Environment Texas Blog

When thinking of Environment Texas, one would instantly think that it was an organization pertaining to saving our environment from its current catastrophe, but today, we learned that that isn’t the only goal this non-profit organization has been established for. Saving the environment is the key goal, but so is introducing our humankind to new aspects of living. Living in a world that is environmentally friendly, but also full of advocacy and prosperity. Many people may feel that it is only the wealthy and the powerful that are able to make life-changing decisions, but we have established that it is the given right and ability to every individual residing on this planet to be able to make a difference. Everyone is capable of reaching out and setting themselves apart from others, and today, at the Texas Environmental Leadership Conference, held at the University of Houston campus, we experienced this phenomenon.

“Leadership For a Greener Houston”

In order to fix this catastrophic era in our lives, it is important that we put out our leadership skills and make certain that the message has been let out to everyone. And, to do that, our panelists in the “Leadership for a Greener Houston” session of the conference introduced various ways in which we would be able to provide leadership. There were four panelists, and each had a different story to tell…

Bill Dawson, who is a former Environmental Reporter for the Houston Chronicle and currently a lecturer at Rice, was second in line to present his experiences and give out helpful ideas for the future leaders to come. Coming from a very press-related background, his experiences showed us the struggle and time it takes for media coverage to really take place and make a difference. He mentioned that a Princeton University professor had claimed that media, such as online media, has become purely opinionated blogs, rather than actual reporting. To that, Mr. Dawson said that while it may be true, it’s our society’s way of attempting to a difference. If the media was merely just based on reporting events that take place, our world wouldn’t haven ever made it to the higher state it is currently in. Putting our thoughts and our opinions out there is what makes change happen, and with that, Mr. Dawson provided very useful ideas on the different types on press that can help:

1) One should familiarize himself with the various media outlets. Be sure to     know who does what, but to never be too desperate, to where you wouldn’t be able to get your work done.

2) Approach such media outlets on environmental stories, and even try the business reporters, as the current environment has also begun to affect the economy.

3) If doing that doesn’t help, it would be a great idea to try and work with opinion columnists and editorials, which are vast outlets to put your opinions and be acknowledged for them, without having to be subject to certain journalistic requirement.

4) And with all this, the most popular present-day outlet would be online blogs. Not only are there various Internet sites that host blogging, but newspapers also have blogs on their websites that one can get a hold on and make a statement.

5) Along with just reaching the media with your own opinions, it’s also good to show them effort in how you pursue your opinions. Business out-staging has become a popular way, which includes media events such as press conferences, marches, or any other publicity-seeking phenomenon. Mr. Dawson as suggested that these events be held on the weekends, particularly Saturday, which is a dry day for the media and reporters would be searching for events to be put in the Sunday newspaper.

Ginny Goldman, the state director of ACORN, was next up to speak. Being passionate is one of the most important aspects of a good leadership, and it must be said that she really was as passionate as it may take. She began by sharing her experiences with the audience, which included all the criticism that her organization had received by statesmen. Being as passionate as she is, she took even the worst of press as good press for her organization. Her main goal was to educate the audience on the organization of the steps that should be taken to solve an environmental issue:

1) The key thing to organizing is to figure out how we go about organizing. Recognizing the problem is the first step that needs to be taken, and in order to do that, it’s important that one can get to the people facing the problem, rather than depending on outer sources, who wouldn’t be able to make those experiences as real as they are.

2) To get to the people, many efforts have to be taken. Efforts include going door-to-door to discuss the issue, phone-banking and calling such people, or the most reliable and convincing, is to get to them through the media.

3) Once the people have been gotten a hold on, it is important that one establishes a relationship with these individuals and figure out where they’re at and what they’re facing. It is important that one is informed on what people want to be able to gain the solutions needed to fix these conflicts.

4) The next step is to make sure that the selected individuals feel challenged enough to fix the current situations. One must give them a vision for the future, which would make them want to put more effort into fixing the problems.

5) The people facing such problems should be able to speak for themselves. It’s significant for a person to put out their thoughts, so others can hear you separately, rather than a whole group of people speaking up different opinions.

6) It is important for such people to be constantly motivated, which happens by using many strategies to do so.

7) Last, but not the least, it is important to make sure that everyone stays united, and all their efforts are leveraged, rather than being inconsistent.

Our last panelist to come up and speak was Leo Gold, radio host of the Capital Show on KPFT radio. Along with his passion for a positive change in the world, he showed the audience that a difference could also be made through entertainment. He mentioned that it isn’t important to be in the field of environment, but what is important is having the will to make a change, much like himself. In order to make his petition a success, he underwent these policies, which brought him a long way:

1) Ask questions. It is essential in properly researching and coming to a conclusion, that you ask questions and get answers that have been unknown to you or the rest of the society.

2) Write to people and petition, to get your point out there. Writing and petitioning involves being more specific with your concerns, rather than being as vague as saying you want to help out the environment or recycle. There are steps that should be taken to accomplish these things, and those steps need to be made known to others. But, at the same time, don’t underestimate anyone’s knowledge on these issues, because there may always be people who know more than you.

3) Lastly, as even Ginny Goldman mentioned, organize properly. Organizing is the key to success, as some say, and in issues such as these, it is definitely a true statement.

With all this being said, our 32 attendees learned many skills that they need to become the future leaders of this city, this state, this nation, and this planet.

“Career Opportunities in a Green Economy”

Who knew that even in such recession, there are potential jobs out there that could create a career for the long-term? Jobs that are being introduced happen to be in many different firms, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, non-profit, and government. For those pursuing a career in engineering, architecture, business, marketing, economic science, and politics, these careers could be of potential interest. In the second part of our conference, we learn from many successful green jobs advocates how great of a career, being part of a profession that gives you an income and also provides our environment with help, can be.

As we began learning the background of our fellow panelists, we notice one very significant aspect that they all have in common. They are all LEED certified, which has become one of the most important thing to be a part of in order to make a career in the greens jobs sustainability industry. Many followers of the green economy may not be familiar with this system, but it definitely was made known that the USGBC has developed this system, in order to induct a wide variety of individuals that are willing to make this “green” change in the economy.

While many of our panelists have pursued their career through architecture, they’ve mentioned many new jobs that are being offered in this upcoming industry. There are jobs such as a green operations consultant, civil or mechanical engineering, or even using your Journalism degree towards being an environmentalist reporter. Of course, this is only a few out of the many that were introduced at this conference, but it’s definitely great knowing that our panelists are so knowledgeable as to bring out those ideas to the audience.

Just like the previous session, our panelists in this session also had their own ideas to share with us, to help us make the difference that needs to be made. One of the key aspects that were learned through this, once again, is that no matter what your major is in college, you are able to accomplish your goals as being a green economy activist. One of the more different approaches to this concern came from Laverne Williams, who is an architect and building ecologist of Environment Associates. He is one the oldest green architects in the state of Texas, but his approach came so differently to you when he said that the “green phenomenon” needs to be more than just for yourself, it needs to be for the entire world. He mentions that being selfish or arrogant won’t help, and that he would only want to hire people who are certified and passionate in doing this for our society. Julie Hendricks, EcoServices Specialist at Kirksey, also agreed and like Ginny Goldman, said that being passionate about this concern is one of the most important things to accomplish before you can accomplish a career in this field.

This session was even more successful than the last one. With over 100 attendees, we definitely maxed out our total goal for this conference. The attendees ranged from graduate students, to college seniors, to older adults also interested in this movement. It was quite impressive, and we all look forward to another event such as this that will significantly change our perspective on the green movement.