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Center for Houston’s Future Issues Report Card |
| Regional Leaders Tackle Uphill Battle of Improving Quality of Place:
Center for Houston’s Future Issues Report Card |
Center for Houston’s Future
Contact: Mercedes Santos-Garay
713.844.9328
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston, TX - January 22, 2010. Finally, in the Houston Region tree enthusiasts sat beside business leaders, who sat beside medical and health experts to discuss the future of our air, our parks & trails, our trees, and ultimately our well being and economic competitiveness. Approximately 150 individuals participated in the inaugural Symposium, Counting on Quality of Place, organized by the Center for Houston’s Future.
With the second publication of the region’s first Environment Indicator Report (2007, 2009) “Counting on Quality of Place: Air Quality, Parks & Trails, Trees” the region now has a story to tell. “In addition to developing good policy, there is something that each of us can do. Use more public transportation, reduce energy consumption, and contribute to environmental projects,” said Catherine Mosbacher, CEO of the Center for Houston’s Future.
Keynote Speakers included Kathleen Wolf, Ph. D., a Research Social Scientist and Professor at the University of Washington, and Larry R. Soward, a former TCEQ Commissioner who, until last year, was known for his efforts to balance environmental concerns with business objectives. Mr. Soward challenged the luncheon crowd to view the proposed EPA Ozone Standard of 60-70 parts per billion as an opportunity for the region to define its strengths, entrepreneurship included, and demonstrate them nationally. Dr.Wolf spoke concretely about the economic benefits of trees.
In terms of the region’s report card, Air Quality is a mixed bag - our current compliance with EPA ozone standards hangs by a thin thread. Houston’s air quality is in fact the best it has been in the last twenty years. However, with the recently announced, more stringent EPA regulations, our hard-won standing might slip before we have time to celebrate.
When we look at Parks & Trails, the news is not much better. While virtually no new land has been allocated recently to park systems, a number of innovative partnerships and projects have been created to improve the quality of our parks and to expand their use. In particular, the West Houston Association has teamed up with the National Park Service and several local government agencies to connect trails to transportation centers, through a Master Plan.
The statistics are alarming for Trees. The region has lost 679 square miles of tree canopy since 1992 – an amount equal to the size of the City of Houston. To be fair, government, non-profit, and voluntary tree planting efforts have steadily increased in the last ten years, and has made an impact. However, they fall short of replacing the hundreds of square miles of tree canopy being lost to residential and commercial development each year.
The final report is available online.
The Center for Houston’s Future is a 501c (3) non-profit organization that advances the Houston region as one of the top ten global communities in which to live and work.
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