EarthDayHTX

Speaker Series Agenda

Earth Day HTX Speaker Series Agenda   Earth Day HTX Festival Activities

Main Auditorium Live Stream   |   Main Reading Room Live Stream

Agenda times are:
April 17 at 9:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 1:00 | 2:00 | 3:00 | 4:00 |
April 18 at 9:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 1:00 | 2:00 | 3:00 | 4:00
April 19 at 11:00

Dowloadable Speaker Series Schedules

Day 1 – April 17, 2023     Day 2 – April 18, 2023

RSVP to each day's event by clicking the button below

Page last updated April 17, 2023 8:31 AM

April 17, 2023 - 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.

Main Auditorium – Julia Ideson Library
Being a Climate Mayor in Texas: A Conversation with Mayor Sylvester Turner

Sylvester Turner Katharine Hayhoe

Sylvester Turner - Mayor of Houston
Mayor Turner will discuss his tenure as Chair of Climate Mayors in 2022 and his involvement in the organization that includes 750 U.S. mayors who demonstrate climate leadership. Mr. Turner has served as mayor of the City of Houston since 2016. He was instrumental in launching the city’s first-ever climate Action Plan providing evidenced-based recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preventative measures to address the negative outcomes of climate change.

Katharine Hayhoe – Professor of Political Science, Texas Tech University
Dr. Hayhoe will moderate and converse with Mayor Turner about climate change and what his experience has been as a climate mayor. Dr. Hayhoe is a climate scientist focused on establishing a scientific basis for assessing the regional local-scale impacts of climate change on human systems and the natural environment. She is the chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor.

April 17, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

10 a.m. Main Auditorium – Julia Ideson Library
The M word – putting the Mass in transit – Transit, Transportation and Resilience
Conversational Panel

David Fields Kimberly Williams Peter Eccles Beth White Priya Zachariah

David Fields - Transportation Planner, Planning Department - City of Houston
Kimberly Williams - Chief Innovation Officer - METRO
Peter Eccles - Director of Policy and Planning - LINK Houston
Beth White - President & CEO - Houston Parks Board
Moderator: Priya Zachariah, Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer

Oftentimes in the discussion of climate action and resilience, the impact of the transportation sector turns to electric vehicles. But the purpose of this session is to highlight importance, benefits, challenges and opportunities that mass transit implementation presents in not only reducing GHG emissions, but also, when done right create equitable and essential access to mass transit services, that speak to both high-capacity transit, first and last mile, coverage services, and bayou trails.

April 17, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

10 a.m. Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Houston’s Water Future:  Meeting the Needs of Houston’s Growing Population and Customers Equitably
Conversational Panel

Carol Haddock Yvonne Forrest Veronica Osegueda Greg Olinger Matthew Berg

Carol Haddock, P.E. – Director - Houston Public Works
Yvonne Forrest - Deputy Director - Houston Water
Veronica Osegueda - Deputy General Manager, Harris Galveston Subsidence District
Greg Olinger, P.E., PMP - Executive Director, Coastal Water Authority
Moderator: Matthew Berg - CEO & Principal Scientist - Simfero Consultants

Houston’s rapid and steady increase in population, aging infrastructure, number and level of natural disasters, water rates, water supply and demand challenges, and regional inequities, have elicited the city to raise to the occasion. Building upon the Resilient Houston and Climate Action Plans, Houston Public Works is looking at these many challenges and taking action to address each of them.

April 17, 2023 - 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Main Auditorium – Julia Ideson Library
Charging Infrastructure: The Future of E-Mobility in Houston
Conversational Panel

Gary Glasscock David Owen Steve Shur Harry Tenenbaum Fellipe Balieiro

Gary Glasscock – Director – Houston Fleet Management Dept.
David Owen - Transportation Electrification Manager - CenterPoint Energy
Steve Shur - Vice President of Government Affairs, Hertz
Harry Tenenbaum - Director of Commercialization & Infrastructure - Evolve Houston
Moderator: Fellipe Balieiro , Director of Energy and Mobility Research, S&P Global

With 47% of greenhouse gas emissions in Houston coming from the transportation sector, electric vehicles are a great tool to reduce our city’s carbon footprint and improve air quality, but EV remain a small percentage of the regional fleet. The main two barriers to adoption are the perception that EVs remain a luxury and range anxiety, or the perception that charging infrastructure – not being quite as ubiquitous as gas stations – is still insufficient. Gary Classcock, Lesli Cummings, Steve Shur, Harry Tenenbaum, and Fellipe Balieiro will discuss a variety of programs advancing the deployment of charging infrastructure in Houston, across the state, and throughout the country, as well as efforts to make EVs affordable for all.

