Online/Offline Media

Back in the spring of 2007, Sea World San Antonio launched a social media campaign to build awareness of their Journey to Atlantis coaster ride.  Other campaign objectives were to build relationships with the coaster community and assist in driving visitation to the park.

Both online and offline media was used.  A targeted list of coaster enthusiast blogs and forums were identified.  Coaster bloggers were treated as VIP's and content was created to suit their needs.  A content rich site was created for content and information.  It was to allow for future site expansion.  The plan was to take the site down for result evaluation after the ride opened and to re-launch after modifying.  Nonetheless, the site is no longer up.

Sea World created eleven videos and a 45-photo portfolio in-house that highlighted groundbreaking up to opening day.  They utilized Youtube, Flickr, and Veoh and allowed others to embed the media into their personal blogs.  A media launch day was held and bloggers and coaster enthusiasts were invited to attend and be among the first to ride Journey to Atlantis.  

To evaluate results, the campaign looked at links from coaster sites, attendees at the media day, and ongoing contact.  Of the initial 22 sites identified, 12 chose to cover the ride.  The American Coaster Enthusiasts group brought 30 of its members to ride the coaster on media day.  The riders later left positive comments on Youtube.  This is an ongoing relationship.  

In order to evaluate the cost of the program, a survey was utilized.  The budget for the campaign was $44,000.  The survey asked riders how they heard about the ride and if they came to Sea World especially to ride Journey to Atlantis.  The cost per impression for the social media campaign was $0.22 versus $1.00 for television.  It was also determined that the online group represented more than $2.6 million in revenue.  For all of the statisticians out there, the survey was conducted over two weekends in June of 2007 during normal operating hours.  A total of 402 questionnaires were completed and returned.  At a 95% level of confidence it is accurate within plus or minus 4.9 percent.  

Sea World also utilized television commercials, word of mouth, park brochures, print news stories, radio commercials, newspaper ads, passmember communication, Pepsi can promotion, and billboards.  All in all internet outperformed all of the others except television commercials which was just under 40 percent of all visitors.

Overall, the campaign was effective both online and offline.  However, the online social media interactions provided the most bang for the buck.  For upcoming campaigns, I would suggest that Sea World San Antonio also utilize twitter and facebook to create more of a buzz.  Other social media campaigns can also benefit from utilizing both online and offline methods.

Sustainability Uses For Wikis

The wiki that I chose is the Whitman College Sustainability Wiki.  This particular wiki contains information about sustainability efforts at the college.  I believe that it is successful because it allows visitors that may or may not be familiar with the campus an opportunity to see what is being done on campus to conserve.  Other colleges that are similar in size to Whitman may also pattern their program along Whitman's.  One issue that I recognized is that the page has not been updated since what appears to be 2011.  Also, many of the links require you to have Whitman College credentials.  However, they do offer a link to the campus sustainability coordinator that allows you to contact them and request a username and password to access the information.  The wiki also offers external links to other Whitman College related websites.  Overall I feel that this wiki is successful because it allows faculty and students to add and modify it. 

Twitterers To Follow

I am currently taking a Social Networking Strategies Class and one of our assignments required us to create a twitter account.  You can find me here @tcbiodieselcoop.  The assignment also required us to send a tweet and follow sustainability related mini-bloggers.  I chose @thompulliam, @green_updates, and @GreenEnergyNews.

 I picked Thom Pulliam because he is a brand strategist.  I have always been somewhat interested in the purchasing habits of consumers.  Thom seems to have a pretty good lead on what consumers want and helps companies to leverage their brand.  Green Updates is out of Dallas, Texas and has a blog titled Science, Space, & Robots.  I enjoy science and they also give updates on green products and industry trends.  Green Energy News was suggested in the lesson description.  They are located in California and have a website with up to date information on renewable energy.  A few of their popular categories are solar, wind, energy funds, biomass, and hydro power.  I enjoy their website because biomass and alternative energy are my main research interests.

All of this social media is new to me and a bit overwhelming.  However, I am going to keep an open mind and try to learn all that I can.

