Coalition Notes 01-21-2013

1. Houston Bayou Greenways Spring Kickoff Meeting. The Houston Parks Board wants you to learn about the Houston Bayou Greenways project on January 23, 2013, 6-7pm at the Heights Neighborhood Library (1302 Heights Blvd). The Houston Bayou Greenways has been designed to elevate the city’s standing as one of the top “quality of place” cities in the nation, and demonstrate our commitment to the invaluable ecological capital in the midst of our large metroplex. There is a unique opportunity to create the largest park system in the country by 2020. Learn more about it and how you can be involved at the meeting. More about the meeting at http://parksbyyou.org/ and about the project at http://www.houstonparksboard.org/.
2. Houston Green Film Series: Wasteland. The next film of the Houston Green Film Series will take place on January 23, 2013, 6:30-9:15 pm, at the Rice University Media Center. The film, Wasteland, follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. View the trailer at http://www.wastelandmovie.com/. Light dinner kindly donated by Dr. Pat Speck and Dry Bones Cafe will be available. A $5 donation is suggested and greatly appreciated.
3. Bayou HEROns Kickoff. Join the kickoff of the Bayou HEROns group on January 24, 2013, 6-8pm, at Jackson’s Watering Hole (1205 Richmond). Houston is the Bayou City and Harris County boasts 22 watersheds that the Bayou Preservation Association (BPA) works to protect and restore. As our great city is experiencing an outdoor revolution, more and more people are taking advantage of our bayous’ recreational assets such as paddling, biking, walking, fishing and bird watching. Bayou HEROns is a membership-based group comprised of young bayou enthusiasts and partners who support this movement and the BPA mission through events, volunteering and advocacy. Learn more about their work while also enjoying the new patio at Jackson’s Watering Hole. For more information please contact laura@theprboutique.com. More at http://www.yelp.com/events/.
4. Arbor Day Celebration. Hermann Park Conservancy and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department will celebrate Arbor Day on January 26, from 9am to 12pm, with the planting of 300 trees donated by Apache Foundation. The planting will take place in the Lake Picnic Area of Hermann Park on the north side of McGovern Lake adjacent to parking lots E and F. Contact volunteer@hermannpark.org, or sign in at the registration table near parking lot F on the day of the event. Families and walk-ups are welcome!
5. Whole Foods Katy and Katy Prairie. On January 31, 2013, Whole Foods Katy is giving 1% of their net sales to support educational programing on the Katy Prairie Conservancy. KPC staff and volunteers will be at the store from 10 am – 8 pm talking to customers and running fun activities for shoppers. Come out to support one of your favorite causes while you get your shopping done! The store opens on January 30th and is located at 6601 S Fry Rd. More at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/.
6. 2013 State of the Air Luncheon. The 2013 Air Alliance Houston State of the Air Luncheon will take place on February 5, 2013, 11:30am-1pm, at United Way. The keynote speaker, Toby Baker, TCEQ Commissioner, will share his thoughts on the state of the Houston region’s air quality. $30 registration with lunch included. Regsiter at http://airalliancehouston.org.
7. Healthy Communities Indicators Symposium 2013. After a year of deep-dive research on the indicators that measure the health of our region, Center for Houston’s Future will present its findings on February 22 at the 2013 Healthy Communities Indicator Symposium, at the George R. Brown Convention Center, hosted by Honorary Chair Dr. John Mendelsohn, along with prominent national and regional experts. Join policy makers, national experts, healthcare professionals, elected officials, and community leaders as we examine how the intersection of People and Place creates sustainable and healthy communities. Learn more at http://www.futurehouston.com/.
8. Air Alliance Houston: New Days Ahead. Matthew Tejada, Air Alliance Houston’s Executive Director, will be leaving in March to be director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C. Tajeda helped to organize low-income and minority communities in Houston and across Texas to address concerns over air pollution. He also helped launch a website that allows Houstonians to see smog levels at specific locations in real time and worked to reduce the amount of tiny particles in the air around the Port of Houston. Larry R. Soward has been selected to be Transitional Director for the organization until a new, permanent Executive Director (ED) is selected and in place. http://www.chron.com/
9. Environment Texas’ Campaign Action Meeting. Environment Texas is holding a campaign action meeting to re-power Texas with Clean energy on January 22, 7-8:30 pm, at Agora (1712 Westheimer Road). Attend to meet others concerned about clean energy and to learn how to get involved! More at http://cechouston.org/.
10. San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site Public Meeting. The Galveston Bay Foundation and Houston Advanced Research Center are hosting a public input meeting about the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site. Learn about the project and get your questions answered on January 24, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm, at the J.D. Walker Community Center (7613 Wade Road). View the agenda at http://galvbay.org/.