Calendar
Are you interested in learning more about Open Ocean restoration and providing your insights on topics for future public engagement? The Open Ocean Trustees are hosting a webinar on April 29, 2021 where they’ll give updates on their work, including the recent call for project ideas for Birds and Sturgeon, and ask for feedback on ways to help improve their public engagement around their activities.
The webinar is open to everyone!
During this meeting, the NOAA will present updates and ask for feedback on several topics for the Open Ocean Restoration Area including:
- Deepwater Horizon Natural Resources Damage Assessment basics
- Restoration projects
- Restoration planning, monitoring and evaluation
- Public engagement and outreach
Date, Time and Registration:
- Date: April 29, 2021
- Time: noon – 1:00 p.m. CT
- Please register for the webinar through GoToWebinar here
- After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join. We recommend doing a GoToWebinar system check before attending.
Following the meeting, the webinar presentation and feedback received will be posted, and available through the Open Ocean Restoration Area page, and the Open Ocean story archive.
Please contact openocean.TIG@noaa.gov by April 19, if you need special assistance due to a hearing or visual impairment.
The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. is sponsoring a Going Green Sustainability Lecture titled “The Quiet Invasionâ€-Taking Action to Remove Invasive Plants From The Woodland’s Open Spaces- to be held via Zoom at 7:00 pm, Thursday, April 29, 2021. Teri MacArthur, Environmental Education Specialist with the Environmental Services Division of The Woodlands Township will be our guest speaker.
Access to the meeting can be made by clicking on the following address:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88577860128
The link to the presentation can also be found at the Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. Lecture Section on the front page of the web site: www.thewoodlandsgreen.org
Topic: Does it matter where a plant grows as long as it’s green? You might find the answer surprising in this discussion of invasive plant species and the damage they do to our local ecosystems. Some of the killers on our pathways and in green spaces degrade and destroy valuable native species. Air potato vine, Japanese climbing fern, nandina, privet… the list goes on. Learn about the worst, and ways to take action starting in your own landscape and helping on pathways through the collaborative efforts of local organizations
Speaker: Teri MacArthur serves the community in her role as Volunteer Coordinator and Water Conservation Specialist with The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department, and is a Lifetime member of The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N., as well as a Texas Master Naturalist in the Heartwood Chapter, and Native Plant Society of Texas – Pines and Prairies Chapter member.
Hope you’ll join us for this important and informative conversation.
Christ the King Lutheran Church hosts a webinar featuring Dr. Bruce Race, FAIA, FAICP, Professor of Architecture at the University of Houston, as he considers how Houston could transition to a low carbon future. Texas is the historic global epicenter for the carbon economy. Oil and gas represent over one third of the state economy. Texas’ $1.9 trillion GDP, if a country, would make us the 9th largest in the world. We have over 50 Fortune 500 companies, including ExxonMobil (2nd) and ConocoPhillips (4th). Is Houston the next Detroit, or can we diversify our way to continued prosperity in a low-carbon economy? Dr. Bruce Race, FAIA, FAICP from the University of Houston will share his research on how energy conservation and shift to renewables will reshape Houston’s economy, development patterns, and mobility systems. Time will be provided for discussion with the audience after his talk. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.
Join Jeff Lindner, Director of Hydrologic Operations, Harris County Flood Control District, as he discusses how to stay safe in a natural disaster. Jeff’s presentation will cover the various hazards that impact a region during a hurricane landfall, including wind, rainfall and storm surge flooding. Jeff will then go on to address how to prepare for these hazards so that you and yours can stay safe. Time will be provided for discussion with the audience after his talk. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.
The Houston Botanic Garden presents Pat Hudnall, vice president of the Texas Gulf Coast Fern Society, who will introduce participants to 12 ferns often available in Houston nurseries that are well suited for, and typically not difficult to grow in, the Gulf Coast climate.
Garden members receive a $5 discount off registration.
*Non-member price ($15) covers the workshop but does not include general admission to the Garden on July 31, which is an additional $15 for adults, $10 for children and students.
Event page:Â https://hbg.org/events/a-dozen-ferns-for-houston-gardens-2021-07-31-10-30/
5:30 PM -Â 7:00 PMÂ CTÂ on Zoom
After years of steady growth, Houston METRO’s bus and rail ridership has experienced a sharp drop since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic in Harris County in March of 2020.
They listened to transit-reliant Houston communities hit hard by Covid-19 to better understand the pandemic’s effect on Houstonians’ relationship with public transportation (access, utilization, future plans) in order to inform what local, state and federal policy proposals and/or investments should be prioritized moving forward.
Please join Air Alliance Houston on Wednesday, October 6th at 5:30 PM CT via Zoom as they release the findings of our new report “COVID and Public Transit in the Houston Region,†discuss how federal legislation may impact Texas transportation, and share recommendations for the transportation policy agenda.
Current speaker lineup:
- David Robinson, Chair of Houston City Council Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure (TTI) Committee and Vice Chair of H-GAC Transportation Policy Council
- Dr. Letitia Plummer, Houston City Council At-Large Position 4, Vocal equitable transportation advocate
- Community research team members
Moderator: Dr. Denae King, Interim Associate Director of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, TSU
This event will be held in English. Spanish interpretation will be provided.
Join Center for Houston’s Future on October 6 at 5:30 p.m. CDT for a conversation with Katharine Hayhoe, a globally renowned climate scientist and professor of political science at Texas Tech University, where she is director of the Climate Science Center. She is also Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.
Read about Hayhoe in The New Yorker: “How to Talk about Climate Change Across the Political Divide“
Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on understanding what climate change means for people and the places where we live. She is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Professor of Public Policy and Public Law in the Dept. of Political Science at Texas Tech University. Her book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, will be released in September 2021 and she also hosts the PBS digital series Global Weirding, currently in its fifth season. Katharine has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, the United Nations Champion of the Environment, and the World Evangelical Alliance’s Climate Ambassador.
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 …
- Shift from extractive to regenerative energy production, capture and distribution technologies.
- Restore, protect, and enhance Houston’s natural ability to capture and store carbon.
Materials Management: developing innovative ways to …
- Reduce waste production and/or Optimize waste operations.
- Reuse or Upcycle materials into useful products, to lengthen their lifespan and keep materials out of streets and landfills.
- Recycle materials into efficient energy or new raw materials for manufacturing and production.
Building Optimization: developing innovative ways to …
- Reduce building energy use and maximize savings.
- Increase the healthfulness and utility of existing buildings for sustainable community use.
Regional Resilience: developing innovative ways to …
- Address clean water, access, retention and flooding issues
- Engage more people in building better habits that promote cleaner, greener communities
- Accelerate clean urban mobility
Texas Trustees Holding Annual Public Meeting December 1
The Texas Trustee Implementation Group will hold its annual public meeting via a webinar on December 1, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. CT. During the meeting, They will present an update on Texas Restoration Area plans, projects, and activities. They will provide opportunities for attendees to submit questions as part of the webinar registration process, and during the Webinar via chat. The webinar is open to everyone, and they encourage your attendance and participation.