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January 6, 2015

Houston Environmental News Update January 6, 2015

Happy New Year!

Have you made your New Year’s Resolution? If so, we’d love to know what you have resolved! If not, here are a few ideas I am considering:

  • Waste less food (and compost the rest)
  • Check out solar power for my house, since it is more affordable now
  • Bring a friend to vote
  • Ride my bike to work more often
  • Go camping at Lake Houston Wilderness Park (and maybe a few other places)
  • Plant native milkweed for the monarch caterpillars and butterflies
  • Write one of my elected officials
  • Hike the entire Spring Creek Greenway
  • Volunteer with my family (hint: you can find opportunities on VolunteerMatch.org or VolunteerHouston.org)

CEC NOTES

  1.  Wild & Scenic Film Festival January 29, 2015Join the CEC on January 29, 2015, at the River Oaks Theatre as it hosts the first Texas screening of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour! Wild & Scenic On Tour partners with environmental groups, college and university groups, nature centers, and museums across the country to host the festival as a way to outreach into their communities and bring together an audience of diverse affiliations. On Tour hosts bring the issues featured in these films to the local level to show how global issues affect everyone.The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind in the United States and serves as a national platform for local environmental advocacy.Great gift idea!!! Order tickets via Eventbrite:
    http://wild-scenic-cechouston.eventbrite.com/?aff=efbevent
  2. Save the Dates. In addition to the film festival, the CEC has some great events planned for next year, and we hope you can join us. More details are coming soon, but for now, please save the dates!
    • March 3, 2015: CEC’s Greater Houston Environmental Summit
    • April 1, 2015: Environmental Poetry and Puns

COALITION NOTES

  1. Eco-Ology Radio Program on KPFT. Don’t forget to tune in to 90.1 FM KPFT on Tuesdays at 3pm for the Eco-Ology Radio Program! The program is dedicated to local hero’s at the forefront of environmental action, ecology in and for our community, social justice, health, and spirit. Produced by Patricia Greer, HC Clark and Cath Conlon. Technical support provided by Laura Slavin. Find out more at http://eco-ology.org.
  2. Urban Harvest Annual Fruit Tree Sale. The annual Fruit Tree Sale is an Urban Harvest fundraiser, to support to the work Urban Harvest does in to sustain a healthier Houston community. Come out and support Urban Harvest by purchasing a fruit tree! The sale will be held on January 17, 2015, 9am-1pm at Greenbriar Lot. The sale will continue until 1pm, or until trees sell out. Learn more at http://urbanharvest.org. There will also be two “Prepare for the Fruit Tree Sale Talks” leading up to the event. One will be held on January 6, 2015, 6:30-9pm, and the second will be held on January 10, 2015, 9:30am-noon. Both talks will be held at United Way Community Resource Center.
  3. HANC Geocaching. Houston Arboretum & Nature Center will be holding a geocaching event on January 10, 2014, 1-3pm. The cost is $20 for members and $35 for non-members. This is a beginner’s introduction to the fun hobby of geocaching. Learn the basic terminology and how to use a GPS in a short presentation, then set out to look for geocaches around the Arboretum for the remainder of the time. For those who like a challenge, there will be 19 GPS Garmin units available for your use, but if you have a smart phone there are several Geocaching apps you can download that are very easy to use. More at http://houstonarboretum.org.
  4. Wild West Tour: Waterfowl of the Prairie. During the winter, migratory waterfowl bring the prairie to life. Visit some of KPC’s best wetland areas with bird expert, Glenn Olsen, to look for the iconic ducks and geese of the Katy Prairie. The Wild West Tour will be held on January 10, 2015, from 1-5pm at KPC’s Indiangrass Preserve. The cost is $50 per person. Register at www.katyprairie.org.
  5. Memorial Park Master Plan – Public Update Meeting. The next Master Plan Public Update Meeting will be held on January 12, 2015, 6:30-8:30pm at the Moody Park Community Center. The design team, Nelson Byrd Woltz, will present the future look of Memorial Park, followed by a Q&A session. Bring a friend (or two!) to this informative event about YOUR Memorial Park! For more information about the Memorial Park Long Range Master Plan please visit www.memorialparktomorrow.org. For more information about Memorial Park Conservancy please visit www.memorialparkconservancy.org.
  6. GCBO’s Raptor Rodeo. Help GCBO document the status of wintering raptors and support the Smith Point Hawk Watch at the same time! The Smith Point Hawk Watch is one of only four Gulf coast hawk watches and one of only two that capture the bulk of the Mississippi and Swallow – tailed Kite migration, yet there are no funds to support a paid counter. Your $50 Raptor Rodeo entrance fee will help GCBO meet their funding goal for the watch and provide you with a day of fun searching for raptors anywhere you’d like! Choose any day between January 15, 2015 and February 28, 2015. This is a contest to see who can spot the highest number of raptors in a 24-hour period. Read the full list of rules at www.gcbo.org.
  7. Pizza with a Purpose benefiting Air Alliance Houston. Visit California Pizza Kitchen in River Oaks on January 15, 2015, 11am-10pm, and donate 20% of your check to Air Alliance Houston! Purchases include dine in, take out, catering, and all beverages. Don’t forget to bring the flyer!
  8. GBF’s Cease the Grease Holiday Campaign. Did you know that you can help protect Galveston Bay by properly disposing of fats, oils, and grease (FOGs) in your kitchen? When poured down the sink, FOGs lead to sewer system blockages. These blockages cause the sewers to overflow, releasing untreated sewage into the environment, polluting Galveston Bay. Galveston Bay Foundation’s Cease the Grease Campaign explains how to properly dispose of FOGs. Learn more at Cease the Grease. Spread the word and help protect the Bay!
  9. 2015 Merry Mulching Program – Christmas Tree Recycling Program. The Cypresswood Water Conservation Garden’s 2015 Merry Mulching program runs from January 5-15, 2014. Please bring donated conifer Christmas trees to 4107 Evening Trail Drive in Spring, TX. The program keeps trees out of the landfill and provides mulch that maintains moisture in soils throughout the Garden. Just strip the trees of decorations, drop them off and thanks for participating.
  10. Bike Houston Bayou Ride. BikeHouston Advisory Board Member Michael Skelly leads a slower, educational ride on the first Sunday of every month departing from Market Square (by NikoNiko’s) at 8 am. This is a no drop ride designed to show riders where they can ride on Houston’s Bayous. It is usually 60 percent on paved surfaces. The ride will be held at a moderate pace with stops to discuss how Houston is evolving and what is coming. As always, bring a helmet, water, and spare tubes. More at bikeridehouston.com.
  11. Additional Upcoming Events
    • 1/19/2015-1/21/2015: International Low Impact Development Conference. CEC is pleased to be a Cooperating Organization
    • 1/29/2015 (save the date): Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour, hosted by the CEC. First time ever in Texas!
    • 1/31/2015 (deadline): Air Alliance Houston Earth Day Art Contest
    • 3/3/2015 (save the date): CEC’s Greater Houston Environmental Summit

