Coalition Notes 04-30-2012

1. Transition Houston May Meeting. Tuesday, May 1, 7-9 PM, Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., Houston 77005. The May meeting will feature a presentation by Meredith Dang from the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Sustainable Communities program (www.ourregion.org). This will be a tremendous opportunity to hear what is going on and provide your feedback. We will also have a short presentation about recently announced carbon/greenhouse gas protections, and updates on what is going on in our Action Groups (especially reports about Heart and Soul and Permablitz) and Neighborhood Initiatives. As is our tradition, the business program will end at 8:30 and the time for refreshments, conversation, and community will begin. Cost: Free. FOr more info: Mark at 832-655-5104 or www.transitionhouston.org or https://www.facebook.com/events/373651186011700/.
2. Spring Environmental Educators’ Exchange (EEE) meeting at Bat Bridge. The quarterly EEE meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Waugh Street Bat Colony, Waugh Bridge over Buffalo Bayou between Allen Parkway and Memorial. This meeting will be outdoors! Bring a chair or blanket. Gather by the viewing platform located on the southeast corner of the intersection of the bridge and the bayou. Parking is a challenge as there are few parking places near the bridge. (If it rains, the group will meet right up the street in the Cafe at Whole Foods, 701 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX 77019, south of Allen Parkway. Whole Foods is just a block away and has a large parking lot.) Refreshments are pot-luck….please bring something to share. Interpretation will be provided by long-time EEE member Diana Foss of Texas Parks and Wildlife. FYI….Bats will begin their nightly foraging around 8:30 or so, after the meeting ends. Membership: if you are not currently a member or are behind on your dues, you can join or rejoin at the meeting. We will have membership forms with us, or you can print one from our webpage, www.eeehouston.org. The cost is still $15 for 2 years! RSVP: email Edith Smith, smithedith@aol.com. EEE meetings: regularly occur on evenings of the 1st Wednesday of May, August, November and February….locations to be announced! http://www.eeehouston.org.
3. Walk for the Woods. The Woods Project is excited to announce its first public event, Walk for the Woods. About 5k, the walk starts and ends at Americas Plaza (2311 Canal St.), walking along the south side of the Buffalo Bayou through downtown featuring the East End and the East End Community. Sunday, May 6, 2012. Registration at 8am, walk at 9am. The Woods Project has made a difference in the lives of over 2,000 low income students. Its wilderness education programming has given them the confidence, the leadership skills, the teamwork skills, and the ‘can do’ attitude that will lead them to lives as successful adults- becoming strong citizens with the capacity and desire to make our Country more successful. Walk for The Woods will make it possible for even more students to have life changing experiences. More at www.walkforthewoods.org.
4. H-GAC Regional Recycling Roundtable: Planning for Household Hazardous Waste Collection. May 10, 2012, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Houston-Galveston Area Council, Conference Room A, 2nd floor, 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, Texas 77027. There is no cost for this event. Learn about managing household hazardous waste in your community. Learn how to host a household hazardous waste collection event for your residents. Do you want to learn some tips for working with a household hazardous waste provider? Then join us at the upcoming Regional Recycling Roundtable to hear from Cheryl Burton-Fentress of Harris County and Kelby Neal of PSC. For more information or to RSVP please contact Erin Livingston at 832-681-2525 or erin.livingston@h-gac.com.
5. Children’s Museum Gets Wild About Wildflowers. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to experience the magnificent wildflowers which cover the Texas landscape in the spring, you know what a sight that is to behold! Now here’s your chance to get a little taste of that Texas spring time beauty at the Children’s Museum of Houston. Stop by and indulge in some of nature’s most beautiful inventions in CMH’s EcoStation exhibit. Let your creativity garden grow while you learn about Texas native flowers, plants and more! www.cmhouston.org.