April 17, 2023 - 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

11 a.m. Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Community Resilience in Action: Resilience Hubs, Microgrids, and Measuring Success
Conversational Panel

Yaneth Calderon Paul Nelson Jordana Vasquez Jennifer Ostlind Gavin Dillingham

Yaneth Calderon - Project Manager, COH MORS
Paul Nelson - Founding Principal - Resilient Cities Catalyst
Jordana Vasquez - Senior Manager, Climate Resilience & Equity - Resilient Cities Network
Jennifer Ostlind - Deputy Director - Houston Planning and Development Department
Moderator: Dr. Gavin Dillingham - Former VP of Research, Clean Energy - Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)

Defining resilience is hard – let alone measuring. And even when we measure, how does it compare with lived experience – or the experience of one community vs. another. The City of Houston is collaborating with the Resilience Cities Network (R-Cities) and the Z Zurich Foundation to understand barriers to achieving urban resilience through direct communication with the communities most affected by flood and extreme heat events and to develop viable resilience projects.

April 17, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library -
Houston: Leading the Transition to a Low-Carbon World
Spotlight Chat

Bobby Tudor Sylvester Turner

Bobby Tudor - CEO, Artemis Energy Partners and Chair – Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Greater Houston Partnership
Mayor Sylvester Turner

“Houston: Leading the Transition to a Low-Carbon World.” As the Energy Capital of the World, Houston has both the opportunity and responsibility to lead the energy transition to a more efficient, energy-abundant, low-carbon world. Global demand for energy is growing, and at the same time, there is an urgent need to address the climate change crisis. No other city in the world has the expertise and the know-how to solve this problem, but how is Houston leveraging its energy leadership to accelerate global solutions for an energy-abundant, low-carbon future?

April 17, 2023 - 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Solar Energy for All: Accelerating Investment Without Leaving Anyone Behind
Conversational Panel

Dori Wolfe Fred Wu Emily Dalecki Thomas Pommier Kay McCall

Dori Wolfe - Houston Area Program Coordinator, Solar United Neighbors
Fred Wu - Director, Community Engagement, U.S. Solar – iChoosr
Emily Dalecki - Renewable Energy Markets & Policy Analyst - National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Thomas Pommier - Deputy Assistant Director, MORS - COH
Moderator: Kay McCall - Board Chair, REAL

Houston has the second-biggest urban solar rooftop capacity in the United States and the Houston Climate Action Plan calls for building the city’s solar capacity to 5 million MWh of local solar per year by 2050. Rooftop solar has a role to play in achieving this target and can also increase energy resilience for residents and businesses, but how do we accelerate the adoption of rooftop solar energy? And how do we ensure low-income communities are not left behind in the process? Bret Fanshaw, Fred Wu, Emily Dalecki, Thomas Pommier, and Kay Mcall will discuss the current state of solar adoption in Houston and explore challenges as well as some of the solutions – from aggregation campaigns to permitting improvements.

April 17, 2023 - 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library
Building Optimization: New Buildings and Existing Buildings
Deeper Dive Panel

Nicholas Hadjigeorge Heath Wierck Byron King Steve Stelzer

Nicholas Hadjigeorge - Assistant Chief Policy Officer, Utility Regulation - City of Houston Administration & Regulatory Affairs
Heath Wierck - Staff Analyst - Building Code Enforcement, Public Works - City of Houston
Byron King - Building Official, Public Works - City of Houston
Moderator: Steve Stelzer - Program Director CE Green Building Resource Center - Houston Public Works

The Construction Code Modernization project is a part of Houston’s Resilient Plan and was constituted from Federal funds received due to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.   The comprehensive review of the eleven current codes and adopting the 2021 Edition of the Construction Codes will play a major role in mitigating against hurricanes, storm surges, and extreme weather changes.  Byron King, Houston’s Building Official will outline the Modernization process in progress.  Houston’s Decarbonization Policy was issued last Earth Day by Mayor Turner and is making progress to increase existing building’s energy efficiency to help reduce GHG  by benchmarking our buildings with EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager so that city managers can compare their building with the city’s threshold, and against the median performance of buildings across America regarding energy consumption, water usage, and solid waste generation. Clearly a ‘leadership by example’ session, this should indicate how the 4th largest city can take on an initiative that will provide tangible results.

