Calendar
Clean water is crucial to the Houston-Galveston region’s environment, economy, and quality of life. H-GAC’s Clean Waters Initiative (CWI) program offers workshops that help local governments, landowners, and residents develop effective strategies to reduce pollution in the region’s waterways.
The Houston-Galveston region is home to a dynamic economy, leading Texas in recovery, growth and development. According to 2016 census data, 6.7 million people call the 8-county region home, with an estimated 400,000 commuting in from out-of-region for work.
Transportation maintenance and expansion projects designed to accommodate the region’s needs are essential to the economic health of the region, but how can we mitigate the impact of those projects on the region’s water quality?
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 28, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the Houston-Galveston Area Council, Conference Rooms B and C (second floor).
Additional Workshop Information
Speakers from the Texas Department of Transportation, Houston-Galveston Area Council, and Harris County Engineering Department will provide participants with greater understanding of how environmental factors such as water quality are incorporated into transportation project planning and implementation.
Following each presentation, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and further delve into the topic area. For additional information or assistance, e-mail Kathy.Janhsen@h-gac.com, call 713-993-2423, or visit h-gac.com.
Environment Protectors Initiating Change (E.P.I.C)
E.P.I.C. is a free service learning club for high school teens that is aimed at learning about, and solving coastal environmental problems through hands-on projects.
If you would like to:
- Make a difference
- Help your community
- Make new friends
- Gain volunteer hours
- Have fun
Join them for a meeting at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center on Wednesdays 4 pm – 5 pm!
Fast forward to 2045. What will your multimodal transportation system look like? Become a part of the transportation planning process. Get involved today to plan for tomorrow’s transportation future. 2045 RTP (Regional Transportation Plan) public meetings are held in various locations throughout Houston and neighboring regions. For a comprehensive list, visit 2045rtp.com.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, H-GAC will provide for reasonable accommodations. Requests from persons needing special accommodations should be received by staff 24 hours prior to each function. Please call 713-993-2471 for assistance. Sign language interpreters will be available along with Spanish translators.
For more information, visit 2045rtp.com, call 1-855-363-2516, or email publiccomments@h-gac.com.
Hermann Park Conservancy’s FREE garden class series in the McGovern Centennial Gardens continues with a session on foraging. Believe it or not, indigenous foods that you can eat can be found all around you! Foraging foods is a fun and fast-growing movement all over the world. Foraging a meal could be picking winter weeds at a nearby park or going deep into the woods to find finkleberries and narroot. If this subject interests you and you’d like to learn more of the everyday tasty (or sometimes not so tasty!) treats that pop up all around Houston, this is the class for you! Come learn from avid forager and entrepreneur Nick Panzarella about some of the secrets of successful foraging. This class is free and open to the public. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. For more information, visit hermannpark.org.
Materials really do matter to the health of occupants and the environment, but the ingredients are not easy to discern. With tens of thousands of unregulated chemicals in building products, how many are toxic? How much data is available regarding life-cycle assessments and embodied energy, and the manufacturing process regarding byproducts, pollution, and transportation? Is there any opportunity for reuse or real recycling of new materials, and what are opportunities for reusing salvaged materials, and how safe and resilient are they? Not to mention cost.
On Mar. 28, 2018, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, panelists Josh Jacobs and Donna Kacmar, FAIA, will discuss gathering information for the building industry in an attempt to facilitate intelligent deployment for a better-built environment. This educational seminar is free and open to the public.
For more information, visit codegreenhouston.org.
Join Land Sea & Sky, Houston Audubon, and Brasil for a special event, and enjoy Houston’s best food and drinks on Brasil’s back patio! Mary Anne Weber and Sarah Flournoy of Houston Audubon will present Cool Birds of Houston (with a very special feathered friend). Then stick around to watch the documentary film BIRDERS: The Central Park Effect on Brasil’s big screen.
Event is free and open to all ages. Dinner/drinks/desserts may be purchased inside and enjoyed on the patio during the event.
The Texas Coastal Watershed Program holds weekly volunteer days for their stormwater wetland program, 9am-12pm on Thursdays. Volunteers help propagate plants in the wetland plant nursery at Exploration Green in Clear Lake City, or at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory in Lake Jackson.  The stormwater wetland program is developing demonstration projects to show  how wetlands can be designed into flood control basins to clean contaminants from surface runoff,  protect our bayous and bays, and provide a refuge for wildlife. A schedule and more information is available by contacting Mcedwards@tamu.edu.
Nature experiences for preschoolers!
Science Sprouts is an exciting series for curious kids who love nature and science. Classes will include a short lesson on the topic of the day, followed by a nature walk on the trails of the Arboretum. Each class will have a fun mixture of games, live animals, biofacts, crafts, story time, or music. Parents are welcome to participate with their child or simply drop them off.
Dates and Topics
- February 1 – Cool Critters
- February 8 – Rock N Roll
- February 22 – Parts of a Plant
- March 1 – Beautiful Birds
- March 8 – Egg’stravaganza
- March 15 – SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
- March 22 – Mammal Babies & More
- March 29 – SSSS Snakes
- April 5 – Leapin’ Lizards
- April 12 – NO CLASS
- April 19 – Far Out Frogs
- April 26 – Totally Turtles
- May 3 – Interesting Insects
- May 10 – Pond Pals
Cost: $225 members*/$350 non-members for the semester
*Must be a Family Tree Member or above for member rate.
Note: You must enroll for the entire semester in order to participate
Register Now!
For more information, visit houstonarboretum.org.
610 Entrance now open. Woodway Entrance closed until late Spring 2018. Map and directions available.
Please join Greens Bayou Coalition as they honor volunteers, report on Greens Bayou watershed activities of 2017 and celebrate all of last year’s accomplishments! There will be a plated lunch, annual report, and a keynote address. For more information, visit greensbayou.org.
Keynote Speaker:Â Russ Poppe, Executive Director
Harris County Flood Control District
Under Russell “Russ†Poppe’s, P.E., direction, the District carries out its mission to devise countywide flood damage reduction plans, implement those plans, and maintain the infrastructure. That mission is executed in the third most populated county in the United States, with a population more than 4.5 million, which includes the City of Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city. The District has jurisdiction over the primary stormwater facilities in the county, which consist of about 1,500 channels, totaling 2,500 miles in length, as well as more than 60 regional stormwater detention basins and a 2.5-square mile wetlands mitigation bank.
Join Center for Houston’s Future and chairs Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron in honoring civic leadership across the Houston region for the 2018 Future of Leadership Luncheon! We’re delighted this year to be exploring resilience in the arts community with Dean Gladden, Managing Director of the Alley Theatre; Perryn Leech, Managing Director of Houston Grand Opera; and Hillary Hart, Executive Director of Theatre Under the Stars. These leaders of three eminent arts institutions were significantly impacted by Hurricane Harvey and will discuss the challenges they’re overcoming as they build for the future.
The Center’s 15th annual Eugene H. Vaughan Civic Leadership Award will be presented to Andrea and Bill White, for their long-term legacy of open-handed, open-hearted leadership.
The Center for Houston’s Future is fortunate to have Chevron as Presenting Sponsor again this year. Please join fellow civic and business leaders to celebrate the future of leadership. Underwriter opportunities are still available! Sponsorship opportunities.
For more information, visit centerforhoustonsfuturedev.org.