Category Archives: Houston Environmental News Update

Houston Environmental News Update November 3, 2021

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Green Films, Powered for Good, Greentown Labs Summit, Poison in the Air, Planting events, Squawk Walk, 2021 Peacemaker Awards, Galas and fundraisers, Green Jobs and more

Again, Together

Get ready for popcorn! Two local environmental film festivals are being screened in the next few weeks: the 2021 Houston Cinema Arts Festival and the Sustainable-Stories Film Fest at University of Houston at Clear Lake. CEC’s Wild About Houston Green Film Festival will be screened after Thanksgiving (details coming soon) and you can look forward to the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour in late January. If you love green films, consider joining CEC’s program committee (info below).

2021 Houston Cinema Arts Festival

From Nov. 11-22, 2021 the Houston Cinema Arts Society will hold the 2021 Cinema Arts Festival, featuring more than 40 films, shorts programs, DJ sets, live performances, and more, both in-person and virtual. This year’s theme, “The Third Coast,” will provide a lens through which to celebrate and explore the Gulf Coast region. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit cinemahtx.org. CEC is proud to be a promotional partner. CEC newsletter subscribers and friends can use the discount code CEC21 for a 30% discount for the following programs, as well as ALL virtual programs (https://www.cinemahtx.org/hcaf-2021-virtual/).

Several environmentally themed films will be screened:

  • Nov. 13: Again, Together – The Cumulative Impact of Environmental Racism in Houston, including the films By the River, The Cluster, and Again, Together. The in-person event at Rice University will include a panel discussion with director Ronald Llewellyn Jones; Doris Brown, a community advocate with Northeast Action Collective; Sandra Edwards, a community advocate in Houston’s Fifth Ward; and Dr. Denae King, a researcher at Texas Southern University.
  • Nov. 14: Third Coast (And Other Shores): A Shorts Program at Rice Cinema. Also Available virtually 7:30pm Nov. 19-22. One film, “Dumpster 4”, tells the story of Diego, a Chilean trash worker in Houston. A dumpster spills out its contents, including images of who produced the trash.
  • Nov. 14: Liborio at MFAH. In the early 20th century, Liborio, a peasant, disappears in a hurricane and returns as a prophet…. Also available virtually 7:30pm Nov. 20-23.
  • Nov. 15: Attend a virtual screening of Again, Together – The Cumulative Impact of Environmental Racism in Houston, including the films By the River, The Cluster, and Again, Together, followed by a pre-recorded Q&A with director Ronald L. Jones, The Director of EPA’s office of Environmental Justice Matthew Tejada, and senior advisor to Moms Clean Air Force Heather Toney. Moderated by Dr. Denae King. Co-presented with One Breath Partnership and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition.
  • Nov. 16: Whether the Weather is Fine, followed by a panel discussion with Filipinx Artists of Houston. After a devastating typhoon in the Philippines, three characters must decide whether to stay home or escape to Manila and leave their pasts behind. At Asia Society Texas Center.

Sustainable-Stories Film Fest

The mission of the Sustainable-Stories Film Fest is to screen and award short films about sustainable solutions and lifestyles. The screenings will take place at the University of Houston – Clear Lake’s state of the art 500-seat Bayou Theater, along with a jointly themed exhibition at the university’s art gallery. CEC is proud to be a promotional partner.

  • Nov. 17, 4:30 pm: Live Screenings & Expo, refreshments, vendors, story swap lounge and live screenings of short films related to sustainability.
  • Nov. 19, 6:00 pm: Live Screenings & Awards, refreshments, panel discussions, live screenings of short films, and Award Ceremony.

Call for submissions: Wild About Houston Green Film Festival

The CEC is proud to host the fourth annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival later this fall. The festival will tell local environmental stories, highlight the work of CEC’s member organizations, and inspire our residents and visitors to make a difference in the environment and our quality of life. CEC invites you to submit a film for consideration. Films should be specific to the environment in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region, should be no more than seven minutes long, and must be of suitable quality to be shown publicly. View the Submission Guidelines, and make submissions using this Google Form.

Air Champion Social Change Scientists Global Video Contest

McMac Cx Air Champions Social Change Scientists are passionate community influencers, teachers, parents, student innovators, and activists who believe that we have a right to live, learn, work and play in places where we are allowed to know the quality of the air we breathe. Make a 30-90 second video about healthy air, and enter the Air Champions Global Video Contest for a chance to win a state-of-the-art Flow Personal Air Monitor, the chance to have your film shown at the Wild About Houston Film Festival, AND the chance to receive a $1,000 cash prize. Learn more at McMacCx.com/globalvideocontest.

CEC NOTES

CEC Programs Committee – Call for Volunteers!

Do you love CEC’s Green Films events? Are you passionate about the Earth Day Houston festival? Is local environmental education an important part of your work? If so, please consider joining CEC’s Programs Committee to help plan and build these exciting programs for the upcoming year. Email paige@cechouston.org to get connected.

Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers

Engage your students with lessons outdoors or virtually. Sign up today at hereinhouston.org.

Please scroll down to read about public engagement opportunities and notes from our member organizations and the community.

Continue reading →

Houston Environmental News Update October 27, 2021

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COP26 Climate Change Conference, Gulf Coast Water Conservation Symposium, Geothermal Energy, Houston Arboretum Fall Plant Sale, San Leon Day, Conservation Summit, six new Green Jobs and more

Urgent. Not enough. Inching forward. Last chance. Do-or-Die. No deal. Flood, flames, and heat. Clock ticks down. Breakthrough or Bust. Crucial deal. Unresolved. Nothing has changed. Disastrous.

A potential turning point in the struggle to avert the worst effects of climate change.

These phrases are in news headlines and articles leading up to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 or the Glasgow Conference. 

COP26 will be held starting October 31, 2021, through November 12, 2021. The conference is the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the third meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement. The first such COP was held in 1995, after the Framework was signed at the Earth Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. 

The conference organizers have provided this useful document, COP26 Explained. 

“As countries begin to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic, we must take the historic opportunity to tackle climate change at the same time – to build back better, and greener. We can deliver green recoveries across the globe that bring in good jobs, trillions in investment and ground-breaking new technology. And we must. To keep the temperature of the planet under control – limiting its increase to 1.5 degrees – the science dictates that by the second half of the century, we should be producing less carbon than we take out of the atmosphere. This is what reaching ‘net zero’ means…. For those countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change – FOREWORD who are already seeing their homes disappear under water and their crops decimated by drought – COP26 simply can’t be another talking shop…. COP26 needs to be decisive. Whether future generations look back at this time with admiration or despair, depends entirely on our ability to seize this moment. Let’s seize it together.”

Alok Sharma, COP President-Designee

At the heart of COP26 will be negotiations involving the 197 Parties to the UNFCCC. Outcomes include plans to reduce emissions, strengthen adaptation and resilience to climate impacts, scale up finance and support, protect and restore nature, follow the best available science, and empower inclusive action.

We encourage you to attend Green Zone events virtually. Sessions will address a a call for global climate justice, economics, astronauts, a scenario exploration game, disappearing glaciers, Earthshot, listening to nature in languages other than our own, faith and religion, youth leadership, mangroves, poetry, green careers, migrants, SDGs, consumer behavior, Jane Goodall, race cars, transportation, buildings, building coalitions, and a citizen science project finding walruses in satellite images. You might also take a peak at the Climate Challenge Cup on Nov. 10, 2021; Houston’s own Texas Carbon Market is a finalist in the competition.

TY @LeverforChange, @macfound & Lyda Hill Philanthropies support of the TX Carbon Mkt Honored as 1 of 12 finalists for @COP26 #ClimateChallengeCup Thrilled to collaborate w @the_young_fdn, @MetroLabNetwork @UKSINet & @UKinTX #TogetherForOurPlanet

Originally tweeted by Baker Energy Studies (@CES_Baker_Inst) on October 26, 2021.

The New York Times is also hosting The Climate Hub, an extraordinary program of sessions and speakers–and a special program for educators; registration for virtual events is usually free.

The most important element of this conference is that we still have hope–but we must all take action.

Speaking of taking action… Don’t forget to vote!

Not sure about the next election? (It’s Tuesday.) You can visit votetexas.gov or contact the election official for your county (listed below). You might also consider viewing this questionnaire for HISD school board candidates, prepared by Air Alliance Houston, LINK Houston, and Bike Houston.

CEC NOTES

CEC Programs Committee – Call for Volunteers!

Do you love CEC’s Green Films events? Are you passionate about the Earth Day Houston festival? Is local environmental education an important part of your work? If so, please consider joining CEC’s Programs Committee to help plan and build these exciting programs for the upcoming year. Email paige@cechouston.org to get connected.

Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers

Engage your students with lessons outdoors or virtually. Sign up today at hereinhouston.org.

Call for submissions: Wild About Houston Green Film Festival

The CEC is proud to host the fourth annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival this fall. CEC hopes to use this festival to tell local environmental stories, highlight the work of CEC’s member organizations, and to inspire our residents and visitors to make a difference in the environment and our quality of life. The festival will be held virtually to protect the health and safety of our community in these times. We invite you to submit a film for consideration. Films should be specific to the environment in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region, should be no more than seven minutes long, and must be of suitable quality to be shown publicly. View the Submission Guidelines, and make submissions using this Google Form.

Air Champion Social Change Scientists Global Video Contest

McMac Cx Air Champions Social Change Scientists are passionate community influencers, teachers, parents, student innovators, and activists who believe that we have a right to live, learn, work and play in places where we are allowed to know the quality of the air we breathe. Make a 30-90 second video about healthy air, and enter the Air Champions Global Video Contest for a chance to win a state-of-the-art Flow Personal Air Monitor, the chance to have your film shown at the Wild About Houston Film Festival, AND the chance to receive a $1,000 cash prize. Learn more at McMacCx.com/globalvideocontest.

