H-GAC’s CRP sponsors events and booths focused on education and encouraging responsible watershed stewardship outside of traditional water quality stakeholders, public entities, and environmental groups over the past five years. At each event, staff answered questions about the relationship between personal behaviors and water quality (ex., proper pet waste disposal, disposal of wipes and non-flushables, etc.), offered information on volunteer opportunities like Texas Stream Team and Trash Bash®, provided activities and games for young attendees that focused on watershed education (Pitch the Poop, Defeat the Grease Monster), and encouraged responsible pet practices by handing out pet waste bags and dispensers.
H-GAC has hosted a booth at the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scout Fair annually since 2012. This two-day event is open to area scouts and their families with roughly 35,000 individuals in attendance.
H-GAC has hosted a booth annually since 2014 at the annual Brookshire Water Festival. The Brookshire Municipal Water District sponsors this festival where families can participate in various activities and raffles while learning more about water quality.
H-GAC hosted a booth at the annual City of Houston Waterworks Education Center WaterWeek festival in 2015. WaterWeek educates more than 2,000 students in grades 3-8 about the importance of protecting their water resources.
H-GAC CRP staff presented information about current water quality projects to local residents and industrial stakeholders at the Cedar Bayou Citizens Advisory Panel (CAP) in 2012-2014, the Houston CAP in 2013, and the Fort Bend CAP in 2015.
H-GAC, as part of the Cedar Bayou WPP, met with residents at the annual City of Baytown Nurture Nature festival in 2012 to 2014. The event is hosted to educate area residents about environmental issues and promote behaviors that are environmentally friendly.
H-GAC has hosted a booth annually since 2013 at NatureFest. The Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center in Humble hosts this annual event giving visitors an opportunity to learn more about nature and the environment through organized trail walks, hayrides, and interactive, educational activities. H-GAC CRP staff also presents the Texas Stream Team program to participants at this event.
H-GAC hosted a booth annually from 2012 to 2014 at Caring for Creation, an event intended to bridge the gap between the existing stewardship conducted by local churches/institutions of faith and environmental stewardship in Montgomery County.
H-GAC has been an event sponsor at the Bayou Preservation Association’s Symposium every year since 2012. In addition to the sponsorship, H-GAC hosts a booth during the one-day event, which seeks to bring public and private stakeholders together to learn more about water quality issues in the City of Houston and Harris County.
H-GAC staff attended Fan Fest at the Athletic Alumni building at the University of Houston in 2012 to promote the Clean Rivers Program and other special projects.
H-GAC, the Texas Conservation Fund, and a steering committee of volunteers coordinates the annual Rivers, Lakes, Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash®, the largest single-day waterway cleanup event in Texas, averaging 4,500 volunteers each year. Originally established by H-GAC’s CRP in 1993, this event promotes environmental stewardship of the Galveston Bay Watershed through public education by utilizing hands-on educational tools and developing partnerships between environmental, governmental, and private organizations. Since 2012, more than 20,000 volunteers have cleaned 645 miles of shoreline.
H-GAC has hosted a booth annually since 2013 at the Houston World Series of Dog Shows, an event that attracts more than 40,000 spectators, participants, and vendors each year. Houston-Galveston Area Council promoted a message about reducing bacteria in waterbodies using the Pitch the Poop game and giveaways of pet waste bag dispensers.
H-GAC has hosted a booth at the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS) annual Migration Celebration since 2011. This festival is part of USF&WS efforts to educate the public on bird migration, coastal National Wildlife Refuges, and other environmental issues.