Calendar

Dec
1
Sun
Three Ways Forests and Climax Ecosystems Cool Our Planet @ First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, Museum District Campus
Dec 1 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
We can cool our planet by restoring forests and growing food using permaculture methods. We need your help to pick this low hanging fruit.

About this Event

The biomass in climax ecosystems such as forests, prairies and coastal wetlands cool our climate in three ways.

Leaves reflect more of the sunlight back into space than bare ground or concrete.

Plants sequester carbon. Most of that carbon goes underground as roots or sugars exuded to feed beneficial microbes. This massive soil life makes the soil spongy and better able to absorb water.

Plants create more rain. They transpire water and so recycle the rain. They put it back into the air and it rains again. As the plants pump it up into the air, the water vapor moves further inland. This supports inland forests which pump it yet further inland. 95% of planetary cooling is from hydrology and only 5% from carbon dioxide’s greenhouse effect.

Restoring land is low hanging fruit. Project Drawdown researched 22 ways folks are doing this. These include regenerative agriculture and multi-strata agroforestry. You can learn about these from Permaculture classes on www.urbanharvest.org

We could drawdown 30 gigatons of carbon per year according to Dr. Walter Jehne in Regenerate Earth. See also Www.GlobalCoolingEarth.org and Dr. Walter Jehne.

We need your help. Please eat organic. Please compost organic waste.

Dec
5
Thu
Rice Scientia presents “Environmental Diversity” @ Duncan Hall McMurty Auditorium
Dec 5 @ 4:00 pm

Scientia Lecture Series featuring Caroline Masiello

Scientia Lecture Series on PANOPLY

Scientia Logo

Speakers:

  • Laura Schaefer, Burton J. and Ann M. McMurtry Chair in Engineering, Professor, Department Chair
  • Laurence Yeung, Assistant Professor, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
  • Jim Elliott, Professor and Sociology Department Chair

Our environment is changing in myriad interconnected ways, with both short and long-term developments expected that will be felt differently in different communities and continents. We bring together three perspectives – from Engineering, Earth Sciences, and the Social Sciences – to illuminate not only the complex changes we are seeing today, but also the diversity of their impacts on society and of technological approaches being developed at Rice to address this most pressing challenge facing humanity.

A small reception will follow the event.

Dec
7
Sat
Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse (Members Only) @ Salvage Warehouse
Dec 7 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

All of the material at Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse has been reclaimed from historic houses that Historic Houston has deconstructed, as well as individual items that have been brought to our Salvage Warehouse.  The Salvage Warehouse, now located at 1200 National, has become a regional resource for reclaimed building materials serving an 11 county region of Southeast Texas. Materials at the Salvage Warehouse include, but are not limited to, reclaimed wood flooring, windows and screens, interior/exterior doors and hardware, interior/exterior siding, paneling, and millwork, lumber, bath and kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, and exterior ironwork.

Salvage Warehouse is open to members on the first and third Saturdays. No appointments needed on Saturdays.

Due to limited staffing during the week, current members can chop at the Salvage Warehouse by appointment Tuesday – Friday between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members can schedule an appointment by calling 713-553-7035.

For more information, visit historichouston.org.

Dec
21
Sat
Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse (Members Only) @ Salvage Warehouse
Dec 21 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

All of the material at Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse has been reclaimed from historic houses that Historic Houston has deconstructed, as well as individual items that have been brought to our Salvage Warehouse.  The Salvage Warehouse, now located at 1200 National, has become a regional resource for reclaimed building materials serving an 11 county region of Southeast Texas. Materials at the Salvage Warehouse include, but are not limited to, reclaimed wood flooring, windows and screens, interior/exterior doors and hardware, interior/exterior siding, paneling, and millwork, lumber, bath and kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, and exterior ironwork.

The Salvage Warehouse is open during the week, Tuesday- Friday 10-3 by appointment due to limited staffing and on the first and third Saturday’s of the month from 10-4.

Members can make appointments to visit the Salvage Warehouse mid-week by calling
713-522-0542 to set an appointment. Please contact Historic Houston’s office at
713-522-0542 for further information

For more information, visit historichouston.org.

Jan
4
Sat
Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse (Members Only) @ Salvage Warehouse
Jan 4 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

All of the material at Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse has been reclaimed from historic houses that Historic Houston has deconstructed, as well as individual items that have been brought to our Salvage Warehouse.  The Salvage Warehouse, now located at 1200 National, has become a regional resource for reclaimed building materials serving an 11 county region of Southeast Texas. Materials at the Salvage Warehouse include, but are not limited to, reclaimed wood flooring, windows and screens, interior/exterior doors and hardware, interior/exterior siding, paneling, and millwork, lumber, bath and kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, and exterior ironwork.

Salvage Warehouse is open to members on the first and third Saturdays. No appointments needed on Saturdays.

Due to limited staffing during the week, current members can chop at the Salvage Warehouse by appointment Tuesday – Friday between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members can schedule an appointment by calling 713-553-7035.

For more information, visit historichouston.org.

