Austin, Texas is poised to set an example for the rest of the country, having successfully managed to shift its fiscal and social focus towards conservation and alternative energy.
Eric Mack over at Plenty compiled a list of the greenest cities in America. He counts Austin amongst the most innovative in its approach to confronting climate change:
Austin, Texas - A green leader going beyond the typical carbon-cutting policies by marketing, lobbying, and promoting one specific product: plug-in hybrids. The city and a few others are campaigning to convince consumers, government agencies and anyone else who will listen to purchase plug-in hybrids when they finally hit showroom floors in order to create a market big enough to keep the vehicles from being shelved.
Sebastian Blanco of autobloggreen highlights another example of Austin's progressive stance. He reports on how cheap it is to get solar panels installed in the city thanks to local and federal tax breaks:
The real short version is that a $20,000+, 3 kWh system can be yours for around $6,000. Considering the amount of sunshine that Austin gets, this is a real deal. I head these numbers while hovering around the Lighthouse Solar booth at the Austin Alt Car expo this weekend. The company can add the aforementioned solar panels to your roof or build an entire carport out of the way cool panels.
There are about a half-dozen companies in the Austin area that can install solar panels, and the tax credits would apply no matter who you choose. Even with this many companies offering solar services, Lighthouse has done around 50-60 this year, which I think speaks volumes to the potential of solar energy if it's made affordable.
Treehugger's Jacob Gordon recently interviewed Austin Mayor Will Wynn. Wynn has been instrumental in challenging typical stereotypes about the American South -- and Texas in particular, which is the most polluting state of the most polluting country on the planet. Born and raised in West Texas, Wynn graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in environmental design. He discusses climate change in what Gordon describes as "the same twangy matter-of-fact way as another southern man with a fondness for cowboy boots, Mr. Al Gore."
Below is an interesting clip about Austin from the recently released documentary "Kilowatt Ours," which explores the climate crisis and how some people are combating it by cutting back on energy use. To find out where you can see the entire film, visit kilowattours.org.
WATCH:
The capital of Texas (and site of Whole Foods' world headquarters) is a prime example of how social consciousness and progressive policy on a local level can a green leader make.