Title: Arbor Day Tree Planting Competition
Location: Interchange of Highway 90 and I-610 East
Link out: Click here
Description: The Houston Area Urban Forestry Council is sponsoring its annual Arbor Day Tree Planting Competition on Saturday, January 22nd. It is also a celebration of the TXDoT planting their 1 millionth tree as part of their Green Ribbon Program. 11 people can make up a tree planting team for the competition. If you have any questions, contact Michael Merritt at mmerritt@tfs.tamu.edu.
Date: 2011-01-22

Title: The Status of Houston’s Children and Our Future Workforce: 3rd Annual Corporate Breakfast
Location: 1375 Enclave Parkway
Link out: Click here
Description: The breakfast will provide data from CHILDREN AT RISK’S newly released
publication: Growing up in Houston: Assessing the Quality of Life of Our
Children. We will discuss the current state of our city’s most vulnerable
population and propose positive measures to ensure that our future
workforce is ready and capable to take on the challenges that children
face today.
Start Time: 07:45
Date: 2011-01-20
End Time: 10:00

Title: Japhet Creek Linear Park Clean-Up
Location: Japhet Creek
Link out: Click here
Description: Volunteers are welcomed for this spring clean-up event at Japhet Creek.

Contact:
Eileen Hatcher
4510 Inman
Houston, Texas 77020
713-674-2528
713-492-9397
Date: 2011-04-09

Title: Trash Bash: Japhet Creek Linear Park Clean-Up
Location: Japhet Creek
Link out: Click here
Description: Volunteers are welcomed for this spring clean-up event at Japhet Creek.

Contact:
Eileen Hatcher
4510 Inman
Houston, Texas 77020
713-674-2528
713-492-9397
Date: 2011-03-26

Title: Japhet Creek Linear Park Clean-Up
Location: Japhet Creek
Link out: Click here
Description: Volunteers are welcomed for this spring clean-up event at Japhet Creek.

Contact:
Eileen Hatcher
4510 Inman
Houston, Texas 77020
713-674-2528
713-492-9397
Date: 2011-03-05

Title: Japhet Creek Linear Park Clean-Up
Location: Japhet Creek
Link out: Click here
Description: Volunteers are welcomed for this spring clean-up event at Japhet Creek.

Contact:
Eileen Hatcher
4510 Inman
Houston, Texas 77020
713-674-2528
713-492-9397
Date: 2011-02-26

Title: Japhet Creek Linear Park Clean-Up
Location: Japhet Creek
Link out: Click here
Description: Volunteers are welcomed for this spring clean-up event at Japhet Creek.

Contact:
Eileen Hatcher
4510 Inman
Houston, Texas 77020
713-674-2528
713-492-9397
Date: 2011-02-12

Title: Japhet Creek Linear Park Clean-Up
Location: Japhet Creek
Link out: Click here
Description: Volunteers are welcomed for this spring clean-up event at Japhet Creek.

Contact:
Eileen Hatcher
4510 Inman
Houston, Texas 77020
713-674-2528
713-492-9397
Date: 2011-01-29

Title: Urban Harvest: Introduction to Permaculture
Location: University of Houston, Central Campus
Link out: Click here
Description: Permaculture is a design system for creating a sustainable local quality of life while minimizing the need for materials and energy. Developed by two Australians over thirty years ago, permaculture is now practiced all over the planet, and it is the most advanced design concept available for creating gardens, landscapes, and ecosystems. It teaches us how to use plants, animals, and the landscape in an efficient manner that improves our quality of life. It also helps design sustainable buildings and societies that can prosper easily and efficiently for centuries while minimizing energy and materials use. In this orientation, learn about this perspective and the five Permaculture courses offered over the next year. The Permaculture series will help you turn your home, yard and community, into a vibrant bird- and butterfly-filled space, resplendent with gourmet vegetables and fruits.
Start Time: 18:30
Date: 2011-01-19
End Time: 21:00

