Houston Environmental News Update April 29, 2014

Houston Environmental News Update April 29, 2014

COALITION NOTES

1. Commute Solutions/Houston Astros Night Out. H-GAC will once again be teaming up with the Houston Astros to promote its Commute Solutions Program at Minute Maid Park for the fifth consecutive year. Staff will be on hand for Astros Fans to learn about commute alternatives such as carpooling/NuRide, vanpooling, riding the bus, biking and walking. The “My Solution Is” pledge encourages local commuters to save time and money on their daily drive to and from work by becoming part of a solution to help clean our region’s air. Attendees will have the opportunity to take the pledge at the baseball game. You can also pledge your solution on the website at MySolutionIs.com. If you’re going to the Astros game on May 2, 2014, be sure to stop by and learn more about Commute Solutions! For more information, contact Isaac Perez at (832) 681-2654 or Isaac.Perez@h-gac.com.
2. KPC Wild West Tour: Firefly Friday. Fireflies have become an increasingly rare occurrence in the Houston area and even on the Katy Prairie. Join KPC for a spring evening on the prairie in search of these elusive creatures. Master Naturalist, Glenn Olsen, will lead the tour onto restricted preserves to look for fireflies and other things that sparkle in the night. The tour will be held on May 2, 2014, from 6-9pm at the Indiangrass Preserve. The cost is $50 per person, dinner included. Learn more and register here.
3. 2014 Good Brick Tour. Preservation Houston has presented more than 200 Good Brick Awards for excellence in historic preservation over the past 35 years — and now, for the first time, they’re offering you a first-hand look at some of the award-winning projects, including an Art Deco gem, a 1920s bungalow, and a genuine log cabin. The 2014 Good Brick Tour includes eight Good Brick-winning projects, which will be open from noon-4pm May 3-4, 2014: Edith L. Moore Log Cabin, Burnett House, Meacham-Faraguna Residence, Cook Paint & Varnish Company Building, Four Square Design Studio, Bethel Park, Wilson Stationery & Printing Company Building, and Trinity Episcopal Church. Buy your tickets online through May 1 for a special advance purchase price of $25 ($50 for Patron tickets). Tickets will also be sold at all tour locations except Bethel Park for $30 on both days of the tour. Good Brick Tour tickets include admission to all tour locations on both tour dates.
4. “Fabulous at Forty” Garden Party Gala. The Mercer Society is celebrating their 40th Anniversary with a garden party and silent auction gala on May 3, 2014, at 6pm. Dining, live music, dancing, and silent and live auctions will be part of the celebration. Enjoy cocktails, an elaborate gourmet appetizer buffet, and a dance by the moonlight. Tickets are $75. Please call 281-443-8731, or email MSociety@hcp4.net for information on how to purchase tickets. Learn more here.
5. Nurture Nature Series: Bike around Baytown Nature Center. Looking for a unique way to spend a Saturday morning on a spring day? Look no further than the Baytown Nature Center on May 3, 2014 with the monthly Nurture Nature Series “Biking Around the Baytown Nature Center.” This special tour gives participants an opportunity to hit the trails in the interior of the park to discover some of Mother Nature’s spring wonders. The adventure runs from 10am-noon. All ages and levels of experience are welcome. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children 2 & under. Call 281-420-7128 for more information.
6. CWI Workshop: Estuary Programs and Freshwater Inflows. The next Clean Waters Initiative workshop is set for May 7, 2014 from 1:30-4:30pm at H-GAC. Speakers include Emily Seldomridge, PhD of Galveston Bay Foundation, Sarah Bernhardt, PhD of the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Jace Tunnell of the Coastal Bends, Bays & Estuaries Programs, Paul Montagna, PhD of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at TAMUCC, Glenda Callaway of Ekistics Corporation, and Jim Lester, PhD of HARC. Register here.
