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 AIA Houston Women in Architecture Committee’s first annual Equity Series: BIAS, kicks off by considering the role of unconscious bias in professional advancement.

The two-part series respectfully explores implicit bias by:

• Thoughtfully examining the current climate of bias in the AEC community
• Discussing perception of and barriers to equity
• Educating minorities, allies, and leaders on how to effectively foster workplace inclusivity
• Championing diversity in leadership

This informative series is for all! The panel discussion is open to the public, while the workshop targets anyone in the AEC community ready to be an agent for change in their workplace.  Please spread the word about the event in your office, professional circle and community so we can make this event a success! 

For more information, visit aiahouston.org.

1. On April 8, 2018, at 2:30 p.m., the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to learn how you and/or your house of worship can go solar for less by leveraging Solarize Houston, a program of the Houston Renewable Energy Group, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting renewable energy solutions and businesses. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy), a very attractive financing option for houses of worship and other commercial properties, will also be covered. You may attend this event in person or online via web meeting. Please register for this event at eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Join TX-PACE (Texas Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) on Apr. 10, 2018, from 8:00 am to noon, for an interactive discussion with subject matter experts about the details of the TX-PACE program including technical requirements and application process. Attendees will learn how to use the program to finance energy efficiency, water conservation, resiliency, and distributed generation improvements. This workshop will also include a presentation and question-and-answer session with a panel of capital providers, an update on the current “PACE in a BOX” market, and discuss in-depth current case studies.

For more information, visit eventbrite.com.

The Texas Water Development Board continues to have funding for public works infrastructure.  Funding is available for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects.  All phases of the projects are eligible; acquisition, planning and design, and construction.  Construction projects include new facilities and repair and rehabilitation of existing facilities.  In addition, the TWDB has $90 million designated for disaster recovery for the region impacted by Hurricane Harvey. For more information, visit twdb.texas.gov. To register, please email your name, title, entity, email, telephone contact information and the workshop location you are planning to attend to srfworkshops@twdb.texas.gov. General questions may be directed to your Regional Project Team Manager. Please register as soon as possible as venues are subject to capacity limitations.

The Bringing Back Main Street initiative offers local communities a place to share best practices and engage in a regional dialogue about revitalizing and supporting vibrant downtown spaces. Each quarter, community leaders gather for a roundtable on topics ranging from small business support to sidewalk infrastructure. These ongoing roundtables add to the knowledge shared during a 2015 workshop series.

Revitalization Roundtables

H-GAC hosts quarterly roundtables to help local governments, chambers of commerce, and economic development interests promote the economic and revitalization of downtown areas.

For more information, visit h-gac.com or contact Clint McManus at clint.mcmanus@h-gac.com or 832-681-2513.

H-GAC is hosting a series of seminars and hands-on workshops to learn to use H-GAC’s interactive web applications for community and transportation planning. Participants will have access to computers to participate in an interactive session to master the use of these online applications.

A webinar option is also available; however, hands-on activities will be presented to in-person attendees only.

• Seminar 1: Demographic Explorer and Snapshot - Thursday, March 22
  
• Seminar 2: Regional Employment Snapshot & Commute Patterns - Thursday, April 26
• Seminar 3: Activity-Connectivity Explorer - Thursday, May 24

Seminar 1 focuses on the Demographic Explorer and Snapshot which provides quick and easy access to US Census American Community Survey data

Learn how to customize the data displayed to fit your needs:

• Draw and select an area of interest
• Query the data for more information
• Perform market analysis
• Summarize and download data
• Directly use the demographic snapshot tool and maps for presentations

For more information, visit h-gac.com.

This free, monthly workshop addresses the basics on how to install and operate a solar system.  It covers topics such as solar array types, costs of equipment and labor, permitting, energy savings, and reliability. The instructor, Bill Swann, is an expert in solar energy and has built many of his own solar systems. This workshop is ideal for all people; Bill can answer the simplest and most technical of questions. If you want to learn more about solar, this is the workshop for you. For more information, contact Bill Swann at william.swann2@gmail.com.

Street parking available. This workshop occurs on the last friday of every month, except December.

Attendance at Herb Day is by pre-paid registration only. Space will be reserved on a first-received basis until all chairs are filled. Payment must be received on or before Sunday, April 22, 2018.  $15 cancellation fee after April 20, 2018. No refunds after April 22, 2018. For more information and to register, visit www.herbsociety-stu.org/herb-day.