If you were planning to attend Cinema East this Sunday evening, be aware of a scheduling change. This outdoor film series, which has been running all summer at the French Legation Museum, had originally planned to show a double feature this week, but after they were unable to obtain a permit to stay open until midnight, they're now splitting the lineup into two nights. more ›

While still in need of some funding, in.gredients, the first package-free, zero-waste grocery store in Austin (and the nation), has announced it will set up shop in Central/East Austin. The spot they've chosen is 2610 Manor Rd. "Being close to Austin’s food desert - where corner stores selling highly-processed food are sometimes used as grocery stores - helped determine our location," their announcement post states. For more information on the upcoming store, check out our interview with co-founder Christian Lane, posted earlier this week. more ›

When sitting down with co-founder of recently announced in.gredients, a concept quickly coming to fruition as the first package-free, waste-not grocery store in Austin and ostensibly the U.S., it’s apparent Christian Lane has done his homework. All researching and late night assignments aside, Christian and his partners (also his brothers), Patrick and Joseph, and “brother in spirit,” Christopher Pepe, possess years of actual project implementation vis-à-vis their work as Praecipio Consulting (http://praecipio.com), an IT, business process, and custom development consulting firm based in Austin. more ›

What do an outlaw hunter turned game warden, an editorial cartoonist, and an Austin ecotourism consultant have in common? For starters, their stories are all featured in The Texas Legacy Project: Stories of Courage and Conservation. more ›

• Texas -- home of the oyl bidness and Texas “T” -- is a Green-power leader?
• We had no clue The Doors played their last full show in Dallas!
• The man behind the marketing of the new Black Angels album “Phosphene Dream” is the same guy who helped write the pop-classic, “I Want Candy.”

The Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program, funded by a $23 million grant of federal stimulus funds, launched this morning to overwhelming response. Both the telephone lines and web form have been inundated with requests, but you can still get through if you keep trying. more ›

• Read what the BBC’s Huw Stephens has to say about SXSW.
• Austin is one green city: here you can even recycle food!
• Video story on the Houston music scene.

The Pecan Street Project has been awarded $10.4 million in federal grant money to build a "smart-grid" community at the Mueller development in Northeast Austin. The grant money was part of $184.5 million in federal clean-energy stimulus programs announced today by U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Pecan Street is a partnership between the city and high-tech companies to develop clean-energy solutions, such as advanced electric meters on homes and business and electric-car recharging stations. More details to come at a press conference this afternoon. [Statesman Business Blog] more ›

In an environmentally friendly move, Dell is replacing the paper, plastic, and foam packaging material for two of its computers with inserts made of bamboo. more ›

After we ran the story this morning about the cyclist who was shot with a pellet gun by people in a light blue Prius, one of our readers recognized a hauntingly familiar connection to a similar incident that had happened to his friend around the same time. His friend, Austinite Jason Goodrich, wrote to us directly. more ›

Wildflower displays this year expected to be only moderate since there wasn't much rain this fall. Hard hit by drought, Bastrop County asks Gov. Perry for state of emergency status. San Antonio and Austin city leaders working together to lure solar companies to Central Texas. Capital Metro rail test today showed that cars at 53rd Street are not stopping far enough away from the tracks. Three-alarm fire sparked at a Northeast Austin business at about midnight this morning. Is the honeymoon over? Speaker Straus refuses to hear a motion to allow Reps to voluntarily switch committee assignments. Whole Foods profits down 17.4%. more ›

Three local environmental groups are running assorted outreach efforts tomorrow, and still looking for volunteers to participate: more ›

• Auto bailout fails in the Senate.
• Cheney says it will be "Herbert Hoover time" if there is no aid for automakers.
• Mexico deports Americans.

The AltCar Expo and Conference, taking place at Palmer Events Center today and tomorrow, is being touted as the region's "largest collection of alternative fuel vehicles and technologies," with over one hundred autos to be showcased. Alternative fuel vehicles are everything from electric cars and trucks (considered "zero emission," electricity generation notwithstanding) to those powered by natural gas, propane, biodiesel and ethanol. more ›

This year's Maker Faire will feature many exhibits that focus on sustainability and green technology. Do-it-yourselfers of all backgrounds will be at the event to show off their eco-friendly creations. Intrigued tree huggers should start at The Green, Cost-Effective, DIY Extravaganza where attendees can learn how to make a solar oven, build a low-cost graywater system, make a pedicab, or set up an indoor garden. Visitors can also explore and talk to the makers of a hand built earthen oven and a solar powered water distilling device. more ›

Photos by Ann Harkness from Friday night's Recycled Fashion Show at Treasure City Thrift Store. more ›

