THE AMAZING NATALIE MARQUIS

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NEWSLETTER

This Month we feature the following good stuff:
 
> 1. Especially Long Feature Article:
     “THE AMAZING NATALIE MARQUIS”
> 2. Recommendeds
> 3. Fact of the Month
> 4. Our Town is so Cool!
> 5. Sponsor Highlight
> 6. Local Resources
 


 
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this month's article comes from sustain-a-ball coordinator, Chris Searles. watch out! it’s lengthy!~



"THE AMAZING NATALIE MARQUIS”
Another Hometown Hero

Ladies and Gentlemen, there are times to listen in life... Natalie Marquis manages what is probably the greenest business in America. As coordinator of the Shopper's Ball I think of myself as pretty familiar
with what’s going on in the world of sustainability. However - little did I know – and much to my delight, we’ve got a real-life, cutting-edge green business professional right here in our midst.

I mean REALLY green!

. . .


Soft spoken and full of insight, Natalie Marquis manages Habitat Suites – a business class hotel in North Austin. Here's a short list of some of their
amazing, ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES:

• salt water swimming pool, which is more sanitary than chlorine and eliminates the use of chlorine (a known carcinogen)

• non-toxic paints, carpets, adhesives, and etc

• water efficient fixtures in all bathrooms and kitchens

• an extremely efficient wash-dry set up (towels & bedding)

• use of energy efficient lighting, heat-free day lighting and motion detectors

• use of programmable thermostats, ceiling fans, and other smart climate control mechanisms in every room

• organic coffees, teas, and breakfast buffets

• biodegradable, recycled, unbleached paper products and non toxic inks whenever possible

• edible landscaping, including: offering seeds, compost, on-site garden space, and starter plants to their lowest paid employees

• composting of all food materials, recycling of all recyclable materials

• over 150 solar panels offsetting their grid energy by approximately 20%

• participation in austin’s clean, “green energy” program for the remaining 80% of their grid supply

• rainwater harvesting for landscape maintenance

• use of native & locally appropriate plants for storm water retention, air purification, sound barrier insulation, and as a source of natural beauty which attracts butterflies & song birds, and requires less water to maintain

• efficient use of tree and vine plantings to further insulate rooms from heat, cold, and outdoor noise, as well as create a relaxing, inspiring atmosphere

• windows that open for natural ventilation, as well as window tintings, radiant barriers, proper insulations, weather stripping, and high efficiency air conditioning units

• efficient management of water heaters

• insect intelligent grounds maintenance

• non-toxic & phosphate-free natural cleaners, cleansers & detergents

• non-ozone depleting fire extinguishers

• waterless urinals in public bathrooms

• sanitized glasses, silverware, dishes, and cloth napkins instead of disposable ones
  
  And more… !
  
  
  . . .
  
  
  These efforts, now daily routines, have measurable FISCAL BENEFITS. Among those benefits: HS saves approximately 2,400,000 gallons of water per year, they’ve enjoyed ZERO TURNOVER in staff for the last 9 years (maybe it’s the food?), and last but not least they are consistently 13 – 17% more financially efficient than their competitors. Under Natalie’s management, HS’s eco-improvements are not just paying for themselves – they’re saving enough capital to fund the next round of environmentally intelligent upgrades. Meanwhile, their fully-equipped 3 & 4 room suites are priced at $127 & $187 a night.
  
  Natalie’s leadership not only inspires harmony & a workplace full of positive human relationships, but it’s exemplifying a sustainable business model, whose close to no-eco-impact operations are improving human health, achieving super high customer satisfaction ratings, and establishing a flexible, main-stream template we can all emulate.
  
  I urge everyone reading this article to take-in Natalie’s co-KEYNOTE PRESENTATION, “Things You Can Do” at this week’s Shopper’s Ball. Talk about a double-header! Natalie will team-up with Austin’s BRANDI CLARK to present affordable approaches any person can undertake, from solar panels to stinky sneakers; from students to business owners -- to green their lifestyle. This could be you best opportunity to learn easy ways to make a difference, improve community health, and build a more sustainable future that includes everyone.
  
  Ya’ll come! Thanks to people like NATALIE the pioneering is
  being done and, “It’s Getting Easy Being Green.”
  
