Title: Texas Winter Hummingbirds Membership Meeting
Location: United Way Center, 50 Waugh
Event Link: Click here
Description: Come join us as we discuss the winter hummingbirds on the Texas Coast and how to manage for them. Brent Ortego will be the featured speaker.

Brent Ortego, a wildlife diversity biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department based in Victoria, TX, specializes in the banding and tracking of hummingbirds.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2010-11-10

Title: TCEQ Public Comment/Public Meeting
Location: Civic Center in Bay City
Event Link: Click here
Description: Representatives from TCEQ & White Stallion will present info regarding the plant’s wastewater plan. Opportunity for public comment & questions. WE NEED EVERYONE THERE!
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2010-10-28

Title: Realizing Your Economic Opportunities In Using Recycled Asphalt Shingles
Location: Sugar Land Marriott Town Square, 1609 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX 77479
Event Link: Click here
Description: Join industry and public partners for an intensive one-day workshop on recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) used in asphalt applications. Discuss roles and responsibilities in implementing quality control and quality assurance to producing a quality end product.

Standard registration fee is $225.00. A reduced registration fee of $125.00 is available for government officials. Participants will earn 0.8 continuing education units (CEUs) or 8.0 professional development hours (PDHs).
Start Time: 08:00
Date: 2010-11-09
End Time: 17:00

Title: Life Is Living Day Festival and Day of Service
Location: Emancipation Park (corner of Dowling and Elgin Streets)
Event Link: Click here
Description: Life Is Living is a national campaign that generates partnerships between diverse and underserved communities, green action agencies, local community groups, urban environmental activists, and the contemporary arts world. Life is Living encompasses a series of six-hour inter-disciplinary, intergenerational, eco-equity festivals in neglected parks in underserved neighborhoods around the country.
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2010-11-06
End Time: 16:00

Title: Houston Area GIS Day
Location: University of Houston University Center, 4800 Calhoun Road Houston, Texas 77004
Event Link: Click here
Description: This event is the largest showcase of how Geographic Information Systems are used in the City of Houston and surrounding areas. For two days, business people, educators, students, and the general public are given a free access pass to products and services that encompass GIS.
Date: 2010-11-17

Title: Texas Recycles Day
Event Link: Click here
Description: As part of the nationally recognized America Recycles Day, this event encourages individuals to not only recycle, but to purchase recycled products.
Date: 2010-11-15

Title: Organic Landscape & Gardening Fair
Location: 50 Waugh Drive (United Greater Way of Houston)
Event Link: Click here
Description: Organic Horticulture Business Alliance and Urban Harvest present the Organic Landscape & Gardening Fair.

The fair features workshops with other organic experts, local organic vendor exhibits, and keynote speaker, Paul Tukey.
Start Time: 08:00
Date: 2011-02-19
End Time: 16:00

Title: Brays Bayou Association Meeting with Phil Bedient
Location: The Gathering Place 5310 South Willow
Description: Phil Bedient, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice
University, will be discussing the SSPEED program which involves a consortium of the major Universities along the Gulf Coast, and storm prediction programs for the Texas Medical Center.
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2010-11-15

Title: Youth & Educator Awards Application Deadline
Location: online
Event Link: Click here
Description: The KTB Youth & Educator Awards honor extraordinary people working to improve and beautify their communities. Awards are given in a number of categories, to elementary through college-level youth as well as educators and youth organizers.
Start Time: 17:00
Date: 2011-05-10

Title: Annual Conference seperator Awards seperator Bluebonnet Clay Shoot seperator Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off seperator Great American Cleanup seperator Texas Waterway Cleanup Program seperator Training seperator Youth and Educational Programs Governor’s Community Achievement Awards Application Deadline
Location: online
Event Link: Click here
Description: The Governor’s Community Achievement Awards are presented each year to an array of Texas communities with the best grassroots environmental programs in the state. Communities are judged based on their population size, which is derived from population estimates from the Texas State Data Center.
Start Time: 17:00
Date: 2011-02-08

Title: Keep Texas Beautiful Awards Application Deadline
Location: online
Event Link: Click here
Description: Keep Texas Beautiful recognizes the efforts made by individuals and groups to enhance their community and protect the Lone Star State’s environment. Nominate a deserving individual, senior citizen, group, or business for an award.
Start Time: 17:00
Date: 2011-02-25

Title: November Houston Zoo Wildlife Lecture Series: Carter Smith
Location: Brown Education Center
Event Link: Click here
Description: A charismatic and engaging speaker, come join Carter at the Houston Zoo to hear about his love of Texas and why all things are bigger, better and wilder in the Lone Star State!

Carter Smith, Executive Director at the head of this agency is ultimately responsible for the diversity of wildlife and wild places in Texas!

