EarthShare Texas

Placemaking Webinar Series: Activating Public Spaces
2021-11-10 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | TX
For part one of KTB’s placemaking webinar series, join speaker Krista Nightengale with Better Block, a nonprofit that educates, equips, and empowers communities and their leaders to reshape and reactivate built environments to promote growth of healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. This webinar will take attendees through examples of how cities have created a sense of place and community through small-scale solutions.

Putting Down Roots 2021
2021-11-13 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Indiangrass Preserve – Coastal Prairie Conservancy, 31975 Hebert Road, Waller, TX, 77484, United States
Join us for Putting Down Roots 2021 on November 13th from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M. at the Indiangrass Preserve for our largest volunteer planting event of the year! Activities will include planting native plants from the Native Seed Nursery, and we will also have some fun prairie activities with help from our partners around the region.

We invite families, seasoned and new volunteers, and participants of all ages to join us at Putting Down Roots. Snacks and water will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own if you have dietary restrictions. Don’t forget to dress for the weather, wear closed-toe shoes, and bring a reusable water bottle. See you there!

Email info@katyprairie.org for more information.

Trash Makeover Challenge
2021-11-13 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | TX
Please join Texas Campaign for the Environment for their annual creative event, the Trash Makeover Challenge!

Texas Campaign for the Environment is celebrating 30 years of fighting pollution across the state with the annual Trash Makeover Challenge! This unique fashion show features amateur and professional fashionistas who use at least 90% recycled materials to craft spectacular garments and showcase them in a dazzling spectacle for attendees.

There is also an online silent auction, encouraged attendee-costumes, and an Austin-based music legend emcee: Kathy Valentine from The Go-Gos and The Bluebonnets! Tickets are donation based, get yours here.

The Trash Makeover Challenge will take place virtually on Saturday, November 13 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., and we will send you a link to join us online. Visit https://www.trashmakeover.com/ to learn more.

Contact info: sj@texasenvironment.org

Texas Recycles Day (A proud part of America Recycles Day)
2021-11-15 | TX
Texas Recycles Day (ARD), held on and around November 15, is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States!

Texas Roots!
Also known as National Recycling Day, this day began in 1994 after 2 employees of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality suggested the idea to the Nation Recycling Coalition. The first America Recycles Day was officially held on November 15, 1994 and had at least 40 states taking part.

What is TexasRecyclesDay.org?
On Nov. 1st 2021, STAR will launch the all-new TexasRecyclesDay.org, with help from contributing organizations Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) and Take Care of Texas (TCOT).
TexasRecyclesDay.org will be a hub and clearinghouse for sharing recycling information, digital assets, and social media posts, free to use for local governments, businesses, non-profits, and anyone who wants to promote recycling right in Texas.
Assets will be available year-round, and the collection will continue to grow, but each month will feature targeted messaging based on how Texans live and recycle.
We’re setting out to make every day Texas Recycles Day by harmonizing and amplifying recycling messaging state-wide.

How can you participate? Amplify the message!
Starting on Nov 15th and continuing through the holiday season, STAR, KTB, TCOT and our other partners will be posting and promoting Texas recycling with shared videos, graphics, and recycling information.
By focusing all our efforts on the same message, we can make a big impact on recycling in Texas.

Post on Your Own Page(s):
Shared assets will be available starting Nov. 1st, 2021 at TexasRecyclesDay.org

Share Our Posts:
STAR, KTB, TCOT and our other partners will post featured messaging starting Nov 15th on social media channels and as newsletter blasts.

Host a Live Event:
If you’re planning a live event, you can also register it with Keep America Beautiful

This effort was inspired in part by the success of the North Texas Know What to Throw campaign, prepared in cooperation with the North Central Texas Council of Governments through grant funds from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. More info and resources at TimeToRecycle.com

