Have an old laptop -- or two -- laying around the home collecting dust? Maybe a roll-ball mouse sans ball? Well, don't dump them in the garbage. Drop them off at Dell. more ›

In honor of next Wednesday's Earth Day, several local environmental groups have teamed up to program a week's worth of eco-aware events. Things kick off tomorrow with an early evening benefit concert at Stubb's featuring the Old 97’s and Ben Kweller. Tickets for the show are $18 in advance or $20 at the door, and help out Hill Country Conservancy and the Sierra Club. more ›

Happy Earth Day! more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

From 3pm to 7pm, you can exchange five plastic shopping bags for one of those green plastic totes you've probably seen around. H-E-B estimates that it'll collect some 750,000 plastic bags today as a result of this giveaway, which is a good step towards reaching Austin's new goal of having each major local retailer recycle 600,000 pounds of plastic bags in the first half of 2009. more ›

The Silent Dance Party, which last took place at the Texas Capitol in December, returns today with an Earth Day-themed flash mob. more ›

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*Post by Rebecca ReedWe found the best new way to enjoy Earth Day Eve in East Austin at the First Annual Down2Earth party. Big Red Sun provided The Nest, which quickly filled before sunset with the other-worldly sounds of Didge Man (www.didgeman.com) and happy revelers dressed in their yippie hippie finest. We were thrilled to discover that they offered a delectable assortment of vegetarian fare and new ways to spike your Daily Juice (www.dailyjuice.org). The... more ›

Come kick off the weekend right with an Earth Day pre-party and benefit at The Nest @ Big Red Sun tonight. The event, presented by TEMPO, LLC and the AVEDA Experience Center of Barton Creek, and in cooperation with a slew of sponsors, will feature a vegetarian happy hour, live percussion, nature-inspired art, global dj sets, and more. down 2 earth Tonight, 6pm-10pm The Nest @ Big Red Sun [map] $5... more ›

Its premise is charming in its optimism: let's, for a single day, transform a barren, urban city block into a vibrant, organic gathering of public art and music. This weekend, Austin Green Art and Capital Sports and Entertainment (CSE) are taking over Block 21 -- better known as 2nd Street and Lavaca -- to throw a huge Earth Day celebration. "Rock The Block" promises to be replete with performance art, temporary sculptures/installations, and a... more ›

If you'll be so kind as to glance at the image to your left, you'll note that Austinist is more than pleased to provide you with your daily phallic fix. And now, to raise your mind from the gutter and elevate it to the highest heights, we bring you an exclusive interview with one of the major players at this weekend's TAFAF, or The Austin Fine Arts Festival. His name is Randy Jewart, and... more ›

Have you seen this little chart from Mother Jones? My, it’s scary. Apparently oil giant ExxonMobile has been shelling out mad cash to prominent organizations to downplay - or downright reject – the issue of global warming. Sadly, ExxonMobile is not the only environmental baddie in the world. We’re not going to name any more names (ahem), but take a look at these photos for some pictorial representation of what’s happening to our planet. more ›