Houston and Nature

Each human being is host to a microbiota, an ecosystem made up of trillions of bacteria that inhabit the surfaces and crevices of our body and especially the insides of our large intestine. In this episode we'll look at the ecology inside our gut, where bacteria are on a constant quest to feed and multiply, while bacteriophages scheme to snatch their minuscule bodies for their own reproductive purposes.

Our guide is molecular biologist Dr. Laura Bridgewater. She'll tell us how our microbiota influences our weight, our health, and even our personality. Believe me - it's a zoo down there!

In his book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," Microsoft founder Bill Gates proposes a global – yes, world-wide - solution to climate change.

That's ambitious. Does he succeed? Find out from this conversation with environmental attorney Tom Campbell, who played a key role in resolving the infamous Exxon Valdez crisis.

This is part 1 of a two-part interview.

In his book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," Microsoft founder Bill Gates proposes a global – yes, world-wide – solution to climate change.

That's ambitious. Does he succeed? Find out from this conversation with environmental attorney Tom Campbell, who played a key role in resolving the infamous Exxon Valdez crisis.

This is part 2 of a two-part interview.

Former Congress member Beto O'Rourke knows Texas like no other. That's because he's visited every single one of its 254 counties – listening, debating, and campaigning for the U.S. Senate.

In this interview he shares what the geography and landscape of Texas means to him, what its needs are, and how he would like us to protect it.

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 has studied our squirrels in depth. She'll tell you what's cool about them and what they do to survive. Most importantly, she'll make you appreciate these little rodents in an entirely new way.

For transcripts and other resources, visit https://houstonnature.com/houston-squirrels or https://houstonnature.com/11

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 to those questions I turned to Eagle Scout James Sy, who gave me his unvarnished view on the good, the bad, and the great about being a member of Boy Scouts of America.

Find episode transcript and resources at: https://houstonnature.com/9

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 the process she bolstered their other skills, from poetry and sketching to the scientific method.

Here she explains why it is so important to introduce children to the outdoors at an early age and describes her best strategies for doing so.

Find episode transcript and resources at https://houstonnature.com/9

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 is Jerry Hamby, a lead volunteer at Exploration Green. He tells us how this park has come about, why it means so much to him, and why he will leave it in just a short period of time.

For show notes and transcript, go to https://houstonnature.com/8

The Houston permaculture community is lively. And chances are, you've heard of their innovative approach towards gardening.

But, as you'll learn from veteran expert Shawn McFarland, permaculture goes far beyond orchards and vegetable beds. It can be applied, she says, to business, architecture, and how you live your life. As a consequence, it lends itself to re-imagining how we function as a society.

Find out how it may transform you.

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 is a noxious ground water plume on Jones Road in Northwest Houston and a creosote plume in Greater Fifth Ward. She is dedicated to getting all these sites cleaned up. Her goal is to bring justice to the communities they have poisoned.

It's been close to a decade since she entered this fight. For the past five years she's been able to count on support from her organization THEA, the Texas Health and Environment Alliance.

Find out how Young Medcalf found her way into the environmental justice movement and how she grew up within it. I bet you'll walk away with this impression: When it comes to environmental justice, Young Medcalf is simply relentless.