7. Rain Barrel Workshop. Rain barrels are an efficient, low-cost method for collecting rainwater. They are placed at downspouts in order to reduce runoff into storm drains, and can be used for watering a garden or houseplants, among many other uses. Learn more about rain barrels and get your kits at Galveston Bay Foundation’s workshop on May 10, 2014, from 9:30-11:30am. There is a $30 registration fee that includes admission into the workshop, one recycled 35-gallon barrel courtesy of Coca-Cola ($70 value), and one RainRecycle connector kit from The Rain Barrel Depot ($25 value). Learn more and register at www.galvbay.org.
8. Going Green Lecture: Sustainable Water Management. As part of its Going Green Sustainbility Lecture Series, The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. is sponsoring a lecture by Jim Lester, President and CEO of HARC. The 2011 drought and subsequent lower-than normal rainfall in Texas has placed water as a high priority issue for policy makers. Proposition 6, passed in 2013, provides state financing options for construction of water infrastructure across the state and explicitly reserves 20 percent for water conservation. What are those options for water conservation and how will the Texas Water Board decide which ones to fund? Dr. Lester will briefly describe the status of water supply, Texas water planning, prioritization of conservation projects, and new types of water supply projects (e.g. desalination of brackish groundwater and aquifer storage and recovery). Come out to the George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library on May 13, 2014, at 7pm to learn more about sustainable water management. This event is free and open to the public. Learn more at www.thewoodlandsgreen.org.
9. Houston Environmental Justice Encuentro 2014. Save the date for the Houston Environmental Justice Encuentro 2014 from May 16-17, 2014, at TCU. The goals of the symposium include fostering dialog, communication and education between conservation groups and residents of areas most affected by severe environmental health risks; enlightening Houstonians with an understanding that environmental injustices suffered by “fence-line” communities affect all Houstonians; and empowering Houston regional residents to work for the environmental quality they want their families and grandchildren to have. The cost to attend is $20 for one day and $35 for both days. Learn more and register at www.hpjc.org.
10. Piney Woods Wildlife Society Meeting. Join the nature lovers of the Piney Woods Wildlife Society at their monthly meetings for educational talks and information about birding in Harris and Montgomery Counties. Socializing starts at 6:30pm, and the meetings get underway at 7:00pm. The next meeting will be on May 20, 2014, and will feature photographers of the club and their spring migration bird pictures. Come learn about migration and bird photography! If you would like your photos to be included in the program, send the photos to the Program Director, Carlos Hernandez, (Carlania@swbell.net) by May 13. The meeting will be held at the Big Stone Lodge at Dennis Johnston Park located at 709 Riley Fuzzel Road in Spring. This will be the last meeting until September. Learn more here.
11. H.P.A.R.D. Parks Master Plan II Survey. HPARD is in the process of evaluating and adjusting its Master Plan, last published in 2008. The survey is available in both English and Spanish and the results can help shape the new Park Master Plan. Please take a moment to participate in the Parks Master Plan Survey.
12. Coastal Waters Institute. Artist Boat is currently recruiting middle school teachers for FREE professional development training over the summer. There will be two opportunities for a four-day, hands-on field and classroom-based professional development. Sign up for the training July 14-17, 2014, which will focus on the Galveston Bay Watershed or for the training July 21-24, 2014, which will focus on the Coastal Bend Bays Watershed. Participants enrolled in this professional development will receive 32 CPE hours, Artist Boat’s Coastal Waters Institute Curriculum with 24 professionally developed and creative lessons aligned with TEKS, an unforgettable training experience about the environment, a day on the water via kayak and vessel, and hands-on training in TEKS aligned curriculum. Learn more by calling 409-770-0722.

