Amy Stansbury is a firm believer in the importance of local government. "It impacts everything from affordability, to traffic, to the preservation of Austin's art and music culture," she says. "If we want Austin to continue being the awesome city that it is, it will require participation and effort from each and every one of us."

Working with local artists, Stansbury and her team at the Austin EcoNetwork created "A Beginner's Guide to Local Government," an adult coloring book designed to help teach Austinites how to get involved in the local community. The Guide includes information about who the mayor of Austin is, what he does, and how to figure out who your City Council member is. Stansbury says the idea is to take someone from total City Hall "newbie status" to a knowledgable, active, and engaged citizen of Austin.

A $1000 grant from the Austin Awesome Foundation will fund the printing of 1,000 copies of the Beginner's Guide to Local Government, which will be distributed free in multiple locations around Austin. "With this guide," says Stansbury, "we'll basically be teaching 1,000 more Austinites how to make Austin awesome!"