Houston Environmental News Update March 28, 2018

CEC NOTES

Earth Day Houston: Call for Volunteer Groups

Please mark your calendars for Earth Day Houston on Sunday, April 22, 2018, from noon to 6 p.m. at Discovery Green! Hosted in partnership with the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, Discovery Green’s citywide Earth Day celebration–presented by Green Mountain Energy–is designed to inspire, educate, and encourage action.

• Over eighty exhibitors and a foodie farmers market with dozens of vendors.
• Earth Talks: Short, engaging talks from local experts about compelling environmental issues. Speakers include Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, tropical disease expert Dr. Peter Hotez, plastic pollution youth advocates Caolin and Lila, sustainable design house Magpies & Peacocks, NASA, HARC’s Lisa Gonzalez, and more.
• Compost, recyclables, and trash: Volunteer recycling ambassadors will help visitors make wise disposal choices. While Earth Day Houston 2018 won’t be a zero-waste event, we are setting a baseline for future events by tracking and weighing all garbage destined for the landfill–and measuring waste being diverted for recycling and composting.
• Make a difference: You will be challenged to make commitments to protecting and improving our environment. And if doing good isn’t enough, we’ll have prizes.
• Acoustic music and pop-up activities–including live animal and plant demonstrations, story time, an electric car petting zoo, recycling superheroes, and functioning solar panels–throughout the day.
• Alternative transportation, including bike rides, a bike valet, and Metro passes will be available.

If you are interested in being a sponsor or corporate volunteering, please email earthday@cechouston.org.

Houston Green Film Series: “Disobedience” – April 18, 2018
Climate change is real, and it’s up to the will of the people to reverse its adverse effects. This is the argument that drives Disobedience, produced by the activist organization 350.org. Disobedience introduces us to inspiring groups of people who are advocating for a better way of life for their families, their communities and their planet. For a closer look, watch the trailer. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with local activists who will talk about whether, when, and how civil disobedience relating to environmental issues is appropriate for Houston. April 18, 2018, at Rice Media Center. 6:30 p.m. conversation, networking, and a light meal; 7 p.m. screening. Free to the public, although donations are kindly appreciated. Find more information at the Facebook event.

We have tried to confirm the events listed below, but not all organizations have updated their websites. Please consider confirming directly with the hosts.

