The Take Care of Texas Video Contest is a fun way for young people to learn about protecting the environment and come up with creative ways to share this knowledge with others! Students film a 30-second video that shows positive ways to Take Care of Texas. The students that submit the best videos can win great prizes, awarded by the contest sponsor, Waste Management of Texas, Inc.

The public has an opportunity to pick their favorite videos January 11 through 25, 2018. A panel of TCEQ staff and representatives from Waste Management Texas will choose the first, second, and third place winners from each of the grade groups. Winners will be announced February 20, 2018.

Click here to vote!

Can design ingenuity create a new archetype that promotes aspirations for Houston?

This year rdAGENTS are joining forces with AIA young professionals to host a design charrette to challenge teams to reimagine the site of the Meat Packing Building (noted below) along Commerce street. The site of the building serves as both a physical and conceptual nexus for urban design issues in Houston. Located within both the floodplain and floodway, the site raises questions about building in these highly sensitive locations post-Harvey. Set along Buffalo Bayou’s iconic trail system with an imminent new connection to the MKT Trail to the north, the site serves as a threshold between downtown and the Bayou Greenways system and creates opportunities for access and connectivity. Along Commerce Street, the building site has potentials for reconciling history with forward-thinking design solutions integrating multi-modal travel options/ Teams will be asked to propose ideas that would answer two questions. Could a new building proposal mediate the desire to build along a downtown waterfront to promote urban revitalization yet meet the strict criteria for floodway construction? Or should the site be transformed to greenspace to connect the street level to bayou level?

Here’s the rundown: In collaboration this year with the Downtown Management District, and Buffalo Bayou Partnership the charrette will be held all day at Rice University on Saturday, January 27. You’ll want to bring your own computers and printers, as always. Multidisciplinary teams of 2-6 people are encouraged.

A cash prize will be awarded to the winning team as well as an honorable mention.

Registration is $125 for RDA member teams, $150 for non-member teams, and $25 for student teams. Registration is limited to 20 teams on a first come first serve basis.  Click here to register and make a payment online. You will need the names and contact for each member of your team to register.

Key Dates

January 19, 2018  – Competition Registration Deadline

January 20, 2018 at 9:30am – Site Visit from 1019 Commerce Street

January 27, 2018 – 8:30am to 5pm Design Charrette

January 29, 2018 at 4pm to 6pm – Presentation to jury,

6pm to 8pm, Reception and Award

Read more about Rice Design Alliance’s 2018 Spring Charrette.

The Beautify the Bucket Competition allows participants to take an active role in beautifying Galveston beaches and improving stewardship behaviors. Participants in the competition paint a blue trash barrel destined for Galveston beaches based on a theme: ocean organisms, marine debris, coastal and marine ecosystems, or Galveston recreational activities. After the competition the barrels will be added to Galveston’s beaches where they will be enjoyed by visitors and encourage proper disposal of trash to reduce aquatic trash. Individuals and groups of all ages can register for a barrel to beautify. Registration for the Spring 2018 Beautify the Bucket is Monday, March 5 – Friday, April 6, 2018. The competition date is April 21, 2018. For more information, visit artistboat.org.

The Galveston Bay Council GBEP and HARC is looking for high quality photos and video that can be featured in the State of the Bay, 4th Edition. Photo credits will be given to the photographer and/or contributing organization and copyrights will be respected and noted. Attached are a list of potential topics for which photos will be needed. Please do not consider this list to be exhaustive. All great photos are appreciated and will be considered for use.

Please email questions and photo submissions to Dr. Erin Kinney at ekinney@HARCresearch.org

2018-State-of-the-bay-Photo-Request

Keep America Beautiful presents Recycle Bowl, a national K-12 competition between schools to invigorate student participation in recycling efforts. The competition runs from October 15 to November 15, 2018. Through Recycle-Bowl, Keep America Beautiful hopes to excite students and improve recycling in elementary, middle and high schools across America.

The Recycle-Bowl competition has three division categories (School, Community, and District Divisions) allowing schools to compete where they fit best. The Recycle-Bowl also features a non-competitive, “Open Division” that is less formal and accommodates schools that register late. 

For more information, visit kab.org.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) invites students in 6th through 12th grades to enter the annual Take Care of Texas Video Contest. The contest deadline is Friday, December 14, 2018, and the public will have the opportunity to pick their favorite videos January 10 through 24, 2019. The Take Care of Texas Video Contest is a fun way for young people to learn about protecting the environment and come up with creative ways to share this knowledge with others. Student videos should be 30 seconds long and portray positive ways Texans can help keep air and water clean, conserve water and energy, or reduce waste.

The middle and high school students who win first place will be invited to travel to Austin, along with their teacher, parent, or guardian, to be recognized by the TCEQ Commissioners and representatives from Waste Management of Texas, Inc. at the 2019 Environmental Trade Fair and Conference.

For more information, visit takecareoftexas.org.