Earth Day News

Earth Day Texas speaker roster includes some pretty famous people

Earth Day Texas is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a panel of distinguished speakers. Two of the most notable are Karenna Gore, eldest daughter of global warming trooper Al Gore, and former Houston Mayor Bill White.

Gore, director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and author of Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Shaped Modern America, will give an address on April 24 at 5 pm called "Integrity and Earth: Honoring Our Roots While Enhancing Progress."

White will participate in a conversation with Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Business Association.

"We've invited regionally and nationally well-known speakers to engage the business community and the family at this year's event," says Earth Day Texas founder Trammell S. Crow. "Speakers at this year's event reaffirm our organization's goals to positively influence the way Texans think, live and work."

Other speakers booked include "tiny house" enthusiast B.A. Norrgard, who will demonstrate her hand-built, 112-square-foot home. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will make a speech on Saturday about the importance of a clean environment for the economy.

Also on Saturday, Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton will debate fracking with Adam Briggle, a representative of Frack Free Denton. On Sunday, there will be a panel on New Urbanism featuring Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs, former council member Angela Hunt and urban designer/Walkable DFW founder Patrick Kennedy.

The event also will feature presentations on farm-to-table cuisine, including a panel discussion on "clean food" moderated by Edible DFW's Nancy Taylor with Hibiscus chef Graham Dodds, as well as an onstage interview with Chad Houser, chef and executive director of Cafe Momentum.

Earth Day Texas has expanded to three days for its fifth iteration. It runs April 24-26 at Fair Park. For a complete list of speakers, visit the Earth Day Texas website.

Karenna Gore speaks on April 24.

Courtesy photo

Karenna Gore speaks on April 24.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

Unsplash

Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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