1. H-GAC Now Accepting Applications for Solid Waste Grants
   Each year, H-GAC receives pass-through funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to fund solid waste grant projects throughout the 13-county region. The application period closes on April 19, 2018, at 5 p.m. For more information, visit h-gac.com or contact Erin Livingston at erin.livingston@h-gac.com or 832-681-2525.
2. H-GAC 2045 Regional Transportation Plan Public Meetings
   Our economy depends on a safe and reliable transportation system. Are we taking the right steps today to ensure a better tomorrow? Join us for a public meeting. Meetings are scheduled throughout the region through April 26, 2018. For more information, visit 2045rtp.com. Upcoming meetings:
   • 3/3/29/18 – Harris County Public Meeting, Kashmere Gardens Multi-Service Center
   • 4/4/18 – Montgomery County Public Meeting, Oscar Johnson Community Center
   • 4/5/18 – Harris County Public Meeting, Leon Grayson Community Center
3. Exploration Green Nature Park wetland planting events
   Wetland planting events are coming up at Exploration Green Nature Park in Clear Lake City on five Saturdays this spring: March 24, April 14 and 21, and May 5 and 19, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Children are welcome to participate with family members. Parking is at 16203 Diana Ln, Houston 77062. For more information, visit explorationgreen.org.
4. Greens Bayou Coalition 2018 Annual “Beyond the Bayou” Luncheon
   Please join us as we honor volunteers, report on Greens Bayou watershed activities of 2017 and celebrate all of last year’s accomplishments! There will be a plated lunch, annual report, and a keynote address by Russ Poppe, executive director of Harris County Flood Control District. The event will be held March 29, 2018, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Greer and Lowdermilk Conference Center, 4225 Interwood North Parkway. For more information and to register, visit greensbayou.org.
5. Texas Women in Conservation Luncheon and Terry Hershey Awards
   On Thursday, March 29, 2018. from noon to 1:30 p.m., Audubon Texas will host the Texas Women in Conversation Luncheon and Terry Hershey Awards at the Junior League of Houston. This year’s award recipients are Maxine Johnston, Claire Caudill and Linda Shead. For more information and registration, visit Audubon Texas.
6. Native Prairies Association of Texas meeting at Hermann Park
   On March 29, 2018, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion at Hermann Park, come learn about what lies beneath the prairie! This presentation by Houston Archeological Society President Linda Gorski and Vice President Louis Aulbach will offer an introduction to the archaeology of Houston and the Gulf Coast area. For more information, visit houstonprairie.org.
7. Environmental Forum at the Coastal Heritage Preserve: Call for Questions
   Artist Boat and several partners are planning an environmental forum on April 16, 2018, for state and local candidates for office in the Galveston Area. This format will provide candidates with a set of questions representing the environmental concerns of our stakeholder community of non-profits followed by questions from the audience. Artist bBoat invites you to submit questions for consideration, by April 1, 2018. Learn more on the forum’s Facebook event.
8. Deadline: Great Texas Birding Classic Registration
   Join this fun, friendly, bird-watching competition. There are tournament categories for all ages and skill levels, so select the one that works best for you. Participants may participate in more than one category and/or in the same category for multiple regions. The registration deadline is April 1, 2018. For more information, visit tpwd.texas.gov.
9. Houston ToolBank’s Hammers & Ales 2018
   The Houston ToolBank is hosting its Hammers & Ales 2018 fundraiser on April 3, 6-9 p.m. at Karbach Brewery, featuring giveaways, appetizers, guest appearances, and craft brew! There will be raffling and auctioning off valuable items to raise money for the ToolBank’s mission and ongoing Harvey recovery efforts: serving Houston-area nonprofits, churches, schools and community groups by providing low-cost tools to drive volunteerism in our community. All proceeds will directly benefit the ToolBank. For more information, visit houstontoolbank.org.
   
10. Loam Agronomics Tour on April 6
    On April 6, 2018, beginning at 1 p.m., the Houston Food System Collaborative will meet for a tour of Loam Agronomics, a 288-acre sustainable farm located in Richmond, Texas, within the master-planned community Harvest Green, to learn about the farm’s operations. The tour will last approximately two hours. For more information, please email libby@urbanharvest.org.
11. FernGully: The Last Rainforest screening
    On April 6, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. the Creation Care team of Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., invites area families to enjoy a free screening of FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Before the screening, there will be live animals for the kids to meet. Popcorn and lemonade will be provided. Please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions. For more information, visit the Creation Care team’s Facebook page.
    
