NEW WASTE BILL ELIMINATES PUBLIC MEETING REQUIREMENT
By Sarah Morgan

Among the bills that Texas governor Rick Perry has signed into law this year is House Bill 1609, which contains a provision eliminating the right to a public meeting when hazardous waste facilities, landfills, and other trash facilities are proposed, according to the Texas Campaign for the Environment.

Current laws require that a public meeting be scheduled automatically when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is considering a new hazardous waste, landfill, or other trash dump permit. But, starting September 1, instead of automatic public meetings when new facilities are proposed, HB 1609 says that either a state legislator must request a public meeting or the executive director of the TCEQ must decide that there is sufficient interest to justify holding a meeting. Originally the bill applied only to small landfills in West Texas, but in the final days of the legislative session the bill's provisions were expanded, said the TCE.

The Texas Campaign for the Environment and others are calling for the TCEQ to develop rules specifying what will meet the new test of sufficient interest. Presently, there are no criteria to guide the executive director.

TCEQ told the Associated Press that automatic meetings should not be required because no one shows up to the meetings about 30 percent of the time.

However, the TCE says this is due in part to insufficient public notice of the meetings.

TCEQ SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR SOLID WASTE COUNCIL

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is requesting nominations for eight positions on the state's Municipal Solid Waste Management and Resource Recovery Advisory Council. Six appointments will be made by the TCEQ Commissioners for six-year terms, and two appointments will be made to complete unexpired terms, ending August 31, 2007. There are five open positions for elected officials, one open position for an official from a city or county solid waste agency, one for a representative from a public solid waste district or authority, and one for a representative of the general public.

The council was created by the 69th Legislature in 1983, and the council is responsible for reviewing and evaluating the effect of state policies and programs on municipal solid waste management. The council also makes recommendations concerning municipal solid waste management, recommends legislation to encourage efficient management of solid waste, recommends policies for the use, allocation, or distribution of planning funds, and recommends special studies and projects to further the effectiveness of municipal solid waste management and recovery in the State of Texas. The council members are required by law to hold at least one meeting in Austin every three months, lasting one to two full days.

To nominate an individual, submit a biographical summary that includes the nominee's work experience, and provide him or her a copy of the nomination. The nominee will need to submit a letter indicating willingness to serve if appointed.

Written nominations and letters from nominees must be received by the TCEQ by 5 pm, July 15. For more information, contact Gary Trim at gtrim@tceq.state.tx.us, or visit http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/permitting/wasteperm/advcouncil/advisory.html.

LOCALLY GROWN FOOD: GOOD FOR YOU, GOOD FOR THE PLANET
by Vicki Wolf , Citizens' League for Environmental Action Now

Houston may be one of the best cities in the United States in which to find locally grown food. This area has one of the most extensive community garden programs in the country, and an abundance of local food is available at farmers' markets and food co-ops.

The average meal in the United States travels 1,500 miles from farm to table, and that distance is increasing, according to the International Society for Ecology and Culture. Many of those well-traveled foods have been imported from other countries. The transport of food from abroad and from across the United States requires large quantities of fossil fuel. One way to reduce dependence on fossil fuel, and the pollution that comes from burning it, is to eat locally grown food.

"Millions of people depend on a food chain that is dependent on oil that is being depleted," said Bob Randall, co-founder and executive director of Urban Harvest, a Houston-area nonprofit organization that supports farmers' markets and community gardening. "We need to rebuild local agriculture and make it financially rewarding," he said.

The food grown in your own community is fresher and more nutritious than produce transported thousands of miles. Imported produce may then sit on a store shelf for a week or longer, losing more nutrients. Locally grown food requires less packaging, fewer preservatives, and no irradiation. Local food also has the advantage of being grown without genetic modification. Biotechnology companies typically license genetically modified fruits and vegetables only to larger, factory-style farms.

Buying locally grown food helps the local economy because more money goes to local farmers rather than multi-national corporations. The number of family farms in the United States is dropping rapidly. Commodity prices are below the cost of production. When local farmers sell directly to consumers through farmers' markets and co-ops, they cut out the middleman and receive full retail dollar.

The Bayou City Farmers' Market, supported by Urban Harvest, offers organic food grown by local farmers and gardeners.

"The markets tend to build community," Jim Bundscho, market manager, said. "They are meeting places where people exchange ideas and families can bring children."

The Bayou City Farmers' Market is open every Saturday, 8 am to noon, at 3000 Richmond.

The Houston Farmers Market, started in 2003 by Susan Cobb and Portia Leyendecker, is a growers-only market. Growers-only means the produce bought at the market was grown, picked, and sold by the same person. Saturday's market is from 8 am to noon in the Heights behind Onion Creek Coffee House, 3106 White Oak. Tuesday's market is 5 to 7 pm in the Rice/West U area in the parking lot of Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice at Greenbriar.

Midtown Farmers Market is open from 8 am to noon, Saturdays, at Monica Pope's T'afia Restaurant, 3701 Travis Street. The market offers locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs, artisanal chocolates, fair-trade organic coffee, and more. The restaurant features delicious meals made with locally grown food.

Locally grown food is featured, along with organic produce from national distributors, at Central City Co-op. Central City Co-op is expanding to facilitate partner co-ops throughout the Houston area as distribution points for gardeners and farmers who have excess organic food, according to Patricia Greer, who co-created the Central City Co-op with her daughter, Jennifer Georgantas.

Another way to have locally grown food is to start your own garden. Urban Harvest offers classes, information, and volunteer opportunities for people interested in learning how to garden in the Houston area. Urban Harvest involves about 2,000 people in about 150 gardens. The gardens are located at parks, housing projects, religious institutions, vacant lots, and on private property throughout the Houston area.

JESSE H. JONES PARK & NATURE CENTER - SOLDIERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Celebrate Independence Day with re-enactor John Keahey as he portrays three soldiers in one presentation, at the Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center's "Soldiers of the American Revolution" event, Saturday, July 2, 20634 Kenswick Drive, beginning at 10 am. Learn what life was like for a British soldier and for an American Continental patriot during our country's war for independence. All ages welcome to attend. For more information, contact (281) 446-8588.

URBAN HARVEST: HOW TO START A COMMUNITY OR SCHOOL GARDEN

Urban Harvest will offer its popular workshop, "How to Start a Community or School Garden," on Monday, July 11. If you've been thinking about starting a community or school garden, Gary Edmondson can show you the ingredients for success, including planning, coordination, finances, and garden design. Edmondson's workshop will run from 4 to 6:30 pm at Urban Harvest, 1900 Kane. For more information, contact (713) 880-5540 or visit http://www.urbanharvest.org. The workshop is free but registration is required.

TOYOTA ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES GRANT PROGRAM

Toyota Motor Corporation is accepting applications for the FY2005 Toyota Environmental Activities Grant, a program designed to support environmental revitalization and conservation activities, for the purpose of sustainable development.
The program was established in commemoration of Toyota's receipt of the Global 500 Award in 1999 from the United Nations Environment Program and has been implemented every year since FY2000 as part of the company's environmental philanthropy.
The program provides general grants to support practical projects in the areas of environmental education and experience-based learning, or creating/providing the opportunities for such activities, as well as projects aimed at the localization of experiment-based environmental technology at the community level. Projects are to be conducted by NPOs and other nonprofit private groups, with no restriction regarding implementation sites or limit on the grant amount per project. The deadline to apply is July 8.
For application guidelines and an overview of previous grants, visit http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/2631/toyota.

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