How to Green your SXSW

There’s a lot to remember during SXSW. What time is that one band playing? Where did you leave your bike? When is the last bus? Will these new skinny jeans be comfortable for eight hours?

Your brain might be lacking extra room to think about the environment, so the Austin Post has come to your rescue with a few ideas. And I’m not going to tell you not to litter or to recycle your recyclables…because you already know that.

• Avoid your car at all cost. Last year, I was living in Hyde Park and I took the bus to Congress Ave. every single day. It was fun and stress-free. (This year, I might be making a scooter purchase, but please don’t tell my parents.) Bikes are so useful during SXSW, too! Trust me, you do not want to attempt to navigate the downtown traffic and parking.
• If you or your friends live far from downtown, have some slumber parties to save driving time! Trade cooking for couches.
• Carry a good water bottle so you don’t have to constantly buy plastic ones.
• If you’re drinking draught beer from plastic cups at one venue, ask the bartenders to refill your cup rather than using a new one every time. (That water bottle should be coming in handy after, say, beer number four?
• Take your out-of-town guests to restaurants that specialize in sustainable deliciousness. Here’s a cool list of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and the Austin Post’s Kristi Willis has a great selection of restaurants that source locally here. (She gives fair warning, these are in her “special occasion” price range.) 
• This weekend, check out the Balcones Burner Bash for a pre-SXSW party of sustainable, legal graffiti!
• After some afternoon Facebook stalking, ahem, research, I found out Environment Texas is planning a SXSW party at their downtown Austin office. Check their site in the next few days for details, and I'll update this article when I know more.

Also worth mentioning:

The good folks at SXSW have made some changes to their company to be greener. Over a year ago, SXSW installed solar panels on their office building to save some green while being green. Plus, the SXSW team brought a solar charging station that powers electric scooters to Denmark for last year’s Roskilde Festival. There’s more info on that here. In 2006, they also became a carbon neutral company.

This year, there's an interesting panel on sustainable filmmaking during the -- surprise -- film festival. More details here.

Do you have any more tips? Let me know!