Eco-Currents ...

Students at both UT-Austin and Texas A&M voted last week to establish green funds for financing campus sustainability efforts – even though those funds will require increases in students' fees ($5 for Longhorns; $3 for Aggies). The votes represent victory for ReEnergize, a coalition of Texas student groups that launched the Think Green Fund campaign just last month. For more, see www.thinkgreenfund.org... Adopting a slightly different tack than his alma mater, Aggie Gov. Rick Perry has joined nine Texas congressional candidates in signing a No Climate Tax pledge to "oppose any legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue" – guess that means they don't mind deficit spending... According to "Drop by Drop," a report from the National Wildlife Federation and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, Texas cities can be doing a lot more to conserve water. Among 19 cities surveyed, however, Austin measures up well, with a "strong outdoor watering ordinance," an "aggressive toilet replacement program," and a rate structure that is the "most progressive" of all the cities. That said, the report also notes that "Austin's per capita water use is still quite high, and its 10-year reduction goal is just moderate." To read more, including recommendations for how cities can improve, see www.texaswatermatters.org... Apparently they have this thing down in Colombia called a ciclovía: On Sundays, Bogotá and other cities shut down their main streets so that everyone – families, cyclists, joggers, musicians – can enjoy the streets car-free. Can you believe we haven't done this yet in Austin? Participants at an upcoming "community brainstorm session" sponsored by City Council Member Chris Riley may get the chance to change that. If you'd like to help plan an Austin ciclovía event, don't miss the meeting: Friday, March 12, 11:30am, at City Hall, 301 W. Second. (RSVP to [email protected].)