Calendar

Jan
22
Sat
Backyard Naturalists @ John Paul Landing Environmental Education Center
Jan 22 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

From our local parks to our backyards or balconies, nature can be found almost anywhere as long as we remember to look for it. This monthly program will help you learn more about the natural world around your home and how you can provide for it. In each informal class we will spend most of our time outside, using a variety of methods to observe and identify our flora and fauna. You may want to bring a hat, optics, and a notebook.

This program is best suited for adults and kids ages 10 and up.

Feb
8
Tue
Eco Shares: New Ecology-Friendly Economics @ Houston Museum of Natural Science
Feb 8 @ 6:30 pm

Eco Shares: New Ecology-Friendly Economics

Tuesday, February 08, 2022 – 6:30 PM

Nature-based carbon capture and storage is among the hottest topics in industry and agriculture today. The ecological systems of the Earth provide many different services for humans that until recently have not been part of the human economic system. That is changing and will continue to change as we evolve a new economy that is circular rather than linear as it is today. Prairies, forests and oyster reefs can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in trees and soil and the reef itself, and a market is emerging for buying and selling credits that are certified scientifically. But, with various types of credits being offered by different types of entities, it can feel like the wild west out there.

Joining the Houston Museum of Natural Science this evening is Rice University Professor Jim Blackburn for a discussion of nature-based carbon and other transactions as we delve into the economy of the future.

Feb
9
Wed
Paradise Lost? Future Fisheries in a Climate-Driven Gulf @ Online Event
Feb 9 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Climate change threatens key life support systems on our planet, especially our oceans. Even with drastic global actions to reduce emissions, changes in the ocean will grow more profound and accelerate. These changes won’t just damage special places like coral reefs and mangrove forests, they will fundamentally alter ocean ecosystems and the fisheries therein. However, with thoughtful interventions, these impacts can be significantly reduced, and perhaps even reversed. This interactive discussion will examine the interventions necessary for sustainable fisheries in a climate-driven Gulf of Mexico.

Seaside Chats is an annual speaker series about ocean topics associated with Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and the Gulf of Mexico. These presentations take place on Wednesday evenings in February, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. (Central Time)

Feb
16
Wed
Discovering Climate History in Coral Skeletons @ Online Event
Feb 16 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

The skeletons of massive corals grow in layers, similar to tree rings, that can be counted to determine the years of growth. Scientists can look at the chemistry of each of these layers to see what the water temperature was when that part of the coral skeleton was growing, as well as other indicators of environmental conditions. By stringing together these yearly skeletal records, scientists can chronicle how the ocean and the coral reef have changed over time

Seaside Chats is an annual speaker series about ocean topics associated with Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and the Gulf of Mexico. These presentations take place on Wednesday evenings in February, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. (Central Time)

Feb
19
Sat
Backyard Naturalists @ John Paul Landing Environmental Education Center
Feb 19 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

From our local parks to our backyards or balconies, nature can be found almost anywhere as long as we remember to look for it. This monthly program will help you learn more about the natural world around your home and how you can provide for it. In each informal class we will spend most of our time outside, using a variety of methods to observe and identify our flora and fauna. You may want to bring a hat, optics, and a notebook.

This program is best suited for adults and kids ages 10 and up.

Feb
21
Mon
Planet Now! Prepared Air @ Online Event
Feb 21 @ 6:00 pm

Center for Environmental Studies imagePrepared Air

Join Rice University for a conversation with Salmaan Craig, assistant professor of Architecture at McGill University, who studies turning biogenic building materials into heat-exchangers, Rafael Beneytez-Durán, associate professor and of Architecture at the University of Houston and an expert on “Atmosphere as Form in Architecture,” and Heather Davis, assistant professor of Culture and Media at The New School, where she her recent work has examined plastic saturation and materiality. Joseph Campana, the William Shakespeare Professor of English and director of Rice’s Center for Environmental Studies, and Liz Galvez, visiting critic at Rice’s Department of Architecture, will moderate.

Feb
27
Sun
“Earth Church” with Jim Blackburn @ Online Event
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church in Houston invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2022 is Planet Earth & You. In February, join Jim Blackburn, Professor in the Practice in Environmental Law at Rice University, who will discuss his new book, Earth Church, which he co-authored with artist Isabelle Scurry Chapman. Earth Church is a book about Earth-based spirituality, a subject that will become much more prominent in a future defined by a changing climate and the creation of a new economic system that is circular rather than linear. At the center of Earth-based spirituality is the Earth itself, that wonderful planet without which we would not be. Blackburn will weave a narrative around the poetry and art of Earth-based spirituality. Time for interactive Q&A with the speaker will be provided.

Earth Church @ online
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Earth Church @ online

Join Jim Blackburn, Professor in the Practice in Environmental Law at Rice University, who will discuss his new book, Earth Church, which he co-authored with artist Isabelle Scurry Chapman. Earth Church is a book about Earth-based spirituality, a subject that will become much more prominent in a future defined by a changing climate and the creation of a new economic system that is circular rather than linear. At the center of Earth-based spirituality is the Earth itself, that wonderful planet without which we would not be.  Blackburn will weave a narrative around the poetry and art of Earth-based spirituality. Time for interactive discussion with the speaker will be provided.  Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Apr
1
Fri
Earth Month Ecochallenge @ online
Apr 1 – Apr 30 all-day
Earth Month Ecochallenge @ online

The Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to celebrate Earth Day/Month by joining our team for the online Earth Month EcoChallenge. This EcoChallenge focuses on the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, with categories of: basic needs & security, health & equity, education & livelihood, economy & communities and climate & ecosystems.  You pick your challenges to complete during the month – to build a new sustainable habit, learn about an environmental issue, advocate for eco-justice, volunteer or spend more time in nature (among the many, many choices). Join the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston team & we’ll support each other along the journey.  To sign up or to learn more, go to https://earthmonth.ecochallenge.org/. Questions? – Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Apr
21
Thu
The Path of Hope: A Study on Climate Action for Faith Communities @ online
Apr 21 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Path of Hope: A Study on Climate Action for Faith Communities @ online

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.