ACES should be more action than discussion

Published 10:53 am Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Austin has an environmental organization whose goal is to reduce the city’s carbon foot print — ACES.

Ever heard of it? The Austin Coalition for Environmental Sustainability is working to reduce carbon emissions as part of the “Cool Cities” initiative.

ACES is on the right track, but like any similar organization, sometimes discussion seems to be the primary focus, rather than getting out on the streets and taking action.

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Workshops are great, but at this point in time, most people know how to reduce their energy use, recycle and become more environmentally-friendly; it’s just a matter of them taking initiative to do it.

If they are going to involve city government, rather than educating them about fluorescent bulbs are how to do energy audits at home, let’s see how officials can work to change energy use for the city as a whole — that is their job, after all. Conducting energy audits for the government buildings and developing a real, working plan with a timeline will make a great start for ACES even more effective.