A victory for Texas trees — and for local control

When Gov. Abbott issued his call for a special legislative session this summer, he only included one environmental issue: eliminating local tree protection ordinances in over 110 Texas cities. This gave Texas environmentalists a unique opportunity to organize an all-hands-on-deck … Continue reading

CPS Energy Grants UTSA $500,000 for Local Climate Research

A $500,000 grant from CPS Energy will allow researchers at University of Texas in San Antonio to dive into San Antonio’s climate inventory and, for the first time, develop the framework for a local climate action plan to improve air quality and reduce … Continue reading

The Cult of Perma – Food and Farm Discussion Lab

Editor’s Note: I stumbled across this piece by Graham some time in 2013, not long after it was published, and it set off more than one lightbulb moment for me. Up to that time I’d considered permaculture an intriguing subculture. … Continue reading

3 Trump Targets: Here’s What’s at Stake

President Trump signed another executive order on Friday aimed at eliminating regulations. The Washington Post has reported that the Trump administration may announce a number of executive orders in the coming days. The rumored targets—the Clean Power Plan, the Clean Water Rule and the federal coal … Continue reading

H-E-B donates $1M to help construct Confluence Park

The San Antonio River Foundation (SARF) received a generous $1 million gift from H-E-B to help construct Confluence Park. The donation will be received over the course of five years. "This generous gift from H-E-B caps a momentous year and … Continue reading

Working with nature rather than against it – Biomimicry Video – SustainableSA.com

Click here to learn more about biomimicry? Biomimicry's 12 surprising lessons from nature's engineers Janine Benyus Source: Biomimicry Video – SustainableSA.com … Continue reading

General Reference to Water Protection in City Plan Becomes Controversial. Because Developers. | The Daily | San Antonio Current

With council set to debate and vote on the new plan next week, one minor conflict has emerged over general language that deals with some of the city's basic sustainability measures, like ensuring groundwater protection. And that appears to be … Continue reading

Green Spaces Alliance responds to proposed Brackenridge Park Master Plan | San Antonio, Texas Local Community News & Journalism

A new master plan for San Antonio's Brackenridge Park has drawn hundreds of residents to recent public hearings, all but unanimously in opposition to the proposal. Many residents, some claiming generational attachment to the park, are concerned that the changes … Continue reading

The Seas Will Save Us: How an Army of Ocean Farmers are Starting an Economic Revolution — invironment — Medium

I’m a fisherman who dropped out of high school in 1986 at the age of 14. Over my lifetime, I’ve spent many nights in jail. I’m an epileptic. I’m asthmatic. I don’t even know how to swim. This is my … Continue reading

From Oregon to Johannesburg, micro-hydropower offers a solution for drought hit cities | Guardian Sustainable Business | The Guardian

How quickly will SAWS and CPS use micro-hydropower to be more profitable and increase their value to San Antonio residents? To see how closely water and energy are linked, you only have to look at the west coast of the … Continue reading

France Declares All New Rooftops Must Be Topped With Plants Or Solar Panels | CSGlobe

A new law recently passed in France mandates that all new buildings that are built in commercial zones in France must be partially covered in either plants or solar panels.Green roofs, as they are called, have an isolating effect which … Continue reading

France to force big supermarkets to give unsold food to charities | World news | The Guardian

French supermarkets will be banned from throwing away or destroying unsold food and must instead donate it to charities or for animal feed, under a law set to crack down on food waste.The French national assembly voted unanimously to pass … Continue reading

Meet The Startup That Wants To Make Vertical Farming Mainstream | Co.Exist | ideas + impact

Newark, New Jersey is about to get a giant vertical farm that produces millions of pounds of greens for local customers. A vacant steel factory in Newark is turning into the world's largest-producing vertical farm. After it begins running later … Continue reading

What if companies and their buildings actually enhanced ecosystems? | GreenBiz

What if building codes actually required new projects to enhance a certain number of ecosystem services — such as sequestering carbon, building topsoil, enhancing pollination, increasing biodiversity or purifying water and air? Is it possible that a city could be … Continue reading

Habitats for humanity: Why our cities need to be ecosystems, too | Grist

The whole better-greener-more-awesome-cities movement has a problem: We haven’t found a good name for it. Sustainable cities! The term brings to mind such mundanity as energy audits and transit routes. Resilient cities! The notion requires us to consider, first, what … Continue reading

Incredible new system can generate electricity from living plants | Minds

According to an article on Inhabitat.com, Dutch start-up called Plant-e has developed a way to use living plants as a continuous source of clean energy – all that’s needed is a light source, carbon dioxide, water, and, of course, a field or … Continue reading

One Man Holds A Patent That Could Change The World

This may be some of the most important information we ever share here. What you are about to read holds tremendous potential to radically change the entire world in many positive ways. In 2006 a patent was granted to a … Continue reading

ConEdison Development moves into San Antonio solar energy market – San Antonio Business Journal

ConEdison Development is the latest player to move into the San Antonio's booming solar energy market. The New York-based company bought two solar farms that will supply power to CPS Energy, San Antonio's municipally owned utility. ConEdison Development now owns … Continue reading