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Environmental Resource Guide

Photo of Houston Wilderness Houston Wilderness
(713) 524-7330

Purpose: Houston Wilderness is a broad-based alliance of business, environmental and government interests that acts in concert to protect, preserve and promote the unique biodiversity of the region’s precious remaining ecological capital from bottomland hardwoods and prairie grasslands to pine forests and wetlands.

Programs: Collaborative Access Program, Sam Houston Greenbelt Network, Collaborative Grant Organizing, Wilderness Passport, ecosystems services, and Get Out Here Houston.…

Photo of Buffalo Bayou Partnership Buffalo Bayou Partnership
(713) 752-0314

Purpose:Buffalo Bayou Partnership is the Houston non-profit organization revitalizing and transforming Buffalo Bayou, our city’s most significant natural resource. Coordinating the integration of major improvements into the Bayou greenway, the Partnership seeks increased community involvement through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities, art installations, and other natural and built attractions. Major Events: Buffalo Bayou Regatta, kayak tours, history hikes, walk tours, bat tours, Second Saturday Boat cruises, Twilight tours, Seasonal Cruises, Nights on Blue Bayou events along the Sabine Promenade.…

Photo of City of Houston Green Building Resource Center City of Houston Green Building Resource Center
(832) 394-9050

Purpose: To enable the public to experience and learn more about healthy and energy, water, and material conserving design and construction; also known as Green Building.

Steven M. Stelzer, AIA, LEED AP, Program Director
steve.stelzer@houstontx.gov

Photo of EarthShare of Texas EarthShare of Texas
(512) 472-5518

Purpose: Through collaborative fundraising and partnership building, EarthShare of Texas empowers mission-driven members to pursue positive environmental and health impacts across the Lone Star State for the benefit of all.

We support more than 40 of the most respected conservation and environmental organizations in Texas.  From air quality to wildlife rehabilitation to the development of green building technology, our members work to protect our environment.…

Photo of State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR)
(512) 828-6409

Purpose: To advance recycling through partnerships, education, and advocacy for the benefit of Texas.

Major Events: Annual Texas Recycling Summit– September 9-11, 2019 at the El Tropicano Hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Texas Compost Summit– will take place October 2019. Date and location TBD.

Publications:  STAR is helping Texans to learn more about the recycling industry through free informational webinars and quarterly e-newsletters.…

Photo of Bayou Land Conservancy Bayou Land Conservancy
(281) 576-1634

Purpose: Bayou Land Conservancy is a community-sponsored land preservation organization to permanently protect land, with a focus on the 13 watersheds that feed Lake Houston. We preserve river and bayou corridors, other properties with significant wildlife habitat value, and places where family recreation can occur in harmony with nature.

Jill Boullion, Executive Director
jboullion@bayouland.org

Becky Martinez, Conservation Director
bmartinez@bayouland.org

Cherie Wilson, Office Administrator
cwilson@bayouland.org

Photo of SPARK School Park Program SPARK School Park Program
(832) 393-0911

Purpose: The SPARK School Program works with schools and neighborhoods to develop community parks on public school grounds. In the past 30 years, SPARK has built over 200+ community parks throughout the Houston/Harris County area. Each park is unique, with its design based on ideas and needs of the school and surrounding neighborhoods.…

Photo of Rice Design Alliance Rice Design Alliance
(713) 348-5924

Purpose: Dedicated to the advancement of architecture, urban design, and the built environment in the Houston region through educational programs, the publication of Cite, and active programs to initiate physical improvements. By sponsoring lectures, seminars, symposia, exhibits, and tours, RDA seeks to involve the public.

Volunteer Opportunities: Docents needed for house tour, gala, and other events.…

Photo of Houston Botanic Garden Houston Botanic Garden
(713) 715-9675

Purpose: To establish and sustain a premier botanic garden to promote public appreciation and understanding of plants, gardens, and conservation of the natural world through education and scientific enquiry. Through discovery, education and the conservation of plants and the natural environment, the HBG aims to enrich lives, serve as a model for sustainability, and inspire all who visit to become environmental stewards.…

Photo of The Woods Project, Inc. The Woods Project, Inc.
(281) 371-6696

Purpose: To develop leadership capacity and life skills in low income youth through a series of outdoor education/environmental awareness programs at wilderness sites in the United States. Goals: • To prepare students for college and beyond by fostering life skills and mindsets through outdoor education; • To provide hands-on science lessons in a natural environment; • To empower students to take advantage of leadership opportunities; • To teach students how to adapt to/accept and engage in foreign environments; and • To give students the opportunity to succeed in new endeavors.…

Photo of Artist Boat Artist Boat
(409) 770-0722

Purpose: Non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and preservation of coastal margins and the marine environment through the disciplines of the sciences and the arts. Programs: Eco-Art Adventures via kayak, vessel, or walking, and summer camps Professional development & environmental stewardship programs, with special opportunities for oil and gas companies Eco-Art Residencies in Schools integrating the arts and sciences to create public sculptures and habitats on campuses Habitat Restoration Adventure Program, focused on stewardship-based learning through dune and coastal prairie preservation Boy and Girl Scout badge classes Classroom presentations and speakers that coincide with curriculum Gulf ‘Coast Education Center: K-Grey can learn about the ecological, social, and economic value of coastal ecosystems.

