way, you can save 2,000 gallons of water every time you buy a pair of jeans at a thrift store. Thrift shopping allows you to be environmentally conscious while also saving a few bucks. So here is a list of  stores you can thrift at in Austin, Texas:

Buffalo Exchange 

Located on the corner of 29th and Guadalupe St. Buffalo Exchange works to protect the environment by reusing and recycling clothing and gives clothing a second life. Make sure to stop by the store on April 22nd because they are having a $1 Earth Day Sale in support of charities and environmental causes. More information can be found on their site: https://www.buffaloexchange.com/

Pavement

Located on 611 S Lamar Blvd and 2932 Guadalupe St. 

Pavement is a larger than life buy/sell/trade shop. The thrift store has buy counters where you can drop off clothing you want to recycle in return for some extra cash. Visit their site for more information: https://pavement.store/

Uptown Cheapskate

Located on 3005 S Lamar Blvd

Uptown Cheapskate promotes sustainable fashion. Their website is full of insightful information on the environmental impact of fast fashion and the benefits of purchasing used clothing. Uptown Cheapskate has raised close to $600,000 in donations and have helped build 13 schools through their Charity Fill-A-Bag Sale. More information can be found at: https://www.uptowncheapskate.com/upcycling-impact

Austin Pets Alive! Thrift

Austin Pets Alive has 3 locations in Austin: 1409 West Oltorf St., 5801 Burnet Rd., and on 5102 Clarkson Ave. 

Austin Pets Alive is a boutique style thrift store, all their net proceeds go to directly support their lifesaving programs and animals. Fosters actually receive a 20% off on in store purchases. More information can be found at: https://www.austinpetsalive.org/shop/thrift

These are just some of our favorite thrift stores out of the many you will find in Austin. Thrift shopping is a simple way you can make a big impact towards the betterment of the Earth. You can save 700 gallons of water if you buy a cotton t-shirt at a thrift store instead of purchasing a new one. That is an insane amount of water you can be saving just by thrifting! So go out and find yourself a nice outfit. (Wearing a mask, of course!)

Tags: Thrift Shopping, Thrifting, Sustainable Fashion, Sustainability 

Citations:

https://www.planetaid.org/thrift-center/thrift-center-blog/the-thrifting-movement

https://healthyhumanlife.com/blogs/news/what-is-fast-fashion

https://www.levistrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Full-LCA-Results-Deck-FINAL.pdf

https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10#:~:text=Fast%20fashion%20makes%20shopping%20for,pollutes%20the%20oceans%20with%20microplastics.

The top 7 most polluting industries in 2024

What You Can do to Reduce Your Austin Carbon Footprint

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 Reduce your Austin carbon footprint.  

The impact of climate change is enormous worldwide, and nothing can be done unless a big Institution such as the UN does something about it. The Paris agreement is a good example. However, there are ways to reduce your carbon footprint in Austin as an individual.   

Drive less and ride a bike more.  

Giving up using a car for transportation can save 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Also, using the public transportation system such as trains and buses is very efficient. However, riding a bike is the best way to commute. Luckily, Austin is among the top bike-friendly cities in the USA. Besides, walking is not just exercise; it reduces 75% of carbon emission then driving for the same distance. Biking and walking do not only reduce carbon emission but its open space and encourage others to do the same.   

Be a fan of local products and shops.   

The more we support our communities is, the more we reduce our carbon footprint. For example, eating locally grown food can save 1,000 miles worth of carbon emissions per year. When we shop from local stores and drink local coffee, we do not require our needs to be shipped from hundreds of miles away. For instance, we should buy our coffee from a local coffee shop instead of Starbucks. Fortunately, Austin has so many local stores.   

What about our homes? 

Every day we have habits that would reduce our carbon footprint. To know these habits, we should know what we spend energy on in our homes. The average American spends 25% of energy on heating spaces, 13% on heat water, 11% on cooling, and the rest on appliances. To reduce the carbon footprint, we should consider the following:

1- Replace lights: LED lights use 85% less power and last up to 25 times longer

2- Turn down the heat  

3- Turn down the water heater  

4- Turn off lights and appliances when we do not use them

Reducing our carbon footprint is our responsibility as individuals, and it only needs our awareness.   

Citation  

Reducing Your Transportation Footprint

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/year-of-living-better/how-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint