Coalition Notes 05-01-2011

1. Early Bird Registration for GCG ends Friday. Early bird registration for the Gulf Coast Green Symposium and Expo ends on Friday, May 6, 2011. Geared toward attendees with an intermediate to high level of knowledge about building sustainability issues, GCG 2011 presentations will be relevant to the following three session tracks:
   • Details. Speakers in this track will explore the components of green buildings.
   • Adaptation. This track is geared toward the future of existing buildings– our biggest challenge in reducing the environmental impact of the building sector.
   • Vision. This track will explore our long-term and big picture goals.

   More information about the May 25 event is at http://gulfcoastgreen.org/.

2. The Economics of Happiness. The Houston Green Film Series is presenting ‘The Economics of Happiness’ on May 10th at Rice University from 6:30-9pm. The Economics of Happiness is a documentary about the worldwide movement for economic localization. For more information on the showing, visit http://transitiontexas.ning.com/events/houston-green-film-series-the. Contact Mark with questions at 832-655-5104.
   
3. Last Fruit Tree Sale. Urban Harvest will hold its last fruit tree sale on Saturday, May 7th, from 8am to noon. The market is located on Richmond Street & Eastside Street. A wide variety of trees will be sold, including Tangerine, Kumquat, Lemon, Papaya, Banana trees and more. For more information, visit http://www.urbanharvest.org/events/fruittreesales.html.
4. Texas Bottle Bill update. The House Environmental Committee did not choose to have a hearing on HB 2114 (refundable deposits on beverage containers) this session. With 6 Republicans and 3 Democrats on the committee it was decided there were not enough votes to pass in the committee. But, there’s still an opportunity for our legislation to be brought forth as a budget item, given that HB 2114 creates non-tax revenue for the state. You may contact Speaker Joe Straus, Chairman Hilderbran (Ways and Means) and Chairman Pitts (Appropriations) and ask that HB 2114 be a budget consideration. This legislation is estimated to generate the state $100-200 million a year in non-tax revenue. Read more about the Texas Bottle Bill effort.
5. Help Keep Houston Beautiful win competition. In support of Keep America Beautiful and its Great American Cleanup, Orbit gum consumers can cast a vote among five cities (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, HOUSTON, and Miami) to receive a mural from Orbit gum as part of its “Live Clean” online promotion. The city that receives the most consumer online votes using the unique code inside each limited-edition pack that carries program-inspired graphics) at the end of the promotion will win. KHB needs your help! Encourage your friends and family to visit http://clean.orbitgum.com/ and vote for Houston.
6. Bubbles Car Wash fundraiser for Central City Co-op. From may 4 to June 8, The Central City Co-op os selling Bubble Express Choice Wash Tickets for only $8. Half the proceeds go to Central City Co-op. Purchase tickets at the Wednesday Co-op or e-mail ttcetnralcity@gmail.com for more info.
7. Birding Classic Auction Raises Funds. Once again supporters of the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory made the Birding Classic Auction a success. This year the Online Auction raised $4,435 for conservation projects along the Texas coast. Thanks for supporting conservation along the Texas coast! More information about GCBO activities, including bird banding on May 21, can be found on the website at http://www.gcbo.org/html/enewsApr11.htm.