SPARK Week 2021!
2021-11-15 - 2021-11-19 | TX
SPARK School Park Program welcomes the community to join our annual SPARK Week 2021 ribbon cutting. Eight parks across Houston will be celebrated with remarks from school, government, and SPARK leadership, a student performance, ribbon cutting, and a brief reception. In addition, SPARK will present certificates to those involved in making the SPARK Park happen. Each event is expected to last 45 minutes to 1 hour at the following locations and times.
Monday, Nov. 15
Caraway Elementary
Aldine ISD
9:00 AM
3031 Ellington St
Houston, TX 77088
Collins Elementary
Alief ISD
1:00 PM
9829 Town Park Dr
77036
Tuesday, Nov. 16
Daily Elementary
Houston ISD
9:00 AM
12909 Briar Forest Dr
Houston, TX 77077
Wednesday, Nov. 17
Franklin Elementary
Houston ISD
1:00 PM
7101 Canal St
Houston, TX 77011
Thursday, Nov. 18
JP Henderson Elementary
Houston ISD
9:00 AM
1800 Dismuke St
Houston, TX 77023
Herrera Elementary
Houston ISD
1:30 PM
525 Bennington St
Houston, TX 77022
Friday, Nov. 19
Park Place Elementary
Houston ISD
9:00 AM
8235 Park Place Blvd
Houston, TX 77017
Lakeshore Elementary
Humble ISD
1:00 PM
13333 Breakwater Path Ln
Houston, TX 77044

Birds & Art Special Event
2021-11-17 08:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | TX
Join us online Wednesday, November 17 at 6:00 PM for an entertaining presentation by artist Christina Baal, the featured speaker at the Audubon Annual Fall Event co-sponsored by Bexar Audubon Society and San Antonio Audubon Society.

Christina is a wandering bird artist who graduated from Bard College in 2014, then started her own art business, Drawing 10,000 Birds, to achieve her life dream. Christina has traveled across the country and across the world, meeting all kinds of amazing birds and people while working as a naturalist and exhibiting artist at bird festivals. Join Christina as she describes the joys and misadventures of pursuing such an ambitious goal, as well as the importance of art in birding and how the practice of both transcends simply putting an image on paper.

Your $5 ticket purchase qualifies you to register for the 6:00 PM event on Zoom. Each person who attends will also receive a unique raffle number good for prizes at the end of the presentation.

To attend: First visit TicketLeap Audubon Annual Fall Event to purchase your $5 ticket. After purchase, you will receive a confirmation email from TicketLeap. Please click on the View Order button in that email and you will be directed to a Zoom Link to Register for the event and receive your link admitting you to the Zoom meeting. Each person who will attend should register individually, even if one person purchases tickets for a group or family. That way each person gets a “Raffle Ticket” number for the small prints that we will give away at the end of the presentation.

Deadline for reservations is Monday, November 15.

Celebrate Clean Water Fund and Barr Mansion’s 40th Anniversary!
2021-11-17 17:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Barr Mansion, 10463 Sprinkle Rd, Austin, TX, 78754, United States
The celebration features a certified organic, plant-based four-course meal from Barr Mansion’s wonderful kitchen, live music, and celebrity speakers including John Dromgoole of the Natural Gardener, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion, and Austin City Council Member Leslie Pool. Local beer, spirits and other libations included. Cocktails at 5 PM and dinner at 6 PM.

Barr Mansion has long been a fixture on Austin’s “green scene” and for good reason. It offers farm-to-table cuisine and is the nation’s first certified organic venue. Barr is dedicated to preserving the global climate and local ecology, and diverts 97% of its waste stream from landfills and composts all of its food waste onsite.

Proceeds from this event benefit Clean Water Fund, the educational and research component of Clean Water Action. And there’s good reason for this too. Clean Water Fund has been fighting for cleaner and safer water, cleaner air, and protection from toxic pollution in our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces in Texas since 1988! Clean Water Fund thanks Barr Mansion for its generosity.

This event also serves as a farewell and thank you to David Foster, who is retiring after 26 years of work with Clean Water Fund and Clean Water Action.

RSVP by November 15 to reserve your tickets or to make a contribution today. Tickets are also available at the door. For more information, please contact David Foster, 512-474-2046 or dfoster@cleanwater.org.

COVID-19 Protocols: Barr Mansion staff wear masks and hand sanitizers will be available. Guests are requested to be vaccinated and to respect applicable Travis County recommendations regarding masks and social distancing. The event will be outside with the ballroom as fallback in the event of inclement weather.