Back to top

COMMUNITY NOTES

1. National Town Hall with Tavis Smiley. Join the RESULTS National Town Hall with Tavis Smiley this Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Bayland Park Community Center, 6:30-8:30pm. 2014 is the 50th Anniversary of the War on Poverty. Although we’ve made great strides in reducing poverty in America since 1964, more work needs to be done. 47 million Americans, including 16 million children, are living in poverty in the United States. We have the power and ability to end poverty in America, but without the political will to get it done, the problem will continue to plague us. To build support for this effort, RESULTS is hosting a national town hall event with PBS and NPR radio host, author and advocate Tavis Smiley. Mr. Smiley is the host of the late-night television talk show Tavis Smiley on PBS, as well as The Tavis Smiley Show and Smiley & West both from Public Radio International (PRI). He is also the author of 16 books, including his latest New York Times best-seller The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto, co-authored with Dr. Cornell West. His forthcoming text to be published in September 2014 is Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year. Please RSVP to Kathleen Duncan at kndroses@gmail.com, 832-971-7553. To learn more about RESULTS, visit us at www.results.org.
2. MDUMC Earth Ministry: Are Renewables Still in America’s Future? The Memorial Drive United Methodist Church Earth Ministry is hosting a short course, “Are Renewables Still in America’s Future?” on May 5, 2014, from 7:30-9pm. New extracting techniques such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing “fracking” have led to massive increases in known oil and gas reserves. That abundant supply threatens efforts to combat the disruptive effects of climate warming and poses major obstacles for the development of clean energy sources. In this short course, participants will assess the potential for wind, solar, geothermal and other renewables as well as the promise for greater energy efficiency. They will also discuss policy considerations for creating the most favorable energy landscape. Instructor: John Sauri. RSVP to MDUMCearthministry@gmail.com or call 713-806-8397.
3. Party in the Park. Families of South Braeswood invites you to Party in the Park to support the Linkwood Park renovation. Come out to Linkwood Park for great food and music on May 3, 2014, from 3-6pm. There will be burger and ice cream food trucks, HPD SWAT team demo, HPD mounted patrol, CrossFit and Little Gym activities, Longfellow/Pershing Orchestras, a performance by Tom’s Fun Band, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Bagpipes, and mobile HPL with video gaming. Bring your picnic blanket and folding chair. Learn more here.
4. Celebrate the Streets of Houston. Sunday Streets HTX is a pilot initiative to promote and improve the health of Houstonians. Sunday Streets HTX will open a stretch of streets normally reserved for vehicle traffic to allow cycling, walking, dancing, socializing and provide a family-friendly opportunity to be physically active. Sunday Streets HTX is not a street festival. It is a family fun opportunity to be physically active and enjoy active transportation. On May 4, 2014, enjoy Westheimer Route (Hazard to Yoakum) from 11am-3pm. Learn more here.
5. Awakening in a Time of Climate Change. First Unitarian Universalist Church presents “Awakening in a Time of Climate Change” on May 4, 2014, at 1:30pm, at 5200 Fannin St. The featured speaker, Dr. Stephanie Thomas, a paleoclimatologist, will open with a survey of global cooling and warming past and present, the driving force of greenhouse gases, and other challenges for life on Earth. She will offer perspectives for moving from blame towards action that nourishes our personal and collective lives. Her presentation will be followed by refreshments and Interactive Workshops. Topics of the workshops include green architecture, trading locally, urban agriculture, wealth addiction, low-carbon transit, and human-powered neighborhoods. Admission is free. Learn more here.
6. The WaterWeek Festival. The WaterWeek festival educates more than 1,800 students about the importance of protecting their water resources. This event is one of the most popular field trips in our region. Municipal water professionals and environmental educators provide hands-on activities, both indoor and outdoor, primarily suited for third through eighth grade students each day from 9:30am-1pm. The festival is held at the WaterWorks Education Center in northeast Harris County. Attendance is free and advance reservations are required. Download a WaterWorks Education Center Field Trip Request Form to register for one day of WaterWeek. Participation in the art contest is not required. Space is limited to 350 students per day. Learn more here. Monday, April 28 – Friday, May 2 from 9:30 am – 1:00 pm.
7. TCEQ Environmental Trade Fair and Conference. The 2014 Environmental Trade Fair & Conference is Texas’ premier environmental educational forum, considered by many to be one of the best in the country. The conference features topics such as the drought crisis, oil & gas, air quality, and waste management. Attendees may earn CEU credits. The conference will be held May 6-7, 2014, at the Austin Convention Center. Learn more about the conference here.
8. Shell-e-bration in Galveston! Be part of the shell-e-bration on the first anniversary of the Kemp’s Ridley being named our official state sea turtle. This free, family event is an outdoor festival featuring a variety of turtle and marine-related activities, exhibits and crafts. Shell-e-bration will be held at Stewart Beach Park, 201 Seawall in Galveston, on May 10, 2014, at 11am. The celebration is sponsored by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project. Don’t miss photo opportunities with “ROB” the Ridley, turtle costume contest, turtle sand sculptor contest, and turtle relay races. More information is available by e-mailing Joanie@tirn.net.
