Coalition Notes 03-16-2011

1. The First Biannual Seed Swap. The First Biannual Seed Swap will be held March 19 from 9:30am to noon at Project Row Houses, Dupree Park, Francis and Dowling Streets, Houston 77006. It’s all about vegetable seeds and native and adapted plant seeds and transplants. Nell Wheeler will talk about harvesting and storing seeds and there will be displays for selected nonprofits. So come on down and meet seed savers in Houston! Garden open houses and tours at nearby Ecotone and Alabama Gardens will follow the Seed Swap and run from noon to 2pm. For more information, visit http://projectrowhouses.org/2011/03/houston-seed-swap-and-sale/ or contact portia.leyendecker@gmail.com.
2. Spring into Nature. Armand Bayou Nature Center is continuing the “Sundays in Nature Series” with “Spring into Nature” on March 20th from 1pm-3pm. This time of year, animals are found nesting or alone and mistakenly thought to be abandoned. Find ways to keep these animals in their environment and what to do if they appear to be orphaned or injured. Meet some the Center’s live animals and go on a guided hike through the forest. For more information, visit http://abnc.org/.
3. 4th Annual Houston Environmental Education Summit. Due to the ice storm last month, the EE Summit has been rescheduled from February to April 9th at The University of Houston, Clear Lake. This year’s Houston Environmental Education Summit will expand on the topic of the green school movement and will also highlight the critical role the community plays in supporting schools. To register, visit http://houstoneesummit.wordpress.com/.
4. Clean Waters Initiative Workshop. H-GAC will be hosting the next Clean Waters Initiative Workshop on March 23rd from 1-4pm. This workshop will cover Landscaping to Prevent Nonpoint Source Pollution. To register, visit http://www.h-gac.com/community/water/cwi/default.aspx.
5. Houston Audubon requests support for recycling initiatives. On March 14, State Representative Coleman and Senator Ellis filed HB 2114 and SB 1119 respectively in the House and Senate, the Texas Container Recycling Initiative, a bill that will set a 5-cent deposit on regular beverage containers and a 10-cent deposit on wine size beverage containers. A portion of these deposits is used by the state comptroller to promote establishment of municipal recycling facilities and independent redemption centers. The bill will create a high incentive to keep our man-made beverage containers in the economic system and out of our biological and environmental systems. Representative Coleman also filed the Disposable Plastic Bag Fee bill, HB 1877, which will add a 5-cent fee, paid by customers, for every bag used to carry purchases. This bill creates an economic incentive to use canvas bags instead of plastic ones. There is a provision for offsetting retailers’ collection costs, and the balance of the receipts is to be used by the state comptroller in support of municipal recycle programs. More at http://www.houstonaudubon.org.