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February

Share the Love!  Let’s make Valentine’s Day – “Love the Land Day!”

Show a special someone that you’re thinking of them by making a donation to CCCA, and having a Valentine’s Day e-card message posted on our website. They will receive a direct link to your Valentine's Day message.

This year, CCCA’s work is more important than ever and we invite you to be a part of it.

We have ambitious goals for protecting land, water, and wildlife and will be presenting some excellent programs that address the needs with some innovative solutions.

Comal County has many unique features that make it a special and sensitive place, from the headwaters springs of the Comal River and the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, to the endemic and endangered species found in our rural lands, to the tourism and recreation opportunities offered by Canyon Lake and the Guadalupe River. There is a lot to love.

Join us to learn more and be a part of this important effort.

Please consider a tax-deductible donation of $25, $50, or $100.
​Protecting our beautiful Hill Country land, our precious water, and our wildlife is critical. 

Thank you for your generous support of CCCA. We hope we can count on you again!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

This is how it works.

1. Pick one of the three support levels below ($25, $50 or $100.)
2. Fill out the boxes below the e-card picture you select.
3. We will copy your message onto the picture just as you've written it.
4. Click the Submit button with your information.
5. Click the blue Support button and indicate your donation amount.
6. You will be emailed a link to our CCCA webpage where the e-card is posted.

There are three levels for donations.

• Level 1: For $25, you and your Valentine will receive the link to the e-card below with your message.

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Thank you for your generosity!

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• Level 2: For $50, you and your Valentine will receive the link to the e-card below with your message.

Thank you for your generosity!

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• Level 3: For $100, you and your Valentine will receive the link to the e-card below with your message.

Thank you for your generosity!

April

April 22nd is the day that we celebrate Earth Day to bring awareness of the importance of saving our planet. But, every day is Earth Day.

Preserving open space, natural resources, and natural habitats is a large-scale way to save the Earth and is critical to making sure our Earth remains the place we love and call home.

​But, we can also use less water, recycle, compost, use less fertilizer, use renewable energy, and many other ways we can help save our planet.

Doing our part effects our neighborhood, our city, our state, our country, and our planet. Every small effort helps. Let's all do our part and be proud that we care!

September

THE BIG GIVE IS OVER
But, you can still give
Please support & donate to CCCA at:
www.thebiggivesa.org/organizations/comal-county-conservation-alliance

You Can Make Your Donation Even Bigger on September 23rd
by giving during
"Match Minutes." 

"Match Minute" funds go quickly, so get ready early.
​​
8:01 AM     9:15 AM     12:15 PM    2:15 PM
4:15 PM    6:15 PM     8:01 PM     11:15 PM

Comal County is growing rapidly and losing land to accommodate this growth.
This growth threatens the stability of our aquifers.

Our aquifers need natural landscape to absorb, filter, reduce runoff, and recharge our water supply. Without it, we face increasing pollution and depletion of our most valuable water source.

We should not let that happen.

It's more important than ever that we work to preserve the
natural landscape of Comal County.

Please donate to CCCA at the Big Give page:
www.thebiggivesa.org/organizations/comal-county-conservation-alliance

THE BIG GIVE IS OVER!
(You can still give through next week. There just aren't any possible goodies attached to your donation.)

The Best Option!
Thank you to the McKenna Foundation

There are two $5,000 pools available: the first $5,000 is on Thursday, 9/22 at 9:09 PM, and the second $5,000 is on Friday, 9/23 at 9:09 AM.  Each donation that comes in during that minute has the chance to be matched up to $150 per gift, until the pool is depleted or the minute is over- whichever comes first.
 
Why is this so great?  During these two minutes, there are only 30 agencies who have access to these funds for a potential match.  So your odds are much better than that of the unrestricted Match Minutes.

December

Holiday Party & Silent Auction
Tuesday, 6 December, 5 PM to 8 PM
The Faust Hotel Ballroom
240 S Seguin Ave, New Braunfels

Once again, we will enjoy the wonderful ambiance of the Historic Faust Hotel!

FOOD, FUN, and SILENT AUCTION
Wear your favorite holiday attire and come enjoy a delicious appetizer buffet, a homemade holiday cookie table, and a cash bar.

"Adventures and Experiences" is the theme of the silent auction.
When you think of the coming year, let’s make 2023 a year of “getting out there” and enjoying the great outdoors! 

There is no cost for admission, although donations will be gladly accepted.
Please RSVP by clicking Eventbrite so we have an accurate head count for the food.