Save Barton Creek Association: Annual Membership Party
2021-11-22 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | TX
Save Barton Creek Association would like to cordially invite you to our 42nd Annual Membership Party!

Join us virtually for an evening to celebrate efforts in Austin and Hill Country water quality and environmental protection.

Although we would love to be back in person at our usual Zilker Lodge venue, we hope to see every one of our friends, partners, and supporters safely in this virtual environment. We encourage you to have small watch parties with close friends and family. The more the merrier!

We are proud to present SBCA Board Members Roy Waley and Mina Shekarchi as our masters of ceremonies. Agenda includes music by Bill Oliver and the Space Otter Band, a welcome message from Congressman Lloyd Doggett, a State of the Organization address by Board President Clark Hancock, annual awards, trivia, and prizes! This year we congratulate David Foster, Raymond Slade, Kelly Davis, and Laurel and Bill Martin for their recognizable efforts in water quality.

Contact: sydney@savebartoncreek.org for additional informationbarton creek annual membership party

Prairie and Timbers Audubon Society Meeting with Presentation on "New Zealand: Last Best Place on Earth"
2021-11-23 18:45 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | TX
In November 2019, which is spring in the southern hemisphere, six PTAS members went on a guided birding/scenery trip to New Zealand. Their three-week trip covered most of the North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island, the farthest southern part of the eastern hemisphere. Spectacular, rugged scenery and unique birds were seen everywhere. Fewer than 20% of the birds they saw are seen in North America; and they saw 41 endemic species (birds only seen in New Zealand), such as the South Island Saddleback. And yes, they did see and hear several Kiwis! Come and share their adventure.

To register for this event, email ptaszoom@gmail.com with your name and postal address and receive a link.

Placemaking Webinar Series: Public Art as a Placemaking Tool
2021-11-30 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | TX
Join us for the second installment of the placemaking webinar series, where we will bring in experts on creating public art programs that serve as a placemaking tool. Speaker Elia Quiles is the co-founder and Principal of UP Arts Studio in Houston. She will be speaking about an award-winning civic art program of UP Arts Studio called “mini murals”, which seeks to transform drab utility cabinets in the public right of way into vibrant artworks that beautify and uplift communities. Mini Murals instill civic pride, improve neighborhoods, honor and celebrate people and cultural histories, and advance equity. Since 2015, UP Art Studio has produced and installed more than 300 Mini Murals – with more continuously in development in a growing roster of communities.

Buy Recycled Month
2021-12-01 - 2021-12-31 | TX
Recycling Right is only the first step to building the circular economy, a system that keeps our resources circulating from consumers back to manufacturers, creating more jobs and keeping our resources out of the landfill.
That’s why we’re encouraging participants to share Buy Recycled messaging for December.
Visit the STAR website to find graphics and other resources you can use on social media.

Viva Texas Rivers!
2021-12-01 18:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Biga on the Banks, 203 S St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX, 78205, United States
Join the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance for an evening celebrating Texas Rivers with some of Texas’ most distinguished authors.
Guests will enjoy a four-course meal & unlimited libations and will take home their own copies of Viva Texas Rivers! Signed by the authors.

Unplugged Adventure: Foraging the Katy Prairie
2021-12-04 09:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Rock Hollow Prairie – Warren Ranch, 15025 Warren Ranch Road, Hockley, TX, 77447, United States
Take a walk through the historic Rock Hollow Prairie with foraging expert Dr. Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen at KPC’s Unplugged Adventure: Foraging the Katy Prairie on Saturday, December 4th!

During this adventure, you will learn which prairie plants are edible and which have medicinal properties while exploring a portion of the Warren Ranch only accessible during scheduled events. The foraging tour will meet at the Warren Ranch office where you are encouraged to use the restroom before departing to Rock Hollow Prairie with Dr. Vorderbruggen.

Email info@katyprairie.org for more information.

Volunteer Day: 9 Natives Showcase Garden
2021-12-13 09:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | 9 Natives Showcase Garden, 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, 77030, United States
Interested in volunteering at the 9 Natives Showcase Garden at the Houston Museum of Natural Science? This monthly volunteer opportunity is the perfect way to get involved and support native plants in the heart of Houston!

