Community Notes 09-24-2012

1. The Renewable Energy RoundUp & Green Living Fair. The Renewable Energy RoundUp & Green Living Fair is this weekend, September 29th-30th, in Fredericksburg. It is the largest “green show” in the South. It’s fun, environmentally friendly, and a great place to learn how you can make a difference! If you haven’t made plans to head to Central Texas for this year’s Roundup, the deal just got a little sweeter. Admission is FREE to anyone who can volunteer some of their time on Saturday or Sunday to help the show run smoothly. This year’s show will feature a whole slew of renewable energy displays, green living workshops, music, and some good central Texas eatin’! Sign up at http://theroundup.org/content/volunteer.
2. EcoLicious – The Art of Good Taste. Celebrate good health at ecoLicious Houston on September 30th (12pm) at the Green Building Resource Center! This free event promises to give you the best our city has to offer in local foods, recycled art and eco-education including a speaker series and mini-workshops. You and your family can spend the day relaxing, tasting, creating and… savoring the art of good taste! For speakers, chefs, and more information go to: allevents.in/Houston/ecoLicious.
3. SXSW Eco. SXSW Eco is a 3 day conference designed for professionals in business, government, non-profits and academia who want to look at environmental and sustainability issues through a fresh lens and contribute to innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the environment, the economy and civil society. Through this collaboration, diverse networks are able to converge here in Austin, Texas to think differently about the key issues that affect us all. This year, SXSW Eco is proud to announce Senator Byron Dorgan, Annie Leonard, and Bill McKibben as the keynote speakers. The conference will run from Wednesday, October 3 through Friday, October 5 and will be held at the AT&T Conference center in Austin. The full schedule can be found at: http://schedule.sxsweco.com/. A recent SXSW Eco Houston mixer at the home of the British Consul-General, Andrew Millar, was a success. The mixer was attended by City of Houston Mayor Pro Tem Ed Gonzalez, Katie Molina of Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, David Crossley of Houston Tomorrow, Matt Tejada of Air Alliance Houston, folks from The Ground Up and Houston Technology Center, and many more. SXSW Eco hopes to continue it’s outreach to Houston’s sustainability community in the future and will host a panel, Resilient Cities, Resilient Communities during the conference highlighting the innovations of Houston as well as other key cities such as San Francisco and Austin.
4. Texas State Parks Geocache Challenge. Discover hidden items while revealing exciting facts and stories about Texas State Parks! Geocaches are hidden in many state parks, historic sites, and natural areas. The Texas Geocache Challenge will begin on October 1st at 8am when the coordinates will be released. Learn more at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/.
5. Free rides on METRORail. “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and KHOU 11, Houston’s CBS affiliate, have teamed up to offer four days of free rides on the Houston area’s METRORail. The effort hopes to encourage riders to take advantage of public transit as a fast, convenient and environmentally friendly transportation option. The free rides will take place on October 7, and October 28, from 5:30am to 11:40pm each day. Read more at http://www.khou.com/.
6. Vote with Your Lips Campaign – Sea Turtle Restoration Project. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project has been nominated to participate in the “Vote With Your Lips” campaign by the Body Shop. The charitable organization that receives the most votes will receive the largest grant. Voting continues through October 28th. Visit http://action.seaturtles.org/ for more information.
7. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife. Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3:00 PM each Saturday and on cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Seabrook, and on HCC. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). This week’s broadcast will include:
   • The Crappie Guys
   • Outdoor Info: Cooking Crappie
   • TPWD People: Fleet & Radio Team
   • Phantom Felines of the Rio Grande
8. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
   • September 25: Yellow–Moderate–Ozone. Winds may be light enough and incoming background levels high enough for ozone to reach “Moderate” levels on the north and northeast side of the Houston area with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.
   • September 26: Green–Good. Moderate to strong winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
   • September 27: Green–Good. Moderate winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
   • On September 20, 21, 22, and 23, 2012, TCEQ issued Air Pollution Warnings – Level Orange for unhealthy levels of ozone in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria areas. During a Level Orange warning, active children and adults as well as people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exposure.