Newsletter: October 2019
Nostalgic memories of dorms set for demolition. Multi-use trails connecting a diverse and beautiful region on the Mexican border. Electric buses taking over transit across North America. These are a few of the projects I’ve been working on since my first e-newsletter announcing my freelancing gig last spring.
I’m also pleased to announce I’ve relaunched the popular #WasteLessWednesday website, and am working on a book to be published in 2020. It’s called Green(ish): A 21st Century Guide to Protecting the Environment Without Hugging a Tree.
Here are some quick reads on what I’ve been up to and where I’ll be this fall. Thanks to all for the words of encouragement and to my clients. Y’all please keep me in mind for your communications gigs. Have a great fall, Hook ‘Em Horns, and don’t forget November 15 is America Recycles Day!
Goodbye Tri Towers
This summer, I went for coffee with Alcalde magazine Managing Editor Sofia Sokolove, and we started spit-balling story ideas for the University of Texas at Austin alumni magazine she edits.
How about “computing for good”? “Micro-mobility” and all those students who don’t wear helmets when biking and scootering around the UT campus? The Texas Politics Project? Sofia nods, and nods again.
Then I mention I was at an Austin Habitat for Humanity board meeting when I learned University Towers was being demolished. I told Sofia I used to live there in the early ‘80s when it was called Tri Towers, and how I became lifelong friends with my neighbors there. She said, “That’s the story I want.” So here it is–complete with all the dirt and a few tears–in the September issue.
Branding a Trail
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has a lot of cool corridors in its portfolio of TrailNation™ Projects–from the Baltimore Greenway to the Miami Loop and Bay Area Trails Collaborative. I got the pleasure of working with my former creative director Michael Freberg and my wife Millie Salinas-Davis (also a former EnviroMedian) on the marketing strategy and branding for what was once known as the “Lower Rio Grande Active Plan.”
The finished product? A trail named for a colorful, carnivorous bird called the crested caracara.
This branding challenge was truly unique as this trail is unlike any other. Based on the southernmost tip of Texas where diabetes rates are too high, the 428-mile Active Plan is designed just as much as a public health solution as it is for sheer recreation. Once completed, the trail will connect 11 Cameron County cities, the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, Resaca de la Palma State Park, and South Padre Island. Not only can you hike, bike, jog, and skate on this trail network but you can also paddle waterways and take advantage of world-class birding.
The crested caracara, primarily found in Central and South America, can be spotted in South Texas. Photo: Audubon
The Brief: The marketing strategy needed to draw people from within the Lower Rio Grande Valley community, across Texas and the U.S. and from Mexico, especially those who enjoy “active tourism.” So there are economic as well as health benefits to the Active Plan. The brand must work in English and Spanish. Terrain-wise, there are beaches, canals and palm trees for miles. So how do you bring this all together?
After breaking down market research conducted in both Texas and Mexico, and testing several brands, the one that rose to the top is the “Caracara Trails.”
Also known as the Mexican Eagle, the caracara is a bird of prey predominantly from Central and South America. In the U.S., it can only found in South Texas and a tiny part of South Florida.
To find out more about the Caracara Trails, you can read this great blog by RTC President Ryan Chao here. Special thanks to clients Brandi Horton, Dr. Rose Gowan and Eva Garcia for your collaboration and leadership.
PS: Right after I got the call that the client team had selected “Caracara,” darned if I didn’t spot one of these rare birds in my neighbor’s yard while I was on a jog that same day!
Wait? A Bus Holds A World Record for Longest Range of Any Electric Vehicle?
Guess which electric vehicle holds the world record for range? It’s not the sporty Tesla. It’s the Catalyst® E2 Max from Proterra. Yup, this 40-foot bus built just for electric transit and transporting loads of people on city streets broke a world record when it traveled 1,201.2 miles on the Navistar Proving Grounds in New Carlisle, Indiana, in 2017.
I got to write about the Catalyst (and its super efficient and powerful batteries and drivetrains) and all the innovation going on with Proterra, including their partnerships with: Daimler and Thomas Built Buses (known for the iconic yellow school bus), Van Hool private coaches and buses, and Michelin to produce tires designed just for electric buses. Proterra, which is led by former Tesla execs and auto industry pros, is even partnering with Alexander Dennis to build the first electric double-deck buses.
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez buys the first beer-to-go at Zilker Brewing Co. September 1.
Next time you’re on a bus (city transit, airport, employee shuttle), check to see if it’s electric, and if it’s electric, it’s quite possibly a Proterra. Check out their newly updated website here. Thanks to clients Evelyne McCleland and Holly Hanbury-Brown, and to fellow Texan and Proterra founder Dale Hill. Congrats on Detroit DOT recently becoming Proterra’s 100th customer!
Texas Catches Up to Rest of Nation–On of All Things A Beer Thing
Until September 1, did you know Texas was the only state in the nation that didn’t allow all microbreweries to sell take-home beer? But all is now right here in the Lone Star State thanks to legislation spearheaded by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin.
I got to work with Rep. Rodriguez during the 86th Legislative Session this past spring, and here’s my favorite moment: When his beer-to-go legislation was about to die, Rep. Rodriguez’s Hail Mary attaching beer-to-go as an amendment to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Sunset legislation worked, and Gov. Greg Abbot signed it into law in June.