Special thanks to the following event sponsors for providing the venue, food, and entertainment:

The Faust Hotel
Davidek Law Firm, PLLC
Conservant Capital
CMIT Solutions
Goosehead Insurance

Gruene Insurance Group
Gruene Leaf
House Hunters New Braunsfel
Kuehler Investments
Woolsey Design Build

CONSERVE AT HOME: What You Can Do

Save Water

According to Save the Water, the average American uses 2,000 gallons of water every day, while the average family in Africa uses only 5 gallons of water each day. Taking these steps to conserve water can make a big difference.

• Only wash full loads of laundry
• Fill a bucket while showering and use it to water plants
• Scrape your plates rather than rinsing completely
• Run dishwasher only when full
• Use low flow aerator on your faucets
  
• Turn off faucet while brushing your teeth
• Create lawn watering schedule using a watering calculator
• Harvest rainwater
• Install water-efficient appliances and shower heads
• Collect running water to give your plants a drink. Wait 24 hours if you have a softener.
• Take a shower rather than a bath.
• Fill a pitcher while running water to put in refrigerator for later consumption
• Use fish bowl water, a natural fertilizer, for your plants.
  
• Fix leaky faucets and toilet connections, check often. 

ECO-FRIENDLY EATING & YOUR GARDEN

• Plan your weekly meals to waste less food
• Only buy food on your shopping list
• Start a compost pile
• Cut down on processed foods in your cupboards
• Pack your lunch with reusable containers.
• Skip fast food
• Reuse water bottles and plastic bags
• Use less straws, plastic silverware and paper plates
• Start a community garden
• Use leftover water from washing vegetables to water garden
• Place tub outside to save rain water 
• Water plants using a mug
• Water early in the morning or late in the evening

COMPOSTING AT HOME: A Complete Beginner's Guide
by John Quinn

As one realizes how composting can be a relatively simple and effective way to improve their gardens and reduce waste, they may wonder why they did not start doing it sooner. About one in three homeowners in the United States compost at least occasionally, with nearly one in five doing it on a regular basis. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans throw away over 250 million tons of trash per year. At present, around a third of this refuse is recycled or composted.

As much as 30 percent of residential waste can be turned into compost. This effort could dramatically cut back on an individual's waste production. If they compost in the house or yard (make sure to check that it is allowed in your community), homeowners who are worried that the items they recycle will end up in a landfill can look for replacements they can decompose instead. People may be surprised with just how much they can toss into a compost pile.

Composting can also save money by reducing the need to purchase expensive potting soil or fertilizers to promote healthy plant growth. It may also reduce irrigation needs, cutting down on water usage and utility bills. Composting is growing in popularity across the world. The Town of Collierville, for example, looks to increase the amount of yard waste taken to compost sites
​by 10%.

composting_at_home_john_quinn.pdf
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USE LESS PAPER

It's crammed into your mail box, piled on your desk and sometimes recycled. But more often than not, unread mail, old phonebooks and other paper products sit in landfills, while more and more forests are cut down each year to produce even more products. Here’s how you can limit your paper use.

• Switch to online bill pay.
• Opt out of junk mail subscriptions.
• Think before you print.
• Recycle according to your local guidelines.
• Subscribe to digital magazine subscriptions.
• Donate boxes from online shopping or after moving.

JUST FOR KIDS

• Stay away from toys that require constant running water. Instead, use a small pool to enjoy water outside, or use sports-related toys and remote-controlled devices instead.
• When washing hands, turn off the sink while kids are lathering up.
• Don’t let children flush tissues or other items down the toilet. Not only is this wasteful, but it can also cause serious plumbing problems. 
• Encourage your kids to use a wastebasket for tissues and other everyday essentials they may be tempted to flush.
• If your children have fish, re-use the water from the tank to provide nourishment to your houseplants instead of pouring it down the drain.
• When washing the dog, make sure you wash them on an area of the lawn that needs water so you can accomplish two tasks at once. Just be sure the soap you use is safe for plants.
• Teach children to always turn the faucets off tightly to avoid drips and unnecessary water waste.

