Will Wynn

You graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in environmental design. How has that informed the work you do today?

When I studied environmental design, I had no idea how much I'd be applying what I learned today. At the time, passive solar energy was a significant component of what we learned so we worked with roof overhangs to capture sunlight in the winter, for example, or worked to orient buildings to increase energy efficiencies and use less tonnage of air conditioning. It was an early wave of the green building movement we have today.

What's the inspiration for all the work you've done in Austin to make it the green city that it is today?

I'm fortunate that I'm a mirror for a city that has a generation-long track record when it comes, broadly speaking, to the environment. Austin is a very progressive city and it's a very livable city. We're an anomaly for Texas frankly. As a council member and mayor, I've inherited good politics when it comes to wanting to do the right thing for the environment. For a couple of decades, most of that environmental attention has come from water quality. A portion of our metro area sits atop a fragile aquifer, an ecosystem that requires a lot of attention. So for a generation, there has been a strong environmental movement in this town much related to water and air quality.

What do you and the other mayors talk about when you get together?

In my role as chair of the energy committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I've become very active with some of my colleagues across the country in talking about how we continue to invest in renewable energy resources and how we reduce energy use per capita. It's a mixed bag. I find myself working more frequently with Mayor Chavez of Albuquerque, Mayor Daley of Chicago, and Mayor Bloomberg of New York City than I do with some of my Texas colleagues.

Did you have a personal eco-awakening?

I don't know that there was an epiphany necessarily, but it has steadily evolved. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that appreciated the outdoors and we were outside a lot. My architecture background helped tie the economic opportunities into that awareness. I moved to Austin to live in this livable city and raise a family here. It was an ongoing education. I lobbied for and wanted to become chair of the energy committee in 2004 because you can't talk about the environment without talking about energy and vice versa. I became more cognizant of global warming and wanted Austin to play a role in that debate and spent much of a year quietly crafting the Austin Climate Protection Plan. Prior to that, I trained with Al Gore for three days to have access to his slides to make my case locally. I have given that slide show dozens of times to large and small groups across the city. I'm energized by it. I feel like my learning curve grows by the day.

Do you have any eco-sins?

I don't drive a hybrid yet. I had to drive to Dallas this weekend in my 2003 Volvo. I know that I clearly have a footprint, but there is a positive impact to not buying a new car. I hope to get a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle once they're mass-produced. As soon as someone can mass-produce them to get the unit cost down, I'll buy one.

What's your biggest eco-challenge?

My biggest eco-challenge is also an opportunity. We're the fastest growing big city in the United States. Our population is going to double over the next 20 years and 75 people move to Austin every day. We don't have effective mass transit, so a big challenge we face is that our energy consumption and fuel consumption is increasing. Our big opportunity is to reduce that per capita and show that even fast-growing metropolitan areas can start to have a measurable reduction in their impact on the planet.

I hear you walk to work.

I do. I walk the six blocks to work. When I lived farther away, I used to jog to work. We've been changing our land-use patterns in Austin so more people can do this. A lot more people here live closer to work, shopping, and worship. That plays a significant role in helping the environment.

I also read that your electric bill is super low.

Yes. We manage our thermostat, only run the dishwasher when it's full and we wash our clothes in cold water. Last month my bill was $48. Two months ago, it was $24.13. And my kids refuse to close the fridge door, too.