Dueling Cities by Jim Parks on Creators.com

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Dueling Cities

Many municipalities have become more energy conscious and sustainable, but down in big ol' Texas, there are shootouts for the "greenest city" bragging rights. In Irving, Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys play, they had to tear down the old stadium (implode it with explosives, actually), but they reused 95 percent of the concrete rubble in highway construction. Irving's convention center is going for LEED gold, hybrid sanitation trucks pick up trash, and the new library is guaranteeing it'll be NetZero.

Meanwhile, down in Austin, Mayor Will Wynn raised renewable energy use from zero to 12 percent and solar and biomass plants are under construction.

The U.S. Department of Energy named Austin's energy program, GreenChoice, as the country's most successful energy program for five years running. And there's an award-winning program where yard trimmings and treated sewage are sold as compost, which saves taxpayers the cost of landfills.

Who wins in this competitive fervor? The planet!

Questions can be sent to Jim Parks at jrparks@mac.com. To view the online "Today's Green Minute" videos, go to http://todaysgreenminute.com/. To find out more about Jim Parks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.