‘Tis the season, apparently: Two of our most crucial environmental watchdog organizations are having their big annual events this week, as is the Humane Society. Plus it wouldn’t be a Public Notice without some talk about gentrification and city planning …
Texas Campaign for the Environment celebrates its 30th anniversary(!) with the annual Trash Makeover Challenge, a fashion show where designers create and showcase fanciful garments using at least 90% recycled materials. It’s online only this year, 7-8:30pm Saturday, Nov. 13. They ask for a minimum suggested donation of $36.50, but will be happy with “whatever you can give, from $0 to $3,000!” to help them carry on their work fighting pollution all over Texas. See trashmakeover.com to register or bid on the auction items, and for video and photo galleries from the nine previous shows.
Barr Mansion’s 40th Anniversary is kind of a threefer: Celebrate this milestone for the nation’s first certified organic venue – as a benefit for Clean Water Fund, the educational and research component of the good folks at Clean Water Action, who’ve been fighting upstream for cleaner Texas air and water since 1988 – plus say farewell and thanks to longtime director David Foster, who’s retiring after 26 years. It’s Wed., Nov. 17, at 10463 Sprinkle Rd. – a four-course organic meal, local beer and cocktails, live music, good karma, starting at 5pm, with dinner on the Grand Lawn from 6-8pm. Tickets are $100 and up at cleanwaterfund.org.
Rags to Wags: Red Carpet Return is the Austin Humane Society‘s 16th annual gala event, presented as a hybrid event this year. Registration for the in-person option at the Fairmont has closed, but it’s completely free to watch the show from the comfort of your own home – though there’s a virtual V.I.P. upgrade, and of course plenty of opportunities to donate and bid on auction items. Register at ahsragstowags.org.
Gentrification Fishbowl Part II is ULI-Austin’s November Breakfast discussion, next Wednesday morning, Nov. 17, 7:30-9am. It’s a diverse and very qualified discussion group, including Awais Azhar from HousingWorks; Terry Mitchell of Momark Development; Carmen Llanes Pulido of Go Austin/Vamos Austin; Rosie Truelove, director of the city Housing and Planning department; and more. If you can’t make it down to the Central Library by 7:30am, you can register to tune in virtually through austin.uli.org. The presentation will not be recorded.
The standoff continues between city staff and city boards and commissioners, regarding the location of their future meetings (“Public Notice,” Oct. 22), with the Board of Adjustment weighing in alongside Planning, and Zoning and Platting, as wanting to continue meeting at City Hall, while staff intends for all future meetings to move to the Permitting and Development Center at Highland. At least two of those boards have now officially requested bylaws changes to guarantee City Hall meetings, so it appears City Council will have to take sides to settle the matter.
Inquest: An Examination of Central Health, the latest effort from local indie documentarist Steve Mims, will premiere at the AFS Cinema, at 7:30pm Wed., Nov. 17, followed by a panel discussion about Travis County’s funding of health care for the poor.
The 2021 Austin Green Awards were announced as we went to press last week, recognizing sustainable developments in the area. Project of the Year was the Whisper Valley development east of Lake Walter E. Long in Manor; the other awardees were the Colony Park District Park Playground and Fitness; the Holdsworth Center; City of Austin Permitting & Development Center (see above); Travis County’s Cooling Tower Reclaimed Water Project; and DPR + Integral Group Offices at The Foundry. See details at atxgreenawards.org.
This article appears in November 12 • 2021.