On the second Monday of each month, volunteers will maintain the garden by pulling weeds, planting new native plants, and monitoring the garden’s growth. Volunteers of all ages and experience are welcome to join this come-and-go event.

Physical Requirements: Bending, kneeling, or sitting on the ground; some light lifting.
Recommended Clothing: Hat, closed toe shoes, and long pants.
What to bring: Water in a reusable water bottle, garden gloves (or the museum has disposable vinyl gloves), and any garden hand tools that you have such as pruners (or scissors), trowel, tool for weeding. KPC will also provide tools.

The 9 Natives Showcase Garden is located outside of the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the corner of Hermann Park Drive and San Jacinto Street. Three hour parking is available along Hermann Park Drive or in the parking lot with entrance from the circular drive around the statue of Sam Houston.

Contact Lan Shen, lshen@katyprairie.org, for more information.

McKinney Circle Christmas Bird Count
2021-12-26 07:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Nature Pl, McKinney, TX, 75069, United States
As is tradition, the McKinney Christmas Bird Count will be held on Dec. 26th, the day after Christmas, starting at 7:00am and generally ending between 4:00-4:30pm. The McKinney count circle is 15 miles in diameter centered on the Heard Museum, and it is divided into 9 zones. Volunteers join with a zone leader to survey their assigned area, recording the time spent, the distance traveled, and a list of all the birds seen or heard.

KPC Holiday Open House at the Indiangrass Preserve
2021-12-27 10:00 - 13:00, 2021-12-28 10:00 - 13:00, 2021-12-29 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Indiangrass Preserve – Coastal Prairie Conservancy, 31975 Hebert Road, Waller, TX, 77484, United States
Join us for our Holiday Open House days at the Indiangrass Preserve on the Katy Prairie! Our staff and volunteers will welcome visitors and families for holiday crafts, winter prairie ecology stations, pond dip-netting, and nature bingo out on the trails.

Learn more about life on the prairie in winter.
Make a festive popcorn and berry garland to take home to help feed our visiting songbirds.
Create your own one-of-a-kind migrating duck or goose craft.
Seed stomp native grass and wildflower seeds in the meadow.
Visit the pond for dip-netting and then head out to the Ann Hamilton Trail to play Prairie Bingo!

This is a free event, and no reservations are needed. As always, we welcome donations and end-of-year gifts!

Contact info@katyprairie.org for more information

Tanglers, Toys & Holiday Decorations Recycling Awareness
2022-01-01 - 2022-01-31 | TX
Around the holidays, ‘Tanglers’ like broken Christmas lights, old toys, and old decorations create a huge problem at recycling sorting facilities.
Tanglers get caught in the machinery and can take hours of hazardous work to fix, Toys and holiday decorations are often made of different types of plastic and can’t be recycled easily, so they should be donated or thrown away – not put in recycling.
That’s why we’re encouraging participants to share No Tanglers or Toys messaging for January.
Vist the STAR website for more information.

Katy Prairie Conservancy's Stewardship Saturday
2022-01-08 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Indiangrass Preserve – Coastal Prairie Conservancy, 31975 Hebert Road, Waller, TX, 77484, United States
Looking for a way to get your hands dirty and help the prairie? Come join us for a STEWARDSHIP SATURDAY! Volunteers help manage invasive species, plant native plants, and restore prairie habitats. All ages are welcome to participate – no experience necessary!

Physical Requirements: Bending, kneeling, or sitting on the ground; some light lifting.
What to wear: Closed-toe shoes, tall socks, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, hat.
What to bring: Reusable water bottle, gardening gloves (we have pairs to borrow). All other tools are provided.

Contact info@katyprairie.org for more information

9 Natives Showcase Garden Volunteer Day at the Houston Museum of Natural Science - January
2022-01-10 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | 9 Natives Showcase Garden, 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, 77030, United States

Unplugged Adventure: Coming Home to Roost
2022-01-12 16:00 - 18:00, 2022-01-19 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | Indiangrass Preserve – Coastal Prairie Conservancy, 31975 Hebert Road, Waller, TX, 77484, United States
Each winter, the Katy Prairie becomes home to flocks of birds fleeing cooler climates for the season. Join John Berner and Steve Gast, local birding enthusiasts, to see one of the most charismatic of these species, the sandhill crane, come in to roost on the prairie for the evening. You also will see waterfowl and other birds moving to their nighttime roosts. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

Meet at 4 pm at the Indiangrass Preserve Field Office. The group will be leaving promptly at 4:15 pm. The cranes sometimes shift their roost sites a bit, so our guides will be scouting within a few days of the field trip to determine a good viewing location. Depending on where that is, we may be doing a bit of driving over field roads, but not rough ones (we can combine into vehicles best suited for this). Bring binoculars and camera and dress in camouflage or dark colors; a spotting scope could be helpful.