9. Garden Haikus for Earth Day. Join Recipe for Success Foundation in celebrating National Gardening Month, National Poetry Month AND Earth Day this April by taking part in the third-annual Garden Haikus Earth Day Contest. Students with a budding interest in poetry or adults whose passion is in full bloom are invited to enter this online citywide contest. Submit your poem in the traditional haiku format to reflect spring garden themes or the fun of growing and eating healthy food. Winners will be selected from three categories: Seeds (Age 5 to 11), Sprouts (Age 12 to 17), Blooms (Age 18+). Multiple submissions welcome. Entry deadline is April 30, 2014. Find the entry form here.
10. 2014 Thacher Environmental Research Contest. The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies is pleased to invite U.S. high school students to participate in the 2014 Thacher Environmental Research Contest. This annual contest allows students the opportunity to show off their science and technology skills by submitting research projects focused on the use of remote sensing and analysis tools. Students are asked to identify a U.S. protected area of interest, and design a research project that identifies why the area is unique, why it significantly contributes to our society, how this area has changed over time, and ways remote sensing and geospatial tools can be used to monitor these environmental treasures. Participation is open to all U.S. students in grades 9-12. Entries may be submitted by individuals or student teams. Three cash prizes will be presented, with the first place student or team receiving $2,000, along with a feature in the magazine Apogeo Spatial. In addition to prizes for the winning students, the teachers of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place entrants will receive a $200 Amazon.com gift card. Click here for full contest rules and to learn how enter. Entries are due May 5, 2014.
11. #NeverStillLife Photo Contest. Catching waves, bagging peaks, chasing powder — public land is what makes it all possible. That’s why The Trust for Public Land works across the country to protect places where everyone can get outside, from the best of the backcountry to your go-to neighborhood parks and trails. Show where you go when you want an adventure. Submit a snapshot of someplace you like to get moving and you could win a GoPro camera. Need inspiration? Check out the GoPro footage above of blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer riding the rapids on the Colorado River. How it works: Submit your photo on Facebook—or post it to Twitter or Instagram and tag it #NeverStillLife. Rally your friends to vote for you on the contest page. Four winners will be chosen from the top entries to receive a GoPro camera. The contest ends May 16, 2014. Selfies welcome.
12. #GlobalSelfie with NASA on Earth Day. NASA invites you — and everyone else on the planet — to take part in a worldwide celebration of Earth Day this year with the agency’s #GlobalSelfie event. The year 2014 is a big one for NASA Earth science. Five NASA missions designed to gather critical data about our home planet are launching to space this year. NASA is marking this big year for Earth science with a campaign called Earth Right Now, and as part of this campaign the agency is asking for your help this Earth Day, April 22, 2014. While NASA satellites constantly look at Earth from space, on Earth Day NASA is asking you to step outside and take a picture of yourself wherever you are on Earth. Then post it to social media using the hashtag #GlobalSelfie. Once those pictures stream around the world on Earth Day, the individual pictures tagged #GlobalSelfie will be used to create a mosaic image of Earth — a new “Blue Marble” built bit by bit with your photos. Learn more here!
13. 2014 Texas Envirothon Winner – Academy of Science and Technology. The Texas Envirothon is an environmental education program designed to enhance a student’s problem solving and critical thinking skills. The 2014 Envirothon was held April 5-7, 2014, at the University of Houston – Clear Lake campus. Saturday began with student training workshops offered by a variety of professionals in which students were trained in aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and oral presentation skills. The hands-on portion of the training occurred at the Armand Bayou Nature Center, which included fish and invertebrate identification and a walking tour of the nature trails and restored prairie. On Sunday, the competition began with 99 students. The overall winning team was Team Alligator from Academy of Science and Technology. Students on the winning team were Horatia Fang, Manasi Joshi, Colton Nettleton, Eleanor Shaul and Andie Tong; and the team advisors were Linda Costanzo and Larry Walker. Read more: 2014 Texas Envirothon Press Release.
14. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife. Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3:00 PM each Saturday and on municipal access cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Houston, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Seabrook, Sugar Land, and on HCC TV. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area).
    • Recovery at Possum Kingdom
    • Texas Horned Lizards
    • Lone Star Land Steward: Texas Westmoreland Coal Company
    • Remembering Bois d’Arc Creek
15. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
    • April 29, 2014: Yellow–Moderate–Ozone.   Incoming background levels may be high enough for ozone to reach “Moderate” levels on the southeast and south side of the Houston area area with highest concentration in the afternoon and early evening.
    • May 1, 2014: Green–Good. Moderate winds, decreasing background levels, and unseasonably cool temperatures should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
    • May 2, 2014: Green–Good. Moderate winds, low background levels, and unseasonably cool temperatures should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.