Jan
18
Sat
Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse (Members Only) @ Salvage Warehouse
Jan 18 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

All of the material at Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse has been reclaimed from historic houses that Historic Houston has deconstructed, as well as individual items that have been brought to our Salvage Warehouse.  The Salvage Warehouse, now located at 1200 National, has become a regional resource for reclaimed building materials serving an 11 county region of Southeast Texas. Materials at the Salvage Warehouse include, but are not limited to, reclaimed wood flooring, windows and screens, interior/exterior doors and hardware, interior/exterior siding, paneling, and millwork, lumber, bath and kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, and exterior ironwork.

The Salvage Warehouse is open during the week, Tuesday- Friday 10-3 by appointment due to limited staffing and on the first and third Saturday’s of the month from 10-4.

Members can make appointments to visit the Salvage Warehouse mid-week by calling
713-522-0542 to set an appointment. Please contact Historic Houston’s office at
713-522-0542 for further information

For more information, visit historichouston.org.

Jan
19
Sun
Less Heat? Less Meat! An easy climate action that’s good for us @ First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, Museum District Campus
Jan 19 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Dr. Karoline Mueller will speak.

“Restoring natural vegetation, such as forest, is currently the best option at scale for removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and must begin immediately to be effective within the required timescale of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The livestock sector, having largely displaced natural carbon sinks, continues to occupy much of the land that must be restored.” (1)

“The scientific world is very aware of the intersection between food choices and their effects on both climate and human health. Michael Clark at the University of Oxford said: “Continuing to eat the way we do threatens societies, through chronic ill health and degradation of Earth’s climate, ecosystems and water resources.”

In this presentation, we will look at the way different food choices impact our planet negatively and why the same food choices also contribute to chronic illnesses that threaten societies through the high burden of personal suffering and staggering health care costs.

Although different groups give vastly different estimates of the effect of food choices on climate crisis, the very conservative number in the FAO report, Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock(2), comes to 14.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions. This roughly equals the number for all transportation contributions. Other estimates include future land usage changes that will provide additional carbon sinks and increase the positive effect drastically.

The 2015-2020 USDA Dietary Guidelines stated: “About half of all American adults—117 million individuals—have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity.” While official publications(3) use the ‘reduce saturated fat’ as code for reducing animal products, many medical doctors and scientists send a clear message that choosing health-promoting vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains, while omitting animal products, leads to good health outcomes.(4, 5)

Our choices can open the door to a win-win outcome.

For more information contact, Nan Hildreth at 713-504-9901 or NanHildreth@riseup.net

Feb
1
Sat
Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse (Members Only) @ Salvage Warehouse
Feb 1 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

All of the material at Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse has been reclaimed from historic houses that Historic Houston has deconstructed, as well as individual items that have been brought to our Salvage Warehouse.  The Salvage Warehouse, now located at 1200 National, has become a regional resource for reclaimed building materials serving an 11 county region of Southeast Texas. Materials at the Salvage Warehouse include, but are not limited to, reclaimed wood flooring, windows and screens, interior/exterior doors and hardware, interior/exterior siding, paneling, and millwork, lumber, bath and kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, and exterior ironwork.

Salvage Warehouse is open to members on the first and third Saturdays. No appointments needed on Saturdays.

Due to limited staffing during the week, current members can chop at the Salvage Warehouse by appointment Tuesday – Friday between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members can schedule an appointment by calling 713-553-7035.

For more information, visit historichouston.org.

Feb
15
Sat
Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse (Members Only) @ Salvage Warehouse
Feb 15 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

All of the material at Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse has been reclaimed from historic houses that Historic Houston has deconstructed, as well as individual items that have been brought to our Salvage Warehouse.  The Salvage Warehouse, now located at 1200 National, has become a regional resource for reclaimed building materials serving an 11 county region of Southeast Texas. Materials at the Salvage Warehouse include, but are not limited to, reclaimed wood flooring, windows and screens, interior/exterior doors and hardware, interior/exterior siding, paneling, and millwork, lumber, bath and kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, and exterior ironwork.

The Salvage Warehouse is open during the week, Tuesday- Friday 10-3 by appointment due to limited staffing and on the first and third Saturday’s of the month from 10-4.

Members can make appointments to visit the Salvage Warehouse mid-week by calling
713-522-0542 to set an appointment. Please contact Historic Houston’s office at
713-522-0542 for further information

For more information, visit historichouston.org.

Mar
7
Sat
Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse (Members Only) @ Salvage Warehouse
Mar 7 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

All of the material at Historic Houston’s Salvage Warehouse has been reclaimed from historic houses that Historic Houston has deconstructed, as well as individual items that have been brought to our Salvage Warehouse.  The Salvage Warehouse, now located at 1200 National, has become a regional resource for reclaimed building materials serving an 11 county region of Southeast Texas. Materials at the Salvage Warehouse include, but are not limited to, reclaimed wood flooring, windows and screens, interior/exterior doors and hardware, interior/exterior siding, paneling, and millwork, lumber, bath and kitchen fixtures, cabinetry, and exterior ironwork.

Salvage Warehouse is open to members on the first and third Saturdays. No appointments needed on Saturdays.

Due to limited staffing during the week, current members can chop at the Salvage Warehouse by appointment Tuesday – Friday between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members can schedule an appointment by calling 713-553-7035.

For more information, visit historichouston.org.