Join us for the Parks and Natural Areas (PNA) Roundtable on Monday, July 8, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at H-GAC Conference Room A, Second Floor.

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. To register visit events.r20.constantcontact.com/register.

The Brays Bayou Association meets the third Monday of each month at The Gathering Place. Brays Bayou Association does not currently have a website.

All are welcome to Houston Renewable Energy Group’s monthly meetings! They will have a presentation on an interesting aspect of renewable energy in Houston, review HREG business, progress, and plan events. After the meeting, they usually spend some time socializing and finding out what is happening on the renewable scene in Houston from each other. Monthly Meetings are the best place for members to learn about HREG, ask questions, and provide suggestions.

If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a voting member, attending this meeting would be a great opportunity for you to learn more about what HREG does and how you can help. For more information, contact HREG.

The films presented by the Houston Green Film Series are free to public and funded by volunteer efforts, in-kind contributions and donations from the public. Free tickets on Eventbrite.

“There has to be a fuel revolution.”

-Donnie Tipton of Going Green Grease Recycling

Set in Houston, Texas in the shadow of the nation’s oil industry, Hot Grease tells the surprising story of how the biodiesel industry is turning an ostensibly worthless raw material, spent kitchen grease, into a renewable energy source capable of fueling cars, buses and fleets of trucks throughout the country.

The millions of gallons of cooking oil that our country’s restaurants use to fry up chicken, fries, and donuts used to end up as waste in landfills and pollutants in our waterways. But today, thanks to innovators, entrepreneurs, and politicians, it’s being turned into a functional fuel: biodiesel. Biodiesel reduces carbon emissions up to 85% compared to petroleum fuel, the equivalent of removing over 19 million cars from our highways. This film dives into the untapped market of biodiesel as it rapidly becomes a commodity and individuals dedicate their livelihood to making it an accessible fuel choice in Houston.

This month’s panelists & exhibitors:

Chris Powers, Houston Biodiesel

Jody Gibson, Energy Institute High School

Michael McClere, Dependable Cooking Oil

Alona Hernandez, Houston Public Works

Ted Driscoll, Galveston Bay Foundation

Free to the public, though donations are kindly appreciated. Rice Cinema is located at 2030 University Blvd, near Stockton and University.

• 6:30 PM Reception & Refreshments
• 7:00 PM Film Screening
• 8:00 PM Panel Discussion
• 9:00 PM The conversation continues at Valhalla, Rice University’s Graduate Student Pub

For questions about transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event go to https://park-trans.rice.edu/

The Texas Environmental Excellence Awards is an annual awards program that honors achievements in environmental preservation and protection. There are ten diverse award categories that provide citizens, communities, businesses, and organizations an opportunity to obtain the state’s highest environmental honor and be recognized for their environmental projects. The deadline for submission is September 27th.

Since 1993, they have honored more than 250 successful environmental projects and efforts. By honoring these winners, the TCEQ hopes to encourage others to initiate like-minded projects and reinforce a spirit of environmental stewardship. These are the categories:

• Agriculture
• Civic/Community
• Education
• Environmental Educator of the Year
• Individual
• Innovative Operations/Management
• Pollution Prevention
• Technical/Technology
• Water Conservation
• Youth

All are welcome to Houston Renewable Energy Group’s monthly meetings! They will have a presentation on an interesting aspect of renewable energy in Houston, review HREG business, progress, and plan events. After the meeting, they usually spend some time socializing and finding out what is happening on the renewable scene in Houston from each other. Monthly Meetings are the best place for members to learn about HREG, ask questions, and provide suggestions.

If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a voting member, attending this meeting would be a great opportunity for you to learn more about what HREG does and how you can help. For more information, contact HREG.

The Brays Bayou Association meets the third Monday of each month at The Gathering Place. Brays Bayou Association does not currently have a website.

The Harris County Flood Control District is holding a series of Community Engagement Meetings related to the 2018 Harris County Flood Control District Bond Program. As part of the preliminary engineering process conducted near the beginning of each project’s development stage, and prior to a formal Preliminary Engineering Report being presented to Commissioners Court for approval, the Flood Control District will conduct a public meeting in a primary project watershed to solicit public comments about the project. Learn more about the Program and the meetings here or see the Facebook event for the final meeting below.

This meeting will focus on Regional Drainage Plan
for Major Tributaries and Major Maintenance.

• 10/24/19: Cypress Creek Watershed 2/2

Celebrate Texas Arbor Day with a tree planting demonstration and receive a complimentary tree sapling while supplies last. Visit the outdoor library corner to find books on trees and how to care for them at Mercer’s West Side Arboretum. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, FACE PAINTING, HISTORICAL TREES, CHILDREN’S CRAFTS

Over the last year, major storms have flooded the City of Houston’s sewer system and poured more than 450,000 gallons of untreated sewage into our bayous. Over the last five years, storms have triggered more than 15 million gallons of the City’s untreated sewage to flood our bayous and neighborhoods, harming our water and health.

Join us on Wednesday, November 6th from 5:00 to 8:00 at Acres Homes Multi-Service Center to learn more!

We’ve partnered with Texas Housers to host a community meeting to provide an overview, answer any questions, and provide assistance to those wishing to craft comment letters. Dinner will be provided and children are welcome!

WHERE:   Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
6719 W. Montgomery Road, Houston, TX, 77091

WHEN:    Wednesday, November 6th
5:00 – 8:00pm

What to Bring:   Stories of your experiences with sewage backups in your neighborhood or home – if you have digital pictures, please bring them!

Tell the EPA by November 8th that you want a wastewater settlement that gives generations of Houstonians cleaner water, greener streets, and a strong buffer against storms like Tropical Storm Imelda.

Sewage spills like these have become the norm every time it rains – however, these spills are avoidable. The City of Houston must repair its long-neglected wastewater system.

The City of Houston’s $2 billion settlement with the EPA and the TCEQ will require repairs to sewage lines and wastewater treatment plants across Houston. Unfortunately, the settlement falls short in several key respects. There is still time to fix it.

This is your opportunity to make your voice heard. Take action and submit your comment today.