Houston is no stranger to the human and economic costs of severe weather. Recent floods in 2015 and 2016 caused 16 deaths and over $1 billion in damage. Additionally, the entire coastal region is particularly vulnerable to the threat of storm surge from a powerful hurricane.

In order to address these issues, Houston City Council Members David W. Robinson and Dave Martin and the AIA Houston Urban Design Committee will host an event featuring two panel discussions on flooding and storm surge. Experts from academia, government and advocacy groups will shed light on these challenges and discuss possible solutions.

• Current food waste diversion activities in the region
• Success stories
• Outreach opportunities
• Available tools
• Next steps to increase commercial food waste diversion in the region

The Union of Concerned Scientists and the Rice University faculty concerned with climate change invite scientists, energy investors, the public, and members of the press to a panel discussion on climate change and climate-related risks to industry, investors, and communities. We will be joined by a distinguished panel of scientists, public health experts, investment experts, and community leaders to discuss the fossil fuel industry’s role in transitioning to a carbon-constrained future. For more information and to RSVP, visit ucsusa.org.

Houston has long been known as a car-centric community. Over the past several years, the idea of a “walkable city” has been a hot topic in the Houston area. What does a walkable city mean? How do Houston’s development policies hinder or support walkability?

Come join the conversation as the Kinder Institute for Urban Research hosts “Houston: A Walkable City?” The panel discussion will explore what Houston is doing well and where improvements are needed.

Panelist
Margaret Wallace Brown
Deputy Director, City of Houston Planning and Development Department

George Levan
Chairman and CEO, Levan Group

Veronica Chapa Gorczynski
Incoming President, Greater East End Management District

Priya Zachariah
Manager, Regional and Long Range Planning, METRO

Held on the “2nd Saturdays” of each month, they will enjoy a delicious vegan potluck and meeting, along with a discussion, film screening, food demo or speaker presentation on intersectional issues of veganism, animal rights, environmentalism, nonviolence, health and more. Each month will be something new! Their new venue is at the HCC Conference Center.

They are asking for a donation of $5 per person to help cover our facility rental expenses. All attendees must bring a vegan entree to share at the potluck (serving size to feed 10 people)!

Please remember to bring a vegan dish to share with the group! Their events are always vegan, so please only vegan or raw vegan foods (no animal-derived ingredients). Also bring reusable dinnerware and plates to keep the event earth-friendly. If you have questions on ingredients, feel free to contact them.

They will also feature a new discussion topic on inter sectional issues each month, such as: animal rights, ethical vegan living, vegan health & nutrition, cooking, world hunger solutions, eco-friendly living, nonviolence and more! Some months will also include film screenings and/or guest speakers and food demos.

Houston Community College Conference Center is located at 3100 Main St, 3rd Floor, Houston, TX 77002. See below for map. Free Parking is available on level 7 & 8 of the HCC Administration parking garage at Main & Elgin. Use elevator from parking garage to 3rd floor breezeway, which leads to the Conference suites. You must enter the building through the parking garage and not street-level.

All attendees must sign in at the Security Desk.

RSVP is appreciated for seating!

Sustainable Mobility – is a topic relevant on both sides of the Atlantic: Metropolitan regions in the United States and Germany today have to face the challenge on how they want to secure mobility for necessary economic processes in the future, without endangering the participation of individual groups in social activities and at the same time keep the environmentally negative consequences of mobility as low as possible.

This becomes increasingly important considering growing population and traffic rates. Cities and communities need to develop and implement future mobility masterplans that will help to move people and products quickly and efficiently via air, road, railway and sea to global markets. The question remains on how to apply smart sustainability solutions?

To find solutions, the German American Chambers of Commerce (GACC) South is organizing a roadshow on the topic of “Driving into a Sustainable Future” in the Southern US.

Interested in attending? Please contact Sonja Sobota (ssobota(at)gaccsouth.com ) for more information.

The GACC South reserves the right to review your registration and allow participation at their discretion. Please note that space for this exclusive event is limited.

Urban Harvest is hosting more upcoming classes for the summer.

Square Foot Gardening is a simple method for planting seeds in a specific way in a raised bed garden. However, this class is designed for Houston’s deluge/drought rainfall, heat and humidity; information not included on the internet when you read about square foot gardening. You will learn alternative methods for making a raised bed, what soils and augmentations to utilize, and then specific planting methodologies which will allow you to maximize your garden’s productivity in a small space.

The instructor, Angela Chandler, is a life-long hobby gardener. Angela holds Specialist Certifications in Plant Propagation, Entomology, Rainwater Harvesting, and Greenhouse Management. She enjoys teaching a variety of garden subjects. and she blogs regularly on her site thegardenacademy.com. She tends a 1 acre garden in Highlands, Texas that includes vegetables, fruits, herbs, ornamentals and a small home nursery. With her husband, Fred, she manages a flock of chickens, a pair of goats, and organically manages her beehives.

Please visit their website for this class at www.urbanharvest.org.

The Organic Horticulture Benefits Alliance is a community focused organization dedicating to educating all individuals, gardeners, homeowners, landscapers, schools and truth seekers on the real world application and benefits of organics, so that our community not only survives but thrives, as the world moves towards organics and sustainability.

Darrin Duling, Executive Director of Mercer Botanical Gardens, will lead the group on a fascinating tour of the Gardens on Wednesday, July 19, 2017, from 5:00 to 7:30 PM. Mercer is a true jewel for the area and is stunningly beautiful. Darrin and his team are on a mission to give the area a world-class botanical garden. Mercer has a vast collection of plants that we can use in the area, many of which are unknown but work superbly. Come discover amazing new plants for your landscapes.

You can get your tickets and more information about the Mercer Botanical Gardens tour here. Non-members pay $20, members pay just $15.