Recognizing six outstanding projects.
In its sixth year, the Austin Green Awards opened with Kurt Stogdill, representing Headline Sponsor Austin Energy Green Building. Kurt gave his introductory remarks where he issued a call to action to the audience: “The February 2021 winter storms brought unimaginable challenges to Austin. The City and Travis County are making efforts to ready the community for future impacts of the climate crisis and other potential hazards. The Austin Green Awards provides an excellent forum to view innovative projects helping to better prepare Austin. If you’re looking for a way to stay or become more engaged in finding these solutions look no further than the City of Austin, which is undertaking a number of initiatives such as its Climate Equity Plan. The Plan is just beginning to move into the implementation phase and is an excellent opportunity to help make a difference.”
Mr. Stogdill’s remarks were followed by climate liberation organizer Emma Galbraith’s compelling keynote. Ms. Galbraith, an Austin native and currently a student at Occidental College, eloquently and passionately spoke of the urgency to address the climate crisis:
“The work that designers, builders, and architects do to reimagine and better our cities is irreplaceable, especially in this century of crisis that we’ve never seen before. Right now this work is needed more than ever. Designers hold incredible power to shape how humans interact with each other and with the natural environment. If global temperatures are allowed to rise 2º or 4º Celsius, we’re not going to have a civilization when the hurricanes, freezes, floods, heatwaves, pandemics, and wars are through with us. So, who must sustainability work for in order to give us a fighting chance at building any kind of lasting society? The principle of sustainability that design must rest on now is that which sustains human life above any industry or profit. Sustainable design has to nurture, support, and be forgiving of both human life and our climate.”
Mr. Stogdill’s remarks were followed by climate liberation organizer Emma Galbraith’s compelling keynote. Ms. Galbraith, an Austin native and currently a student at Occidental College, eloquently and passionately spoke of the urgency to address the climate crisis:
“The work that designers, builders, and architects do to reimagine and better our cities is irreplaceable, especially in this century of crisis that we’ve never seen before. Right now this work is needed more than ever. Designers hold incredible power to shape how humans interact with each other and with the natural environment. If global temperatures are allowed to rise 2º or 4º Celsius, we’re not going to have a civilization when the hurricanes, freezes, floods, heatwaves, pandemics, and wars are through with us. So, who must sustainability work for in order to give us a fighting chance at building any kind of lasting society? The principle of sustainability that design must rest on now is that which sustains human life above any industry or profit. Sustainable design has to nurture, support, and be forgiving of both human life and our climate.”
