Taking root

Local nonprofit launches grassroots campaign to plant 1 million trees in Austin

Austin skyline with Barton Springs Pool and Lady Bird Lake

TreeFolks is on a mission to plant 1 million trees across Austin.

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A local nonprofit is unveiling an unbe-leaf-able goal: to plant 1 million trees in Austin. TreeFolks has launched Keep Austin Rooted, a grassroots campaign to replace Austin's diminishing tree canopy and help fight climate change in the process.

Since its founding in 1989, TreeFolks has planted nearly 3 million trees across the Capital City, but as Austin grows, its tree canopy has diminished. Planting news trees is one of the best methods to reverse that trend and keep the city cool, the nonprofit says.

According to numbers from TreeFolks, planting an acre of trees can capture 106 tons of carbon pollution and stop 26,000 gallons of storm water runoff from entering our local rivers and waterways.

It's also a relatively inexpensive (and beautiful) way to combat climate change. For every $3 donated, TreeFolks is planting a native Texas tree. Donors can also choose to fund a group of trees (or a forest of trees?), such as 10 trees $30, 25 trees for $75, or 50 trees for $150 until the goal is mulched.

"Planting trees is such a simple and effective way to reverse the trend of canopy loss and combat climate change right in our own community and donating through TreeFolks' Keep Austin Rooted initiative makes it even easier," said executive director Andrew Smiley in a release. "Supporting TreeFolks means that when future generations ask you what you did to protect the environment, you can tell them that you did your part to Keep Austin Rooted."

With the Keep Austin Rooted initiative well underway, the City of Austin will officially celebrate it on Friday, November 6, when the city council will declare it Keep Austin Rooted Day.

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MESSAGE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE

Austin theater auctions off chance to write message on iconic marquee

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The Paramount Theatre is auctioning off the chance to share a holiday message on its marquee.

Austinites craving the limelight might get the chance to see their name in lights — or at least a personalized holiday message — illuminated on one of Austin’s most historic marquees.

As part of the Austin Theatre Alliance’s final 2020 auction to raise funds for the Paramount and Stateside theaters, the nonprofit is offering up an array of unusual and very “Austintatious” items for bid, including the chance to share a customized holiday message on the iconic Paramount Theatre marquee.

The auction item is one of several dozen currently up for bid through ATA’s online holiday auction, which runs through December 11.

With a starting bid of $1,500, the Paramount marquee message is one of the pricier items in the auction, but it may be well worth the glory, as the winning bidder can treat all of Austin to a two-line, 80-character custom holiday message that will be professionally photographed and live on the marquee for a minimum of four hours. (It should be noted that the chosen message is subject to review. After all, this is a nonprofit theater marquee, not the infamously sassy El Arroyo sign.)

Having to cancel or reschedule hundreds of planned shows because of COVID-19 concerns, the Paramount Theatre has had a particularly rough year but recently reopened at 25 percent capacity for limited engagements, like its Holiday Film Series, which is currently underway. Funds raised from the auction enable the ATA, which manages the Paramount and Stateside, to reach Central Texas students through virtual programs, employ venue staff, and help the historic theaters survive the pandemic.

In addition to the Paramount marquee message item, the auction also includes other perfectly weird items befitting a homegrown Austin event, like Matt Lankes photos of Willie Nelson playing chess and the late, great Billy Joe Shaver looking contemplative while perched on a bridge in Waco; and several autographed guitars, including one commemorative acoustic guitar signed by 10 of Austin’s most notable musicians, Ruthie Foster, Carrie Rodriguez, and Tameca Jones among them.

Of course, there is no lack of booze-forward packages, hotel stays, and artist-signed prints also up for grabs. But true lovers of the Paramount Theatre will find the item with the highest opening bid ($5,000) steals the show: a private catered dinner for four on the Paramount stage.

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