April 17, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Meldrum Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library -
Carbon Capture and Clean Hydrogen: Opportunities for Houston and Challenges
Conversational Panel

R. Krishnamoorti Laura Goldberg Jane Stricker M. Badoian-Kriticos Eleonor Kramarz

Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti - Vice President of Energy & Innovation, University of Houston
Laura Goldberg - Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Communications & Community Engagement - Center for Houston’s Future
Jane Stricker - Senior Vice President, Energy Transition & Executive Director, Houston Energy Transition Initiative - Greater Houston Partnership
Marina Badoian-Kriticos - Director, Strategic Initiatives - HARC
Moderator: Eleonor Kramarz - Executive Director - Energy Transition Consulting - S&P Global

According to the IEA, the deployment of CCUS and clean hydrogen technologies at scale will be necessary for the world to meet the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Of course, the Houston region is well positioned to lead the development of these new industries, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aims to accelerate their growth. This represents an opportunity for Houston to create wealth and jobs while reducing carbon emissions. But how do we ensure equitable access to these new opportunities? And can these new industrial activities also positively impact emissions and air quality at the local level? Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Jane Stricker, Laura Goldberg, and Eleonor Kramarz will discuss some of the economic opportunities CCUS and clean hydrogen can bring to Houston, as well as the potential environmental benefits.

April 17, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Houston Recycling Collaborative: Can Chemical Recycling Reduce Pollution and Advance the Circular Economy?
Innovative Opportunities Panel

Mark Wilfalk Michelle Salim Bill Cooper Stephanie Walker Abraham Tueme

Mark Wilfalk - Director – Solid Waste Management - City of Houston
Michelle Salim - Advanced Recycling Program Manager – ExxonMobil
Bill Cooper - Sr Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development – Cyclix
Stephanie Walker - Quality Assurance Analyst, Energy and Sustainability - HISD
Moderator: Abraham Tueme - Director of Sustainability, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages

Today, only about 30% of domestic waste is recycled or composted. Plastics lag even further behind, with less than 10% of plastics being recycled. Reducing landfill waste through reusing, recycling, refusing, repairing, and composting is critical to our environment and we need to find more innovative ways to manage our waste. Mark Wilfalk, Michelle Salim, Bill Cooper, Stephanie Walker, and Santosh Appathurai will discuss recycling’s challenges and opportunities through new technologies such as advanced plastics recycling.

April 17, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library -
LEEDing Architecture and Construction in Houston’s Portfolio 
Deeper Dive Panel

Richard Vella Stephen Chamberlain Greg Quintero Synthia Walton Jonas Risen Keith Reihl

Richard Vella, AAIA, Assistant Director, General Services Department
Stephen Chamberlain - Senior Project Manager – Houston Public Library
Greg Quintero, RA, LEED AP – Senior Project Manager – General Services Department
Synthia Walton, NOMA, LEED AP – Senior Project Manager -  General Services Department
Jonas Risen, AIA – Lead Designer/ Associate Principal – Page Southerland Page
Keith Reihl, P.E. – Senior Project Manager – Houston Airports

A presentation by the City of Houston General Services Department, the Houston Airport System and its partners discussing how we leverage LEED sustainable design strategies, through an integrative and collaborative process to create dynamic and innovative facilities to enrich our Houston neighborhoods and infrastructure: Alief Neighborhood Center, Sunnyside Multi-Service Center, Dr. Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library, and Houston Airports LEED Platinum Central Control Building. The General Services Department oversees the design, construction, and maintenance of over 300 City facilities in the City. GSD collaborates with City departments and the AEC industry to create community, workplace, parks, police and fire stations, libraries, and recycling centers, for the citizens of Houston. The Houston Airport System LEED Platinum Central Control Building, located at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, is Net Zero energy with Solar Power Generation on site, implementing water conservation measures on plumbing fixtures and landscaping water consumption.

April 17, 2023 - 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library
Resiliency By Design: A Bold Response To Houston's Future
Spotlight Chat

Michael Edwards TaKasha Francis

Dr. Michael Edwards - President, Northeast College, Houston Community College (HCC)
Introduction: TaKasha Francis - Director- City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods 

This embodies HCC’s dedication and commitment to Houston’s students, community and Houston’s future. This is HCC’s response to Mayor Turner’s call for action to train 500,000 Houstonians in resilience as part of the Resilient Houston plan. To embrace the future for Houston, HCC has continued to evolve its approach through technology and personalized learning to meet the demands of our diverse community.

Dr. Michael Edwards -- In late May 2022, after serving in an interim capacity, Dr. Michael Edwards became President of the Northeast College of Houston Community College (HCC) system. In this significant role, he has provided leadership that drives student success and promotes the ongoing development of instructional pathways partly made available through the Northeast College Centers of Excellence. Dr. Edwards has maintained strong strategic and operational focus, while notably achieving significant progress on several major initiatives highlighted by work advancing the new Resiliency Center of Excellence and the Resiliency Operations Center (ROC). He continues to provide leadership through multi-divisional team efforts and is re-imagining the Acres Homes Campus to bring comprehensive improvement to the North Forest Campus and the overall student experience. Dr. Edwards has been with HCC for over twenty-five years in various leadership positions including: Associate Vice Chancellor for Systems Operations, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications and Government Relations, Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness, Interim President of Coleman College for Health Sciences, Executive Dean for Instruction and Student Services, Dean of Workforce Development, and President of the HCC Faculty Senate. His numerous awards and recognitions include the National Institute for Organizational and Staff Development (NISOD) Award for Excellence in Teaching, Certificate in Organizational Innovation from the University of California at Berkeley Haas School of Business, former member of the University of Houston at Clear Lake Board of Sociology and Criminology, Quality Texas Foundation examiner for continuous quality improvement, HCC Commendation for Distinguished Service, and graduate from the Future Leaders Institute of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Dr. Edwards holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Legal Studies from Rice University and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from the University of Texas.

April 17, 2023 - 4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Main Auditorium
Tree Equity Platform - PlanItGeo
Workshop - Live Demo

Kelli Ondracek

Kelli Ondracek - Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD)

HPARD is developing a tree tracking software to track the planting of 4.6 million trees as a major goal withing the Resilient Houston plan. This session will provide real time training and demonstration to multiple tree planting partners such as TxDOT, HCFCD, County Precincts, Trees for Houston, and others, on how to input information after tree planting using the new platform. The software will also provide information on Houston’s H3AT map and American Forests Tree Equity score.

April 18, 2023 - 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Anatomy of a CRSO (Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer)
Conversational Panel

Priya Zachariah Aura Cuellar Laurian Farrell

Priya Zachariah - Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer - Mayor’s Office of Resilience & Sustainability
Aura Cuellar - Vice President Energy Transition – Shell
Laurian Farrell - Regional Director, North America - Resilient Cities Network

The role of a CRO in municipal administration is relatively new, and that of a CRSO even more so. Couple that with the fact that a resilience/ sustainability practitioner works across disciplines, works across organizations, sectors and scales. The City of Houston has a Resilience Plan – and a CAP. Many organizations – corporations, multilateral organizations have ESG goals – at the end of the day, they all lead to one commonality is that CRO’s /CRSO try to build organization muscle, bringing coordinated visioning and action to across departments and teams. Hear from leading practitioners representing a municipality,  a private sector corporation and a global city network – how this role gets operationalized and actualized into action.

April 18, 2023 - 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library
Water Water Everywhere: Flood Mitigation, Preparedness and Policy
Deep Dive Panel

Steve Costello Philip Bedient Jim Blackburn Loren Hopkins Carol Haddock

Stephen Costello, MBA, P.E. - Chief Recovery Officer - Mayor’s Office of Recovery - City of Houston
Dr. Philip Bedient - Herman Brown Professor of Engineering Director, SSPEED Center - Rice University
Jim Blackburn, JD - Professor in the Practice of Environmental Law Co-director, SSPEED Center - Rice University
Dr. Loren Hopkins - Chief Environmental Science Officer
Moderator: Carol Haddock, MPA, P.E. - Director - Houston Public Works

Hear from Carol Haddock, Director of Public Works, Chief Recovery Officer Steve Costello and city partners, Phil Bedient from the SSPEED Center at Rice University, and Jim Blackburn from the SSPEED Center and Bayou City Initiative about why we flood, the truth about the 100-year flood plain, efforts to prepare for and mitigate flooding in Houston, and the extensive use of nature-based infrastructure.

