Sustainability Wins During Earth Week 2022
The 52nd anniversary of Earth Day (and Week) happened April 18-22, and it was the first one for NASA Johnson Space Center’s newest Employee Resource Group, Greening and Restoring Our World, or GROW, to organize an entire week’s worth of activities promoting and practicing Earth stewardship. Other NASA events and activities within the Houston community rounded out the celebrations. Enjoy some images and videos from the festivities, below, to keep our favorite planet on the forefront as we look forward to 2023.
ICYMI: JSC's 60th Anniversary Earth Stewardship Panel
As Johnson celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and Earth Week, delve into past successes in cross-directorate collaboration for Earth stewardship. Did you miss the panel featuring JSC Center Operations Director Joel Walker, the Engineering Directorate’s Michael Ewert, Exploration Integration and Science Directorate’s Richard Davis, and Environmental Office’s Jeni Morrison? The discussion covered a variety of accomplishments, including the onset of the free-range bikes program, solar golf carts, creating labs through re-use, and reducing hazardous waste.
Get ‘Down to Earth’
Catch new episodes of the International Space Station’s Down to Earth series, such as Season 2, Episode 1, “Changing Your Perspective,” or Season 2, Episode 2, “Sensory Overload.”
Down to Earth - S2:E1 | Changing Your Perspective
Down to Earth - S2:E2 | Sensory Overload
Plastic Film Challenge — Ongoing from April 1 to Sept. 30
Help Johnson compete against NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in collecting 500 pounds of plastic film (grocery bags, zip-close bags, bubble wrap, toilet paper overwrap, and more). This is a collaboration with the University of Houston-Clear Lake and Galveston Bay Area Texas Master Naturalists. If we meet our goal, the community will receive a bench!
For more information on what can be recycled and our progress, visit the Plastic Film Challenge page.
Please drop off clean, dry film in the designated boxes located at:
- Building 1 - in vending area with other recycling collection bins
- Building 11 - by the restrooms
- Building 30 - by the vending machines at the entrance leading to the mall
- Building 31 - by paper recycling at the bottom of the stairs
- Building 36 - by the vending machines on the first floor near the men's restroom
- Building 36 - large box in the Building 36 high bay (outside of laboratory 1010A)
- Building 45 - lobby by recycling bins
- Building 420 - front loading dock
- Gilruth - by Studio 1 near the front desk
- Jacobs Building - near the atrium
See images of the Johnson team gathering to take part in the challenge for Earth Week.
Credits: Courtesy of GROW
Sustainable Clothing Happy Hour
On April 22, GROW engaged in a sustainable clothing happy hour at the Magpies & Peacocks warehouse in East Downtown. Magpies & Peacocks is a nonprofit warehouse and design house dedicated to collecting and reusing post-consumer clothing, scrap textiles, and accessories from landfills to disrupt the fashion industries’ waste cycle and mitigate the environmental and societal impact created by our clothing.
See images from the sustainable clothing happy hour for Earth Week.
Credits: Courtesy of GROW
On-Site Tree Planting
GROW and an army of Johnson volunteers planted 68 native trees donated by Trees for Houston at the Astronaut Jogging Trail to reforest the area on April 22, capping off Earth Week. These trees will benefit the community by improving air and water quality, sequestering carbon, absorbing excess water, and providing wildlife habitats and shade. Tree species include Live Oaks, Red