Environmental & Environmental Justice

At the January web meeting, we welcome Jaime Gonzalez, Community Conservation Director, Katy Prairie Conservancy, who will address Caring for the Plants that Care for Us.  He will discuss the importance of native plants for biodiversity, water absorption, carbon sequestration, the economy, and creating a sense of place.  He will link the well-being of eco-systems to human well-being. Jaime will also discuss the work of Katy Prairie Conservancy to restore native prairie, "re-wild" Houston with pocket prairies, offer citizen conservation opportunities and a new initiative to encourage residents to plant the "nine natives" in their yards. Jaime will give details on using these native plantings on your property, will provide resources and outlets for getting native plants, and will even delve into the ethics of saving wildlife by providing native plant habitat. After his talk, there will be time for Q&A to answer your native plant questions. A generous donor has pledged a donation to the Katy Prairie Conservancy if at least 10 people sign up for and attend Jaime’s talk. Please register for this talk, and you will receive an invitation to the web meeting. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church in Houston invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2018 is Stewardship.

At the February web meeting, we welcome Bruce Bodson, President/Executive Director of Lower Brazos Riverwatch, who will address Stewardship of Water.  Water is a uniquely versatile medium, functioning as a vital resource, a habitat, a recreation venue, and a waste conveyance.  As we have often seen in Houston, it is also a destructive force of nature.  Stewardship of water entails balancing these functions and our management of the hazard in a manner that allows for protection of the resource, for all the human benefits to be obtained, and still leave a reasonably unimpaired habitat for other species.  Here in Houston, the Bayou City, we are blessed with an abundance of waters, but we struggle with maintaining the balance of uses that allows us to enjoy this abundance without causing irreparable harm to the resource.  This presentation will examine the resources we have, and consider the effects of the ever growing demand placed on them.  It will also look at some examples of local programs that strive to bring balance to our consumption and regulation of the resource.  After Bruce’s talk, there will be time for Q&A.  Please register for this talk, and you will receive an invitation to the web meeting.  Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2018 is Stewardship. At the March web meeting, we welcome John Ferguson, soil scientist & owner of Nature's Way Resources, a Houston-based composting, mulch & recycling firm.   John's talk is an introduction to a new model of soil science and fertility management called the “Soil Food Web”.  It explains how biological (organic) methods work and how they save you time and money in your gardening projects by preventing many problems. The biological methods are sustainable; greatly reduce water requirements, prevent problems, eliminate air and water pollution, sequester carbon, and lower total management costs from property management to erosion control. Learn from the man whose personal garden has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens and several gardening books. After John’s talk, there will be time for Q&A.

The Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to learn how you and/or your house of worship can go solar for less by leveraging the Solarize Houston program. Solarize Houston is a program of the Houston Renewable Energy Group, a local non-profit dedicated to promoting renewable energy solutions and businesses. Solarize Houston is a group purchasing program for rooftop solar, which achieved discounts of 20 percent on rooftop solar purchases for participants when it was held in 2016 & 2017.

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2018 is Stewardship.

At the April web meeting, we welcome Bakeyah Nelson, Air Alliance Houston's Executive Director, who will discuss Addressing Ongoing Air Quality Challenges in Houston. Bakeyah will provide her perspective on some of the current air quality challenges that Houston is facing - ones that Air Alliance Houston is working to address to improve public health. These range from concerns about concrete batch plants and metal recycling facilities, to the proposed expansion of I-45. Air Alliance Houston is also working with community partners to address some of the challenges exposed during Hurricane Harvey. Bakeyah will also highlight how you can get involved. After her talk, there will be time for Q&A.  Please register for this talk, and you will receive an invitation to the web meeting.  Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

  Last fall, world religious leaders presented the interfaith climate declaration, Walk Gently on Earth, to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Bonn. The Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to a talk about the declaration by Imaad Khan, of the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy (TICPP), who was there. Imaad will discuss the presentation of the declaration, its message, and how houses of worship and their members can leverage this initiative. Walk Gently on Earth invites people of faith to lead the world in adopting a sustainable lifestyle.

Join us on Sunday, June 24 in Montrose to hear about and discuss paths to realizing the the goal of high-quality public transportation! We'll have a panel of local transit leaders, hear remarks from elected officials, and break out into groups to work shop strategies for statewide coordination.

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2018 is Stewardship. On Sunday, July 29 at 6 p.m., we welcome Steve Stelzer, Program Director for Houston’s Green Building Resource Center. Steve is an architect with 30 years’ experience who is focused on making Houston a greener place to live and work. He will discuss the center’s work to educate the public on healthy and energy/water/material-conserving design & construction. This mission is accomplished in a number of ways: a showroom highlighting building components, water conservation, site, and energy efficiency, monthly educational seminars on a wide variety of topics, and plan review services to suggest strategies to conserve energy and water, save money, & create a healthier building environment.

Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to a monthly environmental education web meeting series whose theme in 2018 is Stewardship.