April 18, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library
Disproportionality of Climate Change Impact on People with Disabilities
Spotlight / Keynote

Lex Frieden Angel Ponce

Panelists address how the disability community lacks knowledge, resources, and services to effectively respond to environmental change, the difficulties they experience during evacuations, and how the disability community needs to be considered and taken into this conversation around climate change and climate change risks.

Dr. Lex Frieden - Professor of Health Informatics and Rehabilitation - The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Dr. Frieden has served as chairperson of the National Council on Disability, president of Rehabilitation International, and chairperson of the American Association of People with Disabilities. He was instrumental in conceiving and drafting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Angel Ponce - Director, Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities - City of Houston
Ponce serves as an advocate for the rights and needs of residents with disabilities. He is the liaison between the City of Houston mayor, city council, city departments, and other public and private entities on matters pertaining to people with disabilities. In 2004, Ponce suffered a spinal cord injury resulting from an automobile wreck and is a wheelchair user.

April 18, 2023 - 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library
There is No Planet B: Some Specific Houston Environmental Justice Challenges
Deep Dive Panel

Roy Rodney Desmond Taylor Elena Craft Ilan Levin Matthew Tejada

Roy J. Rodney, Jr., JD - Managing Director - Rodney & Etter, LLC
Desmond Taylor - Senior Communications and Policy Specialist, Mayor’s Office - City of Houston
Dr. Elena Craft - Senior Director, Climate and Health - Environmental Defense Fund
Ilan Levin, JD - Associate Director - Environmental Integrity Project
Moderator: Dr. Matthew Tejada - Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Learn about some serious environmental challenges in Houston where the city does not have jurisdiction and nevertheless, we persist to protect our community. Hear from Roy J. Rodney, Jr., JD, Dr. Elena Craft, Desmond Taylor, and Ilan Levine as they discuss environmental justice challenges around Houston, including the Union Pacific Railroad site 5th Ward Kashmere Gardens contamination history, Project 11, and the fight against air toxins and concrete batch plants.

April 18, 2023 - 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Houston’s Wilderness and the Interconnectedness of Things – Urban Heat and Urban Nature
Deep Dive Panel

Kelli Ondracek Jaime Gonzalez Helen Drummond Colley Hodges D. January-Bevers

Kelli Ondracek, M.S. - Natural Resources Manager, Houston Parks and Recreation Department - City of Houston
Jaime Gonzalez, M.Ed. - Director, Houston Healthy Cities Programs - The Nature Conservancy
Deborah January-Bevers, JD - President and CEO - Houston Wilderness
Helen Drummond, M.S. - Chief Executive Officer - Houston Audubon
Colley Hodges, M.Arch. - Sustainability Manager - Houston Zoo
Moderator: Deborah January-Bevers, JD - President and CEO - Houston Wilderness

The session will highlight past, present and future work the COH is doing with partners related to the environment and the outdoors - preserving Houston’s wilderness, climate and the connection to the health of Houstonians.  The audience will learn about the different coordinated efforts of our environmental initiatives from each of our speakers.

April 18, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Environmental Justice in Houston
Spotlight / Keynote

Robert Bullard Sylvester Turner

Dr. Robert Bullard - Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy - Texas Southern University
Often referred to as the father of environmental justice, Dr. Bullard is an award-winning author of eighteen books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, disasters, emergency response, and community resilience, smart growth, and regional equity. He is the founding director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University and received his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University.