SAVE FUEL

There’s no doubt that the emissions from traffic pollute the air. Switching up your driving habits can make a bigger environmental impact than you think. Not only will you spend less money on gas, but you will also significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

• Turn your engine off when idling longer than 15 minutes
• Carpool to work
• Consider buying an electric vehicle if your budget allows
• Walk or ride your bike
• Pump regular fuel, unless your vehicle requires premium
• Avoid idling in fast-food lanes
• Keep tires fully inflated for better fuel economy
• Only use A/C in your car when necessary.
• Replace the right spark plug
• Replace clogged air filters
• Use the right motor oil
• Check engine performance
• Be a smooth operator
• Lose some weight

CONSERVE ELECTRICITY

Power Strips
You can power down with a power strip. Do you forget to unplug your cell phone and other electronic equipment rechargers? You can use a power strip to turn off these phantom power drainers. Instead of trying to unplug countless gadgets when not in use, simply flip one switch to disengage the continual transferring of energy.
Change Out Light Bulbs
Change your incandescent light bulbs for CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs. This will give you a leg up for the 2012 enforcement of the 2007 energy law that mandates that by 2012 all 100-watt incandescent bulbs are to be phased out. The process will continue through the various watts until the end of 2014 when the 40-watt incandescent light bulb will be the last to be phased out. By switching over to CFL bulbs, you can save on electricity since a CFL bulb only requires one-third the amount of power it takes to power an incandescent bulb. In addition, the energy cost of replacing incandescent bulbs is ten times more than that of a single CFL bulb.

Weatherize Your Home
It might seem to be an unlikely way to save electricity, but if you have a leaky house it can cause a larger demand on electricity. This is especially true during the summer months when you run air conditioning. You can make cost-effective and relatively low cost adjustments like adding caulking and attic insulation.
Attic Ventilation
Hot air can get trapped in attics and increase the amount of power you need to cool the rest of your home. By installing attic fans or turbine roof vents, you can vent the hot air out of your roof and reduce the amount of electricity you need to cool your home during the summer months. If you want to reduce the electricity even more, consider installing solar powered fans.
Energy Star Appliances
If your appliances are older models, then you should retire them and purchase new ones as soon as you can. An Energy Star refrigerator can save money since this one appliance contributes nearly 15 to 20 percent of your energy consumption. A new washer and dryer, not only will save on electricity requirements, but also save on clothes. A partially filled freezer requires more electricity to keep the food frozen than a full freezer.
Cooking
If you use an electric oven and range, then you might want to consider other options of cooking such as a gas grill, slow cooker, or toaster oven.
Timers
You can save by putting some lamps in your home on timers. For example, if you leave your home when it's still dark outside, you can place a lamp or two to turn off at sunrise and turn back on at sunset so you don't enter a dark home.
Programmable Thermostat
Replace your furnace thermostat with a programmable one to reduce your electricity and energy needs. Set your timer to a low temperature during the night and to turn the furnace on at a higher temperature in the morning before you get up. Also, set the timer to a lower temperature while you're away at work and again to a higher one timed to turn on prior to your return home.

If your water heater is electric, then you can also place it on a timer to reduce the amount of electricity required to heat your household water.
Motion Detector Lights
While security considerations may mandate that you leave some lights on at night, such as those by an outside door entrance, you can place other lights that you use for security purposes on motion detectors in order to conserve electricity.
Saving Electricity Equals Saving Money
While your main goal in saving electricity might be altruistic in a desire to help the environment and reduce your impact on resources, the personal benefit is that you can save money by using these tips for conserving electricity.
​https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/why-is-it-important-conserve-electricity

Resources:
​https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/why-is-it-important-conserve-electricity
https://www.budgetdumpster.com/blog/world-nature-conservation-day/
​https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/home-water-conservation/
pinterest.co.uk
parentcircle.com

Presents

The CCCA's Conserve Comal! education campaign will partner with local groups to plan educational opportunities and events for the public. The blue exclamation point represents the urgency of protecting the Texas Hill Country. We love this place and we want to preserve land, water, and wildlife for future generations.

The first step is to prepare through learning. Please click here to visit the full Conserve Comal! website with lots of great information and conservation tips that you can share with friends and family. Can you name the four things on the front page image?

#LandWaterWildlife

Land is the key to maintaining all three focus areas — land, water, and wildlife. Without open natural spaces, we cannot keep the water clean. Without clean water, we cannot protect the wildlife.

Clean ​water is needed for all life. In the Texas Hill Country, we rely on local aquifers for our clean water. Preserving the aquifer means water conservation and planning for smart growth.

Texas Hill Country is home to many different species — some of which are endemic or endangered. The removal of habitats for construction purposes is a growing threat to wildlife in the area.