Deadline Extended: Imagine a Day Without Water Video Contest

The City of Houston Public Works department invites Houston residents to participate in Imagine a Day Without Water Video Contest! This contest is designed to engage all Houstonians in the nation-wide event “Imagine a Day Without Water,” hosted by the Value of Water Campaign. Entrants should create a video–not to exceed 1-minute–exploring or depicting various aspects of what daily life might look like/be affected by an entire day without any water. Enter for the chance to win cash prizes AND the opportunity to have your films shown about the 2021 Wild About Houston Green Film Festival! View the flyer and visit houstontx.gov for more information. Submit videos by Sunday, October 28, 2021, to waterconservation@houstontx.gov.

Please scroll down to read about public engagement opportunities and notes from our member organizations and the community.

Continue reading →

Houston Environmental News Update October 20, 2021

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Environmental Justice, EPA Pollution Prevention Roundtable, Avian Affair, Drug Take Back Day, KBR Kids Day, Bike Around the Bay, Climathon, Green Jobs and more

EJSCREEN map of lead paint indicators in the Houston region

This week, you have two opportunities to hear from environmental justice champions discussing EJ from a Houston perspective.

On Saturday, October 23, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., the Coalition of Community Organizations is hosting, with the Environmental Protection Agency, an event to discuss the EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool (“EJSCREEN”). Learn about environmental risks in the community that impact you and your family, the pollutants to which you are being exposed, health risks that are impacting you and your family in the short and long term, and how to get accurate information and to report problems. Get answers to your immediate questions concerning your family’s health, housing, and economic stability. Join virtually on Google Meet, by phone at (650) 597-0087 (PIN 645 870 704#), or in person at the Carl Walker Multipurpose Center at 4300 Noble St, Bldg. B, Houston 77020. Register on Eventbrite. The speaker panel includes the following luminaries:

Later in the week, on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 12:30 p.m., join the Rice University Center for Environmental Studies for a Conversation with Matthew Tejada, Director of the Office of Environmental Justice at the EPA. Gisela Heffes, professor of Latin American Literature and Culture, Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, and a member of the Faculty Steering Committee in the Center for Environmental Studies, and Joseph Campana, the William Shakespeare Professor of English and director of the Center for Environmental Studies, will moderate. This Fall 2021 Walter Isle Lecture is part of the Planet Now! lecture series.

Also of EJ interest, on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at 6:00 pm, residents of the Greater Fifth Ward are invited to join Lone Star Legal Aid for an Impact Community Meeting: Union Pacific & Environmental Sampling in Greater Fifth Ward.  Discussions will be presented by Rodrigo Cantú of Lone Star Legal Aid’s Equitable Development Initiative, Dr. Garett Sansom, MPH and Leanne Fawkes, MPH of Texas A&M University, Dr. Loren Hopkins with the Houston Health Department, and Dr. Grace Tee Lewis with Environmental Defense Fund. Learn more at lonestarlegal.org.

CEC NOTES

Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers

Engage your students with lessons outdoors or virtually. Sign up today at hereinhouston.org.

Call for submissions: Wild About Houston Green Film Festival

The CEC is proud to host the fourth annual Wild About Houston Green Film Festival this fall. CEC hopes to use this festival to tell local environmental stories, highlight the work of CEC’s member organizations, and to inspire our residents and visitors to make a difference in the environment and our quality of life. The festival will be held virtually to protect the health and safety of our community in these times. We invite you to submit a film for consideration. Films should be specific to the environment in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region, should be no more than seven minutes long, and must be of suitable quality to be shown publicly. View the Submission Guidelines, and make submissions using this Google Form.

Air Champion Social Change Scientists Global Video Contest

McMac Cx Air Champions Social Change Scientists are passionate community influencers, teachers, parents, student innovators, and activists who believe that we have a right to live, learn, work and play in places where we are allowed to know the quality of the air we breathe. Make a 30-90 second video about healthy air, and enter the Air Champions Global Video Contest for a chance to win a state-of-the-art Flow Personal Air Monitor, the chance to have your film shown at the Wild About Houston Film Festival, AND the chance to receive a $1,000 cash prize. Learn more at McMacCx.com/globalvideocontest.

Deadline Extended: Imagine a Day Without Water Video Contest

The City of Houston Public Works department invites Houston residents to participate in Imagine a Day Without Water Video Contest! This contest is designed to engage all Houstonians in the nation-wide event “Imagine a Day Without Water,” hosted by the Value of Water Campaign. Entrants should create a video–not to exceed 1-minute–exploring or depicting various aspects of what daily life might look like/be affected by an entire day without any water. Enter for the chance to win cash prizes AND the opportunity to have your films shown about the 2021 Wild About Houston Green Film Festival! View the flyer and visit houstontx.gov for more information. Submit videos by Sunday, October 28, 2021, to waterconservation@houstontx.gov.

Please scroll down to read about public engagement opportunities and notes from our member organizations and the community.

Continue reading →