For over 16 years, we’ve been this community’s trusted source for local environmental news and we’ve loved every minute of it. But Austin is growing up and we feel like it’s time for us to grow up too, in order to better serve the changing needs of our city.

Which leads us to some very exciting news.

In September, we’ll be launching a rebranded Austin EcoNetwork with a new name (still TBD) and a new tagline - Be Informed. Make A Difference.

We’ll also be embracing a broader and more intersectional definition of sustainability in our coverage - people, planet, and profits - and specializing in speaking to people who are new and working to build their lives, careers and levels of engagement in Austin. Our goal is to truly meet people where they are, and give them the skills to grow.

Which is why we’re founded on the belief that - You don’t have to have all your sh*t together to change the world :)

The idea here is to create a news site that welcomes people, builds them up, introduces them to community, and fosters a real movement - of people in this city who feel empowered to change the world because they have the tools and the social network to make it happen.

PS - Don’t worry: while our branding is changing, our core values are the same. As always, we’ll still be dedicated to sharing fact-based, well-researched news and ACTIONABLE information with our local community.

1. 10- Minute Democracy Distilled Podcast

Short, bi-weekly podcast that goes beyond the headlines to explain how our local political system works. Uses humor to answer the questions about our government that you’ve always wondered about but are too embarrassed to ask.

In each episode, a different question will be answered, such as:

• What does our City Council actually do?
• What are those boards and commissions I keep hearing about? How do I get involved?
• What is the structure of our police system? Who’s in charge? And how does our police department fit into the larger national conversation around policing, violence, and communities?

2. “The One Where Austinites Learn About Their Political History” Podcast

In each episode we dig into a moment in Austin’s political history, sharing the weird, the wild, the good, the bad, and the ugly that make up our city’s past… and continue to impact our present.

Episodes could include:

• The One Where 800 Austinites Stayed Up All Night To Save Barton Springs Pool
• The One Where Austin Spent Millions On A Biomass Plant That Was Hardly Ever Used
• The One Where A Group Of Austinites Organized Together To End Racial Quotas and Limits On City Council Seats

3. How The F*ck Do I? Explainer Series

We get it. You have a lot going on in your life… which can make keeping up with all the events of the world pretty difficult. In this series, we break all down for you, with how-to articles, news explainer pieces, and information that gives you some context behind the headlines.

Topic ideas could include:

• How the f*ck do I... buy adult clothes that aren’t super shitty for the environment?
• How the f*ck do I… write a letter to my City Council member that actually gets read?
• What the f*ck is going on with CodeNEXT? How can I get involved?
• Why the f*ck have we not fixed our city’s transportation problems yet?

4. Highlighting Grassroots Initiatives and Campaigns

There are so many nonprofit and community organizing groups in Austin all working hard to make our city more just, equitable, and environmentally-friendly… but sometimes it can be difficult to find them all! And to learn how to get involved.

With this segment, we’ll be gathering all that information and putting it all in one easy-to-read place, so you can learn more and figure out how to get plugged in.

Grassroots Initiatives and campaigns covered could include things like:

• Children In Nature - a coalition of nonprofits, city departments, teachers, and community members all working to increase equitable access to nature and the outdoors for children in Austin
• City Council candidates looking for block-walkers, volunteers, etc
• No Sanctuary For Black Futures - a campaign pushing for the review of Austin Public Library’s current policies regarding codes of conduct, youth services, youth engagement, and collaboration with the police (with a particular focus on youth of color)

5. Austin 101 Classes

About 145 people move to Austin every day. That's 145 people struggling to find their way and to get connected to the local community.

With these in-person/digital/video classes, we're serving as a modern-day welcome wagon, helping people feel like locals faster!

Topics covered could include:

• How do I find the best local professional, civic, and nonprofit groups to join, volunteer with, or serve on their boards?
• How do I find genuinely cool local businesses to support when I want to eat out or go shopping?
• Where are the best places to hear live music and support local performing and visual artists?
• What can I recycle at home or in my apartment/condo? How can I compost? What do I do with Styrofoam? Or my old mattress?
• How do I even ride the bus in Austin? Find routes near me? Take my bike on the bus?
• How do I find safe routes to commute to work by bike?
• Who is my City Council member? And how do they usually engage with residents like me?

1. Digital subscription box with discounts to local events

We’re an online publication, but that doesn’t mean we want you to spend all day looking at a computer screen.

