Calendar
Participate in the City Nature Challenge on April 30 – May 2. Be part of an international project, support outdoor learning and exploration, and even integrate technology into the classroom.
Find an Educator Toolkit here: https://
Find a student-friendly explanation video here: https://youtu.be/
Visit the Houston project page on iNaturalist here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-houston-galveston.
Join in a fun challenge to observe and record wild species. It is easy to participate by making observations on your own using the iNaturalist app. Just take a picture of a plant or animal, and the community will help identify which species it is. Any observation in the greater metropolitan area of Houston will count during the four-day challenge. You can participate by exploring the life in your backyard (and use the hashtag #backyardchallenge on social media), in your neighborhood park, or from an apartment balcony or courtyard. You can also help with IDs for other people’s observations to increase our species count.
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.
In 1996, a cross-section of stakeholders came together in Pittsburgh for the very first federally co-sponsored National Brownfields Training Conference. Now join National Brownfields Conference as we celebrate the 19th event from September 27th–30th, 2021, in Oklahoma City, OK at the Oklahoma City Convention Center!
Cosponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the National Brownfields Training Conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing formerly utilized commercial and industrial properties. Mark your calendars for three days of training, networking, and business development!
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.
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.
Join us for the 4th Annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival, showcasing more than a dozen short films from the Greater Houston Area that tell the story of local environmental issues, their champions, and how you can make a difference.
A webinar with Rosa Yin, a student at the University of Texas in Public PolicyPolicies, especially local and state, have great influence over our day to day lives. To understand the specific influences policies play in a particular topic area, policy scans are useful tools for developing thorough understandings. This presentation’s policy scan analyzed the City of Austin’s municipal policies and programs to assess whether nature is equitable and accessible for children throughout the city. This session will discuss methods and results of the Austin policy scan to provide participants with a helpful guide to conducting their own policy scans that can evaluate access to nature.
Workshop is offered twice on January 5th, 2:00 and 7:00 Central
A zoom link for the webinar will be emailed to registrants the day of the event. If you have not seen an email come through please check your spam folder.