The Value of a Linkedin Profile

Although I do not currently have a LinkedIn profile, many have spoken of the effectiveness of creating a profile.  I realize that LinkedIn is a valuable resource for both job seekers as well as those that wish to network with other professionals in their career field.  However, I do not see myself creating a profile in the near future.  The primary reason is the time that is required to maintain a profile and respond to others in a timely manner.  Also I do not foresee leaving the career that I am currently in.  I would rather correspond with others face to face, via telephone, or email.  If I was to use a professional networking site I would probably use Young Entrepreneur.  It is forum based and allows you to share information with others.  Docstoc is another useful site that allows you to upload and share important business forms and documents.

Mult-Generation Assignment

I recently had the opportunity to have an informal interview with one of my co-workers.  Barrett is considered a Millennial (Generation Y) and I am considered Generation X.  We spoke after dinner for nearly 30 minutes about his views on social media.

Barrett is an avid television viewer, unlike myself.  I asked him how he feels about being bombarded with commercials suggesting that he like (insert company here) on facebook.  He quickly named off a couple of companies that annoyed him.  Specifically, Stark Air and Milestone Electric.  He said that he would never do business with those type of companies because every few minutes their commercial was being played and what difference did it make if you like them on facebook or not.

I then asked him if he maintained an online profile.  He quickly laughed, rolled his eyes, and told me no.  However, he told me that when he was in high school he had a myspace page.  Mostly all that he used it for was music.  He has a facebook page but says that he hasn't updated it in ages and has no plans of doing so.

Next I asked about social media as a whole and what he thinks about everyone uploading videos of themselves and telling everybody about their personal business.  He feels that the internet gives people a sense of hope that people care about what they are doing at all times of the day.  When in reality nobody really cares that much.

We then briefly spoke about the time management and productivity issue when it comes to updating and maintaining a profile.  Barrett's wife is a nursing student at TCU and is heavily involved in campus activities and social events.  She maintains a facebook page and at times it baffles him with the amount of time that she spends on it. 

Barrett told me that when it comes to researching a company to do business with, he would much rather go to their traditional website than their social media page.  He also told me that the facebook of today will soon be the myspace of yesterday.  For instance, his mother who is in her early 60's uses facebook to find old high school friends.  Barrett seemed to think that older populations are beginning to adapt to social media more out of curiosity than necessity.  An example that he gave is a widow or widower that has lost their spouse and may have had a high school sweetheart that they are curious to find out about.

He also told me that he views social media as a tool for companies and that it should not replace their day to day methods of doing business.  He gave an example that a company can have the latest and greatest social media campaign and keep it updated all that they want.  But in the end if a customer calls or walks in and can't get the help or answers that they need, what good is it?

Overall the interview was a bit surprising to me.  Although many of my questions were somewhat loaded I did that on purpose to try and get Barrett to persuade me the other way and prolong the interview.  For the most part we agree upon how social media impacts us today.  I feel that I am of the minority when it comes to my views on social media.  I am a bit old school when it comes to how and why I choose to do business with particular companies.  To me a simple phone call or walk-in to the company can tell me more about a company than their social media campaign can.  Social media for the most part only highlights their positive side.  However, I am aware that a company's reputation can be ruined by others using social media to let others know of their experiences.

As far as developing a social media campaign that reaches all of the generations one must be versatile.  Because you are going to have the traditionalists that don't want anything to do with social media.  You are also going to have those that only want to correspond and deal with you via social media.  Since every generation uses social media differently, you must approach each generation differently when you are trying to get your message across.  For instance this summer the City of Fort Worth put outside watering restrictions into place.  Baby boomers were reached through physical signage, television commercials, and through the city website.  Generation X was reached through direct mail and online through the city website as well as websites such as The Lawn Whisperer.  Millennials were reached through the internet with social media sites like facebook, blogs, and digital newspaper.  Generation Z was reached through mobile media such as apps and mobile video.

All in all the interview went well.  Many thanks to Barrett for taking time out of his busy schedule to accommodate my request.

Video Statement

Through the effective use of social media, companies can engage stakeholders and allow them to learn about products in a casual manner. 

I believe that this is a true statement because many consumers like to gain additional information about products before they purchase them.  For example, Mercedes Motoring is a small operation out of California that restores classic Mercedes automobiles.  They have a couple of artsy videos posted on Vimeo that detail the time and energy put into restoring classics.  They also have a Facebook page full of photos that show the finished product.  Their customer testimonials are filled with praise from purchasers all over the country.  The majority of customers purchase these cars without seeing them in person.  All that they have to go by is what is seen on Mercedes Motoring's personal site and social media sites.  Although Mercedes Motoring does not have many competitors, a portion of their success is due to social media.  Through social media they are able to capture a worldwide audience.  As long as Mercedes Motoring continues to put the same time and effort into restoring cars, I do not see this statement changing.

