2nd Annual Texas Olive Festival: Benefitting the Sustainable Food Center! Reply

The Texas Hill Country Olive Company is set once again to celebrate all things olives, along with local foods, wines, art and live music, at the landmark Tuscan-styled Tasting Room and Mill House set in the middle of 17 acres of Hill Country acreage-turned-organic olive orchard in Dripping Springs. In this online series, meet some of the local providers coming together on Saturday, April 5th, to present the 2nd Annual Texas Olive Festival. Proceeds from this year’s festival will benefit the Sustainable Food Center. Here is SFC Development Director, Angela Osborn:

WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION DO?

Sustainable Food Center cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. SFC envisions a food-secure community where all children and adults grow, share, and prepare healthy, local food.

From seed to table, SFC creates opportunities for individuals to make healthy food choices and to participate in a vibrant local food system. Through organic food gardening, relationships with area farmers, interactive cooking classes and nutrition education, children and adults have increased access to locally grown food and are empowered to improve the long-term health of Central Texans and our environment.

HOW DOES SFC SERVE LOCAL COMMUNITIES?

For almost 40 years, SFC has been a leader in the movement to promote community health and prevent diet-related disease breaking down barriers to fresh,

Dripping Springs Named First International Dark Sky Community In TX Reply

Star trails elapsed over three hours while backyard camping on a summer night around Dripping Springs. Photo: Rob Greebon

The stars at night remain big and bright deep in the heart of the Texas – thanks to the hard work and dedication of many Texas Hill Country residents. The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced today it has designated the City of Dripping Springs as the first International Dark Sky Community in Texas.

“Dripping Springs joins a select club as the world’s sixth Dark Sky Community,” said IDA Executive Director Bob Parks. “They’ve embraced smart lighting through effective controls that improve visibility, while preserving the night sky.”

Night view driving into Dripping Springs on 290W

Dripping Springs is often the first stop in the Texas Hill Country for visitors coming from Austin, prompting the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Bureau slogan, “It all Starts Here!” City officials hope that includes Dripping Springs being an example to other Hill Country towns for controlling the impact of growth and resulting risks of light pollution.  “When people enter the Dripping Springs area at night, many of them notice something is different – the skies over the city are not spoiled by light pollution,” explained Todd Purcell, Mayor of Dripping Springs. “This is evidence that the city and the people who live in and near the city value the natural environment, including the beauty of the Hill Country and high quality of the night sky.”

Balancing Economic Growth And Environmental Protection

A formerly sleepy ranching town settled before the Civil War, the city experienced massive growth in the last decade, seeing its population increase by some 72 percent between 2000 and 2010. The growth has been fueled by the economies of the nearby urban centers of Austin and San Antonio. Alarmed that future development could bring light pollution, concerned residents organized to protect the area’s famously dark night skies. Early on, the City Council became involved by adopting an Outdoor Lighting Ordinance (OLO) in 2000. The OLO was conceived by a group of local citizens led by the late John Gregory. Current and former City Councilmen and Planning and Zoning Commissioners then embraced and enhanced the provisions of the OLO with the assistance of City Attorney Alan Bojorquez. Since then, the city government has been a committed partner in protecting local dark skies.

The local Home Depot exterior at night illustrates the effect of the City’s light pollution management.

“We are all fortunate that the City of Dripping Springs has over a period of many years worked to reduce and prevent additional light pollution in the city,” said Cindy Luongo Cassidy, President of Texas-based Green Earth Lighting, who led the effort to secure IDA recognition of the dark skies over Dripping Springs.

Although only about 2,000 residents live within the legal limits of the city, an additional 30,000 people living in neighboring unincorporated areas are part of the community. City staffers, particularly, Michelle Fischer, Jon Thompson and Jo Ann Touchstone have worked diligently to help local businesses and property owners follow the OLO and to provide information on the lighting standards for the community. This results in reduced glare, light trespass, and skyglow while increasing safety, visibility, area attractiveness, and protection of dark night skies.

Dripping Springs City Planning Director Jon Thompson (Left) and Deputy City Administrator Ginger Faught show off a sample dark-sky-friendly “glare buster” light fixture to be used for outdoor wall mounted lighting replacements. Photo: Cindy Luongo Cassidy

“Dripping Springs is well on its way to securing a place as one of the truly night-sky-friendly communities in the United States,” Former IDA Texas Coordinator Stephen Bosbach said.

Protecting A Cultural Legacy

“The history and culture of the Hill Country is intimately tied to its sky, particularly its night sky,” explained John Cassidy, President of the Board of Trustees of the Pound House Foundation, a local historic preservation group. “Whether sitting around a campfire or sitting in the darkness of their homesteads, those who went before us understood this land in a fundamental way that we must preserve. The clear view of the stars at night is a resource that must