MLK National Day of Service, Climate Justice, Volunteerism, Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Every Penguin in the World, Arbor Day Celebration, Day of Service at the Big Thicket, Sustainability through Equitable Communities, Green Jobs, and more
Since the mayhem last week, much of our attention has been focused on Washington D.C., and likely will continue to be until things have calmed down in the capitol. A little closer to home, however, the 87th Texas Legislature Regular Session began yesterday without quite the same excitement as the certification of the election of the President and Vice President last week. Nevertheless, our state legislators have been busy, pre-filing more than 1400 bills and resolutions before the Legislature convened.
Pre-filed bills pertaining to the environment from November (we’re still working on December) relate to air contaminant emissions, hydrofluorocarbons, renewable energy, fuel, groundwater, above ground storage tanks, aggregate mining, pipelines, property taxes, seismic monitoring, solid waste facilities, and concrete batch plants. Learn more about the bills that have been filed, key dates for the session, and interim activities at cechouston.org.
While we may not agree with the positions of all of our elected officials, we can appreciate the people who serve our community as elected officials. If you would like to serve your community (perhaps without the side of politics), now is a great time to start.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is on Monday, an opportunity to honor his service and commit to his vision of equity, peace, justice, nonviolence, and neighbors working together to build a better future.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.“
“The time is always right to do what’s right.“
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In our newsletter, we do our best to share opportunities to work toward a better future. We’d like to highlight a few that we think are especially aligned with MLK Day of Service:
CEER Climate Justice Trainings Series
CEER is excited to launch a training series focused on climate justice, starting later this month. The series will be offered as three workshops focused on Past, Present and Future. The curriculum features environmental experts, the lived experiences of residents and core elements of an interrupting racism training. It will be a dynamic training space full of storytelling, music, power building and piquing curiosity. These trainings merge an interrupting racism curriculum with a climate justice curriculum. Our goal is to create space that brings in more folks to shape the narrative about what climate justice is, what it means for Houston and how we achieve it. The audience will be a mix of impacted community members, the general public, advocates, health equity experts and city and county folks implementing solutions around the climate crisis in Houston. The full series of workshops will take place virtually on the following dates and times. Each workshop is offered twice and will be held on Saturdays from 10am-2pm CT. The workshops will be bilingual (English and Spanish). Learn more on the CEER Facebook event page or at ceer.org.
“Again, Together: The Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Racism in Houston” online film screening and panel discussion
Join One Breath Partnership on Jan. 21, 2021, for an online screening and panel discussion. The film, created in partnership with Ronald L. Jones, brings together stories from communities across Houston that have been impacted by environmental racism — namely redlining, segregation, underinvestment, exposure to pollution, gentrification, inequitable disaster recovery resources and freeway development. Panelists include Dr. Denae King, Dr. Bakeyah Nelson, and Keith Downey. Learn more and register at onebreathhou.org.
Volunteer Houston & Houston Together
Volunteer Houston is a great place to find volunteer opportunities. It has also stepped up its support for volunteer coordinators. Case in point: Houston Together, an annual volunteerism event (virtual in 2021, April 21-24) that supports nonprofits. Early registration is now open for nonprofits. Register by February 5 for a chance to win an annual subscription to the Leaderosity Learning Library (L3). On VolunteerHouston.org, you can find opportunities with CEC and several of its member organizations, including Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy, Mercer Botanic Garden, TWRC Wildlife Center, Memorial Park Conservancy, Nature Discovery Center, Recipe for Success, Armand Bayou Nature Center, BikeHouston, Galveston Bay Foundation, Hermann Park Conservancy, and the Houston Chapter of the Native Prairies Association of Texas.
Local environmental groups in the Houston region offer a vast array of opportunities to volunteer and to serve our community. Not sure where to start? In addition to finding volunteer opportunities here in our newsletter, check out these resources for finding local environmental volunteering opportunities:
- VolunteerMatch.org–Many organizations, including most of the above, also post opportunities on this national site, where you can search for both local and virtual opportunities.
- Allforgood.org, a service of the Points of Light volunteer organization.
- EarthShare of Texas provides, among other things, suggestions for corporate volunteer groups.
- CECHouston.org–Volunteer with CEC! In 2019, dozens of volunteers contributed almost 2000 hours of their time helping with everything from this newsletter to selecting films for our upcoming film festival to board service.
- Serveforgood.org–A resource developed by local teens for teens.
Among our favorite calls are inquiries about volunteer opportunities; with a community of almost 150 member organizations, CEC can suggest great volunteer opportunities for everyone. If you are new to town or new to environmental volunteering, please get in touch.
Please scroll down to read about public engagement opportunities and notes from our member organizations and the community.
CEC NOTES
Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour
Tickets are on sale now for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour, hosted by CEC, on Jan. 29, 2021. Preview the film lineup on our website. The program features local winners from the Wild About Houston Film Festival: City of Pearland, SETSVN and Native Prairies Association of Texas. Special thanks to our sponsors: McMac CX and Veritex Bank. The Silent Auction is also back by popular demand; bidding is now open on this Google Form. Purchase festival tickets at eventbrite.com.
Virtually Wild! Field Trips
Need a virtual lesson, activity or field trip about Houston’s environment for your students? Send an email to SCA Americorps Intern Emma Wilson ([email protected]) to book and create a free, custom program that aligns to any of the TEKS. She is available any date and time from now until March. Or participate in a scheduled program with the USFWS on Wednesdays. Details at hereinhouston.org/virtual-field-trips.
Environmental Educators Exchange
Join CEC for the Environmental Educators Exchange on Jan. 15 and 29, 2021 from 9:30 – 10 a.m. January’s meetings feature tips on collaborative social media practices from Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation, and updates from TAEE and TCIN. Email [email protected] for the meeting link.
CEC Educators Survey
CEC wants to hear from our formal and informal educators. What are your professional development needs in 2021? Please take this brief survey to help us help you in the new year. Google Form: https://forms.gle/iJLBtxGNj5GzTQsr7.
COALITION & COMMUNITY NOTES
We have endeavored to confirm the opportunities listed below. Please consider confirming directly with the hosts, particularly in light of concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
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