Houston Environmental News Update May 20, 2014

Houston Environmental News Update May 20, 2014

COALITION NOTES

1. SURVIVORS: Conserving Prairie Wildlife in the Age of the Sixth Extinction. Join HNPAT on May 22, 2014, at the Upper Kirby District Building (KPC Office) for a special presentation: Conserving Prairie Wildlife in the Age of the Sixth Extinction by Jaime Gonzalez, Conservation Education Director of Katy Prairie Conservancy and President of Coastal Prairie Partnership. Did you know that Houston has been home to a grassland for over 100,000 years? During this time the prairie has seen a parade of stampeding elephants, voracious lions, migrating buffalo, and howling wolves. Today’s prairie survivors have overcome two great survival bottlenecks but can they survive what has been called the sixth extinction – the rapid, modern decline in biodiversity playing out worldwide? Join Jaime González as he surveys the incredible diversity of wildlife that survivor on local prairies and get to know the magnificent creatures from times past. Come for refreshments at 6:30pm; the presentation begins at 7pm. Learn more here.
2. Destroying A Bayou In Order to Save It - Planned “Erosion Control” Project On Buffalo Bayou. The Army Corps of Engineers is currently considering whether to issue a permit to Harris County that would allow the county to bulldoze more than a mile of the wilderness banks of Buffalo Bayou as it runs through Memorial Park. The public has only until May 30 to submit comments on this controversial plan proposed by the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). If the plan is approved, the people of Houston will lose hundreds of rare and native shade trees, vines, and undergrowth. This ecologically important riparian habitat cannot be replaced, according to environmental experts, who say that Houston’s distinctive Buffalo Bayou will become a hot, lifeless ditch, devoid of wildlife. The Memorial Park Demonstration Project, as it is called, affects 6,600 feet along both banks and nearly 14 acres of the bayou, as well as a significant portion of the Hogg Bird Sanctuary. There will be a public meeting of concerned citizens on May 22, 2014, at St. Stephen’s Pecore Community Hall, 1805 W. Alabama, beginning at 6:30pm. Read more here. For more information, requests for interviews and/or visits to the bayou, contact Susan Chadwick, 832 814 8618 or susanchad@yahoo.com.
3. A LEED v4 look at Concrete Technologies. The Green Building Resource Center will host Lionel Lemay for an educational seminar on May 28, 2014, from 6-8pm at the Houston Permitting Center. Lemay will discuss new strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of concrete on the built environment, transparency reporting with Environmental (and Health) Product Declarations and Corporate Sustainability Reports, as well as proactive approaches to natural disasters regarding policies, design methodologies, and construction technologies within the context of LEED v4 Barry Stiles will discuss an alternative local paving product and how it will aid in stormwater quantity and quality improvements including retention and detention capabilities. Patrick Thiel will also discuss an alternative type of concrete chemistry and deployment, and its environmental footprint benefits. For more event information, click here. This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to steve.stelzer@houstontx.gov.
4. AIA Sandcastle Competition. The AIA SandCastle Competition is a fund-raising event for AIA Houston and ArCH Foundation as well as one of the top five revenue generating events for the City of Galveston. This year over 60 teams have their eyes and shovels set on winning the prestigious Golden Bucket Award. Firms begin months in advance generating ideas, developing designs, and assigning duties. On the day of the event the teams, stretched along the beach front, meticulously sculpt their piles of sand and work non-stop for five hours. The judging of the sculptures is rated on originality of concept, artistic execution, technical difficulty, carving technique, and utilization of the site. Bring a picnic and check out the projects on May 31, 2014, at East Beach Galveston. Parking is $10. Learn more at  https://aiahouston.org.
5. Garden Architecture. Garden Architecture features images and stories about many of Houston’s historic gardens, a juried presentation of recent public and private garden design including Hermann Park Centenial Gardens, Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University, Market Square Park, Levy Park and master plans for the Buffalo Bayou Park and Houston Arboretum. The exhibit will showcase a vignette garden designed and installed inside Architecture Center Houston by McDugald Steele. The exhibit is created for both architecture and landscape architecture design professionals, gardening enthusiasts, and will appeal to anyone interested in the history and growth of Houston as seen through the lens of our local gardens. This exhibit is sponsored in part by McDugald Steele and the Architecture Center Houston Foundation. The exhibit will run from May 22, 2014 – July 18, 2014 at Architecture Center Houston. More info at https://aiahouston.org.
6. Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Class. The Woods Project is offering two 16-hour Wilderness First Aid (WFA) classes in June to help prepare folks for the unexpected.This fast paced, hands-on training is designed to meet the needs of trip leaders, camp staff, outdoor enthusiasts, and individuals working in remote locations. It will introduce you to caring for people who become ill or injured far from definitive medical care. Classroom lectures and demonstrations are combined with realistic scenarios where mock patients will challenge you to integrate your learning. At the end of the course, you’ll have the knowledge, skills, and ability to make sound decisions in emergency situations. This course does NOT include CPR. The first class will be held from June 21-22, 2014. The second class will be held June 23-24, 2014. The cost is $225 per person. Learn more and register at www.thewoodsproject.org.
7. 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.
8. Artist Boat Programs. Artist Boat received two $150,000 grants from the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) Center and the Texas General Land Office through the U.S Department of the Interior, Coastal Impact Assistance Program to serve oil and gas corporations. Through these grants, Artist Boat is offering Watershed Education Training (WET) — a unique program that includes an on-site Eco-Art Workshop and an Eco-Art Kayak Adventure. The second grant offers Stewardship Training in the Coastal Zone for Petrochemical Industry workers. This program includes a training workshop, a training experience at the NRG Energy EcoCenter nursery, and a marsh restoration adventure Artist Boat is excited to be able to offer this program to a new audience in our area. These fun-filled, hands-on, teambuilding experiences will promote meaningful dialogue among oil and gas workers about their specific relationship to the environment through non-consumptive use of the ecosystem and provide a springboard for future partnerships or initiatives to engage corporations in improving environmental quality. If you would like more information about Artist Boat’s Eco-Art Adventures for petrochemical workers or to schedule a program for your company, contact Anna Deichmann at asdeichmann@artistboat.org or (409)770-0722.