Title: Urban Harvest: Start of series Greening our Homes and Communities
Location: University of Houston, Central Campus
Link out: Click here
Description: In a world of rapidly rising energy and material prices and increasing climate protection measures, it is essential that our homes and communites change as quickly as possible. This course begins with an informative guided tour of two energy efficient green homes. CPE credit is available. The Permaculture Guild of Houston is a group of certified permaculture designers who teach these classes.
Start Time: 09:30
Date: 2011-01-29
End Time: 17:00

Title: Urban Harvest: Basics of Permaculture Class
Location: University of Houston, Central Campus
Link out: Click here
Description: This class examines permacultural concepts and principles that are broadly useful in designing sustainable landscapes, natural areas, structures and communities of the highest quality. Coursework includes the three ethical and 12 design principles of permaculture, methods of design using multiple connections, and the causes and importance of climate. It also includes zones (designs that reduce labor); sector (designs that incorporate wild energies such as wind and rain); pattern and edge (designs that increase biodiversity and direct sectors); and mapping (thoughtful placement of trees, animals, structures, gardens to use all these principles). THIS CLASS IS A REQUIRED PREREQUISITE FOR ALL OTHER PERMACULTURE CLASSES. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit is available.
Start Time: 09:30
Date: 2011-01-23
End Time: 17:30

Title: Transition Houston Holiday Dessert Party
Location: 7503 Croton Street, Houston 77036
Link out: Click here
Description: In lieu of our usual monthly meeting, our December Transition
Houston event is a Holiday Dessert Potluck. Bake, Make, or Bring–it doesn’t
matter if it is from your home, a farmers’ market, or from a store; we just
want to see you and visit! This will be a good opportunity for people who
would like to know more about Transition and meet our Transition Houston
community. The location for the party is the home where we held the October Permablitz/10-10-10 Work Party. So, as an added bonus, you can see what was accomplished then and what the homeowner has done since (a lot!).

Cost: Free (please bring dessert)
Contact person for registration: Mark at 832-655-5104
Start Time: 16:00
Date: 2010-12-18
End Time: 18:00

The Executive Director works closely with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust Board, and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority’s Executive Manager of Intergovernmental Relations and Policy, and volunteers for the organization. This individual conducts meetings of the Trust Board and may conduct executive sessions of the Trust Board as needed. This position is responsible for implementing and managing a multi-faceted development program of land and water conservation projects under the organization’s mission and its conservation goals. This position will perform the following duties or have direct oversight including, but not limited to finances, fundraising, administration, marketing, conservation project development, implementation and monitoring, conservation easements, establishing contacts with landowners, developing project partners, education and outreach, and board development. Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in related field, 10 years experience with a land trust.

To apply, send a detailed cover letter and resume to tvotteler@gbra.org.

Visit www.houstontomorrow.org.

1. TCEQ Sunset Commission Staff Report. The Texas Sunset Commission will hold its official public hearing on its review of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on December 15 at the Capitol in Austin. Use the following link to download the report (124 pages): http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/82ndreports/tceq/tceq_sr.pdf. Noteworthy recommendations include:
   • The agency’s enforcement process lacks visibility and statutory authority.  Penalty caps should be increased and the agency should be authorized to assess penalties for dam safety violations.
   • TCEQ needs more authority to protect surface water availability in time of drought and shortage. The Executive Director needs clear authority to curtail water use and require implementation of drought management plans when necessary.
   • The Petroleum Storage Tank Remediation Fee should be reauthorized and previous tank owners and operators should be required to share responsibility for leaking tanks.  The use of the Remediation Fund should be expanded to allow removal of noncompliant tanks that pose a risk.
   • The statutory cap on air emissions fees should be raised.
   • The responsibility for regulating water and wastewater utilities should be transferred from TCEQ to the Public Utilities Commission with adjustments in the Water Utility Regulatory Fee necessary to pay for the transfer.
   • There should be clarification in what the Office of Public Counsel considers in setting priorities for becoming involved in cases.
   • The existing uniform standard for determining compliance history is too rigid and a different model for assessing compliance should be developed.

