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Houston Environmental News Update October 24, 2018
October 24, 2018

Houston Environmental News Update October 24, 2018

7 days of being engaged in the community

That cool, damp weather we’ve been feeling this week tells us that we’re — finally — well into fall here in Southeast Texas. And that means that here in the offices of the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, we’re welcoming a fresh crop of interns from our local colleges and universities to help in getting out the word about environmental matters and events, and running our daily operations.
We are thrilled that seniors Hannah Jacob, Bill Nguyen, and Stacy Giang have returned to continue their great work. We are also pleased to welcome Bryant Matthews, Aniell Parrales, Dan Phan, Taylor Surrat, and Azam Najafi.
Communications intern Bryant Matthews is pursuing a degree in HVAC/R at Houston Community College. Bryant is working to help companies and people learn to use cleaner and safer products. He believes that working at CEC will help him get a head start and be able to learn better ways to protect our environment.
Event coordination intern Aniell Parrales is a senior at the University of Houston where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Communication Public Relations, and minoring in Business Foundations. She has been very active in coordinating big events at the University of Houston like University of Houston’s oldest tradition Frontier Fiesta, Winter Wonderland and UH Graduate school fair.
Digital media intern Dan Phan is a student at the University of Houston where he is pursuing his degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in Motion Media. He currently serves as the historian for the UH Chapter of Graphics, Communication and Education Association (UHGCEA). His love for the city of Houston and storytelling is what inspires him to spread the culture through video and photo.
Government relations intern Taylor Surratt is currently a senior at the University of Houston where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science with a minor in Applied Politics. As a government relations intern at CEC, he is looking forward to gaining valuable first-hand experience in observing the relationship between local government and environmental organizations.
Business management intern Azam Najafi is a junior at the University of St. Thomas where she is pursuing a masters degree in business management. She is looking forward to gaining new skills from CEC that could be put to use in her future career in project management, while at the same time learning more about the environment and how she can contribute to it.
We aren’t done hiring, so keep an eye out for more intern welcomes.
Scroll down to read notes from our member organizations and the community, or view the emailed version of the newsletter, which includes a green job listing.

CEC NOTES

Repair Café Houston
Please consider joining CEC and our partners Transition Houston, the City of Houston Green Building Resource Center, the Houston Peace & Justice Center, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Houston Complete Communities, and TX/RX Labs for the fall Repair Café Houston on October 27, 2018! A Repair Café celebrates fixing through a fun, collaborative, hands-on community event. People bring their broken items for assessment, disassembly and repair. Bring your toolkit and join us to have fun and learn while helping others troubleshoot and fix their broken stuff! Volunteers assess, take apart, and hopefully – REPAIR. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.

Tales of Houston Women: Houston Women in the Environment
Bayou Preservation Association, Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, Houston Audubon, Memorial Park Conservancy, Katy Prairie Conservancy, and UH Libraries are supporting Tales of Houston Women, the Houston History Alliance’s two-month retrospective and celebration displaying the many ways Houston’s women have, are, and will put their mark on local, national and global history. Twenty-one organizations have planned coordinating events, including the following events themed “Houston Women in the Environment”:

Save the Date: EEE on Nov. 7
The next quarterly meeting of the Environmental Educators Exchange will be on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, at 4:30 PM at the Houston Arboretum. More details coming soon. Sign up for EEE-mails at constantcontact.com.

COALITION & COMMUNITY NOTES

We have endeavored to confirm the events listed below. Please consider confirming directly with the hosts.

  1. Clean Water Act lawsuits filed against the City of Houston
    For years, the City of Houston has discharged untreated sewage from its wastewater systems into our parks and bayous, disproportionately affecting lower-income communities. The City’s failure to resolve the problem prompted an investigation by Bayou City Waterkeeper, which identified over 9,300 sewage discharges from Houston’s systems since 2013. Last month, when no resolution appeared imminent, Bayou City Waterkeeper sued the City in federal district court. The EPA and State of Texas have filed a similar lawsuit against the City. Learn more about these legal actions and efforts to protect the Lower Galveston Bay watershed and its residents from future bacterial pollution in coverage by the Houston Chronicle and the Texas Tribune.
  2. Highlighting Harvey
    With so many local organizations holding events and discussions relating to the effects and lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey, we are consolidating them into this special section. Please click on the links for detailed information.

  3. “Like There is No Tomorrow ” art installation continues through Oct. 31
    Main Street Projects in Midtown is presenting an immersive new art exhibition, “Like There Is No Tomorrow” — an interactive installation and complimentary exhibition by Lina Dibin collaboration with Taylor Knapps. The installation is a large-scale interactive video installation that examines species decline in the Anthropocene. Footage of the Gulf of Mexico’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is brought to the surface on Houston’s Main Street.
  4. 2018 Prairies & Pollinators: A Regional Celebration
    Through early November, the Coastal Prairie Partnership is sponsoring “2018 Prairies & Pollinators: A Regional Celebration,” a set of events allowing attendees to learn about and help plant pollinating plants in prairies across the region. For a full listing of planned events, visit prairiepartner.org. Upcoming events include:

