Green Austin Texas » Green Businesses

Electric Vehicles NOW In Austin Texas

Betty Saenz — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:55:53 +0000

Did you know that if you want to, you can drive an all electric vehicle now? Why wait for automakers to manufacture new cars that are all electric? Why wait to do your part for cleaner air and to help stop Global Warming? I first met some brilliant people doing this at the 2009 Renewable Energy Fair in Fredericksburg, Texas – Revolt Custom Electric Vehicles. Revolt Custom Electric Vehicles can take an ordinary car and turn it into a clean, all electric vehicle capable of running at highway speeds and needing no dirty oil changes. I drive a Prius Hybrid, and, although it is close, I’d rather drive an all electric. Most electric utility companies have a clean energy option where the electricity you purchase was generated through clean, renewable sources like wind or solar. PEC or Perdernales Electric Co-op does as well as Austin Energy.

On this year’s 2010 Texas Solar Energy Society and Austin Energy Green Building produced Cool House Tour in Austin, Texas my favorite 2 homes were a Habitat For Humanity house in Devonshire Village because it was affordable and another at 11402-B Ptarmigan Cove in North Austin. The Ptarmigan home not only had a full rooftop solar array for electricity, solar thermal for hot water that makes their home a net zero home but they also generate enough solar energy to run their electric car, a 2002 Saturn SL that has been converted from gasoline to electric by Austin’s Revolt Custom Electric Vehicles. Net zero means the home generates as much or more energy than it uses- the epitome of energy efficiency! There are also many plug in sites besides the plug in you would create at your own home for your electric vehicle or EV. The new La Quinta Inn at 1010 E. Whitestone Blvd. in Cedar Park has many plug in parking spaces among other green features.

Revolt serves the EV or Electric Vehicle community or anyone wanting to explore electric vehicles. Revolt Custom Electric Vehicles is located here in Austin, Texas. Call them at (512) 366-8196 or visit their website at RevoltCustomElectric.com

The old first-generation Honda Insight Hybrids were very aerodynamic, lightweight and had an EPA fuel efficiency rating of 70 mpg and was rated ultra low emissions or super low emissions. All electric is 0 mpg and no emissions because it does not even use gasoline but is all electric. The First Generation Honda Insight below that I photographed in Cedar Park, Texas bears a Peak Oil sticker. The Peak Oil movement helps Americans think about the peak and then decline of oil that may be on the horizon. Wouldn’t it be nice to be emission free and never have to buy gasoline or oil?

1st Generation Insight with Peak Oil stickerFirst Generation Honda Insight

Renewable Energy Roundup Coming Soon

Betty Saenz — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:32:02 +0000

Our beloved annual Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair is coming up soon. Put on by the Texas Solar Energy Society, the Fair is now in it’s 11th year and coming to historic and fun Fredericksburg, Texas September 24th through September 26th, 2010. I go every year and am never there enough time. There is always so much to see, do and learn for people of all ages. Children 12 and under are FREE. Tickets are $10.00 to $12.00 and available at the gate. There are so many booths set up to learn about so much. There are food vendors, talks about any green living topic you can imagine and all at a very reasonable entry fee.

This years talks include information on small wind systems, saving water, rainwater collection, city gardening, aquaponics, wild plants, compressed earth block building, Net Zero homes, Geothermal Systems, organic farming and ranching, solar cars, solar cooking, photovoltaic systems, greenwashing and more!! There are natural cooking demos and I guarantee you will learn a lot about many topics. I hope to see you there!! I’ll probably wear my TOFGA, Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners t shirt I got at the fair last year when I joined that great organization. There is usually a ride share set up to share rides to the fair from the Austin Texas Metro Area. I am looking at all the talks now and having a hard time deciding which day to go, I think I will go to all three!!!

Greening Austin Homes 1house at a time

Betty Saenz — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:26:18 +0000

How do you help those in need and help the environment at the same time? 1house at a time is a great organization that helps Austin, Texas homeowners in need avoid foreclosure on their homes by lowering their utility and food bills. High utility bills often represent a family’s second highest expense. Homes chosen for projects receive energy efficiency upgrades and other projects to save money and help our Earth. This month’s project happens March 13TH from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Projects include removing the old refrigerator, washer and dryer and replacing then with energy efficient units. A rain gutter system with gutter guards will be installed as well as a rainwater collection cistern. A garden will be installed to help provide healthy food at low cost.

Texas Metal Cisterns and Green Zone Home are helping in this month’s event.

Texas Metal Cisterns in business since 2000 can be reached at (512) 565-0875

Green Zone Home, 8868 Research Boulevard
Austin, TX 78758 (512) 467-0005 Green Zone Home provides home energy consultations.

1 house at a time is a project of A Nurtured World

Won’t you consider helping a family in need by volunteering 4 hours of your time? If you are not able to personally help at the site could you help with a donation?

Learn more about retrofitting your home, rainwater collection and GREEN Austin Homes

Avoid VOC’s in Your Texas Organic Home

Betty Saenz — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:35:45 +0000

What are VOCs and what can we do to avoid having them in our homes? VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds, and no, this is not the type of “good” organic we want in our Texas Organic Home. VOCs are pollutants in our homes and can effect the indoor air quality of our homes. The resulting poor indoor air quality can have both short and long term ill health effects. For some great information on VOCs, just visit the United States government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website and look at the web page on Indoor Air Quality. Since VOCs are emitted by building materials, furnishings and paints as well as other materials in our homes, I am concentrating on these two in this blog. One of the best ways to avoid VOC’s is in the construction or even remodeling process.