6. Fresh Air Friday: A Picnic in the Plaza! H-GAC Commute Solutions Program will host the tenth annual Fresh Air Friday event on May 11, 2012 at the Jones Plaza in Downtown Houston from 11am-1pm. Come out to learn about Commute Alternatives and Alternative Fuel Options while enjoying free food, and entertainment! For more information, contact Rick Guerrero at rick.guerrero@h-gac.com or 832-681-2589 or visit the website www.cleanairaction.org.
7. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory Program: Insects. Saturday May 12, 2012; 9 – 11 am. 103 Hwy 332 W. Lake Jackson, TX. www.gcbo.org. This month’s topic is “Insects” by Ed Barrios and Jerry Eppner – members of Cradle of Texas Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists. With recent rains, insects are making a comeback. Ed will discuss and demonstrate insects of the grasses and ponds that attendees and volunteers gather on the spot and Jerry will lead others to observe the dragonflies around the GCBO ponds. The Blitz is a co-operative effort of GCBO and COT chapter of Texas Master Naturalists to have GCBO more accessible with 2nd Saturday tours.
8. Houston Transit Symposium: Jarrett Walker. A Symposium Presented by Houston Tomorrow and Metro.Houston’s Transit Future The Symposium will offer government officials, citizen leaders and local transit planners and engineers insights and details about the coming Metro Long Range Plan. Does light rail have a future in Houston? Are big changes coming to the bus network? Including presentations by Jarrett Walker, Author and International Transit Consultant; George Greanias, CEO and President, Metro; Christof Spieler, Metro Board Member, Director of Innovation & Technology, Morris Architect; Janis Scott, Transit Rider Extraordinaire; David Crossley, President, Houston Tomorrow. Fee. https://org2.democracyinaction.org.
9. Houston Area Urban Forestry Council Regional Workshop. Want to improve your water quality and stormwater management? Need help crafting an emergency management plan and tips for dealing with FEMA? Interested in the ecosystem benefits trees can provided to your community? Mark your calendars now for the Houston Area Urban Forestry Council Regional Workshop hosted by the Texas Emerging Communities program. The one-day workshop will be held in North Harris County on May 16 and in Pearland on May 17. Scholarships are available. http://www.haufc.org/ or mmerritt@tfs.tamu.edu.
10. American Lung Association’s Annual State of the Air Report. The American Lung Association’s 2012 State of the Air Report has found that America’s most polluted cities, air quality was at its cleanest since the organization’s annual report began 13 years ago. Harris County received mixed grades for ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot), which is a slight improvement compared to last year’s air quality report. Although Houston is making progress, residents are still breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution. Houston ranked as the 23rd most polluted city in the nation for year-round particle pollution. The American Lung Association in Texas urges the public to join the fight for clean air and to learn how to protect themselves and their families from air pollution by visiting www.stateoftheair.org.
11. Call for Sessions and Workshops. The Texas Association of Environmental Professionals Environmental Challenges and Innovations Conference: Gulf Coast 2012 (ECIC12) Committee is seeking innovative sessions, panels and workshops presenting new information or insight into environmental practice, policy, and management issues, with emphasis on practical hands-on tools and techniques. Abstracts may be submitted for conference sessions, panel sessions and/or workshops. All ideas are welcome, and persons able to coordinate and lead sessions or workshops will receive special conference admission pricing and publication of their bios in the conference proceedings. If interested, provide a brief description of your proposed session, panel, or workshop topic and approach, identifying as many panel members or chair persons as currently available. Include separate resume summaries (one page maximum) for all participants. Abstracts for sessions and workshops should be submitted to conference@taep.org before July 31, 2012. More at http://www.taep.org/.
12. 19th Trash Bash a Success! Over 6200 people gathered this year to collect over 61,452 pounds of trash (31 tons), 474 tires, and 7113 pounds of materials. To date, more than 71,000 volunteers from 13 counties have collected over 1,800 tons of trash. The mission of Trash Bash is to promote environmental stewardship through public education by using hands-on educational tools and by developing partnerships between environmental, governmental and private organizations. Pictures from this year’s event are now posted on our website: http://www.trashbash.org/photo_album.htm. SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, March 23, 2013.