January 12th, 2012

Although it’s less obvious during winter, with the fields and forests having gone dormant, Texas’ historic drought continues to claim casualties.

Trees, especially, remain at risk because they use the winter months to grow root systems, and the moisture in the soil will determine whether they’ll recover from 2011′s record drought and heat.

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December 22nd, 2011

Texas environmental and public health representatives say new EPA safeguards to reduce mercury and other toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-powered power plants will help clear the air in the Lone Star state, the top emitter of mercury pollution in the US.
The new rules, which will require aging coal plants to clean up their emissions, will have a big impact on air and water quality in Texas, because six of the top 10 worst mercury emitting power plants in the nation are in Texas, they said.

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December 17th, 2011

Environmental advocates in Austin issued a torrent of statements today to protest the Congressional fast-tracking of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

Gathering downtown, representatives of Public Citizen, Sierra Club and the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition called upon President Obama and the US State Department to stick by their previous commitment to adequately review the pipeline, a process estimated to take a year or more, and not be cornered into a 60 day review by GOP members of Congress who want the pipeline installed.

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December 8th, 2011

Texas School for the Deaf has won the grand prize in a green school makeover competition sponsored by Global Green USA and Pureology.
As the top winner, the school will receive $130,000 to expand its sustainability initiatives.

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November 11th, 2011

An investigation of water issues by an Austin writer and environmentalisthas revived the tactic of shaming high water users like celebrity bike competitor Lance Armstrong to make a point about water conservation in the drought-stricken state.
Paul Robbins asked the Austin Water Utility to release the records for the top residential water users in Austin for fiscal 2011, which just ended Oct. 30.

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August 25th, 2011

In what sounds like a 1950s B-horror movie — call it “Attack of the Invasive Species” — two researchers say Texans are about to begin a battle against invading plants and animals that could cost millions of dollars.

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August 10th, 2011

Texas is among the top states in the nation for the number of workers who are making components for clean, fuel-efficient vehicles, according to a new report.

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May 5th, 2011

The Nature Conservancy today announced it has donated its 177-acre Gypsum Dunes Preserve in the famed Texas panhandle to the National Park Service. The preserve, which is part of the second largest dune field in the continental United States and possibly in all of North America, will be incorporated into the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

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November 10th, 2010

The International Fund for Animal Welfare said it is moving three tigers from a closed sanctuary in San Antonio to Pittsboro, N.C. The tigers will be transported on a 36-foot rescue trailer and cover more than 1,300 miles to their new life-long home at the Carolina Tiger Rescue sanctuary.

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October 20th, 2010

Plans have been announced for a 1,500-acre Eco-Merge Green Corporate Center (GCC) in Bastrop County. The project is part of the planned Central Texas Airport, which is being designed to be America’s first green airport—conceived and developed to achieve balance between technology and nature.

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October 14th, 2010

The Texas Department of Agriculture is launching a new campaign called “Get the Hog Outta Texas” in an effort to remove wild hogs and curb the damage done to private property by them in the state of Texas. The challenge, which runs through the end of October, will reward the county that removes the most hogs with a grant. The challenge has recruited nearly 60 counties so far:

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