By Ella Tyler

A green vacation does not have to be an “eco-adventure” to a foreign country or a Spartan camping trip to a remote park. Trips anywhere, for pleasure or business, can be made green friendly by staying at hotels that conserve resources, using public transportation at your destination, and supporting local businesses. (more…)

By Greg Harmon

A new organization has formed for the specific purpose of petitioning Houston mayor Bill White to join the US Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement.

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The Houston Climate Protection Alliance will meet Sunday, July 2, at 2:30 pm, First Unitarian Universalist Church, 5200 Fannin. Jeff Stark will present a summary of Fostering Sustainable Behavior. (more…)

Wendee Holtcamp, founder of the San Jacinto Conservation Coalition, will talk about sand mining at the Houston Sierra Club meeting on Thursday, July 6, at 7 pm, Central Presbyterian Church, 3788 Richmond at Timmons. (more…)

The Parks and Natural Areas Subcommittee of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Natural Resources Advisory Committee is sponsoring a contest to identify the best parks and natural areas planning, programs, and projects in the thirteen-county H-GAC region. (more…)

The Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention (GHASP) is recruiting a new executive director. The candidate should have a degree in public health, public administration, planning, marketing, environmental engineering, or a related field. (more…)

The Memorial Park Conservancy is seeking a new executive director. Preferred candidates can bring five to ten years of professional experience to leading our growing organization. (more…)

US EPA SUFFERS FROM CHRONIC MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS: GAO
Reuters 6/28/07
WASHINGTON – The US Environmental Protection Agency does not enforce clean air and water laws consistently and is crippled by sloppy record keeping, the investigative arm of Congress told a Senate panel on Wednesday.

SUPREME COURT TAKES UP WHAT COULD BE KEY RULING ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Environmental News Network 6/27/06
WASHINGTON – Running for president, George W. Bush said he was ready to regulate carbon dioxide. But in early 2001, shortly after taking office, he changed his mind.

US TOP COURT TO DECIDE APPEAL ON AUTO EMISSIONS

SURGE IN WEST NILE VIRUS PROMPTS AERIAL SPRAYING
Houston Chronicle 6/29/06
A fourfold increase in reported West Nile virus prompted Harris County health officials to begin aerial mosquito spraying on Wednesday. That’s earlier in the year than any time since the virus first appeared locally in 2002.

HEALTH ALERT COULD HELP CITY EXPAND SMOKING BAN
Houston Chronicle 6/28/06
Declaring that second-hand smoke causes tens of thousands of premature deaths among nonsmokers every year, the US surgeon general called Tuesday for completely smoke-free workplaces.

‘BREATHTAKING’ WASTE AND FRAUD IN HURRICANE AID
New York Times 6/27/06
WASHINGTON – Among the many superlatives associated with Hurricane Katrina can now be added this one: It produced one of the most extraordinary displays of scams, schemes, and stupefying bureaucratic bungles in modern history, costing taxpayers up to $2 billion.

ANADARKO TO PAY $21 BILLION FOR TWO RIVALS
New York Times 6/24/06
In a move that will create one of the nation’s largest independent oil companies, Anadarko Petroleum said yesterday that it had agreed to buy two smaller rivals for $21.1 billion in cash to expand its operations into North America’s fastest-growing oil and gas regions.

ANADARKO TO BUY KERR-MCGEE, WESTERN GAS FOR $21.1B

AREA MAN BITTEN BY BAT
Baytown Sun 6/28/06
For the second time in less than two weeks, a bat has bitten a Baytown area person. Also, the Harris County health department announced Tuesday that a dead bat found in the Newport subdivision in Crosby tested positive for rabies.

COUNTY AMENDS SPACEPORT DEAL
Brazosport Facts 6/28/06
ANGLETON – Commissioners Court plans to move forward with work to bring a launch pad and related construction to the county as part of a Gulf Coast Regional Spaceport Development Corp. agreement, despite objections from two commissioners concerned with issues raised by residents of the area.

