The TH Interview: Will Wynn—Austin's Green Mayor (Part One)

TH: What's going on in the southern states as far as a shift in green consciousness? Is something new happening?

WW: I sense it, yes. I think, nationally the awareness about the need for climate protection is dramatically higher today than even a year ago, but particularly in the South. I'm Southern-bred and Texas born and raised.

It's a conservative place, depending on how you define that, and unfortunately I think, is a generalization that used to play out as sort of skepticism when it came to environmental protection.

It certainly played out as skepticism early in the dialog about stopping global warming. But it was encouraging to see, for instance, the Southern Baptist Convention just a few months ago in New York City Ten leaders of the Southern Baptist Commission, which is the country's largest protestant denomination, essentially apologized, because last year they were still using the term "liberal ruse," when they would discuss global warming or climate protection.

And they now say that they have a biblical obligation to stop global warming. From their perspective, God has a plan for the planet and it's not based on throwing carbon atoms into the atmosphere overnight. And so, I think, whether it's the Southern Baptist convention taking a formal stance as a big organization, or more commonly, just random citizens starting to become more aware of how important this dialog is and getting on board.

TH: What portion of this do you feel like came from citizen groups?

WW: I think, it's been a good sound combination. There has been just enough government intervention—sadly not at the federal level—but a lot of cities and a handful of states have been doing some solid policy work and that has complemented very well what has been, I think, a pretty remarkable, measurable sort of grass roots efforts.

Early in '07 I went through Al Gore's Climate Project training, three days training in Nashville to be able to talk better and use some of the slides when it comes to raising awareness about stopping global warming. But in my class of individuals from across the country the largest sector was the faith community.

There were a measurable number of ministers in my class. There were a bunch of teachers. There were a bunch of ministers. There were very few politicians. Some businessmen, some soccer moms and Nascar dads, the whole gamut. But there were more ministers in that group than not and I think, that has played out across the country.

The faith community is stepping up to the plate, perhaps in a way that they didn't do early with, say, the civil rights movement in the '60s. Sadly, there obviously are notable exceptions to that rule, but by and large, the faith community, I think, would recognize that they were silent for too long when it came to civil rights in the '60s.

I think, there is that recognition now and so I see the faith community stepping up and doing more when it comes to environmental protection now; earlier, rather than later.

TH: Austin has always stood out in Texas. There are a couple great phrases to describe it. One of them of course being the “blueberry in bowl of tomato soup.” Texas as a whole has a heck of a carbon footprint—or bootprint, maybe I should say. How does Texas stack up next to other US states?

WW: Well, the fact of the matter is there are more carbon emissions in Texas than there are in number two, California, and number three, Pennsylvania combined. We are far and away the most polluting state in the country. And of course the US is far and away the most polluting country on the planet.

Now, a little bit of defensiveness here. That's in part based on the fact that we have been the energy capital of the country for a hundred years or so. So much of the refining capacity for hydrocarbons is in Texas—probably 60 percent, and perhaps 60 percent of all petrochemical refining plastics and things like that are done along the Texas coast. So that's work that is being done essentially for the rest of the US economy—Texas carries that burden, but ultimately Texas is far and away the most polluting state.

So I get to be the mayor of the capital city of the most polluting state of the most polluting country on the planet. I tell my citizens, the good new is I have inherited this great environmental ethos from a citizenry standpoint and that we, in fact, have this disproportionate responsibility as a city.

I like to tell people to throw out that old paradigm of “it’s one or the other.” You could have really progressive environmental policies, oftentimes at the expense of your economy, or (what has been the norm in Texas) have dramatic economic prowess but usually your environment suffered dramatically.

Well, in Austin right now we find ourselves in a sweet spot. We have a really strong economy and very progressive environmental policies. I remind people that the word ecology and economy have the same root Greek word, “ecos,” which means home. And so maybe we can finally get rid of this old paradigm of: “we have to choose one or the other. Either choose your economy or choose your environment.”
I like to think you can have both.