12. Bring Your Broken Items to Houston’s Repair Cafe
    On April 7, 2018, from 1-5 p.m., Houston’s Repair Cafe invites you to bring in a broken item and meet local people who have offered to share their skills to help you make repairs. Acceptable items to bring include clothing, small appliances, and bicycles. If you are interested in volunteering, the Repair Cafe is calling for all handywomen, handymen, handy kids, handy teens and families, tinkerers, and sewers. Volunteers are also needed to guide and assist with general coordination. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.
13. Nature Discovery Center’s Spring Fling Festival
    Join the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire for a celebration of nature at its annual Spring Fling Festival on April 7, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This year’s festival will feature a food truck, interactive nature stations, live animal encounters, and children’s crafts and activities. For more information, visit naturediscoverycenter.org or contact Eric Duran at eduran@naturediscoverycenter.org.
14. Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou
    Join the Buffalo Bayou Partnership on April 7, 2018, from 1-4 p.m., for a free self-guided tour of six Buffalo East Sector installations by students from the University of Houston Graphic Design Program. These interactive installations express ideas about the bayou’s relation to the East End and Fifth Ward communities. Enjoy entertainment and food trucks at the North York Boat Launch with beer generously provided by Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Participate in activities at each site and share your ideas related to the Partnership’s future plans along the bayou’s East Sector. EastEndBikeRide will also be leading a social pace bike ride to the Meeting Points, starting at D&W Lounge. For more information, visit buffalobayou.org.
15. Spring Fling at Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary
    Spring Fling is an opportunity to see and celebrate the return of migratory songbirds as they arrive at stopover habitat along the Teas Gulf Coast. This is great time to enjoy the wide variety of species that migrate through Texas dressed in their spring finery. This year, Spring Fling will take place at the Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary from April 7 to May 6 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily. For more information, visit gcbo.org.
16. Solarize Houston for Houses of Worship (and Their Members)
    On April 8, 2018, at 2:30 p.m., the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to learn how you and/or your house of worship can go solar for less by leveraging Solarize Houston, a program of the Houston Renewable Energy Group, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting renewable energy solutions and businesses. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy), a very attractive financing option for houses of worship and other commercial properties, will also be covered. You may attend this event in person or online via web meeting. Please register for this event at eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.
17. Balance: Celebrating Women in Design – 2018 RDA Architecture Tour
    Join the Rice Design Alliance April 7-8, 2018 from 1- 6 p.m. for its 43rd annual city-wide architecture tour. BALANCE: Celebrating Women in Design highlights seven women whose efforts on six projects demonstrate their leadership and indefatigable commitment to a better Houston. For more information, visit ricedesignalliance.org.
18. Houston TX-PACE Service Provider Training
    Join TX-PACE (Texas Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) on April 10, 2018, from 8:00 a.m. to noon, for an interactive discussion with subject matter experts about the details of the TX-PACE program including technical requirements and application process. Attendees will learn how to use the program to finance energy efficiency, water conservation, resiliency, and distributed generation improvements. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.
19. Texas Water Development Board Financial Assistance Workshop on April 10
    The Texas Water Development Board offers funding for public work infrastructure, including drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects. The TWDB will hold a workshop for area public officials on April 10, 2018, beginning at 9 a.m., in the Training Room of the City of Sugar Land Public Works Building, 111 Gillingham Lane. To register, please send an email to srfworkshop@twdb.texas.gov.
20. TWRC Wildlife Center seeks volunteers, including shift supervisors
    TWRC Wildlife Center is in its busy season right now and the wildlife babies are really coming in. They are looking for multiple volunteers, including shift supervisors. They are also looking for baby squirrel and baby opossum feeders. These are volunteer positions. For more information on the volunteer positions, go to twrcwildlifecenter.org or call 713-468-TWRC.
21. Recycling Activity Books Available for Pre-Order
    H-GAC offers 16-page “Recycling Activity Books,” one designed for “Early Elementary” students (second and third grades) and another designed for “Late Elementary” students (fourth and fifth grades). These books provide fun and educational recycling-oriented puzzles and activities, including word search games, mazes, connect-the-dots, coloring pages, math mashups, and secret code deciphering. Please contact Erin Livingston at 832-681-2525 or erin.livingston@h-gac.com with the following information: title needed, quantity needed, date that you will pick them up at H-GAC, and your contact information (name, email, phone). The books are also available for download here.
22. Help Plan Better Biking and Walking Trails in Precinct One
    As part of the Park-Smart Precinct One effort, Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis is seeking ways to find a better network trails and safe routes for biking and walking throughout the precinct. To help identify where new trails and safer routes are needed most, Ellis’ office has created a Community Trails App. The app allows you to share your routes and document the obstacles you encounter along the way. By contributing your input, you will help the Park-Smart planning team better understand how residents get around by foot and by bike — and where there are opportunities for improvement. If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Weil at Kristen.Weil@tpl.org.
23. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife
    Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3 p.m. each Saturday and on municipal access cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Houston, Texas City, Galveston, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Seabrook, Sugar Land, and on HCC TV. More info on the TPWD website (* indicates a segment about the Houston area). For a preview, visit TPWD’s YouTube Page.
    • Hunting dogs in action at the Master National Retriever competition
    • The elusive Swift Fox in the Panhandle Plains
    • Tubing, biking, and birding at South Llano River State Park

Additional Upcoming Events

http://cechouston.org/category/green-jobs/