Cool Houses Austin » Sustainability

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!

Austin Adopts Zero Waste Plan

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:25:46 +0000

The city of Austin is the first city in the state of Texas to adopt a zero waste plan. What does that mean?According to Jessica King, sustainability administrator for the City of Austin’s Solid Waste Services Department, …it is no longer a ’waste’. We call it a commodity now…a different way of thought on how we look at trash”. The city transitioned in October to single stream recycling (allowing users to put all recyclable materials into one big “blue” bin) for twice monthly pick-up and the number of tons of recycling collected has already doubled! According to the Solid Waste Services dept, nearly 80% of residents of Austin are now participating. The city hopes to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill by 20% by 2012. Can it work? The city has only to look at San Francisco where 90% of their trash is diverted from the local landfills and know that yes, we can do it, too! So get that big blue bin, and rinse out those cans, bottles, plastic trays, and containers..Do it for your city, your children, and for the planet. Make it a family Earth Day project to see how much difference you can make in your household. We did and it is amazing to see how little we actually put in our “normal” dumpster. We are down to one bag per week and are working on eliminating that, too. Our big blue bin is overflowing and we look forward to the day when the weekly pick-up is for the big blue and the twice monthly or less for the “trash”. Until then, happy recycling!

Austin Named Community Wildlife Habitat

admin — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:13:13 +0000

Once again, the city of Austin is selected for top honors! On March 12th, Mayor Bill Wynn and the city council accepted the National Wildlife Federations’ offiicial certification as a Community Wildlife Habitat. This makes Austin the first Texas city and the largest metropolitan city in the nation to be so honored! The main focus of the National Wildlife Federation Habitat program is to benefit plants, wildlife, and people through the creation of sustainable landscapes that require little or no pesticides, fertilizers or excess watering. And best news of all is that you can have your very own garden or yard certified as a wildlife habitat! Get officially recognized and the very cool sign to display in your yard by simply providing food, water, places for cover(shrubs, etc), places to raise young (again grasses or shrubs or nesting areas, and sustainable gardening(compost, mulch,etc) For more information on the project, simply click here: National Wildlife Federation