What does being part of the ReLeaf community mean to you?
In response to this profound question, we've put together a collection that celebrates our shared journey toward a greener Austin over the last 20 years. This catalog commemorates the breadth of ReLeaf's initiatives—from urban vertical gardens and eco-conscious architecture to the creation of public green spaces. It also highlights our continued efforts in advocacy and education.
Through an open call in 2043, we invited submissions from contributors across Austin and beyond, to honor the 20th anniversary of the ReLeaf community. Members shared their personal transformation stories—turning barren spaces into thriving ecosystems, designing sustainable green architecture, hosting community gardening events, and organizing permaculture workshops.
This comprehensive catalog includes powerful before-and-after photos, architectural blueprints, snapshots from community events, and heartwarming stories. We also feature our ‘ReLeaf Diaries,’ where contributors reflect on their experiences in making their local environments greener.
In the past two decades, ReLeaf has been at the forefront of a green revolution in Austin, reshaping not only the physical landscape but also how we view and interact with urban spaces. None of this would have been possible without the passion and dedication of our community members.
So, here’s to 20 years of ReLeaf—every green wall, rooftop garden, every seed planted, and every tree grown. Most of all, here’s to you—the visionaries who believed in a greener Austin and made it a reality.
As we turn the pages of this catalog, we not only celebrate what we’ve achieved but also look forward to the growth of our urban green oasis. The future is lush, vibrant, and it begins with us—right here in Austin, with ReLeaf.
🚮 W.A.S.T.E.: Words Assisting Sustainable Transformation & Ecology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Code Rain (0.00) | The visual shimmer seen during network synchronization events. Appears like falling digital mist that leaves no trace but calms the mind. |
| Education (0.00) | Our Education section focuses on exploring the transformative role of sustainable practices and creativity in learning environments. We showcase initiatives like ReLeaf Cooperative that are pioneering ways to integrate environmental education into the everyday curriculum of Austin's schools. Through SolarPunk Fiction and articles, we highlight how innovative concepts like vertical garden fairs are changing the traditional norms of schools and sparking a creative revolution among students. We delve into how these ideas can turn waste into wonder, providing practical, hands-on learning experiences for students, while cultivating their appreciation for sustainability and community. Additionally, we explore revolutionary ideas like evolving copyright into "copy that," demonstrating how education can break from conventional paradigms and encourage a culture of shared learning and innovation. Join us in envisioning a future where education and sustainability go hand in hand, inspiring the next generation of eco-conscious innovators. |
| Ephemeral Art (0.00) | Practice of local repair, reuse, mutual care, and shared access. People use scrap, skills, and trust to keep each other safe and resourced when official systems fail. |
| Future Austin (0.00) | Future Austin invites you to explore a luminous vision of the city’s tomorrow—where imagination and reality intertwine to create a thriving, sustainable urban landscape. Here, grassroots ingenuity and cutting-edge technology power communities, transforming Austin into a place of boundless possibility. Through insightful articles and evocative Organic Fiction, you’ll glimpse futures shaped by innovators like ReLeaf, whose bold strategies—such as Vertical Garden Fairs in schools—seed green revolutions in unexpected places. From unconventional movements like Trash Magic reimagining music distribution, to fictional worlds alive with unseen energy and harmony, this collection offers both practical inspiration and immersive storytelling. Whether you’re drawn to actionable sustainability or simply wish to lose yourself in tales of a resilient, radiant future, Future Austin points toward the city we could create—and the one we must. |
| Grackleclock (0.00) | The syncopated tapping of grackles that lines up with the city’s time flow. A public rhythm you can set your day to. |
| Library of Renewal (0.00) | A sanctuary where stories and spaces themselves invite the rewriting of one’s inner narrative. |
| Mintstep (0.00) | The clean snap of scent released by the mint between the pavers along the creek. It signals steady footing and readiness to help. |
| Mutation Ethic (0.00) | The principle that change through adaptation is not error but evolution, guiding innovation like a genetic code. |