Back to top

ECONOTES Featured News Articles–For dzens of additional headlines, visit the CEC website. (You can let us know about articles, too. E-mail news@cechouston.org).

1. Legal Battle Begins Over Galveston Bay Oil Spill (David Pitman – Houston Public Media, 4/28/2014)
   The owner of the towboat and barge that leaked nearly 170,000 gallons of oil into Galveston Bay says the Liberian bulk carrier involved in the collision was “dangerous” and “unseaworthy”. In a federal court filing, Kirby Inland Marine says the bulk carrier, the Summer Wind, failed to take evasive action. Kirby is seeking damages in excess of $10 million.
   www.houstonpublicmedia.org
2. Futuristic cars push limits of fuel efficiency in Shell Eco-marathon (Ryan Holeywell – Fuel Fix, 4/25/2014)
   For engineering students across the country, the Shell Eco-marathon contest is often the capstone of a year of hard work in a race that’s unlike others. In this contest, speed doesn’t count. Instead, the only thing that matters is fuel efficiency. Student-designed cars travel six miles through a circuit that loops around downtown’s Discovery Green park, competing to see who can use the least amount of fuel to travel that distance. Last year’s winner, a Quebec team, designed a vehicle that got 3,587 miles per gallon. Event organizers say the goal is to give students a venue for getting hands-on experience as part of an effort to encourage the next generation of workers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
   http://fuelfix.com
3. Skanska’s first Houston project takes home top honors in Green category (Houston Business Journals, 4/25/2014)
   One of the first new speculative Class A office buildings to be built in the Galleria area in 30 years, 3009 Post Oak was also Swedish firm Skanska’s U.S. arm’s first development in Houston. The 20-story, 302,000-square-foot office building is the area’s only to be LEED Platinum certified, which lowers operating costs through improved indoor air quality. Its state-of-the-art mechanical systems include an energy recovery unit, a demand controlled ventilation system and high-efficiency chillers, which result in overall energy savings of 25 percent or more.
   www.bizjournals.com