Print Support Links: 

The Importance of Social Media

Why Social Media is Important 

Social Media for Small Business 

Video Support Links:

Social Media in Plain English

Social Marketing

Wintermester 2012 Texas Study Tour Conclusion

Overall the trip was a great success.  We had a few mix-ups along the way, but that is to be expected when meeting with the number of people and covering the amount of locations in the timeframe that we did.  I would like to thank all of the individuals that took time out of their busy schedules and welcomed us into their organizations.  I would also like to thank Adam and Kyle for putting in the time and effort to research and network with the organizations that we visited with.  Last, but definitely not least, special thanks to Dr. Freg Forgey for accompanying us and helping everything come together as smoothly as possible.  All of us are very appreciative of your hospitality.

Day Eight: Dallas, Texas

This evening we visited Recycle Revolution.  It is located east of downtown Dallas in Deep Ellum.  Eddie Lott is the Founder and Executive Director of RR.  I first heard about Recycle Revolution while watching channel 5.  Here is a video overview of what RR is all about.While awaiting Eddie's arrival, I had an entertaining conversation with his mother Maria who also works at RR and is very passionate about her son and the mission of RR.  I learned that she is from the Philippines.  I just had to know who her pick was regarding arguably the two best welterweight boxers of all time: Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.  She chose her countryman Pacquiao.  I also learned about the raised fist or clenched fist that is in the RR logo.  She told me that it stood for unity, solidarity, and support.  The idea to use it came about when they were trying to come up with a name for the business.

Here are a few interesting facts about Recycle Revolution:

• Independently owned and operated (woman and minority owned)
• Founded in Spring 2008
• Solely a shipping and receiving operation
• Looking to expand into Fort Worth
• Primarily work with mom and pop type companies/restaurants
• Also work with local bars
• Provide fee based recycling
• Drop-off location for those that wish to bring items in
• Accepts styrofoam
• Accepts toilets
• Accepts glass
• Accepts Hard To Recycle Products
• Just because an item has a recycling logo on it, it may not be recyclable

RR is a small company that is doing big things.  Eddie is extremely passionate about his business and the recycling sector.  He has taken a proactive approach to challenges.

Day Seven: Fort Worth, Texas

This evening we visited the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.  BRIT is located between the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens and Will Rodgers Memorial Center.  BRIT documents the diversity of plant life and conducts extensive research around the world.

The BRIT building has numerous sustainable features.  The 70,000 square foot building is LEED platinum.  There are only eight buildings in Texas that hold that distinction.

Here are some interesting facts about the BRIT building:

• Built by Beck
• Non-profit, public trust
• Bamboo ceilings
• Living roof
• Natural lighting throughout
• Geothermal wells aid in HVAC costs
• Rooftop photovoltaic array
• 5,000 Gallon cistern captures rain runoff
• Wool carpeting
• Waterless urinals

BRIT owns the building and leases the land from the City of Fort Worth for $1 per year.  I did not get the chance to ask what the projected return on investment is.  With the extensive features I would imagine that it may not be reached for a long while.

Day Six: Houston, Texas

This morning we visited Hibiscus Hill Plantation, a 272 acre working ranch and farm located in Waller County.  Here we met Rick Bost, who spoke to us about the day to day operations and gave us some background on how it all came about.  Rick's wife Georgia is the creator of the "Village Botanica," a business of promoting and harvesting health and wellness sustainably.

Hibiscus Hill Plantation is a sustainable operation selling grass-fed beef, natural pork, true free range poultry and organic produce.  Georgia also does extensive research and development on North American hybrid Hibiscus.

