Austin likes to pride itself on its environmentally-friendly atmosphere and way of life. However, a quick look around the city reveals many flaws within the city's productive use of energy and water. For instance, our city's sprinkler systems for areas like dog parks and walking trails need serious rethinking. It is true Texas's weather patterns are weird and unpredictable, therefore so are Austin's, but it is a failure on the part of the local government when more than half of the water coming out of the sprinkler head goes directly onto the street and dried up by the sun. Our drought has gotten significantly better with the great, productive weather we've been having, but that doesn't mean we as Austinites get to sit back and abuse our resources. Such an example is exactly what I've seen personally at a dog park not far from my house.
I work in a big shopping area that contains a Whole Foods, Taco Cabana, and the like. It experiences much traffic throughout the day. However, the only place to recycle/ compost in this huge shopping area is Whole Foods. Everywhere else simply just has a trash can. I can't even start to think about the shopping areas that don't have a Whole Foods in it and how much they waste in plastic a day. For even where I work with a Whole Foods located near by, water bottles and coke cans are thrown continuously in the garbage. So far, what I've heard from our local and state leaders on these sorts of issues is that it takes a lot of time and money to go as green as we need to be. But we're Austin, aren't we? Aren't we quite a bit...different than the rest of Texas? Why can't we lead this state in environmentally friendly establishments like we seem so inclined to want to do?
All in all, Austin is a wonderful city and I am very glad I was born and raised in it. But it's about time we take a serious look in how we treat our environment.
On Savannah Williams blog "Tall Texas Talk", she talks about the city of Austin's failure at water conservation and maintaining a clean environment. I agree with Savannah on the irony that be seen in Austin claiming to be so environmentally friendly and conservative, considering the amount of poisonous gases and exhaust fumes that get emitted into the atmosphere in such a huge metropolitan area. On the conservation side, the city has implemented watering restrictions that allow the citizens to water their lawns on certain days. I guess that's supposed to be seen as the city's way of showing an effort to conserve water; yet the new water park that's being built in the neighboring city of Pflugerville within the next few year, is supposed to make up for in revenue what we will lose in thousands of gallons of wasted water every day, week, and month once this new water park is in full operation. Savannah gave an excellent example of waste water resources, in her description of the sprinkler systems along the walking trails and in dog parks. I'm almost positive that every citizen in Austin would agree that watering the dropping grounds of a dog park when our lake levels are constantly dropping, is highly unacceptable. Overall Savannah I think your post hit the nail right on the head, in regards to the ways we waste our natural resources while still claiming to be so "Green".
ReplyDeleteIn the blog Going Green? Written by Savanna Williams, she talks about how Austin’s drought has gotten better due to the recent weather we’ve been having. But that’s no excuse for us to waste water through our sprinkler systems in areas like dog parks and walking trails. Austinites do enjoy there outdoorsy life style, but there will be a price to pay if our resources are dried up. Ms. Williams puts blame in the rightful place on our local government because they should rethink the sprinkler system. As more than half the water goes into the streets.
ReplyDeleteMs. Williams’s blog is well detailed with examples of what she seen about this problem and what leaders should do about it. The second half of her blog explains how there’s only one place to recycle/ compost in a huge shopping area where she’s employed. She try’s not to imagine other shopping areas where there’s no recycle bin or compost station at all. I agree and I can imagine for her, that’s there’s TONS of places in Austin where plastics bottle and aluminum cans are being wasted. For example even some places small like the park by my job near 183. It’s a very popular park where many people are in and out daily. And it’s sad to see the trash cans are overflowing with bottles, cans, plastic and other garbage that can be easily recycled. Local leaders say it may take time and money to implement plans to go green.
I do agree with Ms. Williams about this blog and how we need to take a serious look in how we treat our environment. After all this is a great city like she mentioned and I as well am glad to be born and raised in it.