CEC Events Spark Conversation and Inspire Action

The Citizens’ Environmental Coalition sponsors numerous events throughout the year that bring people together to collaborate on common goals to improve the environment. Our two major gatherings are the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour and the Greater Houston Environmental Summit.

Held each year at the River Oaks Theatre, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour features ten short, powerful films, shot around the world, that call attention to the crucial environmental issues of our time. The CEC started hosting the festival in 2015, and that inaugural event drew a sold-out audience of 100. Idle Threat, one of the films screened at the festival, was cosponsored by CEC member group Air Alliance Houston. In response to that film, which depicted the health risks caused by the idling of heavy-truck engines, a petition by Air Alliance about this pressing issue gained so many signatures that the Houston City Council subsequently passed an anti-idling ordinance.

At its second annual showing, this past January, the film festival expanded into a two-day event, and attracted over 550 viewers with such powerful films as Brilliant Darkness, which sounded the alarm about the fate of a beloved, iconic bug: the firefly, whose numbers are in rapid decline.

Following up on that celluloid extravaganza, the CEC has something special planned for next month. On November 16, we will host, for the first time, the screening of a dozen local environmental films. And, based on the audience’s response to those films, we will select two of them to be shown at the upcoming annual festival, to be held on January 25-26, 2017. Click here for more information about these exciting cinematic events. As always, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival is sure to spark environmental conversations and inspire action within our community.

The CEC’s other big annual event, the Greater Houston Environmental Summit, provides attendees with an opportunity to learn about the latest issues from some of the most influential members of the environmental community. These renowned speakers present in-depth information on such critical topics as sustainable infrastructure, air quality, environmental justice, and more. Their presentations foster compelling discussions, both during the summit and beyond, on actions our community can take to protect the environment.

In addition to the film festival and environmental summit, a variety of other get-togethers and symposiums, including our Open House, political-candidate forums, and photography workshops, are hosted by the CEC. These unique events are truly the catalysts that inspire education, communication, and collaboration on the environmental concerns affecting the Houston/Gulf Coast region.