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COMMUNITY NOTES

1. 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.
2. ‘Well Educated’ Day Session – Water Needs. ‘Well Educated’ Day Session is a free, one-day educational training for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs. Well Educated is for private well owners who want to become familiar with groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance, water conservation, water quality and water treatment. As part of the Well Educated Program participants can bring their well water samples to be screened for common contaminants including fecal coliform bacteria, nitrates, arsenic and high salinity. The Texas Well Owners training is supported from efforts by Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board to improve water resources in the area. The training will be held on May 22, 2014, 8:30am-3:30pm, at the Montgomery Extension Office; Thomas Leroy-Education Center. Learn more here. If you have any questions please call 979-845-1461 or email dgholson@tamu.edu.
3. Toxic Pollution Reduction. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new regulations for oil refineries that would reduce the amount of cancer-causing pollution these companies spew into the air throughout the United States. The proposed updates include some needed improvements to prevent cancer and save lives, such as fenceline monitoring and a fenceline standard for the carcinogen benzene which would require refineries to measure toxic air pollution as it goes into the local community’s air. Read more here. When these proposed updates are fully implemented, EPA estimates toxic air emissions, including benzene, toluene, and xylene, would be reduced by 5,600 tons per year. Volatile organic compound emissions would be cut by approximately 52,000 tons per year. Additionally, these cost-effective steps will have no noticeable impact on the cost of petroleum products at the approximately 150 petroleum refineries around the country. EPA will take comment on the proposal for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. The agency plans to hold two public hearings, near Houston and Los Angeles, and will finalize the standards in April 2015. View the full press release here.
4. Energy Star Tax Free Memorial Weekend. During Memorial Day weekend, get a break from state and local sales and use taxes on purchases of certain energy efficient products. The 2014 ENERGY STAR® Sales Tax Holiday begins on May 24, 2014, and ends on May 26, 2014. Qualifying products will display the ENERGY STAR logo, which may appear on the appliance, the packaging or the Energy Guide label. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items one can purchase during this sales tax holiday, and an exemption certificate is not required. Products qualifying for the exemption include: air conditioners priced a $6,000 or less, refrigerators priced at $2,000 or less, ceiling fans, incandescen and fluorescent light bulbs, clothes washers, dishwashers, dehumidifiers, and programmable thermostats. For more information, visit www.window.state.tx.us.
5. Energy and Sustainability: Jeffrey Sachs. On May 27, 2014, the Columbia University Club of South Texas, in partnership with the Harvard University Club of Houston and U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development, will host a presentation with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, an economist renowned for his work on sustainable development and globalization. He became known for his role as an adviser to Eastern European and developing country governments during the transition from communism to a market system or during periods of economic crisis. Subsequently he has been known for his work on the challenges of economic development, environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, debt cancellation, and globalization. Dr. Sachs is the Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia’s School of Public Health. He is Special Adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on the Millennium Development Goals, having held the same position under former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is co-founder and Chief Strategist of Millennium Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty and hunger. The presentation will take place on May 27, 2014, from 12:30-2:30pm, at the Magnolia Hotel Houston. Tickets are $100 and include a 3-course seated lunch. Learn more here.
6. World Oceans Day Photo Contest. Share the beauty and importance of the ocean, through your photographs! The inaugural World Oceans Day Photo Contest allows people from around the world to contribute their favorite photos under five themes: underwater seascapes; underwater life; above water seascapes; humans’ positive interaction/experience with the ocean; and youth images. Winning images will be recognized at the United Nations on Monday, 9 June 2014 during the United Nations event marking World Oceans Day 2014. Learn more here.
7. Building Better Communities Grant. National Recreation and Park Association is pleased to partner with the American Water Charitable Foundation (AWCF) to implement the Building Better Communities program. Building Better Communities is designed to create and enhance nature-based playgrounds and natural play spaces for children, while also providing educational messaging and demonstration areas about water stewardship and conservation. Building Better Communities projects are supported with funding from AWCF and implemented through annual grants administered by NRPA. Applications for the 2014 grants are due May 30, 2014. Read more at www.nrpa.org.
8. 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).
   • Waiting for Winter Trout
   • A New North Deer
   • Talking to the Animals
9. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
   • May 20, 2014: Yellow–Moderate–Ozone. Incoming background levels may be high enough to help ozone to reach “Moderate” levels on the northeast and north side of the Houston area with highest concentrations this afternoon and into the early evening.
   • May 21, 2014: Green–Good. Moderate winds and decreasing background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
   • May 22, 2014: Green–Good. Moderate winds and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.