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COMMUNITY NOTES

  1. Christmas Tree Recycling. The Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) is encouraging residents to recycle their Christmas trees, saving landfill space and disposal costs. Residents can recycle their trees by dropping them off at one of seventeen (17) free, drop-off, recycling sites located throughout Houston. The program runs from December 26, 2014 to January 7, 2015. All facilities are closed January 1, 2015. In addition to the drop-off locations, residents with City of Houston collection may place their tree curbside on their scheduled tree waste day and it will be recycled. Trees that are collected for recycling will be ground into mulch that is available in bulk directly from Living Earth or available in bags at Houston retailers. Find out more at www.houstontx.gov.
  2. TPWD Local Park Grants. Recreation Grants is now accepting applications for the Urban Outdoor, Non-urban Outdoor, and Small Community Local Park Grant Programs. Applications are being accepted through the online portal at https://tpwd-recgrants.fluidreview.com. If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, contact rec.grants@tpwd.texas.gov or 512-389-8224. A TPWD Local Parks Program Grant Workshop will be held in Austin on January 13, 2015. This session will include hands-on assistance with the new RGO online database as well as instruction on application requirements for Local Parks Program grants. Register at www.signupgenius.com.
  3. EPA’s Gulf Guardian Awards. It’s time to recognize all those great programs that benefit the Gulf through EPA’s Gulf Guardian Awards. This is an exciting competition that rewards good Gulf stewards for their efforts with an award and recognition from their State and the EPA. The deadline is January 15, 2015. The categories for nomination are: Business/Industry, Environmental Justice/Cultural Diversity, Civic and Nonprofit Organizations, Youth Environmental Education, Individual, Partnerships and Bi-national. Learn more at www.epa.gov. Applications are due by January 15, 2015.
  4. Additional Community Announcements 
  5. TV: Texas Parks & Wildlife. Broadcast on KUHT Channel 8 at 3:00 PM each Saturday and on municipal access cable channels in Baytown, Deer Park, Houston, 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.
    • A Tale of Two Laurens
    • Parks & Wildlife People: Michael Rezsutek
    • New Wave Cave
    • Estero Llano Grande State Park
  6. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops/forecast_today.html. Houston Clean Air Network and Realtime Ozone Mapping: http://houstoncleanairnetwork.com.
      • January 6, 2015: Yellow–Moderate–PM2.5. Winds may be light enough for the daily PM2.5 AQI to reach “Moderate” levels in the Houston areas with highest concentrations in the morning and evening.
      • January 7, 2015: Green–Good. Moderate to strong winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range.
      • January 8, 2015: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
      • January 9, 2015: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cold temperatures, and low incoming background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.

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