Welcome to our third episode of the Whatcha Workin’ On? podcast. Lisa Gonzalez interviews Neil Seldman, Ph.D., President of ILSR and the heart and soul of our Waste to Wealth Initiative. Neil tells us about the program and describes the many concurrent projects he is handling. Dr. Seldman also outlines some upcoming work for the Waste … Read More
At its meeting on Dec. 15th, 2011, the Austin City Council unanimously approved the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan, a long-term plan that empowers the Austin community to achieve a drastic reduction in the amount of trash landfilled and aim for zero waste. In 2009, City Council passed Texas’ first Zero Waste Plan and set a … Read More
A new online database created by the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA) will help local entrepreneurs find space for their businesses and give property owners and developers a way to recruit more independent businesses to their properties.
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Independent businesses in two dozen cites joined forces to urge residents to "unchain" themselves on Saturday, November 20, by patronizing only locally owned stores and restaurants that day. The event, dubbed America Unchained, was organized by the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA). The goal, according to AMIBA’s director Jennifer Rockne, was to broaden awareness of the local economic benefit of choosing to shop at locally owned businesses instead of chains. … Read More
A coalition of organizations in Austin, Texas, released a report this week that concludes that big-box retailers impose significant costs on the community. It recommends that the city scrutinize big-box projects more thoroughly and adopt a long-range plan to strengthen locally owned businesses. The report reviews and refutes several of the findings of another big-box study commissioned by the city and released in June.… Read More
Austin residents responded enthusiastically to a call by independent retailers to shop exclusively at locally owned businesses on Saturday, November 15. The one-day event, called Austin Unchained, was organized by the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA) and was promoted through posters, tee-shirts, and flyers distributed throughout the city.… Read More
Faced with strong opposition from a broad array of organizations and residents, Wal-Mart has abandoned plans to build a 24-hour supercenter on an ecologically sensitive site in southwest Austin. The 43-acre wooded tract sits over the Edwards Aquifer, the largest underground reservoir in Texas. It feeds Barton Springs and supplies drinking water to thousands of people. Initially, opposition to Wal-Mart centered on its choice of location and the impact polluted parking lot runoff would have on the aquifer. … Read More
Independent retailers in Austin, Texas, are calling on local residents to break the chain store habit by shopping exclusively at locally owned businesses on Saturday, November 15. The one-day event—known as Austin Unchained—is being organized by the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA), a association of some 200 locally owned businesses. The group is promoting Austin Unchained through tee-shirts, flyers, and posters. … Read More
Borders Books & Music has abandoned plans to build a superstore on the corner of Sixth and Lamar in downtown Austin, Texas. A community organization, Livable City, had joined local business owners in fighting the development, which was to be built across the street from two long-standing independent stores, BookPeople and Waterloo Records. The city had set aside $2.1 million in public subsidies for the project.… Read More