SPACEPORT MEETING SLATED BY FAA

EXPANSION COULD THREATEN MINERAL SOURCE, JOBS
Brazosport Facts 6/25/06
Dow Texas Operations officials say the proposed Strategic Petroleum Reserve expansion at Stratton Ridge could threaten a cost-effective mineral source and consequently thousands of local jobs.

STUDY LINKS PESTICIDES WITH PARKINSON’S
Reuters 6/27/06
WASHINGTON – People with long-term, low-level exposure to pesticides have a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease than people who have not been exposed much to bug sprays, US researchers reported on Monday.

OFFICE BUILDINGS CAN FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING, SAYS WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE GUIDEBOOK
Environmental News Network 6/21/06
WASHINGTON, DC – Most people associate global warming with industrial polluters. People who work in office buildings can also significantly impact climate change by introducing energy-efficiency measures to improve building operations, however.

HOW TO COOL A PLANET (MAYBE)
New York Times 6/26/06
In the past few decades, a handful of scientists have come up with big, futuristic ways to fight global warming: Build sunshades in orbit to cool the planet. Tinker with clouds to make them reflect more sunlight back into space. Trick oceans into soaking up more heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

FORGET ABOUT SAVING WATER, STOP THE SEX
Galveston County Daily News 6/28/06
FRIENDSWOOD – Some $22,000 spent for water conservation education in grade schools could be better spent on abstinence education, a city councilman said.

HOUSTON ZOO ANIMAL ARTISTS CLASS (AGES 2 1/2-5 + A PARENT)
Date: Wed, Dec 6
Time: 10 – 11 am
Location: Houston Zoo, Brown Education Center
Fee: $15 for Houston Zoo member, $20 for non-member
Contact: (713) 533-6550 or

Complete Description:
Many animals in captivity are given the opportunity to express themselves in paint, enriching their lives and ours with their artwork. Each week we will learn about different painters, and we will paint the way they do. Please be prepared to get very messy.

HOUSTON ZOO NATURAL BEGINNINGS CLASS – HOUSTON HABITATS: ARMADILLOS, ATTWATER’S PRAIRIE CHICKENS, OPOSSUMS, AND TURTLES (AGES 2 1/2-5 + A PARENT)
Date: Sat, Oct 7, 14, 21, 28
Time: 10 – 11 am
Location: Houston Zoo, Brown Education Center
Fee: Cost for 4 class series: $50 for members, $55 for non-members
Contact: (713) 533-6550 or www.houstonzoo.org

Complete Description:
This class runs on Saturdays, October 7, 14, 21, and 28. Houston is home to hundreds of animals. Find out more about who lives in your backyard and beyond. Pre-registration required.

HOUSTON ZOO WILD WHEELS CLASS (AGES 30 MONTHS AND UNDER + A PARENT)
Date: Tue, Oct 10
Time: 9:15 am
Location: Houston Zoo – gift shop entrance
Fee: $10 per class for 1 adult + 1 child in stroller; pre-registration required
Contact: (713) 533-6550 or www.houstonzoo.org

Complete Description:
Bring your child and stroller to the Zoo on Tuesday mornings for an hour of fun and learning together. We will meet inside the front entrance by the gift shop and stroll together through a particular part of the Zoo. Our track will lead us to the Brown Education Center for a touchable animal encounter to conclude the lesson.

HOUSTON ZOO SLEUTHIN’ SAFARI – AFRICAN ADVENTURE (AGES 4-12 + A PARENT)
Date: Sat, Oct 21
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 am
Location: Houston Zoo, 1513 North MacGregor
Fee: $25 for 1 adult + 1 child; each additional child is $10
Contact: (713) 533-6550 or www.houstonzoo.org

Complete Description:
If you are looking for a fun and unique way to spend quality time with your child(ren) while learning more about the animals that call the Houston Zoo home, this is the class for you! After a brief introduction to the topic of the class, you and your child(ren) will be given the tools you need, including biofacts like furs or skulls, to go on a self-guided scavenger hunt through the Zoo. Class will conclude with a reunion with your teacher and other class members for a discussion. In the October 23rd class, African Adventure, take a trip to the African continent and learn more about the animals that live there. Pre-registration and Pre-payment required.

ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS – PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR ON SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING AND GREEN BUILDING
Date: Thu, Jun 29
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Upper Kirby Chamber of Commerce Conference Room, 3015 Richmond Avenue
Fee: $30 with a RSVP, $35 without (For members, $20 with RSVP, $25 without)
Contact: RSVP to david.a.rubin@nasa.gov with your name, telephone number and address by June 27th; payments will be collected at the door

Complete Description:
This seminar will provide an opportunity for local Professional Engineers to fulfill their Professional Development Hours requirement. The seminar will focus on the topics of sustainable engineering and “green” building. The featured speakers will be Mr. Brian Yeoman and Dr. Rich Haut. Mr. Yeoman is a Senior Research Scientist at the Houston Advanced Research Center where he is the principal investigator on several projects ranging from residential construction waste management to campus-wide planning. Dr. Haut is a Senior Research Scientist within the Environmental Group at the Houston Advanced Research Center and is the principal investigator for various projects involving securing energy for the future.

HOUSTON ZOO NATURAL BEGINNINGS CLASS – KNOWING NOSES: ANTEATERS, SHARKS, MANDRILLS AND SEA LIONS (AGES 2 1/2-5 + A PARENT)
Date: Wed, Sep 6, 13, 20, 27
Time: 10 – 11 am
Location: Houston Zoo, Brown Education Center
Fee: Cost for 4 class series: $50 for Zoo members, $55 for non-members
Contact: (713) 533-6550 or

Complete Description:
This class runs on Wednesdays, September 6, 13, 20, and 27. Animal noses aren’t just for breathing and blowing. Animal noses are also for communicating, digging, finding food, making noises, and showing emotions. Learn to know your noses! Pre-registration required.

HOUSTON ZOO WILD WHEELS CLASS (AGES 30 MONTHS AND UNDER)
Date: Tue, Sep 26
Time: 9:15 am
Location: Houston Zoo – gift shop entrance
Fee: $10 per class for 1 adult + 1 child in stroller; pre-registration required
Contact: (713) 533-6550 or

Complete Description:
Bring your child and stroller to the Zoo on Tuesday mornings for an hour of fun and learning together. We will meet inside the front entrance by the gift shop and stroll together through a particular part of the Zoo. Our track will lead us to the Brown Education Center for a touchable animal encounter to conclude the lesson.

HOUSTON ZOO SLEUTHIN’ SAFARI – WATER WONDERS (AGES 4-12 + A PARENT)
Date: Sat, Sep 23
Time: 9:30 – 11:30 am
Location: Houston Zoo, 1513 North MacGregor
Fee: $25 for 1 adult + 1 child; each additional child is $10
Contact: (713) 533-6550 or

Complete Description:
If you are looking for a fun and unique way to spend quality time with your child(ren) while learning more about the animals that call the Houston Zoo home, this is the class for you! After a brief introduction to the topic of the class, you and your child(ren) will be given the tools you need, including biofacts like furs or skulls, to go on a self-guided scavenger hunt through the Zoo.
Class will conclude with a reunion with your teacher and other class members for a discussion. In the September 23rd class, Water Wonders, dive into the world of our water-dwelling animals and discover what makes them unique.

BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP GALA – A NAUTICAL NIGHT
Date: Thu, Oct 5
Time: Evening; please call for details
Location: Sabine Street Bridge
Fee: Yes; please call for details on ticket and table fees
Contact: Buffalo Bayou Partnership at (713) 752-0314
 
Complete Description
Buffalo Bayou Partnership hosts the second annual fundraising event on Sabine Street Bridge. Honoring Brady Carruth and Mike Garver, dedicated Buffalo Bayou Partnership Board members who have been instrumental in the bayou’s transformation. More information to be announced later. Location: Sabine Street Bridge Contact: (713) 752-0314 or www.buffalobayou.org Fee: Yes; please call for details Time: Evening; please call for details