Community Notes 11-12-2012

1. Input for Brazos River Recreation Master Plan. Fort Bend Green, along with public and private partners on an initial steering committee, is developing a Recreation Master Plan for the Brazos River Corridor. The Committee is seeking broad community input into a plan for the river. A short on-line survey has been created to collect the wishes of County residents and folks from outside the county that might enjoy using the Brazos River for recreation, or that have feelings about conserving this special river resource. The survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/Brazos_River_Recreation_Plan. The survey should only take 15 minutes to complete.
2. November Business After Hours – Houston Green Chamber of Commerce. Join the Houston Green Chamber of Commerce in a celebration of corporate green artists. Hear from guest speakers as they explore the many benefits of engaging sustainable artists in creating beautiful, unique and smart business spaces. Plus, get a first-hand look at local artists who will exhibit their green art. Engage in real-time collaboration and pay-it-forward networking with Houston sustainable business leaders. Gain key insights on how you can help in creating a vibrant green local economy committed to personal, social and environmental conscious responsibility! The event will take place on November 14th, 5:30-7:30pm at Tango & Malbec (2800 Sage Rd). Members – free; non-members – $10. RSVP at http://bizafter1112.eventbrite.com/#.
3. Community Cinema “Solar Mamas”. Thursday, November 15, 2012, 6 p.m. HPL in partnership with Houston’s Public Broadcasting System (PBS) Community Cinema Series and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), presents a sneak preview screening of “Solar Mamas.” The film focuses on women from Burkina Faso, Columbia, Guatemala and Kenya leaving their villages for the first time in their lives to participate in Barefoot College and learn to become solar-energy engineers. Community Cinema is presented locally by CultureMap, Documentary Alliance and Houston PBS/Channel 8, in collaboration with Independent Lens and ITVS. This screening will take place at the Julia Ideson Building, 550 McKinney, Houston 77002 and is free and open to the public. For more information visit http://www.houstonlibrary.org/ or call 832.393.1313.
4. Webinar – The Path to Healthier, Happier, Smarter Kids: The Schoolyard Classroom. Texas Children in Nature is partnering with REAL Schools Gardens in Dallas/Ft. Worth and National Wildlife Federation to host a state-wide webinar on December 6th for Texas educators. The webinar, The Path to Healthier, Happier, Smarter Kids: The Schoolyard Classroom, will include the research supporting outdoor education, the importance of a team approach, outdoor classroom possibilities, instruction, professional development considerations and the components for long term success. Featured speakers include Irene Pickhardt of Texas Education Agency, Lisa Webber of STEMscopes at Rice University as well as educators from successful ISD programs across the state. The webinar is on December 6th, 4:00 p.m – 5:15 p.m. Central. Free! RSVP. More at http://txcinc.wordpress.com/.
5. Houston named as top 20 finalist in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge. Mayor Annise Parker recently announced Houston has been selected as a top 20 finalist for the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge, a competition created to inspire American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life – and that ultimately can be shared with other cities across the nation. Houston was selected based on its innovative idea to tap game-changing technology for a new “one bin for all” plan that makes recycling easier for every Houstonian and diverts 75 percent of all waste. The innovation, entitled “Total Reuse—One Bin for All,” aims to eliminate source separation at the household level, achieving high waste diversion and recovery through technology and new process systems. Residents will place everything in one bin, allowing access to all materials, recyclables, food waste, yard trimmings and eWaste thus maximizing reuse. Read more at http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/.
   
6. 2012 Clarke Prize. Pedro J.J. Alvarez, Ph.D., P.E., DEE, of Rice University is the 2012 recipient of the NWRI Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize, which recognizes research accomplishments that solve real-world water problems. Alvarez was selected for his “global leadership and outstanding contributions to enhancing water resource sustainability through water pollution control, specifically in the areas of bioremediation and environmental nanotechnology.” Read more at http://www.nwri-usa.org/.
7. Corral the Grease: Reducing Sewer Problems, Become a Grease Buster. The holiday season is here and that means spending a lot of time in the kitchen. But one common mistake many cooks make could be costly. Pouring cooking grease, fats and oils down the drain, toilets or sinks could have you spending time with a plumber instead of your family. Animal fats, greases and vegetable oils poured into drains solidify and clog pipes. Cooking grease can get as hard as concrete, causing sewage to back-up and overflow into streets, yards and storm ditches. The most practical way to reduce grease from kitchens is to follow some easy steps:
   • Take a minute to properly dispose of grease and other items that can clog your plumbing
   • Instead of throwing them away empty, consider using coffee cans, pet food cans, food jars, etc. that you already have in your home to collect your cooking oil or grease
   • Use oven roasting bags (sold in grocery stores) or foil lined bags to dispose of grease. Remember to dispose the containers in the trash
   • Remember, garbage disposals are not effective for disposing fats, oils and greases

   Homeowners have the ultimate responsibility to maintain the sanitary sewer lines that run from their homes to where they connect to the city line. If a blockage is causing problems in a home and it is discovered to be in a city line, a crew will come out and clear the line. For more information on how you can reduce sewer line blockages, visit the “Corral the Grease” website at www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/. More at http://www.braysoaksmd.org/.

8. Groundwork USA Pilot Funding and Technical Assistance. The National Park Service (NPS) posted the announcement for the next round of Groundwork USA Pilot Funding and Technical Assistance to www.Grants.gov on Monday, October 22. To view the announcement, please go to www.grants.gov. Enter the announcement number : NPSWASOP13AC32345. The announcement can also be located by the key word: Ground Work USA. The Groundwork USA Initiative is a growing network of community ‘do-tanks’ for the environment called Groundwork Trusts. Locally organized and controlled, each Groundwork Trust delivers projects and programs to address local environmental justice issues through a creative mix of professional staff, volunteers, partners and stakeholders, with funding from the public and private sector. The NPS is now accepting ‘letters of interest’ from communities that are interested in the Groundwork program. Interested applicants should convene a key group of diverse stakeholders (Groundwork Steering Committee) to discuss the opportunity and, if interested, submit a ‘letter of interest’ to NPS by December 14, 2012.
   
9. 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:
   • A Tale of Two Laurens – Bay City*
   • Parks & Wildlife People: Stephanie Rubio
   • Lake Arrowhead State Park
   • An Ocean Oasis
10. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
    • November 13: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range.
    • November 14: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range.
    • November 15: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range.