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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.
Scientia Lecture Series featuring Caroline Masiello
Scientia Lecture Series on PANOPLY
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.
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
Local and state officials are seasoned professionals in crisis response. Yet, the array of risks they face–cyber attacks, severe weather and domestic terrorism–are challenging the conventional wisdom of crisis management. Adapting to the new normal of disasters demands a renewed approach. At this event, Route Fifty will explore how Houston in the wake of repeat disasters is assessing its future risk, planning for the challenges ahead and renewing its spirit of resilience.
Confirmed Speakers:Â
- Marissa Aho, AICP, Chief Resilience Officer, Office of Mayor Sylvester Turner, City of Houston
- TaKasha L. Francis, Director, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Houston
- Michael Dailey, Chief, Outreach Programs Branch, Region VI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)
- Alison Hare, MIA, Community Resilience Officer, Office of Public Health Preparedness & Response, Harris County Public Health
- Jeffry Evans, Meteorologist in Charge, National Weather Service, Houston/Galveston, TX
- Kyle Shelton, PhD, Deputy Director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University
Drink up the benefits of water conservation and learn how to build a rain barrel at home.
EVENT CANCELLED.
UHCL’s College of Education would like to invite you to the STEM conference, “STEM Innovations and Impact on Educational Communities” on Saturday, April 4, 2020. This conference will bring together leading experts and researchers from around the Greater Houston Area to focus on topics that impact K–12 STEM education. Educators will present what they are doing including hands-on activities, research, and programs as each relates to STEM. Participants will attend break-out sessions and tour some of the research facilities located at University of Houston-Clear Lake, along with earning 7 CPEs for attendance.
Climate Solutions for Texas, a local initiative of AIChE’s Climate Solutions Community is co-hosting a Climate Solutions Symposium with the Engineering, Science & Technology Council of Houston. Join us.
Lone Star College – Kingwood celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with a special lecture called “Microplastics in the Galveston Bay Watershed: The Big Impacts of Tiny Pollution†presented by Theresa Morris, Gulf Program Coordinator, Turtle Island Restoration Network-Gulf of Mexico. The event is being held at Lone Star College – Kingwood, 20000 Kingwood Drive, on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm in CLA 112. Following the lecture is the LSC-Kingwood Seed Library Opening: Share Seeds for Food Sustainability. It is being held in the Learning Commons Building at 1:30 pm.  Please feel free to donate vegetable garden seeds for the new seed library. ​
Exploring Coral Spawning in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
June 2, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. ET
Take a virtual field trip into the depths of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary with expedition lead Dr. Sarah Davies of Boston University.
In 2019, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries partnered with Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration to expand our understanding of sanctuaries through deep-water exploration and research. Aboard the research vessel Manta, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration staff, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary researchers, and partner scientists ventured about 100 miles offshore of Galveston, Texas. There, they observed annual coral reproduction, known as spawning, on the deep reefs of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Learn about the highlights as lead scientist Dr. Sarah Davies recounts the expedition.
Join Texas Children in Nature and Special Guest Emily Weerts in this Best Practices Seminar.