The Change Engine
Environmental Awareness
Houston has some big environmental challenges — flooding, air quality, extreme heat. This path helps you understand what's going on and what you can do to protect your family, your neighborhood, and our planet.
Intermediate 145 min 5 modules
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Modules
5 modules1
Houston is home to 22 bayou systems. They were here long before we were. For centuries they carried water safely to the Gulf. Then we paved over them and wondered why the city flooded. The bayous have a lot to teach us.
— Save Buffalo Bayou / Orion Magazine
Houston's Environmental Landscape
Houston is a city shaped by water, built on bayous, and surrounded by one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the world. This module explores the natural systems that define our city — and the challenges they face.
PBS — Bayou City (documentary) Save Buffalo Bayou — Why Houston Floods Orion Magazine — Downstream: Houston's Bayou FloodsWhat a Wonderful World — Louis Armstrong
30 min explainer
Objectives: Understand Houston's 22 bayou systems, Know why Houston's terrain makes it flood-prone, Recognize the scale of petrochemical industry along the Ship Channel, Understand how development affects natural drainage
2
In 1990, Houston averaged 7 days above 97 degrees each year. By 2050, that number is projected to hit 49. The climate is not changing somewhere else. It is changing here.
— ClimateCheck / Climate Impact Assessment for Houston
Climate Change — What It Means for Houston
Houston is already feeling the effects of a changing climate. Stronger hurricanes, longer heat waves, and rising seas are not future problems — they are happening now. This module explains what the science says about Houston's future.
Angel Hsu — Cities and Climate Change (TED) Click2Houston — 5 Ways Climate Is Reshaping Houston HERE in Houston — Climate Change DataMercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) — Marvin Gaye
30 min explainer
Objectives: Understand how climate change intensifies hurricanes, Know Houston's projected temperature increases, Recognize the threat of sea level rise to the Gulf Coast, Connect local weather experiences to global patterns
3
Children who live within two miles of the Houston Ship Channel have a 56 percent higher incidence of leukemia. Your ZIP code should not be a death sentence. Environmental justice means everyone deserves clean air — no matter where they live.
— NRDC / Amnesty International Houston Ship Channel Report
Environmental Justice
Not everyone in Houston breathes the same air. Communities along the Ship Channel — mostly Black, Latino, and low-income families — live next to refineries and chemical plants. This module explores why where you live should not determine how long you live.
Peggy Shepard — Equitable Climate Future (TED) Cristal Cisneros — Youth Environmental Justice (TEDx) NRDC — Toxic Air Pollution in the Houston Ship ChannelGlory — Common and John Legend
30 min deep_dive
Objectives: Define environmental justice and its relevance to Houston, Know what fenceline communities are, Understand how segregation created sacrifice zones, Recognize health impacts of industrial pollution, Learn about EJ organizations in Houston
4
The most important thing you can do about climate change is something you already know how to do: talk about it. Not with facts and figures. With your heart. Talk about what you love and why it is worth protecting.
— Katharine Hayhoe, Texas Tech University / TED 2018
What You Can Do
You do not have to be a scientist or a politician to make a difference. This module shows you everyday actions, advocacy opportunities, and growing career paths in conservation and clean energy — right here in Houston.
Katharine Hayhoe — Talk About Climate Change (TED, Texas scientist) TED Ideas — 7 In-Demand Green Jobs WWF — What You Can Do to Fight Climate ChangeMan in the Mirror — Michael Jackson
25 min action_guide
Objectives: Identify practical conservation actions, Understand how to advocate for environmental policy, Know about green job opportunities, Find local organizations to volunteer with, Recognize that talking about climate change is itself powerful
5
When Hurricane Harvey dropped 27 trillion gallons of water on Houston, the first responders were not all in uniforms. They were neighbors with boats. Strangers with dry blankets. Resilience is not a building. It is a relationship.
— Greater Houston Community Foundation / West Street Recovery
Community Resilience
Houston has survived hurricanes, floods, freezes, and more. What gets us through is not just infrastructure — it is each other. This module explores how neighborhoods prepare together, support each other during disasters, and build lasting networks of mutual aid.
Saket Soni — Workers Rebuilding After Disasters (TED) Keri Stephens — Connecting During Disasters (TED) NE Houston Get Ready — Emergency Preparedness (multilingual)Lean on Me — Bill Withers
30 min action_guide
Objectives: Understand what community resilience means, Create a household emergency plan, Learn about Houston's Resilience Hub network, Understand mutual aid principles, Find neighborhood disaster preparedness resources
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