| Organic Media and Fiction (0.00) | The rapid pace of urbanization and its environmental impact has inspired various speculative genres in literature and media. Organic Media and Fiction, a recent addition, offers a refreshing counter-narrative to dystopian futures, focusing on optimistic, sustainable societies powered by renewable energies. ReLeaf, an Organic Media and Fiction-inspired platform, epitomizes this genre by blending reality with narratives that envision a world where humans coexist harmoniously with nature and technology. ReLeaf's ethos is rooted in the belief that a hopeful future of sustainable living is not just an ideal but a reality. It combines engaging storytelling, visual arts, and direct action to showcase the possibilities of an Organic Media and Fiction future. By merging immersive narratives with tangible solutions, ReLeaf serves as both a creative outlet and a catalyst for change. The narratives in ReLeaf are set in cities that integrate renewable energy and green technology into their architecture, infrastructure, and daily life. From urban gardens atop skyscrapers to solar-powered public transport, these stories offer a glimpse of future urban landscapes grounded in existing technologies and practices. They provide an encouraging perspective on how our cities could evolve by amplifying sustainable practices we are already exploring. ReLeaf's stories feature diverse, inclusive, and community-oriented societies, emphasizing social justice, community empowerment, and equitable resource distribution. These narratives reflect societal structures that could foster a balanced coexistence, highlighting the importance of these values in creating a sustainable future. Beyond storytelling, ReLeaf engages in direct action, promoting real-world initiatives that echo Organic Media and Fiction principles. By supporting community-led renewable energy projects and sustainable urban farming, ReLeaf bridges the gap between the Organic Media and Fiction vision and our present reality, making the dream of a sustainable future feel achievable. ReLeaf broadens the understanding of the Organic Media and Fiction genre by presenting a balanced blend of reality and narrative. It underscores that Organic Media and Fiction is not just a literary genre or aesthetic movement, but a lens through which we can view and shape our future. The Organic Media and Fiction vision put forth by ReLeaf invites us to imagine, innovate, and create a future where sustainability is the norm. By intertwining fiction with reality, it presents Organic Media and Fiction as a plausible future, offering a hopeful counterpoint to narratives of environmental doom. ReLeaf helps us believe in—and strive for—a future where humans live in harmony with nature and technology. |
| Pressed-leaf Order (0.00) | An official paper folded and pocketed like a leaf, recast as a marker of both closure and germination. |
| Railbloom (0.00) | A light-rail line that flowers into more than transport, carrying passengers and plants alike toward a greener future. |
| ReLeaf (0.00) | Welcome to the ReLeaf Cooperative, where we dive deep into an innovative and revolutionary model of sustainability and community building. ReLeaf is a pioneer in developing scalable engagement strategies that foster community participation and work towards addressing pressing social issues such as homelessness. In this category, you'll find articles and Organic Media detailing ReLeaf's groundbreaking initiatives and visions. From creating sustainable gardens in Austin elementary schools to providing transparency in a world often shrouded in deception, ReLeaf serves as a beacon of hope and innovation. ReLeaf's approach of intertwining real and fictional elements in their work—such as characters, materials, techniques, and labor—sets a new standard for cooperatives worldwide. Its business model, which compensates for labor and knowledge contributions, creates a lasting benefit and helps people who have historically been marginalized. By meeting people with compassion, as resources in need of support instead of liabilities, ReLeaf has shown that everyone has the potential to contribute to society meaningfully. Explore this section to discover how ReLeaf is redefining the way we approach social issues and sustainability, with stories of inspiration, innovation, and hope. |
| Ringweather (0.00) | The shift in the air when a block’s giving outweighs its taking. Windows feel easier to open. Strangers talk like neighbors. |
| Seeded Silence (0.00) | The fragile peace that grows in the pauses between people, fragile yet nourishing like bread with tiny seeds of memory. |
| Shoal Creek (0.00) | Shoal Creek is changing. At the Seaholm Intake, the water and stone hold a new role for the city. Engineers and naturalists are close to confirming a time-bending effect in the current. Short pulses move both downstream and upstream. Standing near the intake leaves people rested and clear, as if a long afternoon just ended. This site becomes a public time commons. The cooled chambers host sensors and quiet rooms. The walkway links to Central across the water. The mycelium network listens, then routes what the creek gives: steadier attention, better recall, and a calm pace for work and care. What to expect: Check-in stones that log a short visit and return a focus interval Benches that sync with the flow and guide five-minute rest cycles A simple light on the rail that signals when the current flips A small desk for field notes and shared observations Open data on pulse times so neighbors can plan repairs, study, and gatherings Invitation Come without hurry. Sit by the intake. Let the water set your pace. Then carry that steadiness back into the city. |
| Trust Current (0.00) | A mild tingling behind the eyes when people witness a verified act of generosity. Neurologists call it a mirror-empathy response; poets call it the return of faith. |
| Urban Greening (0.00) | The quiet reclamation of concrete by leaf and root, where walls sprout memory, bridges breathe, and the city learns to photosynthesize alongside its people. |
| Verducity (0.00) | A city whose very structure grows like a forest, blending human architecture and living ecosystems into one seamless form. |