HOUSTON GREENER LIVING’S ENERGY SAVING WORKSHOPS

Date: Tuesday evenings March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31st

Time: 6:30 to 8:45 p.m.

Location: Zion Lutheran Church, 3630 Beauchamp Street

Fee: $15 for the series of five workshops, or $10 if you are over 65. Low income persons can give what they can afford.

Contact: Nancy Edwards needwards@comcast.net or call 713-661-9737

Complete Description:

Gear up for that long, hot, humid Houston summer! Cool down those AC bills! Learn how at Greener Living’s Energy Saving Workshops.

The Workshop series by Greener Living in Houston in collaboration with the City of Houston gives the homeowner the opportunity to learn how to conserve energy and save money. You will learn what changes to make to your home and your habits to reduce your energy use and your energy bill. We will cover electricity, natural gas, gasoline, water and recycling.

Your facilitator will be Betina Wolfowicz who teaches Environmental Science at HSPVA.

For further information, go to the website at: Houston Climate Protection Alliance

HOUSTON GREENER LIVING’S ENERGY SAVING WORKSHOPS

Date: Saturday mornings: March 14, 21, 28 and April 4 and 11

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon

Location: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer

Fee: $15 for the series of five workshops, or $10 if you are over 65. Low income persons can give what they can afford.

Contact: Nancy Edwards needwards@comcast.net or call 713-661-9737

Complete Description:

Gear up for that long, hot, humid Houston summer! Cool down those AC bills! Learn how at Greener Living’s Energy Saving Workshops.

The Workshop series by Greener Living in Houston in collaboration with the City of Houston gives the homeowner the opportunity to learn how to conserve energy and save money. You will learn what changes to make to your home and your habits to reduce your energy use and your energy bill. We will cover electricity, natural gas, gasoline, water and recycling.

Your facilitator will be Devvie Antoon who teaches Sustainable Gardening for Urban Harvest.

For further information, go to the website at: Houston Climate Protection Alliance

MERCER ARBORETUM AND THE MERCER SOCIETY – MARCH MART PLANT SALE
Date: Sat, Mar 28, 2009
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Location: Mercer Arboretum, 22306 Aldine Westfield Road
Fee: none; bring money to buy plants and trees
Contact: (281) 443-8731 or www.hcp4.net/mercer

Complete Description:
Enjoy March Mart and experience a plant sale like no other. There will be many plant categories to choose from, including “growers’ choice” and “staff picks”. All of the plants at March Mart thrive in the Houston area. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at Mercer’s Bluebonnet Cafe, and shuttle buses will run all day from the parking areas to the front gate.

MERCER ARBORETUM AND THE MERCER SOCIETY – MARCH MART PLANT SALE
Date: Fri, Mar 27, 2009
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Location: Mercer Arboretum, 22306 Aldine Westfield Road
Fee: none; bring money to buy plants and trees
Contact: (281) 443-8731 or www.hcp4.net/mercer

Complete Description:
Enjoy March Mart and experience a plant sale like no other. There will be many plant categories to choose from, including “growers’ choice” and “staff picks”. All of the plants at March Mart thrive in the Houston area. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at Mercer’s Bluebonnet Cafe, and shuttle buses will run all day from the parking areas to the front gate.

Houston is on its way to becoming a national leader in green building. Mayor Bill White and the Greater Houston Partnership have publicly committed to promoting green building and sustainable development, and the Clinton Climate Initiative is assisting Houstonians in drastically reducing their energy consumption.  This year, you can become a part of improving our environment and your home at the Houston Green Expo.   (more…)

by Gina Donovan, Houston Audubon Society

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, on March 12th, the July 2008 decision by Judge Jorge A. Solis in favor of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge in east Texas. (more…)

CEC is sponsoring a prize for a winning entry in the Watercolor Art Society’s monthly show in April. The theme is “What does Earth Day mean to you?” A reception will be held on Thursday evening, April 9, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Please join us, buy beautiful paintings, and celebrate Earth Day!
http://www.watercolorhouston.org/pages/monthlyshows.html

CEC is compiling a list of Earth Day events in the region. Please send information (date, time, sponsor, website) about upcoming events to news@cechouston.org.

Are you a news junkie? Volunteer to help collect local environmental news articles for the ECONOTES section of the CEC Environmental News Update. Monitor one or two newspapers, radio or TV channels for local environmental news. Minimal weekly committment. Please contact news@cechouston.org.

Let us know what you think about the new format for the newsletter. Love it? Hate it? Want something else? We want to make it better for YOU! Send comments to news@cechouston.org.

From March until November watch for high ozone days. Visit the GHASP Web site to sign up for ozone alerts. (more…)

Sunday, March 29 at 7:30, Wortham Center, Brown Theater. In a town hall format, T. Boone Pickens will discuss his PickensPlan for dramatically increasing investment in America’s renewable energy as well as the outlook for oil and gas and the economy. (more…)

GHASP Mothers for Clean Air is hosting a free all day Earth Day celebration called Earth Day Houston at Discovery Green on April 11, 2009.  (more…)

on Saturday, March 28, 2009. This event allows individuals from the general public to participate in on-the-water, hands-on environmental education on the Trinity River.   (more…)

(Tell them you heard about it from us!)

1. The Park People is seeking a part-time administrative director at 20 hours a week. Contact Diane Schenke at dschenke@parkpeople.org or 713-942-7275.
2. Hermann Park Conservancy is seeking paid interns to help develope a reforestation plan and facilitate volunteer projects. More at http://www.hermannpark.org/employment.html.
3. Houston-Galveston Area Council is seeking an environmental planning assistant, two air quality planners, a transportation planner, and an outreach planner (and more!). More at http://www.h-gac.com/careers/.
4. Artist Boat is seeking three motivated, creative, and self-starting art and science educators with environmental backgrounds to deliver Eco-Art Workshops, Adventures, and Residencies to the communities of the Houston-Glaveston Region, Louisiana (2-3 weeks a year) and Central/Lower Texas Coast (2-3 weeks/year). More at http://www.artistboat.org.
5. Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) is looking to fil the position of Research Associate (solar energy, energy efficiency, transportation). More at http://www.harc.edu/jobs.
6. Council for Environmental Education is looking to hire a manager for its Flying Wild program. More at http://www.councilforee.org.
7. Houston Audubon is seeking one paid Sanctuary Management Intern to work primarily at High Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. (more…)

• 27 March
• Apply for USDA ’stimulus’ funding to acquire floodplain easements
  http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/news/releases/floodplain.html
• Public Comment Deadline: Draft Liberty County Transit Plan
  http://www.h-gac.com/
• Early Registration Deadline: 2009 Local Climate Leadership Summit
  http://www.localclimateleadershipsummit.org
• 29 March
• “Sunbelievable Home Energy Makeover” Sweepstakes
  http://www.sre3.com/win
• 31 March
• Review Texas Forest Service’s State Assessment, a model for assessing current and future status of state forest resources
  http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=6598
• RDA Initiative for Houston
  http://rda.rice.edu/
• 6 April
• Texas Annual Recycling & Sustainability Conference: Call for Submissions
  http://www.recyclingstar.org/announcements.html
• 8 April
• Texas Coastal Management Program Grants Program, General Land Office
  http://www.glo.state.tx.us/coastal/grants/cycle14.html
• 15 April
• Houston Arboretum & Nature Center’s second annual juried Nature Photography Contest
  http://www.houstonarboretum.org/photocontest.asp
• 15 May
• Nominations for Gulf Guardian Awards
  http://www.epa.gov/gmpo