A New Energy in Texas
 |
| T. Boone Pickens Courtesy of www.pickensplan.com |
When you think of Texas, does big oil come to mind? It should.
For decades, Texas has long been the American Mecca for domestic oil; however, there is reason to believe that economic incentives and academic resources will escalate green industry and a sustainable culture in America’s second largest state.
Recently, T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire oil tycoon, has made environmental strides. Pickens has invested $2 billion into his new sustainable project-the Pampa Wind Project.
Pickens is running the project through a company called Mesa Power that is carrying out the project (as a wind farm) on the Texas panhandle.
|
On May 15th, Pickens told the Wall Street Journal, "You find an oilfield, it peaks and starts declining, and you've got to find another one to replace it," said Pickens, who once operated one of the largest independent oil and gas production companies. "It can drive you crazy. With wind, there's no decline curve.” |
 |
| Glen Kertz by the Vertigro algae bioreactors. Christ Chavez |
And there is nothing wrong with making a corporate profit by producing alternative energy. The continuation of a true green movement in the US will rely on the production of American made green products and sustainable energy systems.
It isn’t simply billionaires who are behind the manufacturing of healthy energy solutions. Glen Kertz, Technical Consultant, Valcent Products, El Paso, TX manufactures algae-based biomass fuels using patent pending technologies.
|
“We (Valcent) are in the middle of nowhere and we even see signs of alternative energy solutions,” said Kertz to Green Space Today. Kertz also added, “Algae is the fastest growing plant on earth & we can grow algae on land that crops won’t grow on. We found that when talking to big investment firms, they are very interested in seeing state-of-the-art algae technologies, especially when technologies are integrated under one roof. I see a lot of sustainable progress here in the state of Texas even though we are traditionally the home of oil. Texas wants to remain in the energy sector and is looking forward to maintaining that status as an energy producing state.” |
Jay Nardone, VP, Systems Integration Central, TAC (Dallas), agrees with Kertz’s sentiment. “Sustainable technologies have to make financial sense and in Texas, there is great interest in these technologies. America needs to continue to be independent and energy efficient.”
The development of new green spaces is on the rise in Texas as well.
 |
| The up and coming Blue Cross/Blue Shield Texas Headquarters. Aerial Photography Inc. |
KDC (Koll Development Company) is a Dallas-based company that is the developer of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Texas Headquarters (located in Richmond, TX). The building will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2009 and is slated to attain LEED certification.
|
Mike Rosamond, Senior VP, LEED AP, KDC, told Green Space Today, “Some of our green projects out on the West coast have not been as embraced as they have been in the Dallas metropolitan area.” |
 |
| Mike Rosamond Courtesy of KDC |
Houston and neighborhoods just outside Houston’s city limits have also experienced a greening. The WaterLights District is a planned mixed-use community located in Pearland, Texas that is scheduled to attain LEED Gold certification.
In April 2009, Hilton Americas-Houston became the first hotel in Texas to attain Green Seal certification.
When he spearheaded the Hilton-Americas Houston’s green initiatives, Jay Bush, Director of Food & Beverages, incorporated his experiences and knowledge of sustainable practices.
|
Bush said, “I arrived here (Hilton Americas-Houston) from Portland in October 2007 and I wanted to implement the same initiatives. We formed a green committee which trained all of the department heads and then they in turn implemented these green initiatives in each of their respective divisions.” |
 |
| Hilton-Americas Houston Ellen Cornell |
 |
| Left: Jay Busch, Evin Thayer, Right: Joe Palmieri, Courtesy of Houston Americas-Houston |
Bush and the Hilton Americas-Houston at large met a growing demand for green hospitality. According to Bush, “65% of companies want to find out what our green initiatives are prior to doing business with us.”
|
Joe Palmieri, GM, Hilton Americas-Houston, said “Our customers are taking notice of our sustainable efforts and appreciate it. Houston Mayor Bill White and the Houston City Council have been very supportive of our green initiatives. Also, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) www.pcma.org and Meetings Processional International (MPI) www.mpiweb.org have been resources for our initiatives.” |
Houston is home to Discovery Green, a multi-faceted 12-acre park in the heart of the City’s downtown area.
 |
| Discovery Green Jim Olive |
 |
|
Left: Austin Mayor Will Wynn in front of Austin City Hall, a LEED Gold certified space.
|
Compared to Dallas and Houston, Austin, TX has reached greater levels of sustainable accomplishments (in many regards). Popular Science magazine ranked Austin as the 10th greenest city in the US.
A reason for Austin’s relatively greener ranking (compared to Houston and Dallas) is due to the fact that Austin is a considerably smaller city with stronger environmental initiatives implemented by civic leaders such as Austin Mayor Will Wynn.
|
Austin Mayor Will Wynn told Green Space Today, “Austin is proud of our well-deserved reputation for sustainable practices, particularly in the area of green building. We started, what we believe to be, the world’s first green building certification program back in 1990. It’s a key part of our award-winning energy conservation efforts.” |
Another reason is due to the successful collaboration between the City of Austin and the University of Texas-Austin, a top tier public academic institution that has lately implemented green building and other sustainable initiatives, helping to make Austin greener at large.
Patricia Clubb, PhD, Co-Chair of UT-Austin’s Sustainability Task Force and Leader of the Operations Division, said, "We (UT-Austin) work closely with the City and are confident that the City has a green culture. The interaction between the City and University has environmentally improved Austin."
While UT-Austin only received an overall grade of C+ by The College Sustainability Report Card, the University received a grade of B in the fields of green building, student involvement, and transportation.
Steve Kraal, PhD, Senior Associate VP, Campus Planning and Facilities Management division, UT-Austin, told Green Space Today, “In conjunction with the City of Austin, we (UT-Austin) just upgraded water-efficient fixtures across campus. Our campus’ commitment to sustainability is growing.”
The UT-Austin’s commitment to sustainability is reflected by the newly constructed AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center, a building slated to receive LEED Silver certification.
|
Clubb said, “The experience students have on campus gives them a better understanding of sustainability when they graduate. Certainly, students that are involved in sustainable programs are having a big impact in Texas when they leave.” |
Texas is still home to big oil, but the Lone Star State is shining great potential for a green tomorrow.
