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The bag Monster adorned in 500 plastic bags, the average amount a person uses in a year, visited Republic Park on Thursday, 8/26. He later went on to the Austin City Council. He was surrounded in the park by 45,000 more bags which represent a lifetime’s usage by one person.
In the United States alone, 30 billion plastic and 10 billion paper grocery bags are consumed every year, costing 14 million trees and 12 million barrels of oil to produce, see: Bag Monster’s website.
After Austin the Bag Monster went up to Dallas to meet coconspirators where they announced plans to take over the world, see: Plastic is Fantastic
 Bag Monster Comes to Republic Park in Downtown Austin  Bag Monster Stalks Couple in Republic Park  Bag Monster Grows from Supply of 45000 Bags per Person Lifetime  Bag Monster Awash in One Person's Lifetime of Plastic Bags  Bag Monster tries to scare Cameraman  Bag Monster Roams the Country in Van  Paul Robbins and Bag Monsters Address City Council  Paul Robbins and Bag Monsters Address City Council
On August 17th, the Outreach Committee did a round of phone banking to the AZWA members list to inform them of the approaching meeting for public input on the Solid Waste Master Plan. They got about 15 people to confirm they would attend and left messages with scores of others. An email will be sent out on the 27th to remind the entire list once again of the importance of their presence and participation at this meeting.
In attendance were J. D. Porter (President), Robin Schneider (Vice President), Stacy Guidry (Secretary), David Hogan-via phone (Treasurer) and Karly Dixon (AZWA TEMPORARY Liaison)
AGENDA:
Inter Local Agreements
San Marcos
Bastrop
San Antonio
501 Status
Fredericksburg Roundup
Inter Local Agreements (ILAs)- J. D. spoke with Austin Solid Waste Director, Bob Gedert, and Councilmember, Randi Shade’s policy aide about a regional ILA between the City of Austin and travis County. City Legal Dept. gave the “thumbs up” for this initiative. We’ll need money and staff funneled to get it off the ground and other local governments to sign on. CTZWA will need to get this on the City Council agenda and then repeat the process at the County level.
San Marcos- CTZWA will take a county-wide (Hays County) approach to establishing a chapter there. We have 2 September tabling events in San Marcos to gather names. A goal has been set to reform the chapter in October.
Bastrop- Keep Bastrop County Beautiful invited CTZWA to speak at their quarterly meeting. Bob Gedert made a presentation to the group on the basics and benefits of Zero Waste and why a regional approach is needed for implementation. All cities and the county were represented. We got very positive feedback.
San Antonio- CTZWA would like to work with Sierra Club on plastic pollution, pushing Zero Waste and getting the city to sign on to the ILA with Austin and Travis County. The canvass operation for Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE) will be prepared to generate letters to the San Antonio City Councl on this issue.
501 Status- CTZWA has decided to go with the status of a tax-deductible 501 (c) 3 with an “H” election organization. This means 15% of CTZWA’s time and money can be funneled into lobby activities. This will also give us more fundraising opportunities because of our tax-deductible position.
F-burg Roundup-Tabling event Sept. 24-26. We’ll need volunteers and there will be camping available at Enchanted Rock with some of TCE’s canvassers. This will be a key opportunity to gather names to start up a Hill Country chapter. Please let anyone on the CTZWA Board or AZWA know if you’d like to participate.
The next CTZWA Board meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 7th at Noon at the TCE office (611 S. Congress Ave., #200). All chapter members are welcome to attend. 512-326-5655
Title: Lake Travis Underwater Clean Up
Location: see http://www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/underwater for more info
Description: The Lake Travis Underwater Cleanup is the BIGGEST scuba diving and shoreline cleanup in Texas. The event invites several hundred certified scuba divers and shoreline volunteers to help round-up trash from the bottom of Lake Travis and the 9 Travis County Parks surrounding the lake. The cleanup is followed by a volunteer thank-you party & is a great event for ALL ages! RAIN OR SHINE!
Date: 2010-09-12
As you may know, CTZWA has been working with Keep Bastrop County Beautiful (KBCB) on expanding recycling policies in that area. We are also actively recruiting members to start a new CTZWA chapter there.
CTZWA was invited to speak to KBCB’s membership on Aug. 5th. Our Bastrop Zero Waste meeting went really well. Austin’s Solid Waste Services Director and Zero Waste expert/advocate, Bob Gedert, presented to the group. Bastrop City Manager, Mike Talbot, Bastrop County Commissioner, Wm. Pina, Elgin City Councilmember, Keith Joesel, and Jill Strubel with City of Smithville Recycling were in attendance, as well. We got a very strong response from the crowd and local officials are very interested in Inter Local Agreements with Austin and Travis County to share the costs and benefits of implementing Zero Waste.
Title: Your Opinion Matters!!!
Location: Austin CityHall
Link out: Click here
Description: As many of you know, the City of Austin committed to achieve Zero Waste by 2040 and
hired consulting firm HDR Engineering, Inc to help us develop our Master Plan. The
Master Plan will help us identify the building, trucks, staffing, and funding needed
to achieve our zero waste goals. HDR has been hard at work and would like to update
us and receive our feedback. As previous participants in developing the Zero Waste
Strategic Plan, we invite you to join us at the first round in a series of public
meetings. The first meeting will focus on:
■ Improving local markets for recycled materials, and regulating service
providers
■ Partnerships with the private sector
■ Regional cooperation and partnerships
■ Opportunities for the future
Please mark your calendar for:
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
City Hall Council Chambers
FREE Parking is available in the City Hall parking garage
Start Time: 18
Date: 2010-08-31
Who wants to meet at UT’s Gregory Gym at 1 pm and get folks to sign up AGAINST the UT plastic bottled water H2Orange? TCE is doing a signature ad and we wants LOTS of names on the ad. We’ll bring all the supplies – clipboards, pledge forms and pens. We think that many of the folks coming to hear President Obama would be interested in taking a stand against this wasteful idea.