Here are the highlights from the visit:

• Farm purchased in 1999
• Little/no antibiotic usage
• Animal welfare approved young castration
• Hibiscus is a sustainable biomass feedstock
• Chicken feed supplement is corn and soy free
• Over 1000 chickens, produce 100-300 dozen eggs a week
• Grass fed Hereford and Black Angus Cattle
• Grass fed beef contain 1/8 times less saturated fat than traditional fed
• FDA definition of fresh is a joke
• USDA organic definition is also a joke
• The term natural has nothing to do with how an animal is raised

This stop was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time the previous day, and did not get to visit the market or restaurant.  I will make it a point to visit the next time that I am in the Houston Area.  Rick was very down to earth and had a plethora of knowledge.  Many thanks to Rick for taking the time to show us around the operation.

Day Five: Houston, Texas

We began our day visiting New Hope Housing.  2424 Sakowitz is a LEED platinum, single room occupancy provider.  The purpose of New Hope is to provide affordable housing for limited income individuals.

Here are a few highlights:

• 166 Units, 6 vacancies at the moment
• 24/7 front desk staffing
• Rainwater capturing
• Energy star appliances
• Not a shelter, allows adults to maintain their sense of dignity
• Computer lab for job seekers

I was somewhat disappointed that the tenants are allowed to smoke inside of their rooms and that each room had its own HVAC unit.  That seems counterproductive to me.  I was also surprised that there was not any quantitative data being compiled to further educate the tenants.  Tenants can essentially turn on all of the lights and turn the A/C on full blast all day and still pay the same low rent (~$430/month).


Our next stop was with Momentum Bay Associates.  The office is certified LEED Silver for commercial interiors.  We sat around a table as owner Mark Robinson spoke to us about his accomplishments.  Robinson has a considerable amount of lucrative contracts.  He also spoke of being good stewards and the moral obligation that we have to care for people and the environment.

Here are a few items that I took away from the meeting:

• Initial improvements should be low-cost, no-cost
• Robinson is active in the community
• Search engine optimization is vital, people won't use your services if they can't find you
• Healthy productivity cannot necessarily be quantified
• Do not overlook faith-based institutions  

Here is a video about the wind turbines that Robinson offers through Green Power 4 Texas

We next visited the Bayou Preservation Association.  Here we met with Steve Hupp (Water Quality Director) and Katharine Lord (Executive Director).  The BPA is a citizens group whose mision is to "protect and restore the richness and diversity of our waterways."  BPA promotes and encourages low impact development.  The bayou is home to the longest paddle trail in Texas, spanning 26 miles.  Many recreational and awareness activities take place along the Bayou.  The Trash Bash is a program that encourages bayou goers to pitch in and devote their time to pick up trash along the banks of the bayou.  This is a great community service opportunity for local boy scout and girl scout troops.  The BPA also utilizes criminal justice facilities by allowing inmates to participate in recreational and occupational activities along the bayou.  We also spent some time learning about the invasive plants and animals that have been introduced into the bayou.  Of interest to me was the Chinese Tallow Tree.  It has very high seed germination and is a feedstock for biodiesel that does not challenge the food supply.

We next toured Discovery Green Park.  The park was constructed in 2009 and achieved LEED Gold status.  The park has seen over 3 million visitors in its short existence.  The project cost roughly $128 million.  The park is a non-profit and is sponsored by BP.  The park utilizes solar pv arrays to power the buildings.  One aspect of the park that I liked was that many of the old trees were left in place instead of being cut down.  This produces a great amount of shade that I am sure park goers can appreciate.

In viewing the project profile and the park, 0 out of 5 points were earned for water efficiency.  Even though runoff water is captured and used, the use does not seem wise.  There are two water intensive devices located at the park, a mist tree and fountain.  The day that we visited was somewhat windy.  I cannot imagine the amount of water that is lost on an annual basis due to evaporation.

Our last visit for the day was with Steve Stelzer at the Houston Green Building Resource Center.  The HGBRC has achieved LEED Gold status.  The building was completed in July of 2011, and is a one stop permitting center for both homeowners and businesses.   Upon arrival one can see the unique rain capturing device in place.  The building also houses a living roof.  There are numerous items on display from low use water appliances to insulation materials.  Essentially this is a place where one can come and see a wide variety of ecofriendly and efficient building materials.  You may also bring in your building plans and have them evaluated for improvements.  The center encourages employees to ride their bicycles to work and has bike racks and showers to accommodate those that chose to do so.  Stelzer encouraged each of us to view the Human Footprint by National Geographic.  The video may be viewed here for free. The Human Footprint.

