The North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge is a friendly competition among North Texas communities to see who can pick up the most litter per resident from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31, 2021. Communities, churches, boy scouts, girl scouts, companies, activists, or just ordinary citizens can organize litter cleanup events or simply log existing events and efforts as they occur. At the end of the contest, the community with the most litter cleaned up per resident will recieve the North Texas Community Cleanup award that they can proudly display in their city hall. Each year the trophy will move from community to community, each adding their name to the legacy of litter cleanup efforts.

Showcasing the jewelry creations of renowned designer extraordinaire Paula Crevoshay, The Shape of Matter – Through An Artist’s Eye exhibit will open at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science Oct. 21, 2021, and run through April 20, 2022.

As part of the Perot Museum’s commitment to create enticing content that inspires minds through nature and science, this exhibit provides an innovative look at how nature and art connect.

In addition to approximately 70 pieces inspired by nature, including a world museum debut, The Shape of Matter – Through An Artist’s Eye will include loose gems and minerals, all displayed within their respective crystal systems. The exhibition illuminates the link between minerals, gems and jewelry while providing a path to learn more about intricate crystal structures.

Museum general admission is $20 for adults (13-64), $13 for youth (2-12) and $18 for seniors (65+). Museum general admission is free for members. Children under 2 are always free.

Keynote address by Dr. Andy Sansom, Director of Environmental Strategy at Texas State University.

RSVP to receive the Zoom login information.

Info: [email protected]

Enjoy an engaging panel presentation by women who have followed their “green” passions. Learn how these influential women became change agents and champions of the environmental and sustainability movement in the DFW area.

Speakers: Meghna Tare, UT Arlington’s first Chief Sustainability Officer; Olinka Green, community organizer; Yolanda Bluehorse, co-founder of the Society of Native Nations in Texas; Tamara Cook, a senior sustainability manager; Pharr Andrews, Senior Climate Coordinator for the City of Dallas; Marsha Jackson, infamous Shingle Mountain activist; Evelyn Mayo, chair of Downwinders at Risk.

Tickets: $10-$15.

More info on website link below.

11th annual event hosted by Dallas College.

The keynote topics include:

    •    How respect for self and others improves civic engagement and civil discourse

    •    Civil discourse – how we can move beyond our seemingly intractable wars of ideas

Additional topics to be explored are:

    •    Why voting matters

    •    How service-learning benefits both the givers and receivers

    •    Can Mindfulness and Compassion Training Increase Responsiveness and Resilience to the Climate Crisis?

    •    Media Literacy: How to Spot Misinformation Online

    •    Reflective Structured Dialogues 

    •    Sustainability for Self: How to Have the Time and Energy for Civic Engagement

    •    Three Questions that Can Transform the World

The Sustainability Summit will be followed by the 2021 Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) Summit Nov. 8 - 9. The theme of the event is “Hope for the Future.“ It will provide educational opportunities for students, faculty, staff and community members on five specific Sustainable Development Goals that address hunger, health, education, inequality and climate change.

Both the Sustainability Summit and TRACS Summit will be held virtually and there is no charge for registration. This is part of Dallas College’s ongoing commitment to encourage social responsibility and provide access to low or no cost sustainability education to all the citizens of Texas.