HOUSTON AS CAR-FREE UTOPIA
by Sarah Morgan

In Houston, it is almost impossible to imagine living without an automobile. It is also almost impossible to imagine living without traffic congestion, road construction, and air and noise pollution. But according to J.H. Crawford, author of the book, Carfree Cities, it is possible, and America’s love affair with the automobile just might be headed for divorce.

In both American and European urban centers today, as much as 70 percent of downtown space is dedicated to roadways, parking lots, garages, gas stations, drive-throughs, and car dealerships, according to Crawford, as reported by E/Environmental Magazine.

In Houston, Crawford estimates that drivers spend about 22 percent of their annual income on automobiles and related expenses. Residents of cities such as Houston and Atlanta have little choice, according to Crawford, because of sprawl and poor public transit systems. The percentage of income spent on automobiles is even more staggering considering that both Houston and Atlanta are cities in the southern region of the United States, where the US Census consistently finds the lowest annual income in the nation and the highest poverty rate.

Some may argue that automobiles spur the economy, but according to E, studies show that cars aren’t necessarily great for business. A recent study of 32 German cities found that more foot traffic means more retail sales, and more foot traffic is found when fewer cars are allowed in the area.

Houstonians are familiar with the difficulties that accompany living in a car-dependant city, from respiratory problems to traffic-related deaths to pollution, but Crawford points out that the benefits of a car-free society extend into mental health, too. Fewer cars can mean more green space, a more social atmosphere, and a quieter life.

In the United States, currently there are very few car-free areas. Among them are Mackinac Island, a Michigan resort on Lake Huron, where visitors use bicycles or horses and buggies to get around, and Fire Island off Long Island, New York, where small boats and wagons are the predominant modes of transportation. Fire Island also relies on a system of boardwalks connecting homes and docks.

In Europe, car-free zones are more common, the largest being Venice, where most people travel by boat or on foot. Other areas include Giethoorn in the Netherlands, Zermatt and Barunwald in Switzerland, and Louvain la Neuve, a town in Belgium where streets for cars run beneath separate streets for pedestrians.

http://wwwCarfree.com, the online companion to Crawford's book, lists many other car-free zones around the world, from areas with limited automobile traffic to entire cities that are completely car free.

DRILLING PLAN APPROVED FOR PADRE ISLAND
 Sierra Club

The National Park Service approved a recent plan to drill five new wells on Padre Island National Seashore this week. The plan requires eight months or more of drilling operations to complete the project, including several convoys of heavy trucks per day.

BNP Petroleum also has a permit to drill two additional wells, a project that will likely take four months to complete, and Novus Petroleum, the Australian investor for BNP’s Padre Project, is working on a plan to drill yet another well site on the national seashore.

Padre Island National Seashore is one of 14 national parks in the United States with mineral rights that remain outside of the National Park Service’s jurisdiction. Because mineral rights have dominance over surface rights, land owners, including the National Park Service, are forced to allow access to drilling for oil and gas.

The United States holds just 3 percent of the world’s petroleum reserves, yet consumes 25 percent of the world’s petroleum. The USGS estimates that the amount of natural gas under Padre Island National Seashore is roughly equal to the amount of natural gas that is consumed in the United States in a single day.

Environmental groups including a Surfrider chapter, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, and the Sierra Club are concerned about the effects of drilling and are advocating a federal buyout of the oil and gas rights located under the seashore.

For more information about the proposed drilling, or to find out more about the actions Sierra Club is taking to stop the drilling, visit
http://www.sierraclub.org/field/southernplains/action/petition.asp.

GBCPA CALLS FOR ‘REAL’ STATE OF THE BAY SYMPOSIUM
by Sarah Morgan

In response to this year’s State of the Bay Symposium, held Jan 25 at the Downtown Aquarium, members of the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association called for anyone concerned about Galveston Bay to help organize "The Real State of the Bay" symposium.

Members of GBCPA and others concerned about the state of the bay said that people living around Galveston Bay are not being informed about multiple threats facing the estuary, and these issues are not being fully addressed at the State of the Bay Symposium.

