The CEC is proud to host the fourth annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival this fall. CEC hopes to use this festival to tell local environmental stories, highlight the work of CEC’s member organizations, and to inspire our residents and visitors to make a difference in the environment and our quality of life. The festival will be held virtually to protect the health and safety of our community in these times. We invite you to submit a film for consideration. Films should be specific to the environment in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region, should be no more than seven minutes long, and must be of suitable quality to be shown publicly. View the Submission Guidelines, and make submissions using this Google Form.
The Living Coast is a gorgeous nature film, dynamic storytelling and live music performance that explores the Texas gulf coast. Montopolis features members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and Texas’ best rock musicians touring with renowned storyteller Margaret Hoarde. The show is a love letter to the region as well as an opportunity to discuss broader environmental challenges. Surfers and sailors, shrimpers and oilmen, poets and scientists all share their stories about this complicated region of serene beauty, vast industry, and incredible contradictions.
“A Montopolis show is like a night of beautiful chamber music, but with electric guitar and the twang of pedal steel giving a Texas kick to the keys and strings.”
The Living Coast film was produced by cinematographer Anlo Sepulveda and drone pilot Reagan Jobe. Supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, the concert will tour Texas in Fall 2021.
Masks will be required and capacity will be limited.
Houston Bird Week, Montopolis: The Living Coast, Mandell Park Tour, Residential Solar, Parks for Pollinators, Fall Coastal Cleanup, Green Jobs and more
The fall migratory bird season is in full swing, and once again Houston Audubon is celebrating with Houston Bird Week, which runs from Friday, September 17 through Saturday, September 25, with a mix of in-person and virtual events.
The annual Bird Week was started in 2019 by Houston Audubon’s inaugural Young Professionals Advisory Council to commemorate the organization’s 50th birthday. Bird Week is “a celebration of the important role Houston plays in the journey of billions of migratory birds and the everyday lives of our resident birds. In addition to Houston’s vital location along the Gulf of Mexico, the growing popularity of planting native plants, restoring prairies, bird-friendly education programs, and Houston’s Lights Out for Birds program were among the many efforts and programs that gained Houston the Bird City designation in 2020.”
This year’s activities kick off with a Beer Launch Party on at Bakfish Brewing Co. in Pearland. The week includes a host of events around the region, including bird surveys, bird walks, activities that combine birding with biking and boating, volunteer beach and park clean-ups, trivia contests, photography classes and photo shoots, happy hours, chats by partnering organizations, a night of stories, bingo games, and many more. Many of the events are family-friendly. Find the full listing of events at houstonaudubon.org.
Lights Out, Houston!
Through Nov. 30, 2021, Houston Audubon invites the public to participate in Lights Out, Houston for the fall migration season. Houston Audubon’s Lights Out for Birds Program started in 2017 after a large collision event in Galveston. In 2020, Houston Audubon partnered with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Texan By Nature, and organizations across the state to expand the program into Lights Out Texas! This program encourages individuals, organizations, companies, building managers, and cities to turn their non-essential, exterior lights off from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. throughout spring and fall migrations, with extra emphasis on these lights being out during peak migration, which continues through October 29. Learn more at houstonaudublog.org.
CEC NOTES
Montopolis: The Living Coast — Saturday!
We are excited to announce that The Living Coast event, planned for last year but postponed, will be shown this Saturday, Sep. 18, 2021, at MATCH. The Living Coast performance by Montopolis combines original music, live narration, and cinematic images of the Texas gulf coast. Surfers and sailors, shrimpers and oilmen, poets and scientists all share their stories about this complicated region of serene beauty, vast industry, and incredible contradictions. The show has been limited to 50% capacity and will require masks. Ticket sales will be donated to the Matagorda Bay Foundation and the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition. Tickets now available.
Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers
Engage your students with lessons outdoors or virtually. Over 30 workshops are in the regional summer professional development calendar to connect you with local resources. Sign up today at hereinhouston.org.
Call for submissions: Wild About Houston Green Film Festival
The CEC is proud to host the fourth annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival this fall. CEC hopes to use this festival to tell local environmental stories, highlight the work of CEC’s member organizations, and to inspire our residents and visitors to make a difference in the environment and our quality of life. The festival will be held virtually to protect the health and safety of our community in these times. We invite you to submit a film for consideration. Films should be specific to the environment in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region, should be no more than seven minutes long, and must be of suitable quality to be shown publicly. View the Submission Guidelines, and make submissions using this Google Form.
Please scroll down to read about public engagement opportunities and notes from our member organizations and the community.