  
  
   
  > To learn more about Habitat Suites, please visit:
  http://www.habitatsuites.com/
  
  > To read more of Chris’s advocacy work, please visit:
  http://www.goodcommonsense.net/newsletter1.html
  
   
    
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  "Recommendeds"
   
  these things caught our attention this month
   
  1) EDIBLE LANDSCAPES - Mr. Dromgoole has said it, Whole Foods has said it, and people everywhere are becoming aware that growing your own food - organically - is the future! check out this article from last month's new york times:
  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/garden/13lawn.html
  
  
  2) SAVE OUR CREEKS ... SAVE OUR STREAMS, TOO: here's a
  link to sign a petition re: preventing hill country creeks & streams from being used as sewers. “sewers, you say?!” visit:
  http://austinaction.org/petition.php?pet_id=belterra
  
  
  3) VIRTUAL BARTON SPRINGS: our amazing friends at sos
  have added these enchanting additions to their web
  offerings:  
  audio tour - http://www.sosalliance.org/audio.shtml
  virtual tour -
  http://www.sosalliance.org/webtour1.htm
  
   
  
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  "Facts of the Month" – IT’S TIME TO CHANGE!
  
  did you know? – bill hoffman of the Texas Water
  Development Board estimates that the average annual
  WATER recharge to our state’s aquifers is
  approximately 5.7 billion acre/feet a year, but Texans
  currently pump 9.5 billion acre/feet of groundwater
  every year… that’s a serious problem.
   
  ok. wells are getting lower, yes - it's not your imagination! if you live in the hill country, you should especially beware. why? due to our
  exponential growth in population and environmentally un-sensitive development, our own EDWARD’S AQUIFER is showing signs of fatigue. . . conclusion: we need a SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLY plan.
  
  > for a great article about "living 100% on rainwater," visit heather carter's sustainability blog:

     http://www.greenguru.org


> also, the hill country alliance (HCA) is tracking well problems in western travis county. for more information, visit:
http://www.hillcountryalliance.org/public/index.cfm

 
*thanks to Cammi Klier of Custom Design Services - a new green builder (http://www.cdshomedesign.com/) for help with this article.
 
 
 
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"Sponsor Highlight: ONE EARTH MORTGAGE"
 

One Earth Mortgage – Austin’s newest “hometown” business, is dedicated to donating 1/3 of profits to Environmental Charities. . .  Wow! What did you say?

One Earth Founder, Edward Mannix, has been dedicated to the idea of making a difference since childhood. His new goal - to prove that “doing good” is good for the mortgage business is already up and running. After rocketing through the social entrepreneurship MBA
program at Columbia University (New York) Edward decided to forge a new path: super competitive rates on home purchases, refinances, investment properties and more – which means you don’t pay more to preserve the environment the next time you get a mortgage.  

We are tremendously happy that this company exists and that they have come to Austin, TX.  Please consider talking with them the next time you need a mortgage!

address: 1704 S. Congress, Ste I
phone: 512-535-7893
url: www.oneearthmortgage.com
 
 
 
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"Our Town is so Cool"
 
Did you know? -- Austin currently has MORE BIODIESEL
REFUELING stations than any other city in the country:
www.austinbiofuels.com

Did you know? -- MAYOR WYNN and the GREEN BUILDING
PROGRAM are working together to create new building
codes that will -- starting in 2015 -- make single
family homes 'zero energy capable.’
 
"Solar Fempowerment" We’ve got a Master Electrician &
Solar Installer in our midst. JANET HUGHES (Janet's
Solar Electric) is FEATURED in the July issue
of "Austin Woman" magazine. Check it out!
http://www.austinwomanmagazine.com/
 
 
 
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THANKS FOR READING! It's great to be sharing this
whole experience with you as we collectively undertake
the 'greening' of Austin. Stay in touch! Send us your
suggestions and questions anytime (respond to this
email). And pass this letter on to your friends,
co-workers, house mates, and loved ones!
 
See you August 19th!
 
 
 
 
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The following are some LOCAL RESOURCES we recommend
for learning more:  
 
> The Austin Eco Network
local eco-preneur & KEYNOTE SPEAKER at this month’s
SUSTAIN-A-BALL, Brandi Clark manages Austin's most
complete calendar of eco-events. visit this site to
join the events list:
http://www.austineconetwork.org/

> Austin Green Building Program Rebates
thinking of making eco-smart improvements to your home
or workplace? our town has more eco-intelligent rebate
programs than any other city in the world. you may
want to learn more:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder/rebates.htm
 
> Austin Water Conservation
join their awesome newsletter, buy rain barrels, learn
how to live more in balance with our aquifer, get a
free water efficient toilet & so much more:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/.

MORE SUSTAIN-A-NEWS SOON! 
 
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the "sustain-a-news" is intended to promote and
empower sustainable lifestyle choices in the Austin,
Tx. area. thanks for reading - contact us anytime -
and see you: August 19th, 9 - 1, visit
http://www.sustain-a-ball.org/ for more information.
call us anytime with questions or to volunteer: (512)
934-1387.