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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. Hershey/Salzhandler: Invasive erosion control plan could destroy Buffalo Bayou (Olive Hershey and Frank Salzhandler – Houston Chronicle, 5/16/2014)
   A Harris County plan to alter Buffalo Bayou as it runs through our publicly owned Memorial Park would destroy one of the last remaining river forests in Houston, an ecologically important riparian wilderness that cannot be replaced. The county intends to bulldoze both sides of the bayou – up to 100 feet from the water’s edge in places and including a tributary in the Hogg Bird Sanctuary – stripping wide swathes of native trees, vines and undergrowth from the bayou’s natural sandy banks. Vital habitat for hundreds of species of birds, animals and water creatures will be lost. The slow-moving bayou’s shady banks will be denuded and replanted as a sun-baked lawn. This expensive, invasive plan is called the Memorial Park Demonstration Project, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now considering whether to issue a permit for it. The threat in Memorial Park is only the beginning. The Harris County Flood Control District calls the plan a “demonstration project” because the county intends to use this disputed, heavy-handed method on the natural landscape of Buffalo Bayou in neighborhoods upstream.
   www.chron.com
2. EPA tightens decades-old refinery pollution rules (Mathew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 5/15/2014)
   New federal rules would force oil refiners to adopt more aggressive measures for reducing hazardous air pollution, including the first mandatory monitoring of their fence lines for cancer-causing benzene. The Environmental Protection Agency’s move Thursday to revamp the nearly 20-year-old rules comes after residents from Houston, Port Arthur and other cities complained about toxic emissions from nearby refineries. The sweeping proposal introduces a requirement that refiners measure benzene levels at their perimeter and provide the information in real time to the public. The rules also call for limits on releases of the harmful chemical that drift over the fence line and into neighborhoods.
   www.houstonchronicle.com
3. Monarch Institute unveils first Living Building in Texas (Rusty Graham – Your Houston News, 5/9/2014)
   The Monarch Institute for Neurological Differences celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by unveiling the first certified Living Building to be constructed in Texas. The 1,120-square foot studio classroom has been built to the exacting standards of the Living Building Challenge, which has only certified five buildings in the world. The classroom will serve as an outdoor living classroom in which students’ day-to-day interactive decision-making will help the building achieve net zero energy and water performance.
   www.yourhoustonnews.com