The Bayou Banner
July 2017 Edition
General Meeting, July 13, 2017 — Jackie Young of the Texas Health and Environmental Alliance
On Thursday evening, July 13, Jackie Young, Executive Director and founder of Texas Health and Environment Alliance, will discuss the San Jacinto River Waste Pits and how Texas Health and Environment Alliance plans to make our region a safer place for future generations. Under Jackie’s leadership, the San Jacinto River Coalition has dramatically impacted the Waste Pits’ Superfund process. In September of 2016 the EPA announced a monumental proposal to fully clean up the Waste Pits. Building upon the success of the San Jacinto River Coalition, Jackie founded Texas Health and Environment Alliance, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting water resources, public health, and Galveston Bay’s precious estuary from the harmful effects of toxic waste.
The event is free and open to the public at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1805 West Alabama, Houston. Main program starts 7:30 PM. Doors open 7:00 PM.
Houston METRO is currently taking public comments as they develop a new transportation plan. This new plan will determine which projects METRO will pursue during the next 15-20 years. Keep in mind that transportation infrastructure can transform cities. This has been happening in a number of U.S cities, including such “auto” oriented cities as Denver, Los Angeles, and Seattle. So this is about what we want to see for the future.
Go here for more information.
To “start at the beginning” of the story of our victory against ExxonMobil, you’d have to go back more than seven years. To explain why it matters, you’d have to go back decades, because the pollution that makes people sick in the Houston area has been around for a long time. It is not often that legal victories like this occur, especially ones that illuminate the environmental injustices that many communities face.
Go here for more information.
The City of Houston (COH) is currently considering a new contract for its recycling program with FCC Environmental Services, which is the U.S. subsidiary of FCC (Fomento de Construcciones & Contratas), a global environmental services and infrastructure company. FCC Environmental has secured contracts to operate recycling services for several Texas cities, including Dallas, Garland, and Mesquite.
Go here for more information.
In the last few years battery-electric garbage and recycling trucks have become viable and have started service in a number of locations world wide, including the U.S. city of Chicago. And service is about to start in Sacramento and Los Angeles. The benefits of electrification are significantly reduced fuel and maintenance costs, and reduced carbon emissions.
Go here for more information.
Welcome. Tell us a little about yourself
My given name is Arthur Browning; most people who know me call me Art. You might think of this as my swan song to the Houston Sierra Club; I’ve recently moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, headed for terrain much like the hills and valleys of eastern Tennessee where I grew up.
Go here for more information.
Solarize Houston Enrollment Ends July 31
Your chance to join in Solarize Houston’s 2017 group purchase of solar equipment ends on July 31. In 2016, Solarize Houston drove 13 projects for 109 kW of new solar capacity in the Houston area. Participants saved 15% - 20% in addition to the 30% federal investment tax credit. 2017 looks better, say Solarize Houston volunteers.
Go here for more information.
Get Outdoors!
For information on upcoming outings in the Houston area, check out our MeetUp site or our Outings Calendar on our website.
Bad News Can Be Good News!
By Brandt Mannchen
We drove up to the park entrance fee station and there everyone was. It seemed like we all had arrived almost at the same time. What a miracle! There was David, Luther, An, Tea, Betsy, Corinne, Christa, Lisa, Barry, Sara, Andrew, Taylor, Von, Lynda, and myself. Great group and great timing.
Go here for more information.
Spring Blossoms and Tall Trees – Paddling Through the Cypress Wonderland
Nestled in the basin of the Trinity River, the Cypress Wonderland is a wonderful place to explore. We were especially looking forward to visiting it on June 10 because, as reported in the January 2017 issue of the Bayou Banner, the outing we had planned there for last December had to be cancelled due to severe weather. But today, conditions were fine: the water level was high enough to make remote parts of the swamp accessible, many swamp flowers were in bloom, and a long-blocked bayou had opened up.
Go here for more information.