Exploring Coral Spawning in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

June 2, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Take a virtual field trip into the depths of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary with expedition lead Dr. Sarah Davies of Boston University.

In 2019, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries partnered with Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration to expand our understanding of sanctuaries through deep-water exploration and research. Aboard the research vessel Manta, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration staff, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary researchers, and partner scientists ventured about 100 miles offshore of Galveston, Texas. There, they observed annual coral reproduction, known as spawning, on the deep reefs of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Learn about the highlights as lead scientist Dr. Sarah Davies recounts the expedition.

Join Texas Children in Nature and Special Guest Emily Weerts in this Best Practices Seminar.

The Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to join Sarah Gossett Robinson, Senior Community Liaison for Houston Water, to learn how you/your house of worship can assist in conserving water & preserving water quality. Houston Water, a service line of Houston Public Works, aims to treat and deliver safe and clean water resources through ongoing investment in sustainable technologies, infrastructure and community engagement. This presentation will outline the community engagement, outreach, and informal education strategies that complement engineered solutions to improve the City’s drinking and wastewater infrastructure, including opportunities for partnership for houses of worship and their members to further engage with these initiatives. The event will be recorded, so if you can’t make it, you can still get a copy of the training recording to review later.

Register at eventbrite.com.

For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Center for Houston’s Future will also present the Vaughan Award to Ellen Cohen, a community leader who served as a Houston City Council member and Texas state representative.

SAT., JAN. 30: SEED SWAP SOCIAL. 9am, free. KICKERILLO-MISCHER PRESERVE, 20215 Chasewood Park Dr. Register at https://www.hcp4.net/tap/events

Impact Hub houston envisions a more prosperous, inclusive, climate-resilient economy, where finance flows to green projects and activities, and where motivated people are empowered with the skills and capacity they need to take action.

This progress can only be achieved through systemic change – change that includes innovation across business, investment, regulation, governance structures, values and mindsets. They invite you to join Climathon Houston to see the most promising ideas that emerge around Houston’s challenges, including:

Energy Transition: developing innovative ways to …

1. Shift from extractive to regenerative energy production, capture and distribution technologies.
2. Restore, protect, and enhance Houston’s natural ability to capture and store carbon.

Materials Management: developing innovative ways to …

1. Reduce waste production and/or Optimize waste operations.
2. Reuse or Upcycle materials into useful products, to lengthen their lifespan and keep materials out of streets and landfills.
3. Recycle materials into efficient energy or new raw materials for manufacturing and production.

Building Optimization: developing innovative ways to …

1. Reduce building energy use and maximize savings.
2. Increase the healthfulness and utility of existing buildings for sustainable community use.

Regional Resilience: developing innovative ways to …

1. Address clean water, access, retention and flooding issues
2. Engage more people in building better habits that promote cleaner, greener communities
3. Accelerate clean urban mobility

The River Oaks Garden Club’s speaker is Thomas Woltz, the landscape architect with Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW), who is responsible for the Memorial Park renovation plan including the Eastern Glades and the land bridge currently under construction.  Mr. Woltz will discuss the role of landscape architecture in designing equity and community wellness in civic spaces.  In his role as Principal of NBW, Thomas and his team have developed a body of work that responds to complex ecological systems and amplifies the historical and cultural narratives of the landscape.

Parks and Natural Areas Awards

You are invited to join an online discussion series built around 15-minute videos featuring interviews with US faith leaders, representatives of climate-impacted communities from the global South, and presentations by UN officials and other experts. The videos walk viewers through four key climate policy issues that intersect with universal faith concerns for vulnerable and marginalized people. The series focuses on how climate change is impacting the core ministries of faith communities around the world, how those impacts will increase in the future, and why these impacts create an imperative for people of faith to advocate for strong US climate action.  A discussion guide is included that asks participants to think deeply about how their own local faith community’s direct service programs intersect with climate impacts, and how knowledge and experiences gained through these programs might help to inform climate policy. The study’s Action Center provides practical, step-by-step instructions for advocacy activities, as well as recommended policy asks for local, state, and national leaders.  Join us! Please register on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-path-of-hope-a-study-on-climate-action-for-faith-communities-tickets-273103288287. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com for more information.