Plastic Reduction Project’s initiatives are:
– Crowdsourcing sustainability reviews via an app, which can drive research and inform public policy.
– Providing free consultations to local restaurants on profitable pathways to going green.
– Future initiatives will involve high school programs and supermarket single-use plastics waste.

NOTE: Please reach out if you want to be involved, but can’t make the meeting (Info@PlasticReductionProject.org). Otherwise, we’ll see you there!

Feel free to find out more about us from our website at http://www.PlasticReductionProject.org. You can also sign-up for future communications at: https://www.plasticreductionproject.org/stay-in-touch.

We’ll start off with Announcements on current events… Tonite’s main program is CARBON CAPTURE – Monitoring, Safety, and Geologic Impact of Underground CO2 Injection, with Dr. Katherine Romanak.

Dr. Romanak is an expert in near-surface geochemical monitoring, safety, and environmental impacts of geologic carbon storage. She is currently a Research Professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, UT Austin. She has developed and implemented monitoring plans for at least six actively-injecting, large-scale CO2 storage projects dating back to 2007, and has pioneered a new environmental monitoring technique which has become the standard approach worldwide.

Dr. Romanak holds a B.S. in Geology from Southern Methodist University, an M.S. in Geology from UT Arlington, and a Ph.D. in Geology from UT Austin. She previously worked as a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Institution.

Please wear comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and we recommend bringing water and any snacks you may need.

If you would like to join us, please register here.

In line with AJC’s mission, we eagerly embrace the National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) by organizing a special event on January 14th, 2024. We extend a warm invitation to the community to participate in an enriching experience where we will guide attendees through a series of healing activities, placing a spotlight on the profound connection between race, racism, and mental health.

Join us in this transformative event, where we collectively foster engagement and facilitate healing discussions on the critical issues of racism, bias, inequity, and injustice.

Expect an event that not only enlightens but empowers, as we explore the intersections of race and well-being. We will have free on-site childcare for children under 13, free food and refreshments, and free public transportation passes. RSVP here.

Across much of human history (and in many parts of the world today), by contrast, the question of where to get water for daily needs was much more immediate. This is especially true of places where large numbers of people gathered together in dense settlements, posing challenges for both the supply of fresh water and the disposal of wastewater and excess precipitation.

While the technologies used to gather and distribute water in the past may have been less complex than those now in use, the basic principles are the same: water is pulled downhill by gravity, soaks into the soil, evaporates into the air, and can be retained and directed by barriers and conduits. The investigation of water management in urban contexts in the past can help us to understand the challenges those societies dealt with and the solutions they developed. Not only are these solutions sometimes relevant to modern challenges in water management in densely-settled areas, but they also help us understand the evolution of the systems we now have.

This panel brings together scholars who study human interactions with water resources in urban environments of the past, from the Romans to the Maya to the modern US Southwest. They will explain how their research illuminates past water management practices, and discuss the connection of those practices with social and historical developments in both the Old and the New Worlds.

All tools and supplies will be provided, but please bring water and snacks if needed. All ages are welcome, with supervision. Please wear close-toed shoes, long pants, and dress for the weather.

To join us, please register for this event here.

Water Forward is Austin’s 100-year integrated water resource plan to develop and implement diverse and environmentally conscious water management strategies to adapt to growth, drought, and climate change and ensure a sustainable, resilient, equitable, and affordable water future for our community for the next 100 years.

Water Forward was first approved by Council in November 2018. Since that time Austin Water has begun implementation of near-term plan strategies to help address future water supply needs. Austin Water has now started the process to complete the first 5-year update to the Water Forward plan and is targeting plan completion by 2024. Austin Water will be updating this plan in alignment with community values and will include refreshed demand, climate, and other projections to plan for a range of possible futures.

The Water Forward community engagement process will include virtual and in person engagement opportunities, including public workshops, ongoing Water Forward Task Force meetings, and other events.

Zero Waste Block Leaders (ZWBLs) are engaged residents who are passionate about sustainability and zero waste. They offer their time and knowledge to their friends, families and neighbors. They share information about recycling, composting, repurposing and repairing.

As a ZWBL, you will play an important role in getting Austin to zero waste by 2040. You will have direct access to Austin Resource Recovery staff and informational materials.  With the best and most accurate information, you will do what you are probably already doing; engage with your communities on the topic of zero waste. As a ZWBL, you will teach, encourage and empower.