Day Four: San Antonio, Texas

Poteet Architects was formed 14 years ago in San Antonio, Texas.  Its purpose is to redevelop south downtown San Antonio.  Unlike new builders, Poteet tries to utilize existing structures.  Interiors are the firms primary niche.  There is a shipping container across the street that the firm designed that has received worldwide recognition.  

Pearl San Antonio utilizes many sustainable features at their certified LEED Gold facility. They include:

• Texas' largest solar installation
• Drought resistant Xeriscaping
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Reflective roofing
• Walkable, bicycle friendly
• Non-smoking facility
• Mixed use food/retail/offices

Lake Flato Architects are housed in a building that was once a 1920's car dealership.  They employ 50 full time employees and provide affordable, modular housing.  The firm also specializes in commercial, residential, community, pre-fab, and university projects.  Nearly all of their projects utilize natural lighting.  Also they attempt to have all residential projects LEED certified.  Most of their recent work has been existing renovation or commercial in nature since the economic downturn.  The in house sustainability specialist is a mechanical engineer by education.  Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to measure success.  Energy modeling is used to attain an idea of how different designs will work.  The majority of employees are bicyclists and cycle to work on a daily basis.  Networking and sharing of information are common practices of employees.

We met with Lawrence Jetter, President of Advanced Earthen Construction Technologies. AECT, manufactures a machine that is capable of producing compressed earth blocks.  Here are a few facts about compressed earth blocks:

• Cheaper to build
• Better insulation
• Stronger than adobe
• Can build up to two stories high
• 10" dirt wall equivalent to R36 value
• Evaporative cooling (1 degree in 1 hour)
• Higher appraisal value
• 300lb compression
• Less fossil fuel used than on traditional construction

We had a routing issue and were directed to the wrong location.  We were supposed to visit the Green Spaces Alliance of Texas but instead ended up at a locked gate in the middle of a road.  Once we made it back to the proper location we caught the tail end of the presentation.  According to their website they are a local land trust and:

• Preserve large parcels of land
• Foster community gardens
• Educate the public

We ended our day at The Vistana.  We parked in the parking garage and went to meet up with our contact person.  We waited on the other group to arrive so that we could begin our tour.  Once they arrived we went to the office to alert the tour person that they had arrived and the office doors were locked.  Apparently there was some confusion on their part regarding our intentions.  We ended up leaving without a tour.  To ad insult, the parking garage machine would not read our ticket and we ended up having to pay $10 to get out of the garage.

Day Three: San Antonio, Texas

We started our day by meeting with Stephen Colley of Palo Alto College. PAC is a part of Alamo Colleges.  Colley spoke to us about the green initiatives that he was trying to implement at the school.  Here is a list of items that he spoke about:

• Rainwater harvesting
• Solar hot water
• Contractor/sub-contractor education
• Economical viability and profitability
• Mini-splitter a/c systems
• Natural gas drilling related to earthquakes?
• Energy rebates
• Support from HUD and other agencies

Colley mentioned and recommended us to Advanced Earth Construction Technologies, which manufacture a machine that makes compressed earth blocks.  

We had the opportunity to visit Lamar Elementary's Slow Food Garden.  The garden is the first of its kind in San Antonio.  The garden must have parent involvement to be successful.  Inclusiveness is a theme that the garden portrays.  Students are able to visit and work in the garden on a biweekly basis.  I was surprised to hear that you are not allowed to grow food on school property and feed it to the children during school hours.  However, there are ways of working around it.  Funding is an issue due to the size of the organization.  Sponsors are carefully selected to avoid conflicts of interest.  There are several fundraising events throughout the year to help raise money to keep the program afloat.

Our next visit was to the University of Texas, San Antonio Sustainable Business Program.  The purpose of the program is to expand businesses to adapt to sustainable practices.  The program currently has 200 clients of various sizes with up to 500 employees.  The staff is excited about potential expansion to cover 23 counties in 2012.  

The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance is a non-profit organization that promotes advocacy for protection of the Edwards Aquifer.  The Aquifer runs north of Austin to Del Rio and is the most environmentally sensitive in the state of Texas.  Water quality is an issue because real estate pressures to build into protected areas.  The coalition began in 2003.  The group lobbies in Austin to initiate legislation.

