Cool Houses Austin » Green Living

Southwest Austin Boasts New Eco-Friendly Homes!

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:05:38 +0000

Green is blooming all over Austin and it is not just from all our recent rains! Several new eco-friendly green built neighborhoods are popping up all over southwest Austin and the new models are opening this spring. Come check out the new model at Las Casas Verdes which will feature 20 homes designed to meet LEED certification and Austin Green Building program standards. So what does this mean for the new homeowner who purchases one of these beautiful homes? How about not only a home made from eco-friendly and recycled materials, but one which boasts a 2200 gallon rainwater collection system, a 3-kilowatt solar panel system, metal roof, bamboo floors, and concrete countertops, and of course Energy Star appliances—all high tech ways to go green and a very livable 1800 sq. foot unique layout. Prices are starting in the mid $300,000s. Las Casas Verdes (which means Green Homes) are located very conveniently just off South Brodie on Sache Cove and Longview Rd. And if you are thinking of moving here and would like more info on other green neighborhoods or green homes, give us a call at Cool Houses Austin 512-665-7778. Spring is a wonderful time of year to move to Austin!

Home Depot’s Do-It-Herself Workshops

admin — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:22:17 +0000

Hey want to attend a really cool workshop and learn about how to make your outdoor area a very cool and beautiful oasis this spring and summer? Well, check out the workshops that Home Depot offers to “women- do- it- herselfers! This Thursday night at 7 pm, at Austin area Home Depot stores, they will be teaching about outdoor plants in the Central Texas area, organic gardening, and much more: From their site:

Yard and Garden Maintenance

This month, our FREE Do-It-Herself workshop focuses on your outdoor space. Join women in your community as you learn all the skills you need to unlock your creativity while you grow and maintain a yard that reflects your style.

Workshop Highlights:

Effective watering and fertilizing techniques
Creating colorful accents with containers and baskets
Go organic and grow your own vegetables

Thursday, May 14, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Austin to Have Nation’s Largest Solar Panel

admin — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:21:14 +0000

The Austin City Council voted unanimously on March 5 to contract with San Fransico based Gemini Solar Development Company to produce up to 30 MW of solar power over the next 25 years. The facility will be located in east Austin and will be the nation’s largest solar panel arrary in existence! It is expected to be online by 2010 and according to City Council staff, it will produce no carbon emissions, no fuel cost, and its energy production will create more green jobs in the Austin metro area and help hand the peak demand needed in our hotter summer months. Way to go, Austin! No wonder it is so very cool to live here….a truly cutting edge community. See our Living Green section here on Cool Houses Austin pages for more info on this and other sustainable practices in and around Austin!

What is Organic?

admin — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:05:39 +0000

We read about the word “organic” as a label applied to food all the time? But what does it reallymean? According to US Dept. of Agriculture, organic means “meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products which come from animals that are not given antibiotics or growth hormones”. Organic food or produce is produced “without using pesticides or fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation”. Sounds pretty scary, doesn’t it? Just the thought of eating vegetables grown in sewage sludge makes us pretty queezy…let alone radiation of plants? So where to buy organic in Austin? Most of our local supermarkets carry an organic produce section and we have a plethora of specialty markets for our Austin area like Central Market Westgate, Sun Harvest, Newflower Farmers Market , and of course, the wonderful flagship store of Whole Foods (located downtown on 6th and Lamar) where you can eat in one of their incredible cafes, have a cooking lesson, listen to live music, and shop organic til you drop! And if you are downtown on a Saturday, don’t miss the Austin Farmers’ Market every Saturday from 9am to 1pm on 4th and Guadalupe….yummy treats! And so good for you, too!

Nation’s Largest Solar Panel Array Coming to Austin

admin — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:10:36 +0000

The Austin City Council voted unanimously on March 5 to contract with San Fransico based Gemini Solar Development Company to produce up to 30 MW of sloar power over the next 25 years. The facility will be located in east Austin and will be the nation’s largest solar panel arrary in existence! It is expected to be online by 2010 and according to City Council staff, it will produce no carbon emissions, no fuel cost, and its energy production will create more green jobs in the Austin metro area and help hand the peak demand needed in our hotter summer months.

Austin City Wide Garage Sale

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:39:12 +0000

Wow! Do you love hitting garage sales and flea markets? Then, this is definitely for you! This fall, Austin has its own City-wide garage sale going on at the Palmer Event Center downtown on 1st and Barton Springs Rd. For $5.00 you get to park for FREE and have a 2 day access pass to the most incredible selection of antique, vintage, second-hand cool stuff that I have ever seen in my life! Row upon row of just fabulous finds and unbelievably low prices! Are you into vintage cotton chenille bedspreads for example? How about a table mound of vintage chenilles probably some 3-4 feet high and 8 feet wide for a mere $6 each? Or better yet, gorgeous gently used duvets for $3? Silk scarves for a buck? And of course, more antique jewelry, furniture, musical instruments, retro clothing, boots, etc. than you could possibly cover in just one afternoon. As for me, I can’t wait until the next one on Oct. 18-19…If you somehow miss that one, you can still hit the Holiday Show on Nov.29-30…Oh yes, for all of you who love Austin’s wonderful boutiques but hesitate to spend the $$$, there is also a sister sale in the same building called Le Garage Boutique where Austin’s finest boutiques bring their unsold stock to be grabbed up by the grateful fashionistas by the bagful for pennies on the dollar! See you in October! To see a schedule of City Wide Sales in Texas, go to www.cwgs.com

