WILD WEST TOUR: BREAKFAST WITH BIRDS

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2009

Time: 6 AM to 11 AM

Location: Meet at KPC Field Office

Fee: $65 per participant. Light breakfast included.

Contact: Call 713.523.6135 or e-mail info@katyprairie.org for details. Registration limited and required.

Complete Description:

KPC’s new Wild West Tours are a great way to get an up-close look at some fo the best places and wildlife that the Katy Prairie has to offer. These adventures are led by well-known local naturalist Glenn Olsen. Breakfast with the Birds tour participants will spend a morning identifying ducks, geese, and other water birds from the comfort of a duck blind.

All participants should wear appropriate outdoor clothing, including closed-toe shoes and long pants. A long-sleeve shirt is also recommended. Participants should bring their own water and insect repellent.

REGIONAL AIR QUALITY PLANNING COMMITTEE

DATE: January 29

TIME: 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

LOCATION: HGAC Conference Room A, 3555 Timmons Lane

CONTACT: Andrew.decandis@h-gac.com

COMMUTE SOLUTIONS PROGRAM ORAL INTERVIEWS

DATE: January 29

TIME: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

LOCATION: HGAC Conference Room C, 3555 Timmons Lane

CONTACT: chrese.jackson@h-gac.com

“ALTERNATIVE” ENERGY AND THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE NON-CARBON SOURCES

Date:  Thursday, January 29th

Time:  5:15pm

Location:  The Renaissance Hotel (Greenway Plaza)

Fee:  Enterprise Forum Members and MIT Alumni Advance Registration - $40
Non-members, and all "Walk-ups" on day of event - $50

Contact: http://alumweb.mit.edu/groups/eftexas/BrowseWeb.do?webSiteId=SI001021&webPageId=P008&eventId=19667

Complete Description:

Please join the MIT Enterprise Forum of Texas for a lively panel discussion regarding the realities,
prospects and options for Alternative Energy Sources to supply the electric power grid.

Wind power. Solar power. When one thinks about alternative energy, first thoughts are typically about the underlying technologies. But the path
ahead for non-carbon sources, particularly those which feed the power grid, will also be heavily influenced by public policy decisions and
creativity in the investment sector.

HOUSTON AUDUBON SOCIETY – FLYING WILD WORKSHOP FOR EDUCATORS
Date: Sat, Jan 24, 2009
Time: 9 am – 3 pm
Location: Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center, 3997 River Drive, Houston, TX 77017
Fee: $30; pre-registration and pre-payment required
Contact: register at (713) 640-2407; information at www.houstonaudubon.org

Complete Description:
Flying WILD is an exciting education program that introduces students to bird conservation through school bird festivals, hands-on classroom activities, and community service projects. The Houston Audubon Society, in a partnership with the Council for Environmental Education, is offering Flying WILD training and materials in the Houston area. Each workshop participant will receive the program publication Flying WILD: An Educator’s Guide to Celebrating Birds. In addition, participants will receive the Citizens’ Guide to Migration and the Migratory Birds of the Bayou City manual.

TRANSPORTATION POLICY COUNCIL

DATE: January 23

TIME: 9:30 am – 12:00 pm

LOCATION: HGAC Conference Room A, 3555 Timmons Lane

CONTACT: alan.clark@h-gac.com

Date: January 22, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm Reception, 7 pm Lecture
Location: United Way Community Resource Center, 50 Waugh Drive
Contact/RSVP: Wendy.Natt@HoustonTomorrow.org

Description: Peter Newman, author of “Cities and Automobile Dependence: An International Sourcebook”, and other books, is an Environmental scientist, activist and educator based in Perth, Western Australia. For more information about Houston Tomorrow
and this speaker go to: http://houstontomorrow.org/events/details/distinguished-speaker-series-peter-newman/

BPA WATER QUALITY MEETING

Date: January 22

Time: 12:00 pm

Location: BPA Office, 3201 Allen Parkway, Suite 200

Contact: Call 713.529.6443 to confirm date and time.

Date: January 21, 2009
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Location: Kirksey 6909 Portwest, Houston Texas 77024

Description: The Emerging Green Builders present an evening with Tory Gattis and the Gulf Coast Green Competition Committee to discuss strategies for making Houston a more sustainable place to live.

Check out Tory Gattis’ Blog at http://houstonstrategies.blogspot.com/!

Students: Come hear about the 2009 Gulf Coast Green Design Competition.

Tory Gattis writes the popular Houston Strategies blog on a wide range of topics – including transportation, transit, quality-of-life, city identity, and development and land-use regulations – and has published numerous Houston Chronicle op-eds on these topics. He also co-authored the Opportunity Urbanism study with noted urbanist Joel Kotkin and others, creating a city philosophy around upward social mobility for all citizens as an alternative to the popular smart growth, new urbanism, and creative class movements. He is a native Houstonian, attending Rice University for his BSEE and MBA, and a former McKinsey consultant. He has had a long career in information technology, and is currently the founder and president of OpenTeams, a web-based collaborative software company that emphasizes openness and transparency inside large organizations.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT ROUNDTABLE

DATE: January 21

TIME: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

LOCATION: HGAC Conference Room C, 3555 Timmons Lane

CONTACT: amy.boyers@h-gac.com

Date: January 21, 2009
Time: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Location: The United Way Building, 50 Waugh Houston 77007
Cost: $60.00 per OHBA and ASLA members and their invited guests. $85.00 per non-members.
Contact:
Description: An epic educational event on soil microbiology and human health.

The Morning Session:
9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Dr. Arden Anderson
‘Human Health/Soil Health’
Dr. Anderson is a recognized soil scientist, agriculture consultant and physician as well as a leading expert on preventative and nutritional medicine. Learn the connection between soil health, animal health and human health.

Gourmet Lunch from Sandy’s:
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Sandy’s is OHBA’s official caterer and will provide you with an incredible buffet of delicious Organic salads, grass fed beef, free range chicken, side dishes, breads & desserts.

Afternoon Session:
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Jeff Lowenfels
Author of a highly acclaimed book on soils for horticulturalists, Teaming with Microbes. Mr. Lowenfels is also a Harvard grad and was a garden columnist for 33 years in Alaska. He will break down soil microbiology to give attendees a clear understanding of ‘The Soil Foodweb’ along with tips on growing plants and reducing cost.

By Ella Tyler

In honor of Arbor Day Houston, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and Trees for Houston are organizing a planting of 12,500 trees on the Clay Road esplanades between Gessner and Blalock. (more…)

Our Annual Meeting will be Tuesday, February 24th, from 6 to 7:30 pm. There will be a business meeting followed by a talk by prominent architect John Kirksey, a leader in educating the business community about the benefits of green building and the business issues involved in global climate change. The event will be at Kirksey, 6909 Portwest Drive.

The Rice Design Alliance will present a four-part lecture series to discuss how graphic design as a discipline and practice embraces a wide range of cognitive, experiential, and aesthetic skills including typography, identity, branding, print design, interaction/experience, information, and sustainability. (more…)

Cotton-top tamarins are an endangered species of primate found only in the tropical forests of Colombia. Weighing about 1 pound, this tiny monkey needs help in order to survive. (more…)

Peter Newman, the leading researcher on reducing automobile dependency, will talk about his new book, “Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change” and how sustainable urbanism could replace today’s carbon-consuming policies on Thursday, January 22, at 7 pm at the United Way, 50 Waugh Dr. (more…)

Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center is hosting two canoe tours next weekend. On Saturday, January 24, beginning at 9 am, canoe Cypress Creek on an extended trip from Cypresswood Drive to Jones Park. (more…)