Calendar
Thank you for your interest in the “All aboard! There’s a place for you in the maritime community!â€Â Art Contest sponsored by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of the American States (CIP-OAS). We welcome submissions from students enrolled in grades K-12 living in the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean). Students living outside the Americas are welcome to apply, provided they have one or more parents on active duty with the U. S. Coast Guard. Submissions will be accepted from January 2, 2019 – March 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. (En Español:  www.namepa.net/concurso-de-arte)
Students are asked to submit an original poster that creatively depicts ways to embrace diversity and inclusion in the maritime community and highlight the broad range of opportunities the industry has to offer. The theme reflects the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2019 World Maritime Day Theme. Students should submit an original artwork that based on the contest theme description below:
Seaborn transportation is one of the oldest industries—and the most exciting! More than 90% of the world’s goods and energy travel by ship! The diversity of opportunities in the maritime industry is as diverse as the ocean itself. Seafaring is an exciting career that allows you to travel the world and absorb different cultures. You can also become a successful member of the marine industry without ever getting your feet wet! An opportunity to be a maritime lawyer, accountant, engineer, medical professional, or scientist, could be in your future!
The marine industry is evolving. Now, more than ever, there are technical training and education programs available to people of all backgrounds to ensure a rewarding career in the maritime sector. Today, many people are finding more opportunities in leadership, administrative, and decision-making roles in addition to seafaring jobs.
Successful members of the marine industry can come from any educational, geographic, or cultural background. Can you think of a way to embrace diversity in the marine industry, either on a ship or in a shore-side role? Or, if you’ve ever thought about pursuing a career in the marine industry, can you artistically show us how? Students are asked to submit an original poster depicting creative and imaginative ideas about how to make shipping more inclusive, or how they can chart a future in the maritime industry.
THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE ISÂ MARCH 31, 2019, WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MAY 15, 2019. Full rules are posted below.
To enter, click the button below or go to:Â Â https://maritimeartcontest.submittable.com/submit.
Join Citizens’ Environmental Coalition as they visit the Hannah and Arthur Ginsbarg Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire. There will be a guided tour outside and a chance to view major renovations that were completed recently. They will visit the pocket priarie, deciduous woodlands, prairie wetland, and cypress pond in Russ Pitman Park; nature play area; and Critter Classroom. On the tour, you will learn about environmental education initiatives at a mainstay of environmental education inside the loop. The last part of the meeting is our traditional EEE Round-table Forum where members and attendees introduce themselves, their programs, make announcements and discuss challenges and successes in environmental education.
Thursday, February 7, 2019Â | 6:00pm – 8:00pm
 NEW LOCATION: Boheme | 307 Fairview StreetÂ
Houston | Texas
Please join us for pizza, fries, and drinks as we gather for a networking reception with diverse leaders in the environmental and conservation sectors. Come connect with us as we leverage our shared power for a better movement.  All are welcome!
Feel free to send questions to Karen Driscoll at kdriscoll@rabengroup.com.
We look forward to seeing you in Houston!
The Summit will include presentations about various H-GAC programs that can provide goods, services, technical assistance, and funding for parks and natural areas projects. These projects serve as models for planning and project implementation for parks and natural areas in the region. Projects will be honored in three categories. The event will also include the annual Parks and Natural Areas Awards recognition ceremony. The awards program will be followed by networking with H-GAC staff and other parks professionals.
Jean Hill, a fiery octogenarian, is deeply concerned about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the world’s largest landfill. Since 2010, she has spearheaded a grassroots campaign to ban the sale of single-serve plastic bottled water in her hometown of Concord, Massachusetts. She spends her golden years attending city council meetings and cold calling residents. So far, her attempts to pass a municipal bylaw have failed.
As she prepares for one last town meeting, Jean faces the strongest opposition yet, from local merchants and the International Bottled Water Association. But her fiercest challenge comes from Adriana Cohen, mother, model and celebrity publicist-turned-pundit, who insists the bill is an attack on freedom.
When Adriana thrusts Jean’s crusade into the national spotlight, it’s silver-haired senior versus silver-tongued pro. In the same town that incited the American Revolution and inspired Thoreau’s environmental movement, can one senior citizen make history? A tense nail-biter of a vote will decide.
6:30 PM conversation, networking, and a light meal
7:00 PM film screening, followed by a panel discussion
Free to the public, though donations are kindly appreciated.
Rice Media Center is located at 2030 University Blvd, near Stockton and University.
The least expensive University parking is in the lot on the West Side of the stadium. Enter on Greenbriar, drive to the most southeastern spot you can find, then walk along University towards Stockton.
The PNA Roundtable serves as a forum for discussion of issues related to parks and natural areas, promotes the PNA Award Program, and maintains a regional inventory of parks. The PNA roundtable facilitates information exchange and planning efforts between various stakeholders and collaborators to protect and preserve parks and natural areas across the region. For more information, visit www.h-gac.com.
A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet is the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement – grassroots and global activism spanning fifty years from conservation to climate change. Directed and written by Mark Kitchell, Academy Award-nominated director of Berkeley in the Sixties, and narrated by Robert Redford, Ashley Judd, Van Jones, Isabel Allende and Meryl Streep.
Inspired by the book of the same name by Philip Shabecoff and informed by advisors like Edward O. Wilson, A Fierce Green Fire chronicles the largest movement of the 20th century and one of the keys to the 21st. It brings together all the major parts of environmentalism and connects them. It focuses on activism, people fighting to save their homes, their lives, the future – and succeeding against all odds.
6:30 PM conversation, networking, and a light meal
7:00 PM film screening, followed by a panel discussion
Free to the public, though donations are kindly appreciated.
Rice Media Center is located at 2030 University Blvd, near Stockton and University.
The least expensive University parking is in the lot on the West Side of the stadium. Enter on Greenbriar, drive to the most southeastern spot you can find, then walk along University towards Stockton.
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. Visit h-gac.com for more information and updated details.
Join the Green Building Resource Center in celebrating their tenth year anniversary. Stop by to network and enjoy light refreshments as you catch up with their environmental initiatives and hear from their two new leaders, Paula Paciorek of Houston Public Works and Marissa Aho. This is a free event and is open to the public. Please RSVP Steve.stelzer@houstontx.gov or 832-394-9050.
Join Houston Renewable Energy for a networking breakfast and discussion highlighting the latest trends in renewable energy development in Texas and around the U.S. The discussion will feature Vice President of the North American Development at Pattern Energy, Cary Kottler.