Mayor Sylvester Turner - Introduction

April 18, 2023 - 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library
Environmental Monitoring
Deep Dive Panel

Elena Craft Jennifer Hadayia Luke Metzger Lauren Stadler Loren Hopkins

Dr. Elena Craft - Senior Director, Climate and Health - Environmental Defense Fund
Jennifer Hadayia, MPA - Executive Director - Air Alliance Houston
Luke Metzger - Executive Director - Environment Texas
Dr. Lauren Stadler - Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Faculty, NEWT - Rice University
Moderator: Dr. Loren Hopkins - Chief Environmental Science Officer

Hear from Chief Environmental Science Officer Dr. Loren Hopkins and city partners, Dr. Elena Craft from the Environmental Defense Fund, Jennifer Hadayia from Air Alliance Houston, Luke Metzger from Environment Texas, and Dr. Lauren Stadler from Rice University about coupling cutting edge air pollution monitoring with data science, strides in safe drinking water in schools and turning our poop into lifesaving data.

April 18, 2023 - 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Houston’s Environmental ARTivism: The Power of Art in Resilience and Placemaking
Deep Dive Panel

Theresa Escobedo Aaron Ambroso Kristi Rangel Necole Irvin

Theresa Escobedo - Civic Art Program Manager – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs - City of Houston
Aaron Ambroso - Founder - Houston Climate Justice Museum
Kristi Rangel - Artist - Witness series
Moderator: Necole S. Irvin, JD, MPH - Director, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs - City of Houston

Come hear from the Mayors Office of Cultural Affairs Civic Art Program Manager Theresa Escobedo, Founder of the Houston Climate Justice Museum Aaron Ambroso, Witness Series Artist Kristi Rangel as they present songs, comic books, films, editorial cartoons from the Houston Inspira campaign, and a Arts/Cultural Disaster report from the Houston Arts Alliance. The session will also feature the art installation for artist Cindee Klement’s dung beetle.

April 18, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Main Auditorium - Julia Ideson Library
Coalition of Community Organizations’s demonstration where the presenters teach the attendees how to use Environmental Justice Screen, an EPA tool that people can use to investigate EJ issues in different communities.
Workshop ... This workshop is 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

• EJ Screen Invitation - English (.pdf)
• EJ Screen Invitation - Spanish (.pdf)

Robert Bullard Matthew Tejada Denae King Jennifer Hadaiya Grace Tee Lewis Juan Parras

Dr. Robert Bullard - Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy - Texas Southern University
Dr. Matthew Tejada - Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Dr. Denae King – Associate Director – Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice – Texas Southern University
Jennifer Hadaiya, MPA – Executive Director – Air Alliance Houston
Dr. Grace Tee Lewis – Senior Health Scientist – Environmental Defense Fund
Juan Parras – Executive Director and Founder – Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS)

A demonstration where Dr. Bullard and Dr. Tejada teach the attendees how to use Environmental Justice Screen, an EPA tool that people can use to investigate EJ issues in different communities. This Workshop is presented by the Coalition of Community Organizations.

April 18, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Meldrum Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Climate Change and Migrations, Homelessness
Conversational Panel

Minal Patel-Davis Marc Eichenbaum

Minal Patel Davis - Director, Mayor's Office of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence - City of Houston
Marc Eichenbaum - Special Assistant to the Mayor for Homeless Initiatives, Mayor’s Office - City of Houston

Minal Davis, Marc Eichenbaum, will discuss the current state of climate migration in Houston, how displaced population are vulnerable to homelessness, human trafficking and other criminal threats, as well as some of the solutions being implemented.

April 18, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Houston Airport Systems Energy Management / Sustainability Master Plan
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Bruce Hays

Bruce Hays - Energy Manager, Houston Airport System

April 18, 2023 - 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Main Reading Room - Julia Ideson Library
Youth Leaders for Environmental Justice: Inspiring Change in Communities
Deep Dive Panel

Marya Fowler Kasi Brown Tommy Wan Olivera Jankovska

Marya Fowler - Director of Regional Education, National Wildlife Federation
Kaschondralynn (Kasi) Brown - COBOR Committee - Student, University of Southern California
Shannon Thomas - EDF - Environmental youth council student
Tommy Wan - Uundergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin studying civil engineering and government
Moderator: Olivera Jankovska - Director of Education, Mayor’s Office - City of Houston

This session will explore the significant role that young people can play in driving environmental justice and sustainability. This session will showcase inspiring examples of youth-led environmental initiatives and highlight the ways in which young advocates can create positive change in their communities. Participants will learn about the power of youth activism, how to harness the energy and passion of young advocates, and the key strategies for amplifying youth voices for environmental justice.

