TCEQ Conference and TEEA Banquet
This was the first year during the pandemic I attended the Environmental Trade Fair and Conference (ETFC) hosted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Ironically, I worked for TCEQ for the Take Care of Texas program during the initial years of the pandemic which shut down the conference – so I was never able to attend while working for the agency.
I attended the first day of the conference as an exhibitor with Texas Disposal Systems. I worked the booth alongside a couple salesmen and really enjoyed speaking with guests and handing out promotional items.
Throughout the day attendees would come in waves between educational sessions. According the the ETFC website, ““Agency staff [led] over 100 courses and discussions at Trade Fair. Topics included air and water permitting, oil and gas, industrial and solid waste management, compliance and enforcement, and remediation programs.”
(more…)- Published in General, Professional, Texas
Eeyore’s Birthday Party
Another pandemic postponed tradition was Eeyore’s Birthday. It’s a celebration of the fictitious mopey character from the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise. Since this was the first year of this mini-festival during the pandemic, I was very excited to attend!
Eeyore’s Birthday Party is a day-long festival taking place annually in Austin, Texas since 1963. It typically occurs on the last Saturday of April in Austin’s Pease District Park. It includes live music, food and drink vending which benefit local non-profit organizations, attendees in colorful costumes, and very large drum circles. The event is frequented by children and families, with specific events presented for them by the event organizers. The festival is named in honor of Eeyore, a character in A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
— Wikipedia
Surreal Gardens Art Exhibit
Zilker Botanical Gardens in Austin, Texas, held an Instagram-able art exhibit called Surreal Gardens with neon lights and sculptures. I was very interested in attending this event because I have a special attachment to the gardens visiting with my grandmother, and the event looked really intriguing.
Ion Art is excited to announce our next Surreal event with the debut of The Surreal Garden at the Zilker Botanical Garden! The Surreal series is an annual interactive art experience full of fantastical neon pieces created by Sharon Keshishian and the Ion Art team. By integrating the exhibit into the serene setting of the enchanting botanical gardens, the already stunning art event becomes a phenomenal experience and a wonderful way to benefit The Garden.
— Ion Art’s Surreal Garden Webpage
I arrived early so I could see the art during the daylight hours first. The walk through the Gardens was nice. I found the Cretacious Gardens the most interesting with the featured sculptures.
(more…)EarthX 2022
EarthX is one of my favorite environmental events in Texas! I’ve attended EarthX years prior to the pandemic and loved every experience. This environmental conference is held in Dallas, Texas, and invites people and organizations from across the world. Its part educational in-person conference and exhibitor hall, and part film festival.
This year EarthX was held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center downtown. Usual the event is hosted at the State Fairgrounds, but was relocated for in-person attendance during the pandemic. I met up with a friend and we took the DART rail to the convention center as a greener travel method.
We started off looking at international environmental art submissions. A lot of these art pieces were beautiful and represented environmental and regional concerns. We had the opportunity to publicly vote on our favorites too.
(more…)Austin FC and TDS Earth Day
I wasn’t able to attend the Texas Disposal Systems booth for Earth Day at Austin FC’s game day at Q2 Stadium. However, my coworkers told me the game I created for our booth was super popular and had the longest wait line of all the vendor booths!
The game I proposed was a “Sort and Toss” cornhole-style game. Participants would spin a wheel with various forms of waste, then toss a bean bag into the corresponding and correct waste bin for a prize.
- Published in General, Professional, Texas
Fiesta San Antonio 2022
My company, Texas Disposal Systems, supplied the portable restrooms and fencing for Fiesta in San Antonio. The festival provided TDS employees with free tickets and a VIP table for NIOSA (Night in Old San Antonio). I went with the marketing department as part of team bonding.
This was my first time attending Fiesta in San Antonio. I was taken back by the scale of the event. We made our way over to the VIP tables to watch the annual float parade. However, the festival incorporated the entire city!
What is Fiesta?
- Published in General, Professional, Texas