"SXSW Eco, Hub Of Environmental And Foodie Fervor"

"At the annual SXSW Eco, a conference in Austin, Texas, you'll find a lot of serious discussion of the rapid decline of the Earth's ecosystems.

But like the famed music, film and interactive parent festival, SXSW, this event is also about networking. That means parties. Lots of them. People shake off formalities easily here, and the young, casual, tech-oriented crowd takes full advantage of Austin's tantalizing buffet of food trucks, bars and music.

I sat down with Allison Aubrey and Dan Charles, who host our weekly Salt chat, to tell them more about SXSW Eco, where I was from Oct. 6-8. You can listen by clicking on the Soundcloud audio link. "

Eliza Barclay reports for NPR October 11, 2014.