Marya Fowler, M.S., Director of E NWF, South Central Regional Center. As Director of Education, Marya focuses on the advancement of NWF’s K-12 school-based programming in the region, including Eco-Schools USA, Schoolyard Habitats, Earth Tomorrow, and climate resilience education and literacy, with an emphasis on integrating these programs at school district levels and promoting environmental education as a means to improving student academic performance. Central to this work is developing and maintaining strategic partnerships to increase NWF’s capacity to implement programs in the region to reflect the diversity of the communities where we work. Marya has 25+ years of experience working in the fields of education and conservation. Prior to joining NWF in 1999, Marya taught for several years at the secondary level. She holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Planning/Landscape Design and worked in the field of landscape design, creating restoration management plans.

Kaschondralynn “Kasi” Brown is a proud native Houstonian from South Park, a graduate of South Early College High School, and a first-generation college student at the University of Southern California studying Political Science. She is an aspiring attorney and politician and the Lead Intern of the Mayor’s Office of Education and Youth Engagement, where she continues her mission of fostering underrepresented communities for youth alongside Mayor Sylvester Turner. In her role, Kasi contributes to multiple projects and programs that center the voices and experiences of children and youth, including the Houston Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

Tommy Wan (he/him) is an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin studying civil engineering and government. His interests focus on youth civic engagement, local governance, and public policy in Houston and Austin. He’s currently a legislative aide in the Texas House of Representatives, an intern at the Houston City Council, and a fellow with OCA-Greater Houston. A native of Alief, Tommy began AliefVotes last year—a program that supports youth civic engagement programming in Alief through student and faculty empowerment through opportunities, leadership development, and voter education.

April 18, 2023 - 4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Main Auditorium
Houston Texas Leading the Way! A conversation with Mayor Sylvester Turner and the EPA on Climate Leadership and building a resilient future for Houston while advancing environmental justice and equity
Closing Keynote

Sylvester Turner Earthea Nance

Sylvester Turner - Mayor of Houston
Moderator: Dr. Earthea Nance - Regional Administrator – South Central Region, U.S. EPA

April 19, 2023 - 11:00 a.m.

Opening Ceremony – Hermann Square @ City Hall
Festival Kick Off

Hou. Children's Chorus Ariana Lee Brad Crabtree Sylvester Turner

Performance by Houston Children’s Chorus
The Houston Children’s Chorus is known throughout Houston and the State of Texas for its diversity in membership and repertoire. The Chorus performs all types of music, from classical to pop – all by memory. The group is constantly in demand for weddings, gala fundraisers, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, church services, corporate events, radio and television commercials, recordings, and civic events. It is the goal of the Houston Children’s Chorus to make singing accessible to every child in the Houston area regardless of race or economic status.

Ariana Lee – Houston Youth Poet Laureate
Ms. Lee will be introducing Mayor Sylvester Turner to kick off the Earth Day HTX festival on April 19 at 10:30 a.m. in Hermann Square @ City Hall. Ariana is a current senior in high school from Houston, Texas. She serves as the 7th Houston Youth Poet Laureate and is a member of Meta-Four Houston, the city’s official youth slam poetry team coached by poet Blacqwildflowr and Houston Poet Laureate Outspoken Bean. She has been recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation and is an alum of The Adroit Journal and Kenyon Review young writers’ programs.

Brad Crabtree - Brad Crabtree is the Assistant Secretary for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), where he leads and directs FECM’s research and development programs and oversees the Office of Petroleum Reserves. Crabtree brings nearly three decades of experience in energy and climate policy to his role as Assistant Secretary. Prior to coming to DOE, he served as Vice President for Carbon Management at the Great Plains Institute (GPI), where he co-founded and directed the Carbon Capture Coalition, which works to advance carbon management technologies to meet climate goals, create high-wage jobs, and support domestic energy and industrial production.

Sylvester Turner – Mayor of Houston
Mayor Turner will discuss the city’s Climate Action Plan and its successful projects during the last seven years. Mr. Turner has served as mayor of the City of Houston since 2016. He was instrumental in launching the city’s first-ever climate Action Plan providing evidenced-based recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preventative measures to address the negative outcomes of climate change.