There are moments in life when you realize you need to stop and ask for help. Earth Day Austin is at that point. I’m Janis Bookout, and I’d like to share our story with you and ask for your support. Below is how to help, and here is our story:

When Earth Day Texas Austin (the previous non-profit behind the Earth Day ATX festival) closed its doors last summer, I decided to pick up the torch and create a new, independent and locally-funded nonprofit, Earth Day Austin. I had two reasons: 1) I did not want to see the best, free, family festival go away the year before the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day; and 2) because Earth Day Austin could serve the community well by convening community leaders to facilitate systemic solutions that make a difference for all Austinites.

I work with the most committed and passionate people you’ll meet in our city. The interconnected community of activists and organizers, of nonprofit and business leaders, all have one thing in common: they are guided by their vision of the future they want for Austin and beyond. This is a city with heart.

Shortly after the decision to move forward with my vision, Liz Belete from the Science March joined me to form this new nonprofit. Starting from zero operational funding, we worked six months with no income, followed by very tight budget management.  We built one of the strongest and most inclusive Board of Directors in town, followed shortly thereafter by an incredible staff team. We did this in the face of a significant financial gap and through tireless work. We raised the money; we curated a beautiful event.

Cancelling the festival on April 13th was heartbreaking. The event line up included incredible interactive activities for people of all ages, over 150 exhibitors, live music, and multilingual interpreters for our attendees. The stage, tables and chairs were delivered and set. Exhibitors were setting up. It was our community coming together, on display at Huston-Tillotson University.

After re-evaluating our next steps, and we decided to move forward with the rain date April 27th, despite financial challenges due to already paying for one festival this year. We still wanted to keep our word to provide a space for our community to come together and to begin conversations on longer-term initiatives that we can carry forward through the remainder of the year leading up to our 2020 event. That space must be accessible and open to every person in our community, because everyone’s voice matters - no matter their background, financial situation, language or ability. Earth Day is for every one of us.

So what’s next? Now that the 2019 Earth Day ATX festival is complete, we still need to cover significant costs, including staffing the festival and other operational expenses. We’re closing the gap, but we’re not there yet. Coming soon, we will announce a big fund-raising event, but in the meantime, all contributions are much-needed and very welcome.

At the heart of community leadership is the community itself - rising naturally behind a shared vision. Here’s Earth Day’s vision: a resilient community of communities working in partnership toward a vibrant Austin that works for everyone.

If you can support this vision and the festival, below is how to help.

Thank you for your partnership, 

Janis Bookout


Here is How to Help:

Make a donation. Our goal is $20,000, which will help produce a quality (scaled down) festival and pay our staff to deliver it.

Volunteer. We need folks for preparation, for set-up and for day-of. At least 100.

Sponsor or Exhibit. There is room for more exhibitors and sponsors, and sponsors get promoted year-round leading up to 2020. Everything helps, and your contribution will be amplified as we prepare for the 50th Anniversary with a financial foundation sufficient to deliver a full-scale event. 

In-Kind Donations. In-kind donations of things like sound, power, stage, golf carts, snacks, marketing, sign-printing, moving trucks, photography and videography can help us produce a more quality event.

Buy a Song. We had a local artist donate a song to us on PlayItForward. If you would prefer, contribute by purchasing the song. All proceeds go to Earth Day Austin.

Austin - if you know somebody who could help in any of the above ways, please share this with them and help us make sure our community has an Earth Day to remember.

You can also help us amplify this message on social media, by sharing the following post or creating your own tagging @EarthDayATX and #SupportEarthDayATX. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

These people are amazing! Please help support @EarthDayATX as they move forward with the rescheduled event. #SupportEarthDayATX