Build San Antonio Green is San Antonio's residential green building program.  BSAG is a non-profit organization.  Currently 830 total buildings are certified.  Rebates and incentives apply for new as well as existing residences.  Also single and multi-family residences apply.  KB Homes is building all of their new houses through the program.  There are several levels of certification.  New construction is eligible for three certification levels.  Two site observations are conducted during the building process.  However, there is no quantitative data recorded after the house is built.  Energy, water, site selection, and indoor air quality are all factors in determining the certification level.

Alamo Architects have been in business since 1984.  They employ 45 specialists and incorporate sustainable architectural design into their projects.  Their building is an old truck trailer plant and is certified LEED Silver.   95% of the pre-existing structure was recycled by weight.  The firm practices accountability and not just familiarity with practicing LEED.  Many of the decor and features of the building's exterior are recycled from the previous structure.  There is recycled lumber used throughout the building as well as rain water catchment and extensive use of natural lighting.

Day Two: Austin, Texas

Today flowed more smoothly because many of the locations that were closed the day before were now open.  Our first visit of the day was to the Treehouse.  The Treehouse is a home improvement warehouse similar to Home Depot or Lowe's.  However, unlike the other big box centers, Treehouse scores each and every product that is placed on the shelves.  Treehouse emphasizes healthy living by the selection of items that one chooses to place in their home.  Some of the offerings included low VOC paints, wool carpeting, wood pellet heaters, and an extensive indoor seasonal section.  They carry Birdwell broom products that are made in Burleson, Texas.

Ronald McDonald House Charity/Houston was next on our list.  Built four year ago, RMHC is the first LEED Platinum building in Austin.  Here are a few quick facts about the house:

• First house opened in 1974 in Philadelphia
• 30 bedrooms are guest suites
• 31,000 sq/ft
• must live 25 miles or more from RMH to qualify
• Referrals only, no walk-ins
• $10/night donation asked
• 56% of the recipients are on medicaid
• 100% donation driven

Here is a rundown of the features:

• Solar PV panels
• LEED but not LEED, due to expense
• HEPA filtration throughout
• Special key in room turns off all electricity, must take key out to lock door
• Natural lighting throughout
• Living roof/garden

Austin Energy is more than just an energy company.  AE is publicly owned and their aim is to protect and enhance the environment.  They do so through many initiatives.  Here are the highlights of our meeting:

• 30 megawatt wind generation plant in Weberville, 800mw goal by 2020
• No rate increases since 1994, currently looking to raise rates
• Energy audits/ratings to recognize the benefits of retrofits
• Tiered rates, the more kw you use, the more you pay
• Inhouse LEED review board (Austin local)
• Mandated zones around Austin that require local LEED regulations

Austin Energy also looks to address consumer behavior and behavior change.  AE looks to be net zero by 2015.  To accomplish this they plan to utilize modest solar arrays, a tight envelope, efficient HVAC and appliances.  For those that choose to make energy efficient choices, there are several rebates available.

Bercy Chen Architects was founded in 2001 and is an architecture and urban planning firm.  They build with function as well as aesthetics in mind.  BCA utilize living roofs whenever possible.  Bercy Chen is a registered solar PV contractor with Austin Energy.  They tend to build on Austin Energy green standards as opposed to LEED due to LEED being expensive up front.  The build price is typically in the $200/sq.ft. range.  

The East Village is a mixed use project that Bercy Chen was a part of  designing and building.  The orange and red panels that you see below function in two ways.  First, they serve as a balcony and secondly they serve as a sunshade for the windows to shield out the harsh sun rays.

TreeFolks is a non-profit organization dedicated to growing the urban forest of Central Texas through tree planting, education, and community partnerships.  Their programs have planted nearly 200,000 trees in city parks, preserves, schools, and community gardens.  We were running late to our appointment with April and did not get to speak with her for very long.  April provided us with a native tree growing guide for Central Texas.  Here are a few reasons why we should plant trees:

• Shade trees can reduce home energy consumption
• Added property value
• Climate protection and increased air quality
• Urban heat island mitigation
• Water and Land conservation
• Wildlife Habitat

The Sustainable Food Center in Austin is not a food bank.  Founded in 1993, SFC has 30 community gardens throughout Austin.  They offer cooking and nutrition classes and organic farm conversion.  SFC also provides food education and provides food for Austin Independent School District cafeterias.  SFC accepts the Lonestar card and WIC for limited income individuals and families.  SFC has realized that there is a high incidence of diabetes and disease in Central Texas.  There is a seed bank located in the SFC office where individuals may come and pick up vegetable seeds to plant in their garden at no charge.  SFC runs three, year-round farmers markets.

