Conservation

Monthly series hosted by Earth Day Texas and the Westwood School, featuring a panel experts talking around a theme. This month, the topic is Smart Energy. Free.

We will continue our training in the use of the newly revised Prairie Seekers datasheets.  RJ Taylor will discuss some of the resources available to our Seekers to help identify plant and animal material, both in resource book and online form. He will also discuss the various online databases to help identify and evaluate native prairie remnants; aerial photographs, topographic maps, soil information and land ownership websites. These tools will aid us as we attend NPAT field trips and as we go out individually and in groups to capture information about the remaining native prairie remnants across North Texas.

We will also have a presentation by Jillian Jordan who will tell us about the Great Seed Bomb bike ride;  a 15-mile fun ride that will be benefiting pollinators on Nov.14 in Fort Worth, Texas. This ride will help our pollinators in two ways:  During the ride, seed balls – made of clay, organic compost and native, non-GMO milkweed and wildflower seed – will be thrown and launched from bikes by our riders. A portion of the money raised will then be donated to local environmental nonprofits and organizations to keep the work going.

Free. Info: joacollins@gmail.com

The tour enables people to learn how their neighbors – homeowners and businesses alike – are using solar energy, wind energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies to save money and consume less of our natural resources. The strategies and techniques on display during this year’s tour range from things as simple and easy as changing to LED light bulbs and selecting more efficient appliances, to cutting-edge, ultra-efficient eco-homes and businesses that are generating as much or more energy than they consume.

Most sites are open between 10 am and 4 pm (check individual sites for exceptions, non-standard tour times are indicated in red). Homeowners or NTREG volunteers will be available at each site to provide information, share experiences and answer questions. Visit the Locations page and follow the links for each host site to see its visiting hours along with maps, directions, and a brief property description and photos provided by the host site.

 Free.

Want to Win Prizes? Play the Energy Games!

Energy Games is a fun, easy way to learn about solar energy and energy efficiency.

Register for Energy Games before Sept. 12 and you’ll be eligible to play and win prizes including a $500 gift card donated by DFW Solar Tour Sponsor IKEA!

Energy Games starts on Sept. 14 and runs through Sept. 27, leading up to the DFW Solar Tour on Oct. 3.

You can register to play and download the game now. Registration closes Sept. 12 and is limited to the first 500 participants, so please register early!

Energy Games is part of a research study from the Energy Systems Transformation group at The University of Texas at Austin and the North Texas Renewable Energy Group. Please remember this research study is open to residents of the DFW area only.

Landscape designer and author Bonnie Reese will be the speaker at both sessions. Ms. Reese has more than 20 years experience designing, installing and maintaining landscapes in North Texas and is the owner of her own landscape design and consulting company - Beautiful Landscapes (BeautifulLandscapes.net). First-time seminar attendees at each session will receive a copy of Bonnie’s book, “Common-Sense Landscaping” (limit one per household). Attendees can also enter a drawing to win a bag of Green Sense organic fertilizer from Rohde’s Nursery & Nature Store (BeOrganic.com). There will be 3 drawings per session.

Water-Wise Landscape Design 101

9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Whether you have a new landscape or plan to update an existing area, it is critical to begin with a good design. This program teaches the principles of landscape design with an emphasis on how to create a beautiful landscape that will save resources - natural and financial!

Fantastic Plants for North Texas

1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Tony O'Sullivan will talk about the city of Dallas' goal of zero waste by 2040 through recycling, reusing and composting. Free. Info: 972-699-1687. KirkMiller@DallasSierraClub.org.

Documentary on the Deepwater Horizon explosion of 2010, the worst oil spill in American history. Refreshments provided. Audience discussion follows. Free. Info: JudAnnWat@sbcglobal.net. 

Earlier this month, President Obama and the EPA issued the Clean Power Plan, the biggest step the U.S. has ever taken to tackle global warming. The rule requires Texas power plants to reduce carbon emissions approximately 34 percent by 2030.  

Dallas County Judge Jenkins, philanthropist Trammell Crow and others will discuss how global warming is impacting the Dallas-Fort Worth area and what the Clean Power Plan will mean for Texas.

Learn how to identify hawks, vultures and more. $15. Info: DCAC@Audubon.org.

Monthly Agenda

​​11:00-11:30 CCL Denton Meeting

11:30-12:00 CCL Monthly Actions Practice

12:00 - 1:00 National Call 

Each month CCL volunteers from around the country gather locally for a conference call where we do three things: educate ourselves by listening to a guest speaker, celebrate our accomplishments, take coordinated action. 

August speaker: Sam Daley-Harris, Center for Citizen Empowerment and Transformation. 

Harris will join our August call and coach us on best practices to ensure that our actions have the greatest impact with members of Congress. After 15 years with RESULTS, Sam founded the Microcredit Summit Campaign, which he left in 2012 to establish the Center for Citizen Empowerment and Transformation.

Info: 

Brett Cease, CCL Co-Lead Denton Chapter; PhD Student in Public Policy, UTD. 218-766-0830, brettw.cease@gmail.com