Photo of Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH) at UHCL Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH) at UHCL
(281) 283-3950

Since 1991, the mission of the Environmental Institute of Houston at University of Houston-Clear Lake has been to advance understanding of the environment through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach. Purpose: It serves as a contact point for the community to access the expertise and resources of the university. Additionally, EIH partners with agencies, community and environmental groups, and businesses to conduct research and outreach projects in the Houston region.

Photo of Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. Woodlands G.R.E.E.N.
713-540-1964

Purpose: The The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. is a tax-deductible 501 (c)(3) educational organization that promotes natural resource conservation, recycling, solid waste reduction, safe and sensible care of our air and water resources, and other responsible actions that protect the environment and its inhabitants.

Meetings: Board & Members Meeting, 5:30-7 p.m., second tuesday of each month, location specified on website.…

Photo of Houston Canoe Club Houston Canoe Club
(832) 909-3843

Purpose: Established in 1964, the Houston Canoe Club’s members are interested in all types of paddlesport from canoeing to kayaking, quietwater, whitewater, touring and racing. We do it all and have fun doing it. Canoe safety presentations are available for school groups.

Meeting Time: 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet Street, Houston, TX 77074.…

Photo of U.S. Green Building Council – Texas Gulf Coast Region U.S. Green Building Council – Texas Gulf Coast Region
(281) 506-3867

Purpose: The chapter will accelerate the implementation of the best sustainable building practices for our region through collaboration, education and advocacy. Founded in 2003, the USGBC-Texas Gulf Coast Chapter is uniquely positioned to leverage green building industry knowledge with community needs related to the built environment. The chapter connects the built environment to community life indicators and offers the LEED Rating System as a measurement tool to vet whether or not a building is operating at high performance.…

Photo of Texas Southern University, Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs Texas Southern University, Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs
(713) 313-6849

Purpose: The Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs has a reputation as a comprehensive center for sound academic research. Scholars focus on a broad range of topics, including voting behavior, American foreign policy and international relations, political communication, criminal justice attitudes and behavior, police violence, environmental justice, race and crime, race and governance, policy studies, leadership, E-government, homeland security, urban transportation, housing and community development, Diaspora studies, environmental planning, economic development and the fiscal responsibility of urban governments.…

Photo of Center for Houston’s Future Center for Houston’s Future
(713) 844-9325

Purpose: Center for Houston’s Future (CHF) works to address matters of highest importance to the long-term future of the greater Houston region, by engaging diverse leaders, providing impactful research, and defining actionable strategies. The Center for Houston’s Future furthers the Houston region as a top global community in which to work and live.…

Photo of Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Inc. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Inc.
(979) 480-0999

Purpose: To protect birds and their habitats around the Gulf of Mexico.

Programs: Land protection, Site Partner Network, Research, Educational Outreach, Tropical Forest Forever Fund. Field Trips are available for your school group. Call office for booking information. Coastal Wildbird Trunk – educational resources for primary and secondary age students

Major Events: Birdies for the Birds, Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza, Smith Point Hawk Watch, Monthly Bird Banding, Quintana Spring Fling.…

Photo of Friends of Woodland Park Friends of Woodland Park
(713) 862-1520

Purpose: The Friends of Woodland Park, Inc. (FWP) is dedicated to preserving the park’s natural habitat along with its unique historical significance to the City of Houston, and to providing for the enjoyment and education of all who visit.

Publications: Subscribe to email newsletter.

Programs: Trails at Twilight Gala,

Bird watching monthly.…

Photo of Houston Audubon Society Houston Audubon Society
(713) 932-1639 Headquarters/Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary

Purpose: To advance the conservation of birds and positively impact their supporting environments. Founded in 1969.

Meetings: with speakers are held the second Thursday of alternate school months: Sept, Nov, Jan, March, & May at United Way Center at 50 Waugh Drive. See website for details. Houston Audubon Nature Photography Association (HANPA) meetings: Third Wednesdays of each month, Sept-May, 7 p.m., HAS headquarters.…

The CEC has a searchable, web-based version of the Environmental Resource Guide. You may also download older versions of the printed guide below.

Archived Resource Guides