There are green cabinet makers who follow green woodworking practices for example that are aware of the problems VOCs can cause in indoor air quality. Among these are Jeff Mitzel at Green Award Custom Woodworking at 5710 E. MLK in Austin, TX (512) 323-6633. Jeff and the other craftsmen at Green Award Custom Woodworking care about our earth and the indoor air quallity in your home enough to use materials that do not off gas in your indoor living environment. They also work by a zero waste policy. Waste ply materials are recycled by local artists, teachers and art therapists as well as in other woodworking projects at the Austin,TX shop. Using locally milled woods, new green products as well as reclaimed woods, the wood shop uses over 70 green raw materials in the creation of millwork and cabinetry. Green Award is also Austin, Texas’ oldest continually running cabinet and millwork shop.

Austin Green Holiday Social

Betty Saenz — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:31:17 +0000

The Second Annual Austin Green Holiday Social is being held Tuesday, December 15th, 2009, 6:00 -10:00 pm at the beautiful and organic Barr Mansion. Tickets are $22.00 in advance by credit card or PayPal on-line and $30.00 at the door. The event is co-hosted by Net Impact Austin, Public Citizen, Design-Build-Live, the Austin Eco-Network, Eco Series, Texas Green Network and the Sierra Club. The Barr Mansion at 10463 Sprinkle Road, Austin, TX 78754 is a showcase for sustainability being the first USDA certified organic events facility in the United States. The Barr Mansion grounds are a NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat. Music for the event will be world fusion by Nelson Saga. The Barr Mansion will be providing organic food for the event. There will also be Theo organic chocolates, New Belgium beer as well as various wines and teas. Guests are bringing canned food items for families in need. There will be a raffle benefiting Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

Holistic Ranch Management

Betty Saenz — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:25:38 +0000

Interested in understanding and learning about holistic ranch management?

The Ranch your Texas Organic Home is on should be managed holistically.

Don’t know anything about Holistic Ranch Management? Don’t worry- many classes are being held in October 2009 right here in Texas & neighboring state Oklahoma.

Register for classes on Mob Grazing and Holistic Ranch Management at the Richards Ranch in Jacksboro, Texas. Learn more about making your land healthy using Mob Grazing at the Bear Creek Ranch in Aledo, Texas which is owned by the Dixon Water Foundation.

The Dixon Water Foundation provides education & does research on water issues & ecologically sustainable land management. Sign up for these and more classes on holistic ranch management at the Holistic Management International website.

What? Don’t own a Texas Ranch but want one? Search for Texas Farms or Ranches here.

Avoid Eating Pesticides: Buy Local & Organic Fruit & Veggies

Betty Saenz — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:38:36 +0000

Consumers can avoid eating pesticide residue on fruit and vegetables by buying organically grown at local farmer’s markets or growing your own. According to the report on Yahoo below, there are many pesticides and chemicals that remain in our fruit and vegetables even after peeling them!

It’s not hard to grow your own and Farmer’s Markets are popping up everywhere. Let’s all try to be as healthy as we can.

Net Zero: What Does That Term Mean?

Betty Saenz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:51:37 +0000

Sometimes new green jargon is a lot for the newly green to feel comfortable with. Net zero is a term with many definitions but all run in a similar vein. In a nutshell, net zero means no overall energy consumption or “net zero” and zero annual carbon emissions. In other words, even though some energy is used, the energy is from renewable energy sources and no energy is purchased from the grid or external energy producers because the home produces as much energy as it consumes. Hence the term “off the grid”. There is extensive information out there for the person wanting to learn more about net zero. The White House is doing research on net zero energy green building design technologies and strategies. According to the Federal paper on Net-Zero Energy, High Performance Green Buildings (October 2008), “the greenest energy is that which is not used”. Are net-zero homes affordable for the average consumer? One builder, Ideal Homes based out of Norman, Oklahoma built a zero energy home for under $200,000. Why can’t we do this other places too where lot prices are reasonable? I am always dissapointed when I attend green home events and home prices are so high the average consumer could never afford them. You Tube has many videos on Net-Zero Energy, Zero Energy homes and buildings. Wikipedia has several definitions of zero-energy building. ASHRAE or the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers does a lot of research and has a lot of information on Net-Zero homes and commercial buildings.

Home Sweet Net-Zero Home, oh give me that kind of Texas Organic Home!

Leander Getting $585 Million Sustainable Industry Facility

Betty Saenz — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:51:27 +0000

A Valence Press Release announced that Valence Technologies, Inc. of Austin, Texas as well as China, Northern Ireland & Las Vegas, Nevada chose Leander, Texas as the site for their $585 million dollar facility. Valence has applied for an Electric Drive Vehicle Battery & Component Manufacturing Initiative Grant as part of the Recovery Act. The State of Texas, Williamson County and the City of Leander, Texas are offering incentives. Valence’s manufacturing facility will be considered a sustainable industry because electric vehicles which include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVS) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), electric vehicles (EVs) & neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) are more efficient, and help reduce noise and air pollution because they are quiet, powerful, low to zero-emission vehicles.

Holistic & Non-Traditional Pet Treatment in Austin

Betty Saenz — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:58:02 +0000

If you are looking for a veterinarian for your pet(s) who adds non-traditional medicine such as acupuncture and holistic medicine to his repertoire of traditional medical skills, you might try Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital on Bee Caves in Austin, Texas. Dr. Vandermause provides standard exams for dogs and cats but also offers a holistic approach looking at the “whole” animal including all factors involved. He offers holistic treatment such as diet changes, antioxidants, acupuncture, herbs, nutraceuticals, homeopathy and other treatments or lifestyle changes. He has recipes on his website VanderVet.com for Natural Raw Food Diet (NRFD) for your pets.