This was my first experience at Rodeo Austin. My fairground passes were free through my job at Texas Disposal Systems, since we were a major partner offering waste and site services. The site services being restroom units and trailers, along with handwashing stations. I did not attend the official rodeo events, but I did enjoy the carnival foods, exhibition shows, and livestock competition judging. I also took photos of the restrooms and handwashing stations to use for social media, webpages, and general sales materials.
Directional signage at the rodeo fairgrounds.Ferris wheel next to a covered picnic area.
Check out this short commercial about the 2022 Rodeo Austin event. See highlights from the live music concerts, rodeo competition events, carnival attraction rides, and fun livestock interactions!
I love geodesic domes. I feel like they are the perfect design maximizing space and resilient through various types of weather. Domes also remind me of space dwellings. Which has been an inspiration for my dream of operating an adult edutainment space colony glamping center. Historically, Buckminster Fuller was the original pioneer of geodesic domes. His intended design purpose for geodesic domes was efficient housing for the masses. Overtime, domes have taken shape for other applications, including interactive event facilities!
2022 South by Southwest (SXSW) was the first time I attended this major local event. Even though I’m not comfortable in crowded events and festivals, SXSW had a pop-up event venue I was determined to see. Wisdome Immersive Music & Art Park. This exhibit was temporarily relocated from Los Angeles to Austin for SXSW. Wisdome offered 360 immersion, yoga and soundbath experiences, as well as live music concerts during SXSW!
Texas Disposal Systems offers holiday-related organics processing under two major programs: (1) Christmas Tree Recycling and (2) Wreaths Across America support.
Every year TDS opens up their facilities for free Tree Recycling and holiday organic waste disposal. This includes live Christmas Trees and wreaths, as well as any left over pumpkins. Residents can visit their regional facility or the main landfill in Creedmoor to drop off their trees and organics. From there, we process the trees through chippers into high-quality, rich products like mulch or compost. These products are sold via the Garden-Ville retail centers back into the local community.
In mid-December, I finally got the chance to visit the Whole Life Learning Center (WLLC) in South Austin. The WLLC is a mix-use facility with the primary purpose of outdoor education for children. While the focus is for hands-on outdoor learning for kids, there are frequent opportunities for teen and adult environmental education. There’s also an on-site plant nursery, Cultivate Holistic Supply, which offers a slew of organic supplies.
In honor of the Winter Solstice, various vendors came together for a Winter Solstice Celebration Market. The products they offered ranged from hand-made jewelry to organic tinctures and anything you could imagine made from beeswax or honey byproducts.
As part of my work with Texas Disposal Systems, we support the waste diversion services of the Austin FCQ2 Stadium. This work has included serving as “Trash Goalies” during football (soccer) games!
Being a volunteer Trash Goalie, we helped monitor the eco-waste stations near the concession areas and stadium seating. The eco-waste stations were divided into three separate, labeled bins so attendees could see where their waste should go. Our jobs were to help “block shots” to prevent contamination as well as educate guests on proper disposal practices at the stadium.
After my years in conservation and sustainability, my dream of sharing these passions with others has developed into a more tangible concept. An immersive, edutainment space colony glamping experience! This is a culmination of my passions, my educational experiences, what I’ve seen on my travels, and what I’ve noticed trending in the market.
I wish I could say this concept it unique, however, given our advances in technology and number of people on the planet – others have had similar ideas. Great minds think alike, right?
One such example is “a Turkish town is preparing to set up a touristic “Mars Colony” that will allow earthlings to walk the surface of the Red Planet here on earth…which will also house a scientific theme park and 30 boutique hotels [and] “astronaut food menus” at the Mars Colony [which are] expected to breathe fresh life into gastronomy tourism as well.” – Daily Sabah
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
Benjamin Franklin
Adding onto the concept of an immersive experience is the edutainment (education + entertainment) factor. The edutainment is very important to me so guests can learn aspects of conservation and sustainability while having an enjoyable and entertaining on-site experience!
You can see existing edutainment space experiences at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center® and at the Astronaut Training Experience® at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. There will be several experiential routes at the glamping space colony, which include different skill sets or professions needed for a space colony. Some examples include living-lab scientist, agricultural specialist, space engineer, interstellar soldier, or pioneering colonist.
“Self-professed teenage ‘space nerds’ at Space Camp chase their dreams of traveling to Mars, while experts reflect on NASA’s history and future at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.“
