CEC:AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS UPDATE =AD 2/6/04
__________________________________________________ _______________________=


LOCAL
(1) Consumers, environmentalists give EZ-Ds thumbs down
(2) EPA takes public input on mercury rule

THE WEEK'S EVENTS
(3) Distinguished lecture series
(4) Treefolks Annual One-Day Planting
(5) Flag Wars
(6) Solar Rebate Stakeholders=B9 Meeting
(7) Lecture on Austin=B9s green power
(8) Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory Workshop
(9) Green by Design Workshop

GREEN JOBs
(10) Part-time fundraiser, Earth Share of Texas
(11) Environmental Educator, National Wildlife Federation

IN THE NEWS
(12) Austin American Statesman
(13) Austin Business Journal
__________________________________________________ _____________________

LOCAL

(1) CONSUMERS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS GIVE EZ-D=B9S THUMBS DOWN
by Erika McDonald

Poor sales and environmental concerns caused EZ-Ds to flop. Last week
the
disposable DVDs were pulled from the shelves at 20 H-E-B stores in the
Austin area. Central Texas had been a test market for the EZ-Ds
distributed
by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, owned by the Walt Disney Corp.
EZ-Ds are vacuum-sealed movies that, once opened, play for 48 hours
before
a chemical reaction on the surface of the discs renders them unplayable.
Even though the EZ-Ds are recyclable, environmentalists called
needlessly
wasteful arguing that most consumers were throwing them away.
Texas Campaign for the Environment, an Austin-based group, launched a
campaign last summer to convince retailers in the area, including H-E-B,
7-11, Suncoast and Best Buy, to stop selling EZ-Ds.
The campaign held demonstrations outside the stores, with some
protesters
dressed as Disney characters, encouraging shoppers to send post cards to
Disney. Members of the Campaign also met with store representatives to
discuss their concerns.
Robin Schneider, who led the efforts, said she was thrilled the
Texas-based grocery store chain decided to end the test run early.
"Central Texas consumers sent the message loud and clear, =8CWe think
EZ-Ds
are Dumbo,=B9" she said. A survey conducted by a local television station=

indicated the product had not caught on with shoppers.
Despite Buena Vista=B9s efforts to promote recycling of the product,
including posting information on its web site, the city of Austin
confirmed
that few EZ-Ds had been returned to local recycling centers.
H-E-B spokespersons say it was low sales and not environmental
concerns
that prompted the store to pull out of the test market.
"We based our decision strictly on sales," Susan Ghertner, H-E-B=B9s
environmental affairs manager, said.
Still, Schneider said she thinks H-E-B made the right decision for the
environment and hopes that other stores will follow suit.
The disposable movies are currently available in three other markets
around the country including Kansas City; Charleston, South Carolina;
and
Peoria and Bloomington, Illinois.

(2) EPA TAKES PUBLIC INPUT ON MERCURY RULES
by Erika McDonald

January 30 marked the beginning of a 60-day public comment period on
the
Environmental Protection Agency=B9s new rules designed to reduce mercury
emissions. The primary source of mercury emissions is coal-fired power
plants. =

The EPA drew fire from environmental groups in Texas and across the
country
in December when it announced new rules for coal-burning plants. For
years,
the agency has been drafting guidelines that would have reduced
emissions by
90 percent across the nation. Instead, the agency proposed a
cap-and-trade
plan, which sets an national emissions limit and allows cleaner plants
to
sell pollution credits to dirtier plants. While the plan is expected to
reduce the nation-wide emissions total by 70 percent (10 years later
than
the original plan), environmental groups have argued the EPA left
hotspots
such as Texas virtually unprotected.
Texas leads the nation in mercury emissions, with 8,992 lbs released
from
coal-fired plants across the state.
"If you live within 50 miles of a smokestack, you=B9re at risk because
there=B9s nothing in this plan that guarantees (any particular) plant is
going
to cut emissions," Jonathan Banks of the DC-based group Clear the Air
said.
Individuals are most commonly exposed to mercury by eating
contaminated
fish. Twelve state water bodies, including the Gulf of Mexico, are under
health-department advisories because of mercury contamination. The
Texas
Department of Health also warns against the heavy consumption of species
high on the food chain, such as swordfish, orange roughy and tuna.
A heavy metal, mercury has been linked to neurological and
developmental
disorders in children. This week, the EPA doubled its previous estimates
in
announcing that more than 630,000 children are born each year at risk of
lowered intelligence and learning problems from exposure to high levels
of
mercury in the womb.
The EPA will accept public comments via mail email or facsimile until
March
30. Submission information can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/comment.htm.
__________________________________________________ _______________________=