By joining our digital subscription box program (still working on a name for this), you’ll have all the tools you need to get outside and go do! Each “box” will be curated to help connect you to the local Austin community and to opportunities for positive impact.

Items inside the digital subscription box could include:

• Early access to, discounts on, or free tickets to:
  • Guest lectures/ speaker series/ networking events hosted by local young professional organizations, universities, and community groups
  • Classes/workshops hosted by local nonprofit organizations - beekeeping classes, gardening classes, cooking classes
  • Local galas and fundraisers (giving you access to some of Austin's movers and shakers)
  • Art, music, and cultural events
  • Events featuring local Austin leaders and "insider" tours of some of our city's coolest and most famous businesses and institutions
• Coupons to local social good businesses
• Guides with information about getting connected to different communities within Austin. For example - the environmental community, the beekeeping community, the civics community.

PS - One of our main goals with this box program is to work on building bigger audiences for events already being hosted by local nonprofits and organizations... not to merely create our own new ones. So if you run a local event series and might be interested in partnering, let us know!

2. Leaders Apprenticeship Program

Connecting new leaders to opportunities for impact and helping long-time leaders mentor the next wave of change-making Austinites

Here's how it could work.

New/aspiring leaders (aka - apprentices) will be matched with long-time community leaders, shadowing them as they attend nonprofit board meetings, boards and commission meetings, and other places where important decisions are made. The apprecentice will have the opportunity to broaden their social network, while also helping long-time leaders send out emails, prepare for meetings, etc.

3. "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Events

We all live in our own little bubbles, which is damaging for democracy and just makes life a little boring. With this event series, we’ll be bringing together small groups of people from different generations, professions, backgrounds, and parts of town for a meal and facilitated group discussions.

4. Online Community

This is your chance to interact with each other!

Topics could include:

• Find your next dreamer, schemer and collaborator! A match-making process that pairs you up with other Austinites looking to make a difference around a certain cause.
  My name is ____. I want to change the world by ____. But I need this thing _____ or this person _____ to do it.
• Homegrown Resource Sharing -
  An opportunity for people to share (and create together) homemade resource guides on everything from “where to shop zero waste in Austin” to “tips for running for local office.” Could also include annotated City Council ordinances so people can learn about new laws/policies being passed in their local community.
• Sharing Circles - We match you up into small virtual groups who meet periodically (on Google Hangouts) to share struggles, frustrations, and wins, as well as offer up advice and support. We’re all working hard to change the world… and sometimes you just need someone to talk to!
• Find new friends (and carpool buddies) to go to events with - We know how it is. Sometimes you just don't want to be the only new person at a networking or social event. That's why this program allows you to match up with other newbies... and create an eco-friendly culture of sharing rides in the process!

5. News Support Clubs

We get it. Sometimes scrolling through your news feed can send you down a spiral of anxiety and depression.

That’s where News Support Clubs come in. Led by our members, these small clubs would meet regularly and allow folks to vent their frustrations, participate in meaningful and deliberative conversations about local events, and get connected to local leaders who are making a real difference on everything from climate change to economic inequality.

Think of it like a book club for the news… but instead of just talking about issues, you can get connected to real opportunities for impact.

Topics will center around items ripped right from the headlines (or things that should be in the headlines) and could include:

• Upcoming City Council votes/decisions on topics including:
  • Expanding the downtown convention center
  • City of Austin budget
  • Regulations around how we treat homeless individuals in Austin
  • Changes to Austin's public transit system
• National news topics and how they impact Austin
  
  • Federal immigration policies
  • Paris Climate Agreement
  • Black Lives Matter

News Support Club leaders will be given discussion prompts, informational guidelines, and access to guest speakers/ local leaders who can comment on ongoing issues.

To reflect all these new changes at the Austin EcoNetwork, we plan on changing the name of the organization. Below, we’ve provided some information about what we’re looking for in a new name, as well as some name ideas that we’ve already brainstormed.

On the next page, please rank our current name ideas and feel free to offer up any suggestions of your own!

Things We Want Our New Name To Reflect:

1. Our new tagline: Be Informed. Make A Difference.

2. Our new founding belief: You don’t have to have all your sh*it together to change the world :)

3. A brand that implies more than just eco, and feels inclusive of people who don’t identify first as an environmentalist