On Wednesday, April 11 at 7 pm we'll learn about sustainable architecture during a free tour and talk at the gleaming new UTA College Park Center, 601 S. Pecan St.

For this month's general meeting we will tour the CPC, UTA's newest environmentally-friendly sports arena/events facility. We will be guided by the building's architects and managers, who will highlight its green features.

Representatives of the UT System and the architecture and engineering firms involved ­ Bill Amendola, Office of Facilities Planning and Construction, UT System; Ellen Mitchell, sustainable design coordinator, HKS; Jennifer Blount, LEED coordinator, Jacobs Engineering; and Keith Schobert, assistant director, UTA College Park Center ­ will lead a discussion of green building elements, both visible and stealth, and other environmentally aware features of the state-of-the-art venue and how the entire 20-acre College Park District is accelerating a growing synergy between the university and downtown Arlington.

Date & Time Location
May 31st 6:00 pm – 9:00pm 
June 1st 6:00 pm – 9:00pm 
June 2nd 8:00 am – 4:00pm 

Dallas Farmer’s Market - Multi Purpose Room - 1010 S. Pearl Expwy. - Dallas, TX 75201

Purpose
To grow a community of volunteers dedicated to the reduction of organics in the municipal solid waste stream, education of organic composting among citizens of Dallas and increasing community participation in waste diversion efforts via composting.

Requirements
Master Composter candidates will attend:
Introduction to Composting 1 hr
History of Solid Waste 2 hrs
Compost Recipe 101 2 hrs
Composting Techniques: Backyard and Commercial 2 hrs
Vermi-composting 2 hrs
The Indore Method – Hands on Training 2 hrs
Compost Quality 2 hrs
How to Use Compost 2 hrs
Read “The Rodale Book of Composting” 5 hrs
Total Education 20 hrs

Bird Walk with Gailon Brehm & Rodney Thomas - Connemara Meadow Preserve (AT)
Sunday, April 1, 2012     8:00 - 10:00 AM

This is a monthly bird walk.  It meets on first Saturdays in odd-numbered months.  And meets on first Sundays in even-numbered months.  (opposite 2011).

Bring your binoculars and field guides if you have them, and learn what to watch for in habits, characteristics and calls from Gailon and Rodney, both with Prairie and Timbers Audubon Society.  Expect to see spring migrants and residents.  All ages are welcome.  Bring binoculars and bird guides.

Location:  Connemara Meadow is located in north Plano on Alma Dr, south of Bethany Dr. (Note: entrance is in Allen.)

We may hear some bumps in the night, but have no fear...it’s probably just an armadillo. Follow our trail guides on a moonlit stroll down the Redbud Trail. Coyotes howling, owls hooting, and other nocturnal sounds will provide an out-of-the-ordinary hiking experience.

No flashlights are necessary. Ages 5 years and up. The hike will be rescheduled in the event of rain.

Registration required at 972-219-3930 or lisacole@unt.edu.

The hike is $7 per person, or $2/person for LLELA season pass holders.

Do your plants have spots when they didn’t use to? Do you have something chewing on your plants in the middle of the night? Join Michael Bosco, owner of Soils Alive, as he teaches you about common plant diseases in our area, insects that will help keep your garden beautiful and healthy, how to attract them and how to get rid of the pests that can destroy your plants. It’s a jungle out there, come find out how to combat disease in your garden and put your new insect friends to work for you! 

4/14 from 12pm – 2pm,

$25 or $23 for Members

http://dallasarboretum.org/AdultEducation/Gardening&Design.htm

Don’t let your rain go down the drain! Water is becoming an ever more precious commodity and saving water in your yard is something that you can do with ease. Dr. Dotty Woodson, Extension Program Specialist – Water Resources, will share basic water harvesting strategies, how to calculate the amount of water that you can capture and then help you construct your own rain barrel. Each student will construct and go home with a rain barrel that is ready to start capturing water on their property. Join us to find out how to keep your garden beautiful with the water that Mother Nature provides. 

4/28 from 12pm – 3pm;

$80 or $72 for Members

http://dallasarboretum.org/AdultEducation/Gardening&Design.htm

Summer is right around the corner and there is nothing more important than making sure that your plants get just the right amount of precious water during that time. Join Amanda Griffin, Texas licensed irrigator and water educator, as she shows you how to master your irrigation system!  Amanda will show you how different components affect water usage, and strategies to help get the maximum plant health for the minimum amount of water.  You will leave with a true understanding of the critical part that an irrigation system plays in a beautiful, healthy landscape. 

4/28 from 9am – 11am; $25 or $23 for Members

* This class is part of the ‘Arboretum Green Team’ series.

http://dallasarboretum.org/AdultEducation/Gardening&Design.htm

TietzeShred! 

On-site Document Shredding Event & Annual Fundraiser for Friends of Tietze Park Foundation - Watch your sensitive documents being confettied by Talon Shred's mobile shredding truck. 

Saturday, March 31^st ,

9 am to 1 pm in the parking lot of Skillman Church of Christ (Skillman at Monticello).  

Subject: Area Environmental Groups Meet About Natural Gas Task Force – March 27
There will be a city-wide meeting on Gas Drilling on Tuesday March 27, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Center for Community Cooperation at 2900 Live Oak in East Dallas. The Texas Campaign for the Environment, Mountain Creek Alliance, Downwinders at Risk, Dallas Area Residents for Responsible Drilling, Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project and the Sierra Club will host the meeting. 

Topics include: