13. Austin, TX

A Pioneer

Austin, TX: A Pioneer

The "Live Music Capital of the World" took a decisive step toward becoming the planet's "Carbon-Neutral Capital" when it adopted an aggressive climate protection plan in 2007. The plan calls for all Austin’s operations, facilities, vehicle fleets, and utilities to be totally carbon neutral by 2020. Because the city owns its utility, meeting renewable energy goals may be a bit quicker than cities whose utilities are private. In Austin, the goal is for all city vehicles to be powered by electricity and non-petroleum fuel by 2020, and for all city-owned and operated buildings to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2012. Austin's blueprint for sustainability is the latest progressive measure from the city that brought us pioneer work in green building during the 1980s and 90s. That’s when they developed their own green building rating system still used today. Austin also started the Clean Energy Incubator, a consortium of business, academic and state government leaders devoted to helping clean-energy companies succeed. With a new 32-mile light rail opening in December 2008, we expect the central Texas city to reduce its number of drive-alone commuters and metro congestion.

Looking down at Lake Austin. (Photo by Larry D. Moore)

Austin's Rankings

Austin sustainlability rankings chart Cities are ranked relative to each other. A longer bar denotes a higher ranking.
Austin, TX: City Chart

City Study 2008: Austin Articles

Interview: Q&A with Austin Energy

Interview: Q&A with Austin Energy

SustainLane spoke with Esther Matthews, director of the city of Austin's Climate Protection Plan, in July of 2008. When we asked her to look fifty years into the future, Matthews told us she envisions a more densely-built Austin with many more tall buildings. She said she fears the city may lose its green vegetation “to the heat and the fact that the sun is getting stronger and stronger by the year,” but that the city will work hard not to lose its green cover.more »

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Austin Talk

Linda H.

Discussion: Meridian Solar

Meridian Solar does not have a record of a customer named Jim J. and is more than willing to discuss the roof issues in question here if this is a pseudonym. Meridian Solar has a... more »

Jim J.

Review of Meridian Solar

1 star rating

Meridian Solar installers Rude and inconsiderate. They destroyed my roof and didn't bring it to my attention. My roofer came back to inspect it and he found significant damage to my brand new roof caused... more »

Katie S.

Uplift Austin CommUnity Volunteer Days

Help KIPP Austin Collegiate students implement four environmental projects they designed to improve their campus. more »

Cities Compared
Cities Compared: Cities by Age

Cities Compared: Cities by Age

How does age of a city affect how it performs? Take a look at how pre- and post-war cities measure up to each other.

I’d like to suggest that we face up to those challenges, not tomorrow, not in the future, not when it’s too late, but right now... This is our opportunity to make the type of history that future generations will recognize and that future mayors will invoke on Earth Day. —Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

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