Community Notes 10-05-2011

1. Take Me Outdoors Houston. Take Me Outdoors Houston is set to take place on October 8th at Discovery Green from 10am-3pm. This is a free, family-oriented festival of the outdoors that seeks to connect people back to nature. Exhibitors will provide hands-on activities, booths and opportunities to engage audiences who haven’t ever or don’t often get exposure to the great outdoors – especially the resources located right in Houston’s big backyard. To learn more about the festival, visit http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/.
2. National Algae Association. The National Algae Association is trying to gather public support in order to make a significant contribution to sustainable uses of land, water, energy and ultimately food production. Algae oil, a distinctive biofeedstock that generates abundant energy, is gearing up to industrial scale production. To learn more about algae oil, visit http://www.nationalalgaeassociation.com/Press-Releases.html.
3. Free Behavior Change Workshop. October 12^th Pasadena Convention Center:  Come join over 2,500+ graduates nationwide who are saving over $2,700 and reducing their carbon dioxide emissions by 5 tons each year.  You will learn ways to save money, improve your resilience for the future, and help the environment through powerful behavior change methods.  To register email Susan@NurturedWorld.Org or call (512) 663-1496.  More information is available at http://www.nurturedworld.org/CalendarOfEvents.html.
4. MDI Superfund Site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 (EPA) has begun the first five-year review of the remedy for the Many Diversified Interests, Inc. (MDI) Superfund Site. The review will determine whether or not the remedy is still protecting human health and the environment. The site is located in Harris County. Once the review is complete, the results of the Five-Year Review will be made available to the public. More information is available at http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/pdffiles/0605008.pdf.
5. New Report: Coastal Habitat Restoration Generates American Jobs. A report released by Restore America’s Estuaries shows that coasts and estuaries are not only essential to the economy, but that coastal habitat restoration produces jobs at higher rates than many other sectors, including oil and gas, road infrastructure, and green building projects. The report, “Jobs & Dollars: Big Returns from Coastal Habitat Restoration,” lays out a powerful case for government and private investment in the nation’s coasts and estuaries, drawing on national and regional studies of coastal and estuarine restoration projects, and setting out its findings in restoration case studies. More at www.estuaries.org.
6. Flood Education Mapping Tool. Harris County Flood Control District has launched a new tool that can help Harris County residents learn about floodplains and their flooding risks. This tool replaces the former mapping tool that was found on the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project (TSARP) website. The new mapping tool can be found at http://www.hcfcd.org/.
7. EPA Launches New Mapping Tool to Improve Public Access to Enforcement Information. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the release of a new mapping feature in EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database. As part of EPA’s ongoing effort to improve transparency, the EPA and State Enforcement Actions Map will allow the public to access federal and state enforcement information in an interactive format and to compare enforcement action information by state. The map will be refreshed monthly to include up to date information about the enforcement actions taken to address violations of air, water, and waste laws. More at http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/.
8. State of the Gulf Report. Save Our Gulf members of the Waterkeeper Alliance recently released the comprehensive State of the Gulf Report. The report was written from the perspective of the seven members of the Waterkeeper Alliance situated on the front lines in the Gulf Coast region whose communities continue to be directly impacted by the this ongoing disaster. The report documents progress, current gulf conditions, and makes recommendations for restoration. The report can be found at http://saveourgulf.org/updates/.
9. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/compliance/monitoring/air/monops/forecast_today.html
• October 6: Yellow–Moderate–Ozone–Incoming background levels may still be high enough for ozone to reach “Moderate” levels on the north and northwest side of the Houston metro area in the afternoon and early evening.
• October 7: Green–Good–Moderate to strong winds, heavy cloud cover, and low background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide, away from any wildfires.
• October 8: Green–Good–Moderate to strong winds, heavy cloud cover, and low background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide, away from any wildfires.