Air Central Texas

Air Central Texas Outstanding Organization Award

The City of Bastrop, Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) & Lone Star Clean Fuels Alliance (LSCFA) 

The 3 coordinated the establishment of transit alternatives that blended electric cabs and smaller transit vehicles into an app-based on-demand micro-transit service (CARTS NOW). They utilized electric and fuel-efficient vehicles to provide a higher level of service to both residents and visitors to Bastrop while reducing vehicle miles traveled and pollutants. The effectiveness of the project saw a 300% increase in ridership while reducing the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMTs), thus a reduction in nitrate oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10). Such reductions lend themselves readily toward our region maintaining compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Their efforts garnered national as well as international attention with the information derived from the project in Bastrop providing the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and the DOE with a greater understanding of rural mobility.

The City of Bastrop is growing Central Texas City that is committed to multi-modal transportation as evidenced by its adopted Comprehensive Plan as well as its financial commitment toward sustaining a micro-transit infrastructure.

Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) delivers transportation tailored specifically for each of the many communities served in Central Texas. This venture is consistent with CARTS’s commitment to bring mobility improvements the residents and visitors within its service area.

Lone Star Clean Fuels Alliance (LSCFA) is an Austin-based non-profit that is part of the Department of Energy’s national Clean Cities program. LSCF works to advance affordable, domestic transportation fuels, energy efficient mobility systems, and other fuel-saving technologies.

2022 Air Central Texas Environmental Education Award

Dr. Amy Concilio received the 2022 Air Central Texas Environmental Education Award for her exceptional leadership on air quality and environmental education. Dr. Concilio is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at St. Edward's University where she teaches climate change, natural resource conservation and management and has previously been involved with the City of Austin's Climate Equity Plan. She is a leader in the Environmental Science and Policy program and one of the most popular instructors at the university. She employs a diversity of research methods, including ecological field trials, greenhouse experiments, and stakeholder interviews to measure impacts of global change on plant communities and ecosystems and to test the effectiveness and feasibility of land management approaches. As an instructor, she believes strongly in ensuring that her students understand the value of trees in the air pollution cycle and why they are so important to preserve. She is part of the Tree Campus campaign and was a founding member of the Food Forest, established on campus this year. Dr. Concilio has inspired hundreds of students to follow their passion with causes important to local air quality issues.

2022 Air Aware Student Leadership Award

Ethan Tobias received the 2022 Air Aware Student Leadership Award for his role with the Office of Sustainability for St. Edwards University as Intern. As the Sustainability Intern for St. Edward's University, Ethan has spearheaded the efforts to raise awareness for Environmental and Climate Justice and has promoted cleaner and healthier practices for all types of pollution. In his role with the Office of Sustainability, he has promoted renewable energy, the importance of trees, and using public transportation to help reduce our burden. He also shares information regarding air quality alert days with the campus community and worked with the Clean Air Force in hosting their local meeting on campus. Ethan is also the President of Students for Sustainability and uses his role there to not only share this information with them, but facilitate their role as advocates for a cleaner, more sustainable lifestyle; particularly with promoting renewable energy efforts on campus and encouraging carpooling and public transportation. Ethan has promoted and empowered the groups where he leads, has helped shaped policy and projects at the university, and has helped elevate Climate Justice as one of the pillars of the university's strategic plan. He also coordinates Tree Campus USA team, helping them maintain their designation for the last 7 years.