   This is a critically important hearing that will hopefully lead to improvements at the agency most responsible for protecting both the public health of all Texans and the environmental integrity of our state.  The hearing will also cover reviews of the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Railroad Commission (responsible for drilling in the state) and the Public Utility Commission. The report can be found at  www.sunset.state.tx.us. Rarely have we seen so many state agencies critical to our state’s environmental condition be reviewed at one and the same time.

   Air Alliance Houston and Texas Campaign for the Environment are working together to get as many citizens from the Houston region out to Austin on the day to testify.  Houston area residents will be meeting at 7 a.m. in the rear parking lot of 3100 Richmond to caravan/carpool together to Austin. If you are interested in going out to Austin to attend the hearing or would like more information, please contact Matthew Tejada at tejada@airalliancehouston.org or at 713-528-3779.

2. TCEQ Public Comment and Public Hearing. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has proposed an environmental flows rule that affects the well-being Galveston Bay. The public has the opportunity to voice its opinion by submitting public comments online or by attending the public hearing at 10am on December 16th in Austin, TX. For more information, visit http://galvbay.org/advocacy_inflows.html. For the public hearing, Houston area residents will be meeting at 7 a.m. in the rear parking lot of 3100 Richmond to caravan/carpool together to Austin.
3. 2011 Quality of Place Symposium. Registration for the 2011 Quality of Place Symposium is now open. The event provides an opportunity to hear from experts on Water Quality, Water Supply, and Green Buildings in the Greater Houston region. Visit http://centerforhoustonsfuture.cmail1.com for more information.
4. A Morning in the Country. On December 11, 2010, from 10am to 2pm, the Blackland Educational Land Institute will be hosting an event centered on the use of organics. The use of organics is one of the strongest trends globally and the Houston region is one of the greenest areas in America. Mike Serant is featured at this event and has been at the forefront of the conversion to Organics and can break it down very simply. To learn more about the event, visit www.blackwoodland.org.

1. HANC Winter Holiday Native Tree & Shrub Sale. The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center will be selling over 30 different species of hard to find native trees and shrubs. The sale lasts from December 11 to 19, from 9am to 4pm each day. For more information, visit http://www.houstonarboretum.org/nativeplantsale_wintersale.asp.
2. Audubon Action Alert for White Stallion. National Audubon has sent out an Action Alert to urge the EPA to deny the permit for the White Stallion coal plant. Find the Audubon text and take action link below. Please feel free to send individual comments to help protect the Columbia Bottomlands and other important birding areas. More at http://www.houstonaudubon.org.
3. Texas Christmas Bird Counts. The 111th annual Christmas Bird Count, which is organized by the National Audubon Society, is scheduled for December 14, 2010 to January 5, 2011. Many bird counts will be taking place in the Houston area. To find a count nearby, visit http://www.houstonaudubon.org/default.aspx/MenuItemID/827/MenuGroup/CBC.htm.
4. Holiday in Sheldon Lake State Park. Sheldon Lake State Park is hosting a Holiday Celebration on December 11, 2010, from 1pm until 4pm. Activities include crafting fruit and origami ornaments, a nature walk, making recycled paper seed plots, face-painting, and writing letters to Santa. To learn more, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120872924639700.
5. BTA Welcomes New Executive Director. The Big Thicket Association is proud to announce that Dr. Teresa Tomkins-Walsh is now the executive director of the association. Terry brings to BTA a very diverse set of experiences. She has served as a contract archivist for the Houston Endowment and is currently director of the Houston History Archives in the University of Houston Center for Public History. She has also worked with the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, the Bayou Preservation Association, and The Park People and is now welcomed to BTA.
6. Gulf Coast Green 2011. The Gulf Coast Green 2011 Symposium and Expo, which is taking place in May 2011, is seeking presenters from architecture, interiors, planning, engineering, contracting, education, energy analysis, and other building-related professions. If interested, visit gulfcoastgreen.org to submit an application. The deadline for applications is December 22, 2010.