I was there with a tear of happiness in my beer when Rep. Rodriguez bought the first beer-to-go at Zilker Brewing Co. at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 1. I was not far behind, purchasing these beauties (left): Snake Juice in a 32-oz “Crowler,” and a six-pack of SpaceWolf. Cheers also to the person in the lege who called it “beard to go” when Rep. Rodriguez shaved his off on Sine Die (last day of session).
Please vote for Beer-to-Go in this Austin Chronicle Best of Austin 2019 poll under “Politics and Media Wild Card.” Do it quickly though; deadline Monday, Oct. 7.
Beer-to-Go aside, Rep. Rodriguez was instrumental in the milestone school finance and property tax legislation passed this session. He also earned an A+ on the Equality Texas 2019 Legislative Scorecard.
Save Chick-fil … Hey …
In July, it was an honor to help the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce recognize the Texas House of Representatives LGBTQ Caucus for helping to block 19 pieces of discriminatory legislation. The only toxic LGBTQ law that slithered through? “Save Chick fil-A.” We all know Chick-fil-A doesn’t need saving ($10 billion in sales in 2018). And besides, we also know Popeye’s is the one that sold out–of chicken sandwiches.
Thank you to LGBT Caucus members, pictured from left: Rep. Mary González, El Paso; Rep. Erin Zweiner, Driftwood (my rep!); Rep. Celia Israel, Austin; and Jessica González, Dallas. Caucus member Rep. Julie Johnson, Carrollton, could not attend. Austin City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan (center) moderated the panel discussion, which reflected back on the highlights of the session, and what’s ahead, including town halls across the state. Props to our Chair Chase Kincannon (right) for sparking all the positive change happening for the Austin LGBT Chamber in 2019. Congrats also to Rep. Israel for being named to chair the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee.
Austin Habitat for Humanity Raises $475,000 for Six-Story Condo Project in East Austin
There’s only one project like Austin Habitat’s planned 4th & Onion condo project, and it’s in New York City. The six-story condo building will go up next to Saltillo Station in East Austin, allowing workers to live close to their jobs in downtown and Central Austin. As a board member, I’m thrilled to see such innovation spearheaded by our community, the Habitat staff, and our advocates.
Thanks to Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tina Grider-Cannon and her wife Christi (left), and Julie Fisher and Jenny Mojica of National Instruments for joining my wife Millie and me at our table for the Blueprints & Bluejeans fundraiser for the 4th & Onion project in late May. And to all the other donors who helped contribute a record-breaking $475,000 that evening at Brazos Hall in Downtown Austin. By the way, because University Towers (see my Tri Towers story here) is being demolished, Habitat’s ReStores have received many materials for resale–with proceeds going to help with affordable housing in Austin. Fun Fact: Nationally, there are some 900 Habitat ReStores but did you know the first one was founded in Austin? Keep in mind ReStores take and sell a lot more than home construction materials. Find your local ReStore here and give it a try!
My Favorite Tip
In my last e-newsletter, I featured this tip on Vox about reducing microplastics in the oceans by washing our clothes less frequently. Thanks to my friend Carlos Arcos for calling my attention to this series on NPR: Plastics: What’s Recyclable, What Becomes Trash — And Why.
Recycling can be confusing these days, and these tips are helpful and are presented in a really cool format. I wondered whether I could add my plastic film that covers veggies to the plastic bags I recycle at the grocery story (HEB here in Texas takes them). So I checked with my colleague Sue Bumpous who knows just everything about recycling because she works for the Solid Waste Association of North America. Says Sue: “You should be able to put some plastic wraps (aka plastic film) in with the grocery bags you recycle at the store.”
Prof. John Murphy
Thanks also to Prof. John Murphy of the University of Texas for providing this personal story in response to my request for tips last newsletter:
“Let me quickly add a testimonial to your plea to wear a helmet when you bike or scooter. In May of 2014 I had a series of minor strokes and was on blood thinner at that time. I had a sudden crash on the sidewalk alongside Lamar between 24th and 29th. I broke a finger and had some scrapes, but fortunately I landed on the grass. Even more fortunately I was wearing a helmet because my head hit the ground with violent force squarely on my forehead. Without a helmet, I would have hemorrhaged and that likely would have been the end of John Murphy. The helmet saved my life.”
Amen, Dr. Murphy.
#WasteLessWednesday Is Back!
For simple tips on how to reduce packaging and avoid using unnecessary stuff, check out WasteLessWednesday.com. There’s lots of colorful and cool gifs you can chose from and share. Watch for more news on #WasteLessWednesday, as I work to expand it in the coming months.
From the Road
Millie and I loved listening to the profound acceptance speeches by Scott Pelley of ABC News and John Quiñones of NBC News, winners of the Radio, Television, and Digital News Association Lifetime of Excellence in Journalism Awards. That was topped at the after-party when Millie got to tell Mr. Quiñones about how her dad Antonio Salinas also convinced her brothers to go to college instead of picking crops in the field. “Wouldn’t you rather go to school than be doing this the rest of your life?” That line worked, for both John Quiñones’ father and Mr. Salinas (whose five children all earned college degrees).
I sure treasure the nifty Fox News bag I received at the Excellence in Journalism Conference of the Society of Professional Journalists in San Antonio.
Where I’ll be this fall:
Volunteer: Texas Book Festival, Oct. 26-27
Guest lectures: Advertising and Pop Culture; Advertising Law & Ethics; and Advertising Methods classes in the University of Texas at Austin College of Communication, Fall Semester
Presentation: LGBT Buying Power: American Marketing Association of Houston, Oct. 17
Speaking of the Texas Book Festival, see my new blog.