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.“
The first few days consisted on new employee orientation, as well as advanced defensive driver training for new employees who drives for the company.
On my actual first day on the job, the company marketing director took me on a tour of the landfill and the onsite animal sanctuary. We started off at the main administrative building where I work, which featured several recycled metal art sculptures – like a mama bear and her cubs, as well as a tree with an eagle.
Metal sculpture of mama bear and cubs
Administrative building and eagle in tree sculpture
Here is a video tour of the main Creedmoor Facility. It highlights all the operations onsite, like the landfill, composting center, materials recovery facility (MRF), and the exotic animal sanctuary.
Tour tiny houses, van conversions, skoolies, backyard cottages (ADUs), shipping container home, adventure rigs and more! There were builders and people who were living and traveling tiny every day at TinyFest Austin 2021. As part of the festival, there were several hands-on workshops, speaker presentations, Q & A Sessions and Panel Discussions to answer common questions and “tiny” hurdles.
Pioneer Farms
TinyFest Texas was held Sep 25th – 26th, 2021 in Austin, TX. The festival was located at Pioneer Farms and hosted by TinyFest Events. Pioneer Farms is a 90-acre living history museum depicting life in 1800s Texas, with five restored historic sites and a village. The property also conducts pioneer life skills like glass blowing, blacksmithing, weaving, and carpentry just to name a few!
As part of my job with the Take Care of Texas program, I proposed a water conservation campaign called the Texas Trickle. It encourages Texans to save more by using less water from the faucet. While turning off the water is ultimately the best way to save, controlling the flow from the faucet saves water when you’re using it! Check out the campaign webpage for more information.