And while you’re downtown Austin, don’t forget to save some of your $$ for dinner after the Garage Sale at one of our incredible local eateries….As for me, my son and I headed on over to the Roaring Fork ( www.eddiev.com ) where they feature a great happy hour, not only on the week-days, but on Saturday and Sunday starting at 4:30 p.m. and their “wood-fire” cooking just can’t be beat! And the prices are great, too!….His pick, the “Big-Ass Burger and Fries” for 7.95( we could have fed several garage sale attendees with this beef monster crowned with grilled poblano peppers, cheddar, bacon, etc). I decided on the scrumptious Salmon BLT Sandwich with Taragon Mayo and yes, sigh those wonderful crispy diet killer fries also for 7.95….Then like the starving shoppers that we were, we decided to take home a Rotisserie Roasted Chicken Pizza for today’s lunch (also a very reasonable 7.95)….What can I say? We currently live 45 minutes away and I just couldn’t resist the smell of those pizzas from the diners around me! So, in the future of my garage sale shopping, you will definitely find me in the bar area of the Roaring Fork for their scrumptous Happy Hour feast!

Sustainable Living

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:26:19 +0000

Just recently read a new book ( to me) that many of you interested in “Going Green” will find as a wonderful resource. It is called ToolBox for Sustainable City Living – A Do-It-Ourselves Guide by Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew published by South End Press. You can order it through their website which is also another resource just full of info www.radicalsustainability.org . They also offer week-end warrior hands-on bootcamps i.e. classes, The book has great illustrations and an easy approach to construction techniques that makes it interesting reading, as well as inspiring the reader that yes, you can make a difference in the environment and in your own backyard! Even if one is an urban dweller, there are some simple things (like rain water collection, ponds, small gardens,etc that will make a difference in the quality of your life, and ultimately, the planet’s life for future generations. There is also entire chapters devoted to wind turbines, bio-diesel fuels, solar cooking, solar power, etc. I highly recommend this book as a resource.

Furoshiki-How to Carry Groceries With a Square of Cloth

admin — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:43:44 +0000

I just saw the coolest video and wanted to share this fun way to carry groceries with you all….The Japanese have been doing this for centuries, of course. But now we westerners can do this also and save our planet from those plastic bags as well…It is called “Furoshiki” and is considered a Japanese art for folding cloth to carry food, packages, bottles, or virutally anything you can imagine using just a simple square of silk or cotton. In the film, they use a simple silk scarf. So you could tie a silk scarf around your waist and look oh so chic, and then, at the check-out stand, simply untie your scarf, bundle up your groceries, and be on your way! How cool is that? I once traveled for 3 months backpacking all over Europe with a long skirt, 2 pairs of jeans, a couple of pairs of shorts, a swim suit, and 6 silk scarves which served as tops, wraps, and on more than a few occasions, even a head covering for the cathedrals! …I can’t tell you how great that felt as I loaded my backpack each morning and set off from the youth hostel with a smile on my face, while my best friend and traveling partner grimaced as she loaded hers with assorted shoes and articles of never worn clothing….When we got to Italy, she left most of her “baggage” in the women’s rest room and we proceeded to a department store where she loaded up on gorgeous Italian silk scarves on her Dad’s American Express! As she said, “Well, he said if we had an emergency…” Now, as a parent of a 22 yr. old( who has also traveled to Europe), I understand that the idea of an “emergency” for a 20-something is quite different than the one your parents had in mind when they handed over that American Express card…So if you want to see more on how to do this, just click on the following link: Then go shopping for those gorgeous silk scarves-aka your new grocery bags!

The pics below are of my own experiment with the delightful art of Furoshiki on a recent shopping trip. The check-out girl loved the idea! And so did the woman behind me….forget the paper or plastic, go silk and have a blast!

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-carry-groceries-with-a-square-of-cloth

More Wind Turbine Power for Texas!

admin — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:01:35 +0000

Texas once again makes the national news on its strides for alternative clean energy! On Thursday, July 17, 2008, the Texas Public Utility Commission gave preliminary approval to a 4.9 billion dollar investment in bringing more wind turbine power from West Texas to major cities like Dallas. Experts say this is the biggest investment in US history in clean and renewable energy. The funds are slated to bring new transmission lines from mostly existing turbines. The new lines could bring 18,000 megawatts of energy and power over 4 million Texas homes. The downside is that the plan has to face final approval by the PUC later this year and even then, won’t be up and running for three to five years.

Even oil legend, T. Boone Pickens, is in on the new “windfall” opportunities. Pickens plans on building the world’s largest wind farm on 200,000 acres he owns in the Texas Panhandle. Pickens’ 2700 wind turbines will bring enough electricity to power about 1.3 million Texas homes. Pickens has become a spokesperson for the wind industry stating, “I’ve been an oilman all my life, but this is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of”. Pickens spokesperson, Jay Rosser said of the vote on Thursday, “it recognizes the role wind in Texas will play in meeting the states growing energy and energy stability needs”.

And I say what a wonderful place to live! And what incredible opportunities this will bring to our state!