Isramart : Spelman and Riley competing to cut carbon; plans for artwork at Seaholm

Isramart news:
Austin City Council Members Chris Riley and Bill Spelman won election last May on promises to be environmental stewards. On Tuesday, they announced that they will be competing against each other to see who can do more to reduce greenhouse gases, which many scientists say contribute to global climate change.

Over the next year, Riley and his three aides and Spelman and his three aides will track how much they reduce their carbon footprint — a measure of how much greenhouse gas their actions create in their everyday lives. They will use a carbon footprint calculator created by Austin Energy. At the end of the year, the office that loses will help install energy-saving measures in low-income homes.

Both offices are currently responsible for about the same amount of carbon-dioxide emissions.

"I'm looking forward to outmaneuvering Chris's office as we set our targets and track our progress online at the carbon footprint Web site," Spelman said in a news release. Riley replied: "Now Austinites will be able to see our footprints as we walk all over the office next door."

City Council talking trash

The City of Austin could embark on a planning effort soon that will create a blueprint for how Austin tackles trash and recycling needs for the next 50 years .

On Feb. 25 the City Council could give HDR Engineering the go-ahead to begin writing a master plan for the Solid Waste Services Department for up to $1.2 million . The plan will take at least a year to write and is supposed to lay out specific ideas for meeting the zero-waste goal the City Council has adopted, which aims to dramatically reduce the trash sent to landfills by 2040 through recycling, reuse and other means.

The plan could be a fresh start of sorts for Solid Waste Services , which has been under fire for negotiating a money-losing contract with the recycling company Greenstar North America.

It also comes as the city is reviewing proposals from seven firms interested in building an Austin recycling plant. The plan will be the first major initiative led by new Solid Waste Services Director Bob Gedert .

Seaholm wall to be public art

The Seaholm Power Plant, which sits on the north side of Lady Bird Lake, is prime real estate, but, its Art Deco lettering aside, not exactly the prettiest thing along the shoreline. On Feb. 25, the City Council is scheduled to vote on a small step toward spiffing up the area.

The city is already planning to redevelop Seaholm and the neighboring Thomas C. Green Water Treatment Plant as a mix of shops, condos and amenities. Part of that plan is shrinking an existing substation to make room for a new library and then turning a wall that will enclose the substation into a work of art.

Exactly what sort of art hasn't been decided. The city has budgeted $750,000 for the wall and would spend an additional $181,200 that is already budgeted for public art. The city's Art in Public Places program would commission the design, engineering and construction.