Featured

1. New Plans In The Works For The Big Thicket (Wendy Siegle – KUHF News, 12/06/2010)
   http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1291611342)
   The Big Thicket National Preserve is located about ninety miles northeast of Houston. It is a biologically diverse space with over 180 bird species and 50 kinds of reptiles. The Sierra Club wants to safeguard the rare ecosystem and protecting the preserve’s biodiversity is the Sierra Club’s priority.
   http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1291611342
2. Critics of water plan says it hurts Galveston Bay (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 12/03/2010)
   The state’s proposed management plan for the two rivers running in Galveston Bay jeopardize the estuary’s health and productivity, according to conservationists and some scientists. Critics say that in times of drought, the plan would deny the bay of fresh water it needs. This would be very detrimental to the ecosystems.
   http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7323601.html
3. I-Team: Residents of Houston neighborhood concerned about cancers, radioactive water (Mark Greenblatt – KHOU News, 12/01/2010)
   Concerned residents fear that the high number of cancer cases in their neighborhood may be linked to the radioactive drinking water that the city has pumped to their neighborhood for years. The Chasewood neighborhood tested above the federal legal limit for radiation in drinking water in its most recent test in 2009.
   http://www.khou.com/news/investigative/Residents-of-Houston-neighborhood-concerned-about-cancers-radioactive-water-111113419.html

EcoNotes

• 8 December
  • EPA hikes stakes on air permits, increasing tensions with Texas (Matthew Tresaugue – Fuel Fix News)
    http://fuelfix.com
• 7 December
  • It’s harder to be green in the winter chill (Barbara Kessler – ABC13 News)
    http://www.greenrightnow.com
  • Recycle: Burn an Enviro-Log instead of the wood in your fireplace (ABC13 News)
    http://www.greenrightnow.com/ktrk/2010/12/07/recycle-burn-an-enviro-log
  • EPA hikes stakes on air permits (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com
  • U.S. govt, Halliburton reach deal on fracking info (Ayesha Rascoe – Reuters News)
    http://www.reuters.com
  • Attorney General Abbott Challenges EPA’s Abrupt Change of Position and Disapproval of Texas’ Flex Permit Program (Attorney General of Texas News)
    https://www.oag.state.tx.us
• 6 December
  • New Plans In The Works For The Big Thicket (Wendy Siegle – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org
  • EPA’s Legal Actions Net Almost 887 Million Across Five-State Region (Wendy Siegle – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org
  • Council OKs lots for sewer lift station (The Galveston County Daily News)
    http://galvestondailynews.com
  • EPA releases agency documents through new website (Waste & Recycling News)
    http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com
  • Deep-water drilling shows signs of a rebound (Brett Clanton – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com
  • EPA Region 6 Compliance and Enforcement Results for 2010 (EPA News)
    http://yosemite.epa.gov
• 3 December
  • Concern over Proposed Pipeline (Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
    http://app1.kuhf.org
  • Critics of water plan says it hurts Galveston Bay (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com
• 2 December
  • Baytown to receive grant toward beautification (The Baytown Sun)
    http://baytownsun.com
  • EPA demands Texas reissue 80 water permits (Ramit Plushnick-Masti – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com
  • Sweeny wants green for parks (Shannon Daughtry – The Facts Covering Brazoria County)
    http://thefacts.com
  • EPA Requests Texas Issue Clean Water Act Permits (EPA News)
    http://yosemite.epa.gov
• 1 December
  • I-Team: Residents of Houston neighborhood concerned about cancers, radioactive water (Mark Greenblatt – KHOU News)
    http://www.khou.com
• 30 November
  • Natural gas drillers feeling pressure (Jennifer A. Dlouhy – Houston Chronicle)
    http://www.chron.com
  • Chambers County plans to draw tourism with its natural resources (KHOU News)
    http://www.khou.com
• November 29
  • Houston company proposes new wind power connection for TVA (Knoxvillebiz News)
    http://www.knoxnews.com