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City cites public safety, says 30 pecans, elms near pool could topple.

By Claire Osborn
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, April 16, 2009

The City of Austin will cut down 28 trees in danger of falling in the Barton Springs Pool area of Zilker Park as soon as possible, officials said Wednesday.

City workers will also restrict public access to two trees in the Sunken Garden area that eventually need to be removed.

"Public safety is our No. 1 priority," said Sara Hensley, the director of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

One of the trees to be removed is the pecan tree that leans over the pool's north side and has a trunk filled with concrete, said Walter Passmore, the city's urban forestry program manager.

"Only 7 percent of it is solid wood" at the base, he said. The rest is concrete and rotten wood. Another tree facing the saw is a pecan tree in a cracked planter whose limbs lean over the roof next to the front entrance gate, Passmore said.

The affected trees make up 20 percent of all the trees in the area and include 13 trees inside the pool grounds, he said.

He said city crews will try to remove most of the trees on Thursdays, when the pool is closed.

The trees chosen for removal are mostly pecan but also include cottonwoods and elms, Passmore said. They will be replaced in the fall at the start of the next planting season with pecan and other species, he said.

Many of the trees in trouble have deteriorating root systems and can't pull as much water and nutrients from the soil as they need in times of stress, such as during hot weather, Passmore said.

Mark Nowacki, who arrived Wednesday afternoon for his daily swim at the pool, said he didn't agree with the city's decision.

"I think it's a joke," he said. "They're just trying to re-landscape the pool."

Mutulu Whiteside, who was leaving the pool Wednesday, said he was in favor of the city's decision, "if it keeps a tree from falling on me."

Officials made the decision to remove the trees after they got the results of an assessment done by the Davey Resource Group, an Ohio-based tree care and consulting company, in the fall. The city paid $250,000 for the work, which includes the assessment, the treatment of damaged trees and the replacement of dangerous trees, Passmore said.

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Powered by home solar panels, vehicle offers 'guilt-free' ride.

By Asher Price
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Just before Barry McConachie presses down the pedal of his bright red Tesla Roadster, he likes to give a quick glance up and down the wooded road to make sure his neighborhood is all clear. Then, as the car pins him back with roller-coaster-like acceleration, he breaks into one of his self-described "Tesla grins" - a smug mug that says, man, can this thing move.

It can leap to 60 mph from a standstill in less than four seconds, but it requires not an ounce of gasoline: His convertible is electric-powered, with total emissions of zero.

"It's a guilt-free experience," said McConachie, who has solar panels atop his Lake Austin home that cover the charge required for the car. His license plate reads "SUN PWR." "I'm not fooling around in some Ferrari that gets eight miles to a gallon and is consuming all kinds of resources."

The car costs $109,000 but gives the luxurious lie to the idea that an energy-saving future means mankind's return to cave life.

McConachie, 45, who hails from western Canada, made his fortune in the software business, figuring out ways for businesses to hook up to the Internet when the World Wide Web was not yet worldwide.

In 2001, Siemens bought Dallas-based Efficient Networks, a company of which he was part-owner, for $1.5 billion.

A self-described fiscal conservative who was always inclined to do environmental work, he says watching the Al Gore movie "An Inconvenient Truth," about the threats of global warming, spurred him to do more for the environment.

Realizing that the film would inspire him to spend money cutting carbon emissions, he said he "leaned over to my wife and told her this is the most expensive movie I've ever seen."

McConachie now runs a small consulting company called Global Climate Strategies, which partners with businesses to help them buy carbon offsets, such as paying for the planting of trees in Ecuador.

The company also has a philanthropic arm that McConachie said has donated 100,000 efficient light bulbs to low-income people in the U.S. and abroad.

At his 4,500-square-foot home, which he shares with his wife, Kathleen, and three young boys, he cut energy use, switched to more efficient light bulbs, put in a programmable thermostat and installed solar panels on the roof.

In August 2006, he sent $100,000, sight unseen, to Tesla Motors, a high-end car company that counts among its investors the founders of Google and PayPal, to buy a roadster. The price tag reflects the car's status, as well as the technology and high-end material that make it a top-notch performer.

It would be more than two years before it was ready, but in February, the California company shipped him car No. 85. (The company has delivered fewer than 400.)

Tesla says its sports cars produce one-tenth the pollution of conventional sports cars, tracing it to the emissions from the power plants that provide electricity. But McConachie's car charge is covered by his rooftop solar array.

In as little as 31/2 hours, the car can gain enough power to drive at least 220 miles, McConachie said. Put another way, it costs about five bucks in electricity to fill the tank, he said.

"If gas goes up to three or four dollars, it will pay for itself," he said with a grin, "in about 90 years."

McConachie has taken the car up to 110 mph, though he would not say, on the record, just where he had done so.

He has also trained at a NASCAR track and has driven fast cars and motorbikes since he was a teen.

The Tesla does not have gears - just forward and reverse, like some sort of super-souped-up golf cart. Tesla recommends that its owners replace their lithium ion battery pack after five years, or about 100,000 miles. A new pack costs about $12,000, McConachie said.

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hybridcars.com

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Kelly Blue Book gave the 2010 Toyota Prius the number one ranking in its new list of Top Green Cars.

The top three "greenest" models are new models. The 2010 Toyota Prius, offering a combined 50-mpg, has more power, a slicker design, and more features than its predecessor. The 2010 Honda Insight, rated at 41 mpg, has a price advantage over all other hybrids. And the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, with city mileage at 41 mpg, arrives with new exterior styling.

Courtesy photo (ENLARGE)

The editors not only considered fuel economy and price, but also characteristics like comfort, performance, utility and technology. The winners represent a range of vehicle sizes from small cars like the Honda Fit to the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, a gas-electric pickup truck.

Other winners include the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI and BMW 335d, both diesels; the 2009 Mini Cooper; and two hybrid SUVS, the Ford Escape Hybrid and Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

"Despite the decline in auto sales and the stabilization of gas prices in recent months, we still think many new-car shoppers are interested in buying vehicles that are more fuel-efficient and better for the environment," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. In a press release, KBB notes, "2009 is shaping up to be a banner year for fuel efficiency." Unfortunately, the economic downturn that has affected all auto sales has also hurt sales of green models. Yet, , many consumers expect the current reprieve from last year's high gas prices to be short-lived.

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By Tara-Nicholle Nelson Q:I think I might be too picky! I have just started house hunting for my first home. I know people who bought the fourth or fifth home that they saw, but my Realtor has shown me more than 30 homes and I still haven't seen "the one" yet. Am I being unreasonable? A: The real question as I see it is whether it is possible to be too picky when you are buying a home. My answer? It is, but it's pretty tough, and I don't think you are there yet. It sounds like you are experiencing some anxiety and uncertainty about the process of selecting your home. There are some perspectives and tools I'd like to share with you to transform your experience of the process. Mindset Management Every so often, I'll hear one of my own clients worry that perhaps they are being too picky. Apparently, everyone knows someone who spent every Saturday for two years trying to find the perfect home, and no one wants to be that person! In my experience, the more thoughtful and kind a homebuyer is as a person, the more likely they are to be concerned that their house hunt might be offensively long, or that they are being too picky. I'll say to you what I say to my clients: If you were buying shoes, you would be out of line. But this purchase is not shoes. What you are buying is a home, probably the most critical purchase you'll ever make, both from the standpoint of the massive financial investment involved and the fact that it will serve as the everyday environment for you and your family or housemates.

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