Houston — Environmental Resource Guide
The Environmental Resource Guide is a searchable, web-based resource that includes information about all organizations in the Greater Houston Area conducting environmental work. This guide is a one-stop-shop for any resources or connections you may need, and is updated often to ensure you have access to the newest information.
Scroll through the guide, view a list of all organizations, or view all categories of organizations below. At the very bottom of the page is an archive containing older versions of the printed guide available for download.
If you have any questions, would like to make edits to a current listing, or would like to add or remove an organizations, please reach out to us.
Purpose:Â To preserve the coastal prairie for people and wildlife. KPC now protects over 24,000 acres of coastal prairie in Texas. On the Katy Prairie in Harris, Ft. Bend, and Waller counties, KPC owns nearly 13,500 acres and protects nearly 5,000 acres through conservation agreements with private landowners. KPC is also working to protect coastal prairie in other Texas counties.…
Purpose: The Houston Community ToolBank is a nonprofit tool lending program that stewards an inventory of tools for lending to charitable organizations to increase the impact of their mission-related efforts in the community. With year-round access to an inventory of tools for use in volunteer projects and facility and grounds maintenance, the ToolBank provide resources to enhance the charitable sector’s capacity to serve, facilitating hands-on volunteerism in the greater Houston area.…
Since 1991, the mission of the Environmental Institute of Houston at University of Houston-Clear Lake has been to advance understanding of the environment through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach. Purpose: It serves as a contact point for the community to access the expertise and resources of the university. Additionally, EIH partners with agencies, community and environmental groups, and businesses to conduct research and outreach projects in the Houston region.…
Purpose:Â Recipe for Success Foundation was launched in 2005 by Gracie & Bob Cavnar to lead the way in hands-on nutrition education aimed at preventing childhood obesity and encouraging long term health. In just a few years, it has grown to the largest outreach of its kind in the nation, empowering over 4,000 children each and every month with its signature Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Educationâ„¢ and other initiatives to change the way they understand, appreciate and eat their food.…
Purpose: To support the membership’s technical objectives through education, service, and fellowship.
Meetings: First Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m., Sept. through June. Please check the website for speaker, location, and topic.
Programs: Continuing education workshops at monthly meetings, which include environmental and process safety.
Major Events: Cosponsor Energy Conservation Forum with Texas Industries of the Future twice per year.…
Purpose: Founded 2005 as part of the Houston History Project (now the Welcome Wilson Houston History Collaborative), UH Center for Public History, UH-HHA is a public repository for books, documents, oral histories, and images related to the Houston region’s growth and development from 19th century to present. Particular areas of collection interest include energy development, environmental history and activism, and documentation of Houston’s ethnic diversity and activism.…
Purpose: The Houston Parks Board creates, improves, protects and advocates for parks for everyone. HPB is driven by the vision of thriving parks and communities for everyone forever.
Programs: Parkland and greenspace acquisition; park capital improvement projects; collaboration with other green groups; Neighborhood Partnership Program; 50/50 Park Partners Challenge; Volunteer Program.…
Purpose:Â Dedicated to the advancement of architecture, urban design, and the built environment in the Houston region through educational programs, the publication of Cite, and active programs to initiate physical improvements. By sponsoring lectures, seminars, symposia, exhibits, and tours, RDA seeks to involve the public.
Volunteer Opportunities: Docents needed for house tour, gala, and other events.…
Purpose: Engage. Educate. Empower. Providing opportunities for young people to learn about our environment and 21st Century Stewardship through engaging them, and providing knowledge and skills that empower them. Â
Programs: Conservation projects, scout merit badges, science teacher training, afternoon story time, hands-on student ecosystem lessons in the one-acre Don Greene Nature Park.…
The Exploration Green Conservancy, Inc. (EGC) has been formed and incorporated to develop, preserve and protect the land known as Exploration Green (EG). This area was purchased by the Clear Lake City Water Authority (CLCWA) for use as a storm water detention area: the CLCWA created a Master Plan for the area and initially sponsored the formation of the EGC.…
Purpose:Â Founded in 2001, the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy (WWGC) partners with the Harris County Flood Control District and the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department to enhance the 280 acre Willow Waterhole Park as a native plant and wildlife area and a passive recreational green space.
Programs: Music in park performances, movies in park screenings, conservation volunteer work days on the second saturday of each month, monthly bird surveys on the third saturday of each month by Houston Audubon Society, and free environmental education series for kids and families.…
Purpose: To establish and sustain a premier botanic garden to promote public appreciation and understanding of plants, gardens, and conservation of the natural world through education and scientific enquiry. Through discovery, education and the conservation of plants and the natural environment, the HBG aims to enrich lives, serve as a model for sustainability, and inspire all who visit to become environmental stewards.…
Purpose: The Houston-Galveston Area Council is a region-wide voluntary association of local governments in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning region of Texas. H-GAC’s mission is to serve as the instrument of local government cooperation, promoting the region’s orderly development and the safety and welfare of its citizens. Key governmental services include transportation planning, disaster resiliency, cooperative purchasing, homeland security, workforce development, air and water quality planning, forecasting, and mapping.…
Purpose:Â The Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs has a reputation as a comprehensive center for sound academic research. Scholars focus on a broad range of topics, including voting behavior, American foreign policy and international relations, political communication, criminal justice attitudes and behavior, police violence, environmental justice, race and crime, race and governance, policy studies, leadership, E-government, homeland security, urban transportation, housing and community development, Diaspora studies, environmental planning, economic development and the fiscal responsibility of urban governments.…
Purpose:Buffalo Bayou Partnership is the Houston non-profit organization revitalizing and transforming Buffalo Bayou, our city’s most significant natural resource. Coordinating the integration of major improvements into the Bayou greenway, the Partnership seeks increased community involvement through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities, art installations, and other natural and built attractions. Major Events: Buffalo Bayou Regatta, kayak tours, history hikes, walk tours, bat tours, Second Saturday Boat cruises, Twilight tours, Seasonal Cruises, Nights on Blue Bayou events along the Sabine Promenade.…
Purpose: The chapter will accelerate the implementation of the best sustainable building practices for our region through collaboration, education and advocacy. Founded in 2003, the USGBC-Texas Gulf Coast Chapter is uniquely positioned to leverage green building industry knowledge with community needs related to the built environment. The chapter connects the built environment to community life indicators and offers the LEED Rating System as a measurement tool to vet whether or not a building is operating at high performance.…
Purpose: Levy Park is a six acre public green space in the Upper Kirby District which recently reopened after a $15 million renovation for the purpose of creating an entertainment and recreation destination for the immediate community and for the people of Greater Houston. The Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority in partnership with the Upper Kirby District Foundation, funded the renovation and Levy Park’s many public amenities.…
Purpose: To provide education about the natural environment to people of all ages and to protect and enhance the Arboretum as a haven and as a sanctuary for native plants and animals. Programs: Adult classes on nature, wildlife, art, photography, food and wine, and more. We also offer family programs, special events, Memberships, private group tours, guided nature hikes, citizen science opportunities, a Nature Shop, and rentals.…
Purpose:Â To reduce the risk of flooding in the Brays Bayou watershed. Meetings: Open meetings are held the third Monday of every month, 7:30 p.m., Conference Room, The Gathering Place, 5410 South Willow Drive, 77035 Major Events: Annual meeting in March.…
Purpose:Â CEC works to connect our environmental community. Our mission is to foster education, dialogue, and collaboration on environmental issues in the Houston/Gulf Coast region.