FKUR Plastics is a German based biodegradable plastics company located in Cedar Park, Texas.  Here are the highlights from our meeting:

• Products are biodegradable or renewable resources
• Compostable is different from biodegradable
• Natural gas is 50 % cheaper to convert to plastic than petroleum based products 
• PET is the best recyclable plastic
• The Port of Houston allows easy accessibility to both all areas
• There is a shortage in feedstock and raw materials
• You can eat FKUR produced zipties without any ill effects

Day One: Austin, Texas

We met at Dr. Forgey's hotel and split into two groups to carpool to our sites.  This day proved to be the most frustrating due to the holiday and many of the businesses being closed.  Nevertheless, we made the most of it and improvised along the way.

We started by visiting the Pedernales Lofts in East Austin.  The mixed-use lofts were built in 2005 and somewhat spearheaded growth in an area that many did not wish to live in.  The multistory lofts house commercial/retail space on the lower level and residences on the floors above.  This property shows that one may build sustainably without utilizing LEED.  Here are some facts retrieved from a case study conducted by Austin Energy which can be found here

• Former industrial brownfield
• 33 units per acre, high density building
• Easy access to mass transit
• Mostly native vegetation
• Rainwater harvesting system
• Limited east-west windows
• Ceiling fans in all main rooms
• Programmable thermostats
• Reflective roof covering
• Durable stain concrete flooring
• Community gardens/compost facility
• $90/ sq. ft.

Balcones Recycling is currently located directly across the street from Pedernales Lofts.  This particular location specializes in paper and plastic.  They are also responsible for 60% of Austin's residential curbside collections.  Much of the low value paper is exported to Mexico.  Less than 2% of material leaves as waste.  They are currently building a new recycling facility that will be certified LEED Gold.  Since 2001, Balcones has been perfecting new fuel technologies.  The Little Rock, Arkansas plant uses wood to produce high btu fuel.  You can read more about it here.  Balcones utilizes rail cars that run beside the facility to send shipments.

Innovative Water Solutions was next on our list of visits.  Founded in 2004, IWS designs and installs irrigation and rainwater collection systems.  Unlike most rainwater systems, many of IWS systems also provide potable drinking water.  This is a great alternative for those that live in rural areas that traditionally require a well for water.

Another service that IWS offers is graywater harvesting.  This is very effective for those that reside in a pier and beam foundation home.  The pipes are easily accessible unlike in a slab foundation home.  According to IWS, graywater volume equates to 50% of your indoor water use.

Here are some key points that I took away from the presentation:

• Rain barrels do not hold enough water
• Systems are very flexible

Next we visited Sol Austin.  Sol stands for Solutions Oriented Living and offers efficient single family modern homes that are capable of achieving net zero energy. This means that the homes produce as much energy as they consume.  Solar PV arrays are found throughout the community.  Homes range in size from 1000 to 1800 square feet.  Prices start at $190,000.  Nearly all of the homes were occupied, with a few being built, and not many additional empty lots.  Many of the windows face north and south to provide daylighting without too much heat getting through.  The HVAC utilizes geothermal heating and cooling so it is highly efficient.  The homes are built to 4-5 Star Austin Energy standards.  As of this writing 13 lots remain out of 40.

We rounded out the day by visiting Ecowise.  Founded in 1990, Ecowise is touted as the earth friendly everything store.  Many of the products sold in the store are sourced locally or on a state level.  Ecowise offers low voc paints, bath and body products, baby items, and a large selection of floor coverings and building materials.  I also spied a biodiesel pump near the entrance.  There were several individuals passing through the store during our site visit.  

Wintermester 2012 Texas Sustainability Tour

I recently took part in the Wintermester 2012, Texas Sustainability Tour.  The tour consisted of site visits of sustainable businesses and organizations.  We spent two days in each of the following cities: Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.  The tour concluded with site visits in Fort Worth and Dallas.  I will touch on interesting insights that I gained throughout the tour.  Each day will be broken into a separate post so that you are not overwhelmed.