Start Time: 18:30
Date: 2010-11-17

Title: Jones Park Nature Photography Workshop
Location: Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center
Event Link: Click here
Description: Jones Park will be offering a free photography workshop hosted by Debbie Ferrell of Photomigrations.com.

Open to visitors ages ten and older; don’t miss this chance to learn tips, tricks, and techniques for taking outdoor photos. After attending this workshop, visitors will be well on their way to taking wonderful photos in Jones Park that can be submitted into the 2011 Jones Park Photo Contest.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-11-06

Title: Air Alliance Houston Open House
Location: 2409 Commerce St., Ste A Houston, TX 77003
Event Link: Click here
Description: The office recently moved. Stop by and see the new place at the open house.

Call it an early weekend, stop by for a beer or a glass of wine, hang out with us and find out what we’re doing these days.
Start Time: 16:00
Date: 2010-11-12
End Time: 18:30

Title: STS-AIChE Presentation: “Houston Water: Seeking the Sea.”
Location: Pelazzio Banquet Hall (12121 Westheimer Rd, Houston, Texas 77077)
Event Link: Click here
Description: This is the STS-AIChE monthly meeting.

The dinner speaker is Dr. John H. Lienhard, author and voice of The Engines of Our Ingenuity, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and History at the University of Houston. His talk is titled “Houston Water: Seeking the Sea.”
Start Time: 20:00
Date: 2010-11-04
End Time: 21:30

Featured

1. Vote for Proposition 1 to fix a broken drainage system (Kevin Shanley – Houston Chronicle)
   Houston’s bayous have a history of being used, neglected, and abused. They have been used for transportation, waste removal and flood relief. With Proposition 1, citizens have the opportunity to address the most serious local neighborhood flooding issues and can begin to take the pressure off of the bayous during storm events.
   http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7258501.html
2. Coal Looms Large for Democrat in Texas Governor’s Race (Christa Marshall – The New York Times, 10/21/2010)
   Energy efficiency is playing a major role in the Texas Governor’s Race. Bill White states that the biggest difference between himself and Governor Rick Perry is his stance on fossil fuels. White would like to take a Houston energy-efficiency program statewide. He would like to see more of a focus on natural gas, renewables, and energy efficiency, instead of coal-fired plants.
   http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/10/21/21climatewire-coal-looms-large-for-democrat-in-texas-gover-54145.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
3. Once a leader in energy efficiency, Texas now tumbles in state ranking (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News, 10/20/2010)
   Despite once leading changes on key policy issues related to energy efficiency, Texas has significantly fallen in an advocacy group’s latest annual ranking. Other states have taken greater new actions to achieve better energy efficiency. One of the biggest challenges for Texas has been the cost of implementing such actions.
   http://texasclimatenews.org/wp/?p=760

