Houston Environmental Justice Encuentro

Friday, May 16th 2014, Houston, TX

Antonia gives a presentation at 1:30pm at the
Houston Environmental Justice Encuentro 2014

Goals for this Environmental Justice Encuentro:

Foster dialog, communication and education between conservation groups and residents of areas most affected by severe environmental health risks.
Enlighten Houstonians with an understanding that environmental injustices suffered by “fence-line” communities affect all Houstonians.
Empower Houston regional residents to work for the environmental quality they want their families and grandchildren to have.

Presenters include:

Robert Bullard, Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University and “father” of environmental justice
Antonia Juhasz, oil and energy analyst, author, journalist and activist
Al Armendariz, past regional administrator for EPA Region 6, now the Senior Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, working to prevent the construction of new coal-fired power plants in Texas.
Winfred Hamilton, Director of Baylor College of Medicine’s Environmental Health Service

Jim Blackburn, environmental attorney and professor of environmental law at Rice University
Larry Soward, Board President of Air Alliance Houston and former administrator for TCEQ
Statistics for Action at TERC, the Technical Education Research Center
Bill Stevens, Resident Agent-In-Charge in US EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, Houston
De’Montra Rainey, Special Agent in EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division
Riki Ott, author, activist, and expert on the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its aftermath

For biographies of all the presenters, click here.

The Environmental Encuentro will be at Texas Southern University, building 151 on this TSU campus map. This is the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs Building, just south of the corner of Tierwester and Cleburne St.

You can get there via Metro bus routes 29, 30, 52, 68, and 80. If you drive, visitor parking is available in the East Side Parking Garage, just north of the School of Public Affairs Bldg, across Cleburne St. from that building. The visitor parking entrance is via Tierwester St.
Registration Deadline

Register by May 13 to get discount rates and to help us with meal planning. Late registration will cost $10 more per day.
Sponsors

Sponsors of the Houston Environmental Justice Encuentro include UTMB’s Sealy Center for Environmental Health & Medicine, TEJAS, HPJC, Air Alliance Houston, TSU, Dominican Sisters-Houston, and Citizens Environmental Coalition.
Agenda (subject to adjustments)
FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2014

8:00-9:00 am Registration, Light Buffet Breakfast, Networking

9:00-9:15 am Introduction; Welcome by Dr. Robert Bullard, Dean, TSU School of Public Affairs

9:15-10:15 am Grass Roots Activists Panel: Port of Houston Expansion, with responses and questions from attendees

10:15-10:30 am Break

10:30-11:30 am TSU School of Public Affairs Graduate Student Panel: “Environmental Justice Challenges and Opportunities in the Houston Area”

11:30 am-12:30 pm KEYNOTE: Dr. Robert Bullard, PhD: “Just Sustainability: Strategies for Building Healthy and Resilient Communities in an Era of Climate Change”

12:30-1:30 pm “Mix-it-Up” lunch with discussion at each table

1:30-2:15 pm Antonia Juhasz: Tyranny of Oil and Aftermath of BP Oil Spill

2:30-3:30 pm Breakout Session A (pick one of the following concurrent sessions):

Dr. Al Armendariz (Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign, former EPA Regional Director): ”Role of Texas in Environmental Justice Today and in the Future”
Grassroots community leader from morning panel: “Obstacles we are up against that need all of us working together”
Winifred Hamilton, PhD ( Director, Baylor College of Medicine Environmental Health Section) – Environmental Health Disparities, Cancer Clusters

3:30 – 4:30 pm Breakout Session B (pick one of the following concurrent sessions):

Bill Stevens (Resident Agent-in-Charge, U.S. EPA-Criminal Investigation Division, Houston): “EJ Concerns in Criminal Investigations”
Larry Soward: (Board President for Air Alliance Houston): “Impact of Port Expansion on Increased Air Pollution”
Dr. Al Armendariz (Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign, former EPA Regional Director): ”Role of Texas in Environmental Justice Today and in the Future” (repeat of his presentation in Breakout Session A)

4:45-5:15 pm Participants reassemble for discussion on “What can we do to create an environmentally just community?

5:15-5:45 pm Jim Blackburn, environmental attorney and poet: “Earth Church”

6:00-7:30 pm Reception – Light meal with entertainment, networking

SATURDAY, MAY 17

8-9 am Registration and “Pick-up” breakfast

9-12 noon Pick one of the following concurrent sessions:

Presentation by “Statistics for Action at TERC” (Technical Education Research Center): Training for communities affected by environmental contamination to help them “understand, analyze, assess risks to health and communicate key data to decision makers and the community”. The goal of this training is to empower community groups to advocate for their own environmental justice with the power of scientific information. ( Participation limited to 25)
Environmental Justice film showings: “Come Hell or High Water” and “Trashed” A discussion will follow each one.

Noon-1 pm Lunch

1-2 pm Special Agent De’Montra Rainey, U.S. EPA Crime Investigation Division: “Environmental Crimes & the Crime Victim Right’s Act”

2-5 pm Riki Ott, Phd, marine toxicologist, author, former fisher, activist since being one of the first on the scene of the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska: “Lessons Learned from Past Oil Spills, and Creating a Community Safety Net that Works for Everyone” – This will be totally iinteractive, Q&A, small group break-out discussion

5 pm Closing Remarks

Register today for the Houston Environmental Justice Encuentro. Registration fees increase by $10 per day after May 13, and we cannot guarantee there will be meals for you if you register late.

Event Sponsor(s):
Houston Peace and Justice Center
Contact Name:
Mary Schultz
Contact Email Address:
mschultz@hal-pc.org
Map to Location:

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Location:
Texas Southern University
Building 151
Houston, TX

Contact:
Mary Schultz
mschultz@hal-pc.org

Sponsored By:
UTMB’s Sealy Center for Environmental Health & Medicine, TEJAS, HPJC, Air Alliance Houston, TSU, Dominican Sisters-Houston, and Citizens Environmental Coalition