Coalition Notes 04-23-2012

1. The Progressive Forum: William McDonough. William McDonough, a preeminent leader of the sustainability movement, is an architect, designer, and pioneer. McDonough designed city-size Ford Motor Rouge River Plant which installed the world’s largest green roof. He also co-authored the landmark classic, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, a manifesto calling for the transformation of industry towards ecologically intelligent design. McDonough will be presenting at the Wortham Center, Cullen Theater on April 24th at 7:30pm. Visit http://www.progressiveforumhouston.org/ to learn more and to purchase tickets.
2. Houston Green Film Series: Switch. The next showing of the Houston Green Film Series will take place on April 25th at 6:30 pm at the Rice Media Center (2030 University Blvd). The film, Switch, explores the future of energy. What will it really take to switch from oil and coal to something else? A panel discussion will take place after the showing. More at http://houstongreenscene.org/. The series is put on by USGBC Emerging Professionals Houston, Transition Houston, Houston Tomorrow and the Rice University Environmental Club.
3. Local Flavor: Urban Harvest 2012 Gala. It started with a simple idea – to host a meal that celebrates the amazing food grown in our own backyard. And much like the seeds that we plant in the soil, this idea started small, was cultivated and nurtured, and has blossomed into something beautiful and abundant. This yearly meal has evolved into Urban Harvest’s annual springtime gala “Local Flavor”, a celebration that reinforces the connection between the farm and our plates and raises much-needed funds to further our mission. The event will once again be held at Trevisio on April 26, 2012 at 6:30. Chefs Jon Buchanan and John Watt will prepare a local, seasonal meal sourced from our farmers market vendors, paired with wines selected by Sommelier Sean Beck. Sean will also wow us with his produce-themed cocktails. More at www.urbanharvest.org.
4. Keep Houston Beautiful. April 28th is a day dedicated to keeping Houston beautiful. There are cleanup and beautification events at three sites throughout Houston, open to volunteers. There will be an Earth Day Celebration at the Museum of Natural Science (9am), tree planting at Hermann Park Conservancy (8am), and cleanup at Museum Park Superneighborhood (8am). Those interested can register to volunteer at http://www.houstonbeautiful.org/.
5. Texas Bottle Bill Event. Texas Bottle Bill is partnering up with Westbrook Intermediate (Friendswood) to demonstrate the fund raising opportunities schools would have with a Nickel Back Refund on all beverage containers. Mike Garver will be donating to the school, a nickel for every alum, glass, and plastic beverage container, counted and separated by materials, that is brought to the school that evening. Mark Austin, of We Can Recycle will be picking up all of the materials. www.texasbottlebill.com.
6. GCBO Spring Fling Online Auction. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory is hosting a Spring Fling online auction to increase opportunities for people to contribute to conservation. All proceeds raised from this auction will go toward GCBO’s coastal conservation programs. The action will include original artwork, weekend trips, books and nature related items. The auction will be open from 8:00am Sunday, April 1 until 3:00pm Monday, April 30th. For additional information, question on any item, or specifics on any of the trips, please contact Carol Jones, telephone 979-480-0999. Check out the auction at http://www.gcbo.org/.
7. Walk for the Woods. The Woods Project is excited to announce its first public event, Walk for the Woods. About 5k, the walk starts and ends at Americas Plaza (2311 Canal St.), walking along the south side of the Buffalo Bayou through downtown featuring the East End and the East End Community. Sunday, May 6, 2012. Registration at 8am, walk at 9am. The Woods Project has made a difference in the lives of over 2,000 low income students. Its wilderness education programming has given them the confidence, the leadership skills, the teamwork skills, and the ‘can do’ attitude that will lead them to lives as successful adults- becoming strong citizens with the capacity and desire to make our Country more successful. Walk for The Woods will make it possible for even more students to have life changing experiences. More at www.walkforthewoods.org.
8. Fresh Air Friday: A Picnic in the Plaza! H-GAC Commute Solutions Program will host the tenth annual Fresh Air Friday event on May 11, 2012 at the Jones Plaza in Downtown Houston from 11am-1pm. Come out to learn about Commute Alternatives and Alternative Fuel Options while enjoying free food, and entertainment! For more information, contact Rick Guerrero at rick.guerrero@h-gac.com or 832-681-2589 or visit the website www.cleanairaction.org.
9. Houston Area Urban Forestry Council Regional Workshop. Want to improve your water quality and stormwater management? Need help crafting an emergency management plan and tips for dealing with FEMA? Interested in the ecosystem benefits trees can provided to your community? Mark your calendars now for the Houston Area Urban Forestry Council Regional Workshop hosted by the Texas Emerging Communities program. The one-day workshop will be held in North Harris County on May 16 and in Pearland on May 17. Scholarships are available. http://www.haufc.org/ or mmerritt@tfs.tamu.edu.
10. H-GAC Seeking Contact Information for Ped/Bike Coordinators, Program Managers. In the next few months, H-GAC will begin work on the Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. We are putting together a regional network of all existing and planned bicycle and pedestrian facilities and would like to make sure we have your jurisdiction and/or county properly represented. We need to determine the appropriate contact person for each city and county in the H-GAC region to coordinate with during this bicycle/pedestrian planning effort. Please forward your contact information or the appropriate ped/bike contact person for your area to Chelsea Young at 713-993-2497.
11. CFH LeadershipNext. This is the Center for Houston’s Future’s new one-day leadership seminar designed for the 35-and-under leaders who will determine the future competitiveness and sustainability of our region. The first of these seminars is scheduled for June 20, 2012. For more details, email Russell at rrichard@futurehouston.org or visit www.futurehouston.com.
12. Humble ISD Recycling Essaay Contest Winners. Keep Kingwood Green awarded over $1000 to students and teachers this school year for their efforts in researching and writing about recycling. Out of the hundreds of entries in this contest, KKG is proud to announce the District Winners! http://www.keepkingwoodgreen.org/
13. How would you define sustainability? Sustainability means different things to different people. How would you define it? H-GAC is collecting ideas about the definition of the term “sustainability” at http://ideas.ourregion.org/. Submit your own definition or read through others and support those you agree with. The submission period ends on April 29th, so visit soon!