Community Notes 06-10-2012

1. America Is Your Park. Coca-Cola is holding its 3rd annual America is your park campaign. Your vote can help your favorite park win the title of “America’s Favorite Park” and a $100,000 recreation grant from Coca-Cola. Many people have decided to vote to help Bastrop State Park, which is still recovering from the wildfires last fall. Visit https://apps.facebook.com/ to learn more and to vote. You can vote everyday until July 15th.
2. Cosmetic Recycling in Houston Area @ Garnier Greener Tour. Garnier is hitting the road for the Garnier Greener Tour and bringing upcycling pioneer TerraCycle along for the ride! The tour will be making stops at multiple Walmart stores in the Houston area, offering beauty-lovers exciting ways to help protect the environment. Shoppers can drop off empty beauty packaging to be recycled, receive free Garnier samples, try out new products and enter to win the Garnier Greener Giveaway. Those who bring at least one piece of beauty packaging waste to be recycled will be eligible for a mini-style at the on-site Garnier styling station. TerraCycle and Garnier’s Personal Care and Beauty Brigade makes it possible for anyone in the country to recycle all kinds of hair care, skin care or cosmetic packaging on an ongoing basis. The tour will be in the Houston area from June 14th-18. Link for dates, locations, and more info, please visit: http://www.terracycle.com/garnier_greener_giveaway.
3. OHBA: Beneficial Insects and Establishing Eco Friendly Landscapes. OHBA is hosting a workshop called Beneficial Insects and Establishing Eco Friendly Landscapes on June 19th from 4-7pm at 50 Waugh Drive. This workshop explains how to prevent pest problems from getting started, how to attract beneficials, how to ID insects, and how to select spray products that are eco-friendly and effective. The featured speaker is Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management. Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 18 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly. Ticket includes a delicious organic dinner and educational materials ($65 per OHBA member and $80 per non-OHBA member). Learn more at http://www.ohbaonline.org/.
4. Environmental Behavior Change Workshop: More in the Bank, Less from the Environment. A Nurtured World, in partnership with the City of Houston and the Houston Independent School District, will present “Environmental Behavior Change Workshop: More in the Bank, Less from the Environment” on from 8:30am-4:30pm Tuesday, June 19, at the Houston Permitting Center, 1002 Washington Avenue, Houston, Texas. This workshop provides training on creating behavior change for a sustainable future. Participants can learn how spending and environmental impacts are connected. The workshop also gives attendees the opportunity to practice tools to create change in their communities, workplaces, or homes. More at http://nurturedworld.org/.
5. 2012 Leopold Conservation Award – Cook’s Branch Conservancy. George P. Mitchell and his family transformed 5,650 acres in Montgomery County north of Houston into Cook’s Branch Conservancy. The conservancy, operated as a program of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, offers a rare glimpse into what a century of regeneration looks like in the Pineywoods region of East Texas. The Mitchell family earned the 2012 Leopold Conservation Award, the state’s highest honor recognizing habitat management and wildlife conservation on private land. Read more at http://twri.tamu.edu/.
6. Environmental Solutions for Communities. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Wells Fargo have started the Environmental Solutions for Communities Program, which will lend financial assistance to projects that promote sustainable communities through environmental stewardship. Support will be given to projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. Pre-proposals are due by July 2nd. Learn more at http://www.nfwf.org/.
   
7. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife. Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3:00 PM each Saturday and on cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Seabrook, and on HCC. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). This week’s broadcast will include:
   • Urban Outdoors
   • Lone Star Land Steward: Hailey Ranch
   • Lake Tawakoni State Park
   • A Scar on the Flats