The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Texas.
Millions of Californians live near oil and gas wells that are in the path of wildfires, latimes.com (Jul 21, 2024) - Dry Springs in Central Texas Warn of Water Shortage Ahead, insideclimatenews.org (Aug 15, 2023)
Networks and sustainability initiatives[edit | edit source]
- Coalition for a New Dallas
- Green Houston
- SA 2020, San Antonio
- Transition Houston
Community energy[edit | edit source]
Solar power in Texas, a portion of total energy in Texas, includes utility-scale solar power plants as well as local distributed generation, mostly from rooftop photovoltaics. The western portion of the state especially has abundant open land areas, with some of the greatest solar and wind potential in the country. Development activities there are also encouraged by relatively simple permitting and significant available transmission capacity.
Wind power in Texas, a portion of total energy in Texas, consists of over 150 wind farms, which together have a total nameplate capacity of over 30,000 MW (as of 2020). If Texas were a country, it would rank fifth in the world; the installed wind capacity in Texas exceeds installed wind capacity in all countries but China, the United States, Germany and India. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state. According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), wind power accounted for at least 15.7% of the electricity generated in Texas during 2017, as wind was 17.4% of electricity generated in ERCOT, which manages 90% of Texas's power. ERCOT set a new wind output record of nearly 19.7 GW at 7:19 pm Central Standard Time on Monday, January 21, 2019.
The wind resource in many parts of Texas is very large. Farmers may lease their land to wind developers, creating a new revenue stream for the farm. The wind power industry has also created over 24,000 jobs for local communities and for the state. Texas is seen as a profit-driven leader of renewable energy commercialization in the United States. The wind boom in Texas was assisted by expansion of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, use of designated Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, expedited transmission construction, and the necessary Public Utility Commission rule-making.
Climate action[edit | edit source]
Texas has the following Clean Cities coalitions:
- Alamo Area Clean Cities
- Loan Star Clean Fuels Alliance (Central Texas)
- Dallas–Fort Worth Clean Cities
- Greater Houston Clean Cities
Georgetown, Texas was powered 100% by renewable energy. W
Climate action plans
Austin developed the Austin Community Climate Plan in 2015 with goals to become carbon neutral in 2050. The plan details numerous actions that should be taken by the Electricity and Natural Gas, Transportation and Land Use, and Material and Waste Management Sectors to reduce greenhouse gases. It also identifies how different members of the community can fit in to this plan and what benefits it could provide to them such as lower energy costs and enhanced public transportation options. W
Houston initiated the Houston Climate Action Plan on April 22, 2020 with the goal set by the Paris Climate Agreement to become carbon neutral by 2050. The plan has four focus areas: transportation, energy transition, building optimization, and materials management. They hope that the plan will provide other benefits besides reducing emissions such as savings from energy efficiency and less traffic congestion. W
Dallas initiated the Dallas Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan on May 27, 2020 with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050. The plan outlines eight focus areas to reach its goals: renewable energy, energy efficient building construction, access to sustainable transportation, zero waste, water resource protection, green spaces, access to healthy and local food, and clean air. Through partnerships, grants and loans, legislation, green bonds, voluntary participations, and incentives, the city of Dallas plans to implement its proposed actions. However, teaching knowledge, leadership and policies are still lacking in the climate education system in Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.[41] Therefore, more approaches about climate education such as teacher professional development courses, community service learning as well as museum exhibits are encouraged over the region to improve public awareness about climate change. W
San Antonio adopted the city's first Climate Action and Adaption Plan (CAAP) on October 17, 2019. As one of the fastest growing city in the U.S., San Antonio has been taking actions to reduce greenhouse gases and prepare for climate change. To achieve goals of climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation, a report about CAAP was developed by the local government to promote sustainable development. W
Sustainable transport activism[edit | edit source]
Dallas Slow Streets dallascityhall.com, added 18:33, 8 June 2020 (UTC)
Wikipedia: Hiking trails in Texas (category)
Cycling activism[edit | edit source]
San Antonio has about 136 miles (219 km) of bike lanes, routes or off-road paths. Off-road trails travel along the San Antonio River, linear greenways, or city parks. Although largely disconnected, the progress to create a bicycle-friendly environment was recognized when San Antonio was designated a bronze-level "Bicycle Friendly Community" in 2015 by the League of American Bicyclists. W
A bike sharing service was approved by the city council on June 17, 2010. The initial program consisted of 140 bikes at 14 locations supported by a "central hub". It is expected to serve both residents and visitors. San Antonio Bike Share, a non-profit, was formed to oversee the operation, locally operated and maintained by Bike World. B-Cycle, the same system used in Denver, supplies the bike share system. It began operation in March 2011. W
Education for sustainability[edit | edit source]
Wikipedia: List of nature centers in Texas
Environment quality[edit | edit source]
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Food activism[edit | edit source]
- F.A.R.M. farmingveterans.org, added 16:21, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
- Harvest Project Food Rescue, added 16:31, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
- Oak Cliff Veggie Project, "...a small group of compassionate people who care deeply about the health and well-being of southern Dallas." added 16:31, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
- Black Star Co-op, pub and brewery
- Bonton Farms, Dallas
- in.gredients, Austin's zero waste micro-grocer
Social inclusion[edit | edit source]
Citizens data initiative[edit | edit source]
Energy Profile for Texas- Economic, environmental, and energy data
Apps for sustainability[edit | edit source]
Power of Ten, Map Your Ideas to Re-Imagine the Heart of San Antonio
Campaigns[edit | edit source]
Texas Campaign for the Environment
About Texas[edit | edit source]
Texas ( TEK-səss, locally also TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas, pronounced [ˈtexas]) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest. Texas has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2), and with over 30 million residents as of 2023, it is the second-largest state by both area and population.
