Moving Toward a Greener Texas Via GlobeSt.com

Mention the word “Texas” and the response you might get is pretty straightforward: Cowboys, wide open spaces, no change of seasons . . . and oil derricks. It’s true Texas is best-known for bringing oil up from the ground – but experts tell Globest.com that this is also a state with a focus on sustainability initiatives and, to an extent, work with alternative fuels.

Austin is at the forefront of a sustainable vision for the Lone Star State; in 2007, the city’s controversial mayor, Will Wynn, oversaw passage of a resolution dubbed the Energy Conservation and Disclosure Ordinance. This outlined sustainability mandates for everything from home-building, to energy use in commercial real estate, to use of alternative fuels. The end goal is a 35% use of renewable energy by 2020.

However, John Sutton, BOMA Austin’s Energy Sustainability Committee Chairman says that, even before these issues were formalized through a municipal ordinance, conservation was on everyone’s mind. “Before it became popular, we had groups intent on protecting the (Edwards) Aquifer here,” he comments. Additionally, Austin has carved out a reputation for greenbelts, city parks and natural lakes and “there’s been a push to keep those things pristine,” Sutton says.

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