Environment Protectors Initiating Change (E.P.I.C)

E.P.I.C. is a free service learning club for high school teens that is aimed at learning about, and solving coastal environmental problems through hands-on projects.

If you would like to:

• Make a difference
• Help your community
• Make new friends
• Gain volunteer hours
• Have fun

Join them for a meeting at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center on Wednesdays 4 pm – 5 pm!

Over the last year, major storms have flooded the City of Houston’s sewer system and poured more than 450,000 gallons of untreated sewage into our bayous. Over the last five years, storms have triggered more than 15 million gallons of the City’s untreated sewage to flood our bayous and neighborhoods, harming our water and health.

Join us on Wednesday, November 6th from 5:00 to 8:00 at Acres Homes Multi-Service Center to learn more!

We’ve partnered with Texas Housers to host a community meeting to provide an overview, answer any questions, and provide assistance to those wishing to craft comment letters. Dinner will be provided and children are welcome!

WHERE:   Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
6719 W. Montgomery Road, Houston, TX, 77091

WHEN:    Wednesday, November 6th
5:00 – 8:00pm

What to Bring:   Stories of your experiences with sewage backups in your neighborhood or home – if you have digital pictures, please bring them!

Tell the EPA by November 8th that you want a wastewater settlement that gives generations of Houstonians cleaner water, greener streets, and a strong buffer against storms like Tropical Storm Imelda.

Sewage spills like these have become the norm every time it rains – however, these spills are avoidable. The City of Houston must repair its long-neglected wastewater system.

The City of Houston’s $2 billion settlement with the EPA and the TCEQ will require repairs to sewage lines and wastewater treatment plants across Houston. Unfortunately, the settlement falls short in several key respects. There is still time to fix it.

This is your opportunity to make your voice heard. Take action and submit your comment today.

The Memorial Park Conservancy has generously offered Katy Prairie Conservancy use of their greenhouse while the Native Seed Nursery at KPC’s field office in Waller is being renovated. Volunteers will help grow plants that will be used for various Katy Prairie Conservancy spring projects and for the Great Grow Out. The Memorial Park Conservancy Greenhouse is located in Memorial Park on the south side of Memorial Drive. All are welcome, no experience necessary.

Workdays are scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

The Texas Coastal Watershed Program holds weekly volunteer days for their stormwater wetland program, 9am-12pm on Thursdays. Volunteers help propagate plants in the wetland plant nursery at Exploration Green in Clear Lake City, or at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in Lake Jackson.  The stormwater wetland program is developing demonstration projects to show  how wetlands can be designed into flood control basins to clean contaminants from surface runoff,  protect our bayous and bays, and provide a refuge for wildlife. A schedule and more information is available by contacting Mcedwards@tamu.edu.

An opportunity to participate in stewardship work for registered volunteers–if you are not already a volunteer, please check out Armand Bayou Nature Centers’ website for more information.

Help restore the prairie by potting and planting native plants and forbs every Friday, rain or shine. You do not need to attend every Friday.

The monthly bird count will begin at 7 a.m., starting off from the front parking lot of Armand Bayou Nature Center, dispersing from there. Please try and be here by 7 a.m. as gates will lock promptly at 7:05. If you plan on attending, feel free to shoot Andrew Hamlett an email or just show up.

Hermann Park Bird Survey

Leaders: Skip Almoney and Peter Tsan

They meet at  8:00 AM (7:30 in the summer months). Take the Parking Lot D entry from

Masks are optional for vaccinated participants and social distancing is recommended. Please wear a mask if unvaccinated. Please contact Julie Francis at hermannparkbirdsurvey@gmail.com if you’d like to participate. The Hermann Park Survey is conducted on the second Monday of the month. Everyone is welcome — beginners, experts, or even if you’re just curious. Please bring binoculars. If you don’t have any, let them know in advance and they’ll provide them.

For more information, please visit houstonaudubon.org/birding/bird-surveys.

There are many opportunities for you to get involved with EIH’s WaterSmart Habitat. Whether you’re looking for community service hours, or just a change of pace. Habitat volunteers help weed and mulch flower beds, plant native plants, maintain pathways, and trim trees and bushes. Volunteers may also help clean out the pond on select work days.

Volunteering at EIH is a great way to get your organization involved in the community. Please call in advance if you have a large group or if you would like to schedule your group on a different day. For more information, visit www.uhcl.edu, or contact: Wendy Reistle at 281-283-3045 or reistle@uhcl.edu.

The combination of IoT and big data analytics allow cities to imagine ways to be more efficient, resilient, sustainable in many fields like energy, building, mobility, utilities, safety, waste management and so on.

But Smart city solutions are not only designed for cities. They are also highly attractive for universities, hospitals and large companies to improve the management of their assets and their consumption of energy and natural resources.

What is the reality of the smart city concept?

What is going on in Houston and elsewhere in the US?

What are the main solutions provided by the vendors to the MUSH market and to the companies?

Attend our event to get a glimpse of what the city, corporates and startups have to offer to build a smart city.

SPEAKERS

Introduction:

• Franck Avice, President, French-American Chamber Of Commerce Houston
• Christine Galib, Director, Ion Smart Cities Accelerator

Moderator:

• William Fulton, Director at Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University

Panelists:

• Jessie Bounds, Director of Innovation, City Of Houston
• Kimberly Jonhston, National Tax Partner Energy, Ernst & Young
• Roger Flud, Smart City Specialist & Sales Team Leader, Schneider Electric
• Bruce Rutherford, International Director, JLL

AGENDA

5:30pm: Check-in/Networking; 6:00pm: Panel Discussion; 7:30pm: Networking Cocktail

Parking available at Green Street Garage on Fannin Street or on street after 6pm for free.

Environment Protectors Initiating Change (E.P.I.C)

E.P.I.C. is a free service learning club for high school teens that is aimed at learning about, and solving coastal environmental problems through hands-on projects.

If you would like to:

• Make a difference
• Help your community
• Make new friends
• Gain volunteer hours
• Have fun

Join them for a meeting at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center on Wednesdays 4 pm – 5 pm!