THE WEEK=B9S EVENTS

(3) DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES

Date: Fri, Feb 6 =

Time: 7 pm
Location: Selah Ranch in the Texas Hill Country
Contact: For more information, visit the web site
http://www.wildflowers.org

(4) TREEFOLKS ANNUAL ONE-DAY PLANTING

Date: Feb 7
Time: All day
Location: Various locations contact for details
Contact: (512) 443-5323 or visit http://www.treefolks.org

(5) FLAG WARS

Date: Mon, Feb 9
Time: 8 pm
Location: Call for details
Contact: (512) 471-1922

(6) SOLAR REBATE STAKEHOLDER MEETING

Date: Sun, Feb 8
Time: 3 pm
Location: Austin Energy, 721 Barton Springs Rd.
Contact: Amanda Buehler (512) 477-1155

(7) LECTURE ON AUSTIN=B9S GREEN POWER

Date: Fri, Feb 13 =

Time: 7 pm
Location: Welch Hall on the UT Campus.
Contact: For more information on the lecture, parking, and webcast see:
http://www.geo.utexas.edu/esi/outreach/lectures.html


(8) HORNSBY BEND BIRD OBSERVATORY WORKSHOP: THE CULTURAL AND NATURAL
HISTORY
OF PURPLE MARTINS

Date: Fri-Sat, Feb 20-21
Time: Fri, 7-9pm; Sat, 9am-12pm
Location: The Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend
Contact: Kevin Anderson at


(9) GREEN BY DESIGN WORKSHOP

Date: Sat, Feb 21 =

Time: 9am-4 pm
Location: Commons building of the J. J. Pickle Research Center, 10100
Burnet
Road
Contact: (512) 505-3700; registration deadline, Feb 17
__________________________________________________ _______________________=


(10) GREEN JOBS

PART-TIME FUNDRAISER, EARTH SHARE OF TEXAS

Earth Share of Texas seeks a part-time Houston-Galveston
representative to
raise money for environmental organizations through payroll deduction
plans.
Flexible schedule, good public-speaking skills, familiarity with
environmental issues are required. The successful candidate will be a
self-starter at ease with employees of all levels. Starting rate is $15
per
hour plus expenses. Heaviest workload is from August through November;
workload is not consistent through the year. Please e-mail a brief cover
letter and resume of no more than two pages to
. Phone calls will not be accepted. The
application deadline has not been set.

(11) ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATOR, NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

The National Wildlife Federation is looking for an educator to adapt
and
implement NWF's national education projects, integrate conservation
messages
and campaigns, assist in cultivation and integration of affiliates,
identify
potential constituents and cultivate new ones. The qualified candidate
will
have bachelor=B9s degree in education, environmental education,
environmental
science, natural resources, wildlife biology or other related field. A
minimum of three years=B9 experience in program planning, implementation
and
promotion, recruiting and working with volunteers is required. NWF
offers an
excellent benefits package. Apply online at
http://www.nwf.org/careergateway or contact Marya Fowler, Regional
Education Program Manager National Wildlife Federation, Gulf States
Natural
Resource Center, 44 East Ave. Suite 200, Austin, TX 78701, 512-476-9805

__________________________________________________ _______________________=


(12) IN THE NEWS

AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN

PIPELINES NEED THOROUGH REVIEW NO MATTER WHO BENEFITS, 2/3/04
Should citizens trust Austin Energy=92s claims that the Rancho Pipeline
project is safe, ecologically sound and economical?
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/con...ns/tuesday/ed=
ito
rial_04f15582b2f150e200e3.html

UT SYSTEM APPROVES WORK ON BID TO GO NUCLEAR, 2/5/04
Regents allot up to $500,000 to vie for managing Los Alamos nuclear
weapons
lab.
http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/...tions/thursda=
y/m
etro_state_04129f02426eb0ed006f.html

FATE OF WALGREENS TIED TO TACO, 2/5/04
Proposal would solidify taco stand's future
http://www.statesman.com/news/conten...thursday/news=
_04
129f74426e30891031.html

CITY DEMOLISHES BMX TRACK ON PARKLAND, 2/4/04
Four track builders arrested.
http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/...tions/wednesd=
ay/
metro_state_04027aff426ea08400e4.html

(13) AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL

EVNIRONMENTAL V. ECONOMICS, 2/4/04
Environmentalists winning war against developers.
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin...02/story3.html
__________________________________________________ _____________________

ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION

CEC Environmental News Update is a weekly publication of the Citizens'
Environmental Coalition, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to fostering
dialogue, education and collaboration relating to environmental issues
in
the Houston/Galveston and Austin regions. Visit the CEC online at
http://www.cechouston.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe, email To
suggest
items for inclusion or if you have news tips or story ideas, send your
request via e-mail to Erika McDonald at .

Phone: (713) 524-4232
Fax: (713) 524-3311


-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal