Senior adults are invited to a variety of natural history programs, leisurely walks and fun nature activities every 1st Friday of the month. Meet at the nature center.

Pollinator migration season is nearly here! Show your love of these beneficial insects by attending the Fourth Annual Pollinator Festival and Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mercer Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Road in Humble.

What to Buy

Shop plants that attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your garden. The Mercer Society’s (TMS) Pollinator Plant Sale features host and nectar plants, including blue mistflower, purple coneflower, cardinal flower, Texas lantana, and scarlet tropical sage. Create a stunning home habitat for monarch butterflies by planting a wide variety of Texas native milkweed, including zizotes milkweed, green milkweed, aquatic milkweed, swamp milkweed, and antelope horns. Bring other local and migrating species to your yard by adding Texas native host plants. False nettle attracts red admirals and queens, spicebush lures spicebush swallowtails, and maypop brings gulf fritillaries.

Activities

This free, outdoor community event also features a scarecrow contest, lawn games, educational displays, and a book sale hosted by the Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library and Friends of the Library. Visit local exhibitors and vendors and participate in pollinator-themed activities, including the Pollinator Partners Promenade, a self-guided garden tour. If you need advice on pollinator plant selection or garden maintenance, visit a Harris County master gardener at the Ask a Master Gardener tent or connect with knowledgeable TMS plant growers.

Live performances will occur throughout the day, including an eclectic mix of Appalachian fiddle tunes and Celtic music by the Dulcimer Doin’s, Native American flute music by the Spring Cypress Flute Circle, and popular songs from the 1920s to today by the Houkulele Strummers. To add to the fun, visitors are invited to dress in bee, butterfly, bat, hummingbird, or flower attire.

What to Bring

Plant sale attendees are encouraged to bring something to transport their purchases, as wagons are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Proceeds from the Pollinator Plant Sale benefit Mercer Botanic Gardens. The festival is held outdoors at Mercer’s East Side Main Garden. Event parking is at the West Side Arboretum. Parking for those with disabilities is at the East Side Main Garden. Shuttles are available to transport visitors between the garden and arboretum on the east and west sides. A parent or guardian must accompany children younger than 16. Volunteer opportunities are also available. Email jhartwell@hcp4.net for details.

Join the Architecture Center Houston for their Annual Gingerbread Build-Off. 

EVENT DAY SCHEDULE:
9:00am–10:00am  Team Check-in
10:00am–3:00pm  Competition Building & Kids Construction Zone
10:00am–4:00pm  Food Trucks
12:00–2:00pm       SANTA
4:00pm–4:30pm    Awards

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour is returning to Houston on January 29, 2022. Hosted by the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, this year’s film fest will be a hybrid event, taking place both online and in person at MATCH to accommodate everyone’s COVID safety preferences.

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SPONSORS

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Thank you to our 2022 Sponsors:

Calling people of all faiths or no faith at all in Houston to care for our shared environment in observance of Earth Day/Month!  We will engage in hands-on environmental stewardship at the Willow Waterhole Conservation Reserve. This event will offer activities for all ages and skill. Meet at the Swartz Gazebo in the park to sign in. Metro bus line 7 stops nearby, and line 49 is not far.  Tools/supplies will be provided. This event is organized by Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston, in partnership with the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy.  The conservancy requires signing of a waiver to participate. Please register for planning purposes on www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-2022-interfaith-environmental-stewardship-event-tickets-273115956177.  Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com for more information.

As people of faith and conscience, we believe elections are a referendum on the values that will shape our future. How can we renew our fragile democracy? How do we honor the human dignity of every person? Will we protect our Sacred Earth and our children’s future? What policies will prioritize the common good and confront future crises that remind us of our interdependence? Many of the defining moral issues of our time are on the ballot: faltering democratic institutions, too much wealth in the hands of a few, damage to the climate, cruel immigration policies that tear families apart, mass incarceration that devastates communities of color, senseless gun violence, and threats to global public health and security. These challenges are daunting. To move forward in a spirit of hope, and to resist despair and cynicism, join this weekly discussion group where we’ll navigate the urgent moral questions raised by the coming election, allowing you to discern your path forward. Can’t make it every week? Join as you are able, or for those topics most of interest to you. The topic for each week’s discussion is given below. All attendees receive an electronic copy of the Faithful Voter Reflection Guide from Interfaith Power & Light, plus supplemental materials provided by the facilitator. Register on www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faithful-voter-weekly-discussion-group-tickets-384102800817?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Sept. 13: Protecting Our Sacred Earth                    Sept. 20: Protecting Democracy & Voting Rights

Sept. 27: Loving Our Immigrant Neighbors           Oct. 4: Building an Economy of Inclusion

Oct. 11: Pursuing Restorative & Racial Justice      Oct. 18: Respecting the Dignity of LGBTQ People

Oct. 25: Protecting Everyone’s Health                   Nov. 1: Creating a More Peaceful World

As people of faith and conscience, we believe elections are a referendum on the values that will shape our future. How can we renew our fragile democracy? How do we honor the human dignity of every person? Will we protect our Sacred Earth and our children’s future? What policies will prioritize the common good and confront future crises that remind us of our interdependence? Many of the defining moral issues of our time are on the ballot: faltering democratic institutions, too much wealth in the hands of a few, damage to the climate, cruel immigration policies that tear families apart, mass incarceration that devastates communities of color, senseless gun violence, and threats to global public health and security. These challenges are daunting. To move forward in a spirit of hope, and to resist despair and cynicism, join this weekly discussion group where we’ll navigate the urgent moral questions raised by the coming election, allowing you to discern your path forward. Can’t make it every week? Join as you are able, or for those topics most of interest to you. The topic for each week’s discussion is given below. All attendees receive an electronic copy of the Faithful Voter Reflection Guide from Interfaith Power & Light, plus supplemental materials provided by the facilitator. Register on www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faithful-voter-weekly-discussion-group-tickets-384102800817?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Sept. 13: Protecting Our Sacred Earth                    Sept. 20: Protecting Democracy & Voting Rights

Sept. 27: Loving Our Immigrant Neighbors           Oct. 4: Building an Economy of Inclusion

Oct. 11: Pursuing Restorative & Racial Justice      Oct. 18: Respecting the Dignity of LGBTQ People

Oct. 25: Protecting Everyone’s Health                   Nov. 1: Creating a More Peaceful World

As people of faith and conscience, we believe elections are a referendum on the values that will shape our future. How can we renew our fragile democracy? How do we honor the human dignity of every person? Will we protect our Sacred Earth and our children’s future? What policies will prioritize the common good and confront future crises that remind us of our interdependence? Many of the defining moral issues of our time are on the ballot: faltering democratic institutions, too much wealth in the hands of a few, damage to the climate, cruel immigration policies that tear families apart, mass incarceration that devastates communities of color, senseless gun violence, and threats to global public health and security. These challenges are daunting. To move forward in a spirit of hope, and to resist despair and cynicism, join this weekly discussion group where we’ll navigate the urgent moral questions raised by the coming election, allowing you to discern your path forward. Can’t make it every week? Join as you are able, or for those topics most of interest to you. The topic for each week’s discussion is given below. All attendees receive an electronic copy of the Faithful Voter Reflection Guide from Interfaith Power & Light, plus supplemental materials provided by the facilitator. Register on www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faithful-voter-weekly-discussion-group-tickets-384102800817?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Sept. 13: Protecting Our Sacred Earth                    Sept. 20: Protecting Democracy & Voting Rights

Sept. 27: Loving Our Immigrant Neighbors           Oct. 4: Building an Economy of Inclusion

Oct. 11: Pursuing Restorative & Racial Justice      Oct. 18: Respecting the Dignity of LGBTQ People

Oct. 25: Protecting Everyone’s Health                   Nov. 1: Creating a More Peaceful World

As people of faith and conscience, we believe elections are a referendum on the values that will shape our future. How can we renew our fragile democracy? How do we honor the human dignity of every person? Will we protect our Sacred Earth and our children’s future? What policies will prioritize the common good and confront future crises that remind us of our interdependence? Many of the defining moral issues of our time are on the ballot: faltering democratic institutions, too much wealth in the hands of a few, damage to the climate, cruel immigration policies that tear families apart, mass incarceration that devastates communities of color, senseless gun violence, and threats to global public health and security. These challenges are daunting. To move forward in a spirit of hope, and to resist despair and cynicism, join this weekly discussion group where we’ll navigate the urgent moral questions raised by the coming election, allowing you to discern your path forward. Can’t make it every week? Join as you are able, or for those topics most of interest to you. The topic for each week’s discussion is given below. All attendees receive an electronic copy of the Faithful Voter Reflection Guide from Interfaith Power & Light, plus supplemental materials provided by the facilitator. Register on www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faithful-voter-weekly-discussion-group-tickets-384102800817?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Sept. 13: Protecting Our Sacred Earth                    Sept. 20: Protecting Democracy & Voting Rights

Sept. 27: Loving Our Immigrant Neighbors           Oct. 4: Building an Economy of Inclusion

Oct. 11: Pursuing Restorative & Racial Justice      Oct. 18: Respecting the Dignity of LGBTQ People

Oct. 25: Protecting Everyone’s Health                   Nov. 1: Creating a More Peaceful World