    • 10/27/18: Sierra Club trip to Sam Houston National Park Blackland Prairie
    • 10/27/18: Blackhawk Prairie Invasive Species Removal
    • 11/3/18: Seaborne Creek Nature Fest in Rosenberg
    • 11/3/18: Rice University Prairie Planting Event
  5. Recycle Bowl continues through November 15
    Keep America Beautiful presents Recycle Bowl, a national K-12 competition between schools to invigorate student participation in recycling efforts. The competition runs through November 15. The Recycle-Bowl competition has three division categories (School, Community, and District Divisions) allowing schools to compete where they fit best. The Recycle-Bowl also features a non-competitive, “Open Division” that is less formal and accommodates schools that register late. For more information, visit kab.org.
  6. Our Great Region Awards applications open through November 16
    The Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Our Great Region Awards recognize outstanding projects in the region that advance the goals and strategies identified in the Our Great Region 2040 plan. The application period is open through Nov. 16, 2018. Any plans, programs, projects or policies that have implemented a strategy of the Our Great Region 2040 plan within the 13-county region in the past four years are eligible. For more information, visit ograwards.org.
  7. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”
    On October 25, 2018, the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District’s Water Efficiency Network will hold its monthly meeting featuring a presentation by Christina Hughes of the Walter P Moore Water Resources Engineering group titled “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Water Mapping for Master Planned Developments.” The meeting will be held at 655 Conroe Park N Drive, Conroe. For more information, visit cechouston.org
  8. Los Brazos de Dios 35K
    On Oct. 27, 2018, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Lower Brazos Riverwatch is hosting a 35-kilometer (22-mile) canoe and kayak race on the Brazos River from FM 1458 at San Felipe to FM 1093 at Simonton. Proceeds support Lower Brazos Riverwatch and the Columbia Bottomlands Conservancy. This is an ACA sanctioned event. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com.
  9. Creation Care Fest – Environmental Extravaganza
    On Oct. 27, 2018, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., will host the 2018 Creation Care Fest – Environmental Extravaganza, a free event of fun and educational environmental activities for all ages. The festival features lectures by experts addressing the latest science on major enviromental issues and actions you can take; planting in a pollinator garden, games, exhibits by local environmental nonprofits and more. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.
  10. BikeHouston Moonlight Ramble
    On Oct. 27-28, 2018, BikeHouston will host its annual “Moonlight Ramble” fundraiser ride, in which more than 1,000 costumed riders will “retake the night” through historic Houston neighborhoods The event will include live music, food and drinks, and last-minute bike tune-ups. The ride begins at the Saint Arnold Brewing Company, 2000 Lyons Avenue. For more information and to register, visit bikehouston.org.
  11. 2018 Texas Recycling Summit
    From Oct. 28-31, 2018, the 2018 Texas Recycling Summit, presented by The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR), will be held at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston. The summit is an opportunity to bring together professionals from the recycling industry to learn, collaborate, meet new people, share successes, and support recycling efforts in Texas. For more information and to register, visit recyclingstar.org.
  12. State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) Annual Meeting
    On Oct. 30, 2018, from noon-1 p.m., the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) will hold its Annual Membership Meeting at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston. Although the meeting takes place during the STAR Texas Recycling Summit (see above), attendance at the annual meeting is free of charge. For more information and to RSVP, visit eventbrite.com.
  13. Texas Plastic Pollution Symposium
    On Oct. 30, 2018, the Texas Plastic Pollution Symposium will be held at the Del Mar Center for Economic Development in Corpus Christi. The symposium will bring together researchers, natural resource managers, industry representatives, politicians, nongovernmental organizations, and students to highlight the impacts of debris on Texas ecosystems. For more information and to register, visit utmsi.utexas.edu.
  14. 2018 National Coastal Conference
    From Oct. 30-Nov. 2, the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association will hold the 2018 National Coastal Conference, “Resilient Shorelines for Rising Tides,” at the Galveston Island Convention Center and San Luis Resort. The conference will feature discussions of coastal science, policy, technology, and advocacy, and a poster session. For more information and to register, visit asbpa.org.
  15. Energy Efficiency for Business Workshop
    On Oct. 30, 2018, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) will hold the third of its free Energy Efficiency for Business workshops, titled “How to build the business case and get financing for energy efficiency projects.” This session will detail effective ways to finance energy efficiency upgrades using various measures including Houston PACE and will also highlight key incentives and other resource offerings from CenterPoint Energy. For more information and to register, visit eventbrite.com.
  16. Armand Bayou Nature Center Award Luncheon
    On Nov. 1, 2018, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., the Armand Bayou Nature Center will hold its annual Award Luncheon, honoring environmental lawyer, teacher, and author Jim Blackburn, at the Bay Oak Country Club, 14545 Bay Oaks Blvd., Houston. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit abnc.org.
  17. Caney Creek and Linnville Bayou TMDL Stakeholder Meeting
    As part of the Brazos-Colorado Coastal Basin bacteria reduction project focusing on Caney Creek and Linnville Bayou, the Houston-Galveston Area Council will host a public stakeholder meeting on Nov. 1, 2018, from 4-6 p.m. at the Bay City Civic Center, 207 7th Street, Bay City. For more information, visit h-gac.com.
  18. Blackwood Harvest Hoedown
    On Nov. 3, 2018, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the Blackwood Educational Land Institute will host the first annual “Harvest Hoedown,” an immersive farm experience celebrate the bounties of Gulf Coast communities with passionate change-makers who will inspire you to think in new ways about land and food. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit blackwoodland.org.
  19. Bayou City Waterkeeper’s 11th Annual Folks ‘N Oysters
    On Nov. 3, 2018, from 5-8 p.m., Bayou City Waterkeeper will host its 11th Annual Folks ‘N Oysters benefit in Seabrook. The event will include Prestige oysters, live music, craft beer and wine, and will help the organization continue its work making the region’s waterways fishable, swimmable, and drinkable, holding polluters accountable, and protecting our wetlands and floodplains. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit bayoucitywaterkeeper.org.
  20. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife
    Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3 p.m. each Saturday and on municipal access cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Houston, Texas City, Galveston, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Seabrook, Sugar Land, and on HCC TV. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). For a preview, visit TPWD’s YouTube Page.

    • See the opening weekend of deer season in Goldthwaite
    • How hunters help boost a small town’s economy
  21. Additional Upcoming Events

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