H-GAC’s Parks and Natural Areas Summit and Awards Ceremony will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, February 14, 2020, at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor. The Summit will include presentations on trends and topics related to parks and natural areas.

The event will also include the annual Parks and Natural Areas Awards recognition ceremony. These projects serve as models for planning and project implementation for parks and natural areas in the region. Projects will be honored in three categories: Planning Process, On-the-Ground Projects Over $500,000, and On-the-Ground Projects Under $500,000.

A light breakfast will be served. Registration and breakfast begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by topic speakers at 9:30 a.m. The awards program will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by networking until noon.

Agenda
9:00 a.m.    Registration and Breakfast
9:30 a.m.    Presentation – Claire Hempel, Design Worskshop, Equity In Parks
10:00 a.m.  Presentation – Katie Coyne, Asakura Robinson, TBA
10:30 a.m.  Parks and Natrual Areas Annual Awards Ceremony
11:30 a.m.  Networking

The Parks and Natural Areas roundtable serves as a forum for discussion of issues related to parks and natural areas and promotes the Parks and Natural Areas awards program. The roundtable facilitates information exchange and planning efforts between various stakeholders and collaborators to protect and preserve parks and natural areas across the region.

Join the Parks and Natural Areas (PNA) Roundtable on Monday, March 9, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at H-GAC Conference Room A, Second Floor.

Attendees will learn about the Nature and Eclectic Outdoors’ Healthy Outdoor Communities initiative and Exploration Green, an award-winning parks and natural areas project in the region. They’ll also discuss the time and date for the spring field trip.

The PNA Roundtable meets the second Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November and is open to anyone interested in participating.

Experience forest bathing, led by a certified guide, followed by practice of the Christian spiritual discipline of the Earth Examen.  Forest bathing, a practice that originated in Japan, involves taking in, in all of one’s senses, the forest atmosphere. Not simply a walk in the woods, it is the conscious and contemplative practice of being immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the forest.  Forest bathing has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood and focus, enhance creativity, and lead to an increased sense of calm and altruistic behavior, in addition to other benefits such as boosting the immune system and lowering blood pressure.  As Christians, we understand that God is present in God’s creation, and after our guided forest bath, we’ll spend some time considering the Earth Examen as we reflect both on our time spent forest bathing and on our relationship with all creation.  This activity is for a small group and space is limited.  Please register at www.eventbrite.com at:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forest-bathing-earth-examen-tickets-291848535827. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why? 

Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.

Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.

The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.

Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.

Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why? 

Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.

Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.

The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.

Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.

Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why? 

Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.

Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.

The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.

Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.

Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why? 

Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.

Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.

The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.

Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.

Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why? 

Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.

Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.

The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.

Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.

Whether celebrating in your home or your house of worship, people of all faith/spiritual traditions would like their occasions to be sustainable.  Sustainability is frequently defined as fulfilling the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations.  This is a simple definition, but putting it into practice for holidays and holy days may require some thought and planning.  Lisa Brenskelle will draw from her decades of work in earthkeeping ministry in both Christian and interfaith settings to explain the key aspects to consider to make your celebration sustainable.  Time for interactive discussion with the speaker will be provided.  Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainable-celebrations-tickets-430614338077. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

As John Muir famously wrote in 1911: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” This expression of oneness, which Muir observed from his time in the Sierras, has both a scientific and a spiritual basis. Muir was prescient, as the known science in 1911 had only a rudimentary understanding, by our modern standards, or how all things connect. And, although Muir was raised in very devout Christian home and considered himself a Christian, he may never have connected the spiritual aspect of this oneness with the Christian faith.  Join Lisa Brenskelle, who holds a doctoral degree in engineering and has spent decades working in earthkeeping ministry in both Christian and interfaith settings, as she highlights the oneness of all things as understood by modern science and as expressed in Christian scriptures. Attendees will gain a deeper appreciation of how everything connects to everything else, including how humanity is woven into the fabric of the universe. Time for interactive discussion with the speaker will be provided.  Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oneness-scripture-science-tickets-430609794487. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.