$20 registration fee.

Contact info@katyprairie.org for more information.

Prairie and Timbers Audubon Society Meeting with Presentation
2022-01-25 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | TX
Presentation: Mitigating and Monitoring Bird-Building Collisions

Speaker: Dr. Tania Homayoun – Texas Parks and Wildlife Texas Nature Trackers Biologist

Description: Collisions with buildings and glass are one of the top human-related causes of death to native birds in the United States. Dr. Tania Homayoun’s presentation will introduce the biological and design factors associated with bird-building collisions and why they matter to bird conservation; techniques for mitigating collisions; and strategies for monitoring collisions in built landscapes.

Laredo Birding Festival
2022-02-02 - 2022-02-05 | icon-renewable-energy-solar-3
Sponsored by Monte Mucho Audubon Society and Rio Grande International Study Center

The Laredo Birding Festival includes professionally guided field trips, a chance to catch local green parakeets in action at St. Peter’s Plaza in the afternoon, and special talks in the evenings. Enjoy a diverse selection of scenic getaways that can be explored during the three-day Laredo Birding Festival.

Register here.

Horticulture Happy Hour with Leslie Uppinghouse
2022-02-07 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | TX
We’re back! SBCA is thrilled to hold our first Happy Hour of the year Monday, February 7th at 7 pm. Our guest will be Leslie Uppinghouse, Lead Horticulturist of the Central Garden East at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Leslie will be giving tips on how to add Texas native plants to your gardens and yards. She will also be discussing the benefits of land stewardship and guiding us through the Wildflower Center’s online plant database.

SBCA Happy Hours are always the first Monday of the month, so mark your calendars! While this discussion with Leslie will be on zoom, we hope to move back to in-person social events soon.

Click here to register and add to calendar. Hope to see you there!

Stewardship Saturday
2022-02-12 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Indiangrass Preserve – Coastal Prairie Conservancy, 31975 Hebert Road, Waller, TX, 77484, United States

KPC Volunteer Orientation
2022-02-12 12:30 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | Indiangrass Preserve – Coastal Prairie Conservancy, 31975 Hebert Road, Waller, TX, 77484, United States
Save the date for our 2022 KPC Volunteer Orientation on February 12th, 2022 from 12:30 to 2:30pm at the Indiangrass Preserve.

This is a great training opportunity for new and current volunteers alike. Come to learn about KPC’s latest news, updates on our preserves, history of the Katy Prairie, ecology of the coastal prairie, and important information on all of our current volunteer opportunities. This will also be a great opportunity to meet fellow KPC volunteers and help to host new volunteers!

Contact Bethany Foshee at bfoshee@katyprairie.org for more information

9 Natives Showcase Garden Volunteer Day at the Houston Museum of Natural Science
2022-02-14 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | 9 Natives Showcase Garden, 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, 77030, United States

Governor’s Community Achievement Awards Application Closes
2022-02-17 | TX
For more than thirty years, Keep Texas Beautiful, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), has awarded the prestigious Governor’s Community Achievement Awards to Texas communities for their outstanding overall efforts to keep their communities beautiful. This year, ten winning communities will share $2 million in landscaping awards from the Texas Department of Transportation, with the amount based on population size. The funds are used for landscaping projects along local rights-of-way. A community’s environmental program is judged on achievements in seven areas:

Community Leadership and Coordination
Public Awareness and Outreach
Environmental Education and Youth Engagement
Beautification and Community Improvement
Litter Prevention and Cleanup
Solid Waste Management
Litter Law and Illegal Dumping Enforcement

Application Link: https://ktb.org/gcaa