EcoNotes

• 26 October
  • New weapon in coal plant fight: water (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7262169.html
  • Burn Ban for Harris County (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1288128274
• 25 October
  • 10 minutes with Ken Kirk, Executive Director of National Association of Cleat Water Agencies (BC Water News)
    http://www.bcwaternews.com/qa/ken_kirk.html
• 24 October
  • Record Number of Whooping Cranes Expected To Reach Texas This Fall (Guidry News)
    http://guidrynews.com/story.aspx?id=1000030327
• 23 October
  • Group Sues To Revive Deepwater Drilling Ban (Click2Houston News)
    http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/25488788/detail.html
• 22 October
  • Thinking, visioning and spending locally (Barbara Kessler – ABC13 News)
    http://www.greenrightnow.com/ktrk/2010/10/22/thinking-visioning-and-spending-locally/
  • Dell tops Newsweek list of green companies (ABC13 News)
    http://www.greenrightnow.com/ktrk/2010/10/22/dell-tops-newsweek-list-of-green-companies/
  • Rice U creates Green Carbon Center (Houston Business Journal)
    http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2010/10/22/rice-u-creates-green-carbon-center.html
  • Sustainable Wood Standards Create Big Critics for USGBC (Houston Green Scene News)
    http://houstongreenscene.org/houston-green-news/sustainable-wood-standards-create-big-critics-usgbc
  • Red Dust Rains Around US Metals Plants (Cain Burdeau – Click2Houston News)
    http://www.click2houston.com/green-pages/25473522/detail.html
  • Refiner’s smog deal earns points with EPA (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7260120.html
  • Wildflower Planting Season Back Again (KIAH-TV News)
    http://www.39online.com/lifestyle/goinggreen/kiah-gg-wildflowers-planting-story,0,2903751.story
  • Flint Hills Resources, LP Agrees to Transition Its Texas Flexible Permits to Federally Approved Clean Air Act Permits – Transition affects facilities in Corpus Christi, Port Arthur and Longview (EPA News)
    http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/e8f4ff7f7970934e8525735900400c2e/6f25bd791c4b21cb852577c400552339!OpenDocument
  • The First Annual Houston Green Office Challenge (KIAH-TV News)
    http://www.39online.com/lifestyle/goinggreen/kiah-gg-goc-story,0,4361369.story
  • Metro: Light Rail Projects Stalled (Wendy Siegle – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1287724742
• 21 October
  • Vote for Proposition 1 to fix a broken drainage system (Kevin Shanley – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7258501.html
  • Is your city ready for electric cars? (ABC13 News)
    http://www.greenrightnow.com/ktrk/2010/10/21/is-your-city-ready-for-electric-cars/
  • Floating plastic wetlands mimic nature (ABC13 News)
    http://www.greenrightnow.com/ktrk/2010/10/21/floating-plastic-wetlands-mimic-nature/
  • It may take even longer to resume deep-water drilling (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Fuel Fix News)
    http://fuelfix.com/energywatch/2010/10/21/it-may-take-even-longer-to-resume-deep-water-drilling/
  • ExxonMobil unveils latest investment in cleaner air (Carla Torres – The Baytown Sun)
    http://baytownsun.com/news/article_a0cc1528-dd87-11df-b485-001cc4c002e0.html
  • Houston Gulf Coast Planning Region Awarded $3.75 Million to Develop Sustainability Plan (H-GAC News)
    http://www.h-gac.com/community/sustainability/press_release.aspx
  • Chevron places a big bet in the Gulf (Brett Clanton – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7256811.html
  • Coal Looms Large for Democrat in Texas Governor’s Race (Christa Marshall – The New York Times)
    http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/10/21/21climatewire-coal-looms-large-for-democrat-in-texas-gover-54145.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
• 20 October
  • Once a leader in energy efficiency, Texas now tumbles in state ranking (Bill Dawson – Texas Climate News)
    http://texasclimatenews.org/wp/?p=760
• 7 October
  • Bacterial gunk walks on surfaces, scientists find (Eric Berger – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7236392.html

1. Progressive Forum Lecture with Richard Leaky. On Thursday, October 28, the lecture series continues with Richard Leaky, the world’s most famous paleoanthropologist. He’ll discuss climate change, conservation, evolution, wildlife, human rights, and more. For more information, visit http://progressiveforumhouston.org/.
2. Annual monarch butterfly migration underway. Tens of thousands of monarch butterflies are migrating across Texas on their annual journey to Mexico. The first sightings were reported Oct. 3 and the flights have continued in periodic waves since then. Nearly all of the monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains travel south through Texas each fall to spend the winter in one spot in the Mexican mountains.  Additional information may be found on the TPWD Web site http://www.archive.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/monarchbutterfly/.
3. Duck Stamp benefits Gulf Coast refuges. For every dollar you spend on Federal Duck Stamps, ninety-eight cents goes directly to purchase vital habitat for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System. San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge in Brazoria County recently received money to acquire and additional 288 acres for protection of a wetland complex that provides winter, migration and resident habitat for waterfowl, wading birds and neotropical migratory birds. More information at www.duckstamp.com.
4. Gulf Guardians Awards. The Gulf Guardians Awards recognize and honor the businesses, community groups, individuals, and organizations that are taking extraordinary steps to keep the Gulf healthy, beautiful and productive. To complete a nomination application for 2011, go to the Gulf of Mexico Program’s web site at http://www.epa.gov/gmpo.
5. Keep Texas Beautiful Awards. Awards season is around the corner. Now is the time to begin organizing your event photos, gathering statistics from community groups and agencies, and developing a timeline for creating your supplemental notebook(s)! Applications for Keep Texas Beautiful Awards (http://www.ktb.org/programs/awards/keep-texas-beautiful-awards.aspx), Governor’s Community Achievement Awards (http://www.ktb.org/programs/awards/governors-community-achievement-awards.aspx), and Youth & Educator Awards (http://www.ktb.org/programs/awards/youth-and-educator-awards.aspx) are available online.
6. Air Quality Forecast. http://www.ghasp.org/air-quality-aqi/ or http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/compliance/monitoring/air/monops/forecast_today.html
   • October 28: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cool morning temperatures, and low background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
   • October 29: Green–Good. Moderate winds, cool morning temperatures, and low background levels should help to keep air quality in the “Good” range statewide.
   • October 30: Yellow–Moderate Background levels may be high enough and winds light enough for ozone to reach “Moderate” levels along the coast in Southeast Texas and the Coastal Bend area in the afternoon and early evening.