Even though squirrels are a very visible form of Houston wildlife, we know little about them. Were you aware, for instance, that their brain shrinks and increases in size with the seasons, and that far from being pests, they are crucial to forest ecosystems? Kelsey Low of the Houston Arboretum …
Boy Scouts of America promises young men, and now also women, exciting nature experiences and preparation for life as adults. Do they live up to the promise? What’s it like to grow up among the Scouts? Is being an Eagle Scout really as special as some people say? For answers …
Prepared for Life? The Boy Scouts of America (Ep. 10) Read More »
When it comes to drawing children and teenagers into nature, Mary Ann Beauchemin of Russ Pitman Park is an expert. After earning a Master’s degree in outdoors education in Oregon, she taught generations of young Houstonians how to turn over logs, use bug boxes and marvel at critters. And in …
Enchanting Children With Nature: A Teacher’s Tale (Ep. 9) Read More »
Exploration Green is a beautiful park in flood-prone Clear Lake. The Green functions as a giant detention pond. But it is so much more: a space that welcomes wildlife, a refuge from the hustle of city life, an opportunity for volunteers to make friends and learn about nature. My guest …
Exploration Green – It’s How You Build Beauty, Nature and Flood Control (Ep. 8) Read More »
I interviewed green architect Shawn McFarland about permaculture in Houston. My expectation was that we’d have a chat about gardening technique, but I was mistaken. Her take: Permaculture is so much more than gardening. Here’s a sneak peak: In the video, I ask Shawn McFarland what permaculture is.Here is her …
Video Sneak Peak at: Houston’s Permaculture Scene Read More »
The Houston permaculture community is lively. And chances are, you’ve heard of their innovative approach towards gardening – it involves saving seeds and water, harnessing sunlight with herb spirals and food forests, and leveraging beneficial insects to fight garden pests without toxic chemicals. But, as you’ll learn from veteran expert …
Houston’s Permaculture Scene, with Shawn McFarland (Ep. 7) Read More »
Do you have a small plot of earth next to your Houston home? Do you want it to attract birds? Then you’ve come to the right place. The video below – which I made for the Native Plant Society of Texas – features over 40 Houston plants for birds. These …
I interviewed Jackie Young Medcalf, who got her start as an environmental justice advocate at the San Jacinto Waste Pits, and below is a sneak peak at the conversation. To find out how she has made it all work over the past ten years, and how she applies her experience …
The San Jacinto Waste Pits may be Houston’s best-known Superfund site. The chemicals they harbor are at constant risk of leeching out and poisoning both nearby residents and Houston’s seafood supply. But the Pits are not the only toxic site. As my guest Jackie Young Medcalf will tell you, there …
Last night Hurricane Laura made landfall. Against expectations Houston and its Ship Channel, depicted in this map, remained unscathed. People east of us were less lucky. The residents of coastal Louisiana got hit by 150-miles-per-hour winds plus violent storm surge. And at least one chemical plant – in Westlake, Louisiana …
Hurricane Laura Passed on Houston. This Map Shows How Lucky We Were Read More »
We face serious danger from Houston hurricane. I’m not talking about just any old storm, but one that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, rides up the Houston Ship Channel and destroys our petrochemical complex. Several thousand tanks filled with toxic substances might buckle and spill their contents into the …
The Next Houston Hurricane May Be Worse Than Harvey – Let’s Get Ready! (Ep. 5) Read More »
A hundred years ago, you could see the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken all across the Texas Gulf Coast. And on mornings during spring mating season, you’d hear thousands of males call out for females. The soundscape they wove was quintessentially Texan – you just couldn’t find it anywhere else. Today fewer …
This Prairie Chicken Will Make Your Heart Quicken: Fighting Species Extinction (Ep. 4) Read More »
What an amazing little creature the honeybee is. It provides us with essential goods and services – honey, wax, and pollination – and is even more social than we humans are. Curious to find out how a honeybee society runs itself, I reached out to Carlisle Vandervoort, a movie producer …
Glance at the Texas prairie, and all you see is grass and weeds. Look again, and you begin to appreciate the opportunity it holds for all of us: New income streams from carbon storage for ranchers and a slow-down in global warming for the rest of us. It’s win-win all …
The Green Wealth That’s in the Texas Prairie (Ep. 2) Read More »
Greater Houston is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, and it is growing. To give us a sense of the challenges this poses to the Houston environmental movement, I invited Jaime González to the show. Jaime is the Houston Healthy Cities Program Director at the Nature …