"Many of the ongoing hazards facing Galveston Bay are simply being ignored," Jim Blackburn said in a press release. Blackburn is an environmental attorney and chair of GBCPA.

The symposium was put together by the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, which is a project of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The Estuary Program works with stakeholders to implement the Galveston Bay Plan, a conservation and management plan for the bay. This year’s theme was "The Galveston Bay Plan at Year Ten: Successes, Challenges and Future Direction."

Particular issues threatening the bay include chemical plant safety, continued loss of coastal wetlands, freshwater inflows, and the container terminal at Bayport, according to Blackburn.

"Galveston Bay is a wonderful resource for Greater Houston," said Blackburn. "But we are making a bad mistake if we believe all is going well on this bay."

GBCPA is calling upon individuals, environmental groups, resource agencies and industry to join in discussions about these hazards. Currently, GBCPA plans to hold "The Real State of the Bay" symposium at the bay.

For more information, call the GBCPA office at (281) 326-3343.

The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the January 21 edition of the Houston Business Journal.
LEGACY LAND TRUST TO CELEBRATE SUCCESSFUL YEAR AT ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
By Mary Ellen Whitworth, executive director of the Bayou Preservation Association

Over 2,500 miles of waterways traverse through greater Houston. What if each waterway had at least 50 feet of natural habitat? What if hike-and-bike trails were installed next to these natural areas (riparian zone)? There could be selected view corridors along the way so people could observe the flowing water and water inhabitants. The benefits of these natural areas are increased wildlife, improved water quality, and reduced erosion. Those who have canoed bayous such as Buffalo Bayou, Armand Bayou, or Clear Creek know of this hidden beauty. The many benefits of having natural areas along the edges of bayous warrant full protection. It is also possible to restore this buffer in areas where it has been stripped, assuming a house is not blocking the way. This way, Houston can look to its bayous for a respite from concrete and heat and enjoy their cooling and peaceful grace. Houston needs to act now to preserve what's left and to restore what's been destroyed. For the full article, visit
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2005/01/24/focus8.html

NEXT ROUND OF TRANS-TEXAS CORRIDOR PUBLIC MEETINGS ANNOUNCED

The Texas Department of Transportation will hold another 47 open-house style public meetings in 46 of the 77 counties that could be impacted by the Mexico-Oklahoma corridor element of the Trans-Texas Corridor. The corridor, a superhighway planned to include tollways, rail, pipelines, and more, has been a hot-button issue with urban planners and environmentalists. All meetings will occur from 5 to 8 pm, beginning Feb 7, and running through to March 31. For a full listing of meeting times and places, visit
http://www.corridorwatch.org/ttc/cw-ttc35-mtgs-w2005.htm.

SIERRA CLUB SEEKS ORGANIZER

Sierra Club seeks a highly motivated, experienced organizer for grassroots organizing position located in a one-person office in Houston. Press experience is required and fluency in Spanish is desired. This person will put together a grass roots Building Environmental Communities campaign on stopping rampant sprawl and promoting healthy, clean transportation choices. They must be able to work with many kinds of people (both staff and volunteers), be motivated and motivating, highly organized, and a self-starter. Some training is provided. Send resume and cover letter by Jan 28 to Phyllis Dunham, Southern Plains Regional Field Staff Director, at phyllis.dunham@sierraclub.org.

KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL SEEKS ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

Keep Texas Beautiful, a statewide community clean-up and beautification organization, is seeking an administrative coordinator to oversee logistics for teacher trainings, environmental education forums and training seminars, conference registration, data entry, and mailings. The candidate must be flexible, able to adapt to different work situations, and possess high-level customer service skills. Applicant must be skilled in Word, Excel, database applications, and Outlook. College degree in education, business administration, or communication preferred but not mandatory. Job pays $2,333 to $2,900 per month. Send resumes by fax to (512) 478.2640 or e-mail admin@ktb.org by Jan 18.

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