Introductions
Meeting convened at 7pm at Casa de Luz
Members were joined by two new guests
Announcements
Underwater cleanup at Town Lake, Sunday September 12
Fredericksburg Renewable Energy and Green Living Fair, September 24-26,
Robin Schneider of AZWA and TCE will be speaking on Zero Waste Sept. 25 at 6 pm
Bob Gedert Zero Waste presentation in Bastrop on Thursday, August 5
Call Stacey at Texas Campaign for the Environment for car pool information
Integrated Solid Waste Master Plan on August 31, 6 pm, Council Chambers
All are encouraged to turnout, we need a big showing of support
Updates
(Karly asked that all meetings be posted on web site calendar)
- Commercial and Multi-Family Recycling
- Recycling only now applies to single family homes and apartments over. With passage of this ordinance it will apply to apartments of 100 units or more. Also, restaurants must recycle 3 items.
- CTZWA Board
- Decision made to become 501 c 3 election H for organization
- Allows for limited lobbying our type of w/ benefits of grants and tax deductions to contributors
- Tabling Events
- State Franchise Tax filed (there was no income and no tax).
- Building personal contacts in San Antonio
- Inter-local Agreements
- Meetings set with city officials
- Potentially expands to cover 33 counties
- Draft not available yet.
- Will be available through Travis County
- Organics Committee
- None
- Outreach Committee
- Met in July
- Created mission statement and Goals
- Determined that objectives needed and education materials
- Need contact list
- Next meeting is Aug 18
- Plastic Bags
- Fiscal report from city should be available in 2 months
- Resulting in policy and potential ban
- Tax on bags not probable. Would require a state law.
California considering statewide ban.
- Solid Waste Master Plan and being developed HDR consultants
- Gary Liss working with HDR
- Meeting Aug 31 for input (see link under Announcements)
- Outreach Committee – listservs, attend other organizations’ meetings
- Suggested also promote through Eco-Change Exchange List. Other promotion suggestions were through Gardening Groups, Farmers Markets, and neighborhood associations. Also mentioned that Prof. Bob Larson of Tx State me have some good Prof. contacts at UT>
- Contact info needed by Outreach Committee
- Phone bank, will ask for help from employees at telefund
- Bob Gedert
- Budget for 2011
- Zero Waste?
- Ryan Hobbs: horizon issues for Solid Waste Department
- Zero Waste in West being pursued in University (Houston) and select Houston districts
- Houston city – changing waste policies
- Long/Short Term Recycling Contract for CoA
- TDS rates offered
- City plans to still use Todd Ln facility as a transfer station for recyclables even though it could mean driving many extra miles for some routes.
- Taken from newspaper
- Transfer station vs Direct route
- Or mixed logistics
New Business
- University of Texas Austin – Bottled Water Container
- Shaped like UT Tower
- 50% profits to scholarships
- Bottled water is a waste of water, oil, and energy
- Meet with UT sustainability director (who was unaware of the issue) and Bill Powers
- Protest at UT in July
- TCE is taking on the fight
- With articles in UT paper, email blast on Monday
- Suggest refillable bottles, still shaped as tower
- Tim McClure: “Don’t mess with Texas”
- Seriously, is a sponsor. He is the “M” of GSD&M advertising agency
- Prototypes produced, bottles probably already in production
- Movie: “Tapped” is good and showing fallacies of bottled waster
- State of Texas Bottle Bill Issue
- Outreach Committee
- UT materials and teachers
- Bob Larson
Sunset Review
Steering Committee going dormant. Will be re-established as needed.
New Members Needed
Need an AZWA member to volunteer for liaison to CTZWA Board
Contract Karly Jo Dixon if interested
CTZWA Board is looking for an additional member
Contact J.D. Porter if interested
Events
Monday 8/9, @ 7:30 pm – Austin Organics Gardeners. Meeting at the Zilker Clubhouse, it was suggested this would be a good place to publicize Integrated Solid Waste Master Plan meeting.
Duration: 1 Hour
Attended by:
Tom Rutz – Secretary
Tiffany Ingram
Jimmy Mitchell
Patrick Van Haren
- Mission Statement
Promote and educate about the best possible use for organic discards with maximum contribution to our local community.
- Education materials
Waste web/chain
- Responsibilities in the Committee
Decided on only temporary positions
- Set policy for Organics and Identify Organic Discards
% of total waste stream is greater than 50%
Recycle/compost/other
- Organize by Jan. 2011 for HDR Report SW Master Plan for CoA.
The Policy Committee for Austin Zero Waste Alliance will meet at the TCE office (611 S. Congress Ave. #200) this Friday, July 30th at 3:30 PM.
Also, the stakeholder process for banning plastic bags in Austin is about to start. We will need all Policy Committee hands on deck to organize before we meet with the city.
If you would like to get involved, please attend our next meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 4th at Casa de Luz (1701 Toomey Rd.) at 7 PM.
Cheers!
Stacy Guidry
512.326.5655
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