Austin Green Art, our local purveyors of public art with an environmental edge, recently moved into their brand spanking new studios near 35th Street and Mopac. They're looking for volunteers to help 'em out with various and sundry moving-in activities around the mammoth 4,000-square-foot space—things like painting, pushing boxes, setting up the office, gardening, etc&mdash. They're hosting a workday this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. "Drop in anytime" to help out. more ›

International bicycling phenomenon Lance Armstrong was named the top water user in Austin, according to a list published by the Statesman. He paid $1,630 for 222,900 gallons of water. Astounding ingenuity and persistence enabled local attorney Carolyn Beckett to take the number two spot by using 174,400 gallons of water, even though her 1/3 acre lot doesn't have a swimming pool or a sprinkler system. Austinites overall use about 180 million gallons of water a day during the summer. more ›

Austin overall is ambivalent about lawns. Lawns are particularly ill-suited for the Texas climate - keeping all that grass green requires a lot of water and chemicals. Nonetheless, most single family homes in Austin are surrounded by green lawns, even after weeks of hot weather and little rain. The city imposes watering restrictions and recommends minimizing total lawn area, but many homeowner's associations have strict rules requiring well maintained lawns. However, with water conservation becoming an ever larger issue and the increasing attraction of xeriscaping for ecological, economic and aesthetic reasons, the Austin lawn may soon become a historical relic. more ›

Planet Make-Over, an interactive, entertainment driven, musician/celebrity-led, movement to reverse the effects of global warming, will kick off their new initiative with a fundraiser event at the Four Seasons. Celebrity endorsers of PMO include Willie Nelson, Alejandro Escovedo and Kris Kristofferson. more ›

What is the greenest way to celebrate the 4th of July? Well, the 2nd Annual Green 4th of July Celebration at the Austin Farmers Market, of course! Technically on Saturday, July 5th, this year's event features green gurus, interactive discussions, local food, live music, sustainable kid's activities and entertainment. more ›

According to the Statesman, the City of Austin is generally failing to enforce the Water Use Management Ordinance, despite having received over a thousand complaints about violations. Only three citations have been issued so far, all to commercial users. Under the ordinance, commercial and multifamily users can only water on Tuesday and/or Friday year round, residential users with odd-numbered addresses can only water on Wednesday and/or Saturday from May 1 - September 30 and residential users with even-numbered addresses can only water on Thursday and/or Sunday from May 1 - September 30. No one can water between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., except with hand-held hose. more ›

A message from our beloved mayor: Over the last several months, you may have heard talk about a proposed City plan for achieving improved energy efficiency in existing homes. Some have called it the "point of sale" ordinance, or even the "green home tax." There's been a lot of confusion and misunderstanding on this issue, so I want to try to set the record straight. I hope that you will take a moment to read this. more ›

Austin's continued involvement in the Central Texas Clean Cities Program, has earned the city a $12,500 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Energy. more ›

Austin eco-friendly designerRené Geneva will show her hemp and organic wool designs at Fashion Week in Los Angeles with support from Austin's own EcoClean and Kendra Scott jewelery. more ›

BarCamp Austin is an "unconference" -- an event that flips the traditional meeting setup on its head. Everything in an unconference is planned, set up, and executed by the participants. If it sounds like a model for chaos, it turns out it's just the opposite. more ›

Green Drinks gets computer savvy this month with a focus on greening computer usage and IT. Rebecca Thorburn, a member of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, will be on hand to discuss the non-profit organization's dedication to promoting climate conservation through the widespread deployment of energy efficient hardware and power management software. more ›

The Mohawk presents a solid double bill of local pop this evening. The Lemurs have been writing new material over the last few months and a handful of those songs will be included in their set tonight. The band enjoyed a stellar 2007 -- highlights included licensing their music to NBC show Las Vegas (as well as an Australian indie flick called Newcastle) and touring with Canadian act Stars. This past Sunday, ME Television telecast a 2nd ME Live! featuring The Lemurs' shimmering melodies in concert at a recent La Zona Rosa gig. more ›

The iconic Grant Hart, of well-earned Hüsker Dü fame, headlines for Grand Champeen and The Service Industry tonight inside the Mohawk. Hüsker Dü, for those of you who don't remember, or are merely too young to have been a part of their revolution, were one of the most influential hardcore punk bands in history. Not only were they one of the first underground successes to sign to a major label, but they were the first group to truly weave melody into the greater punkrock mentality. Basically, without their influence, we wouldn't have had bands like the Pixies, Green Day, and some little garage outfit called Nirvana. And Grant Hart, my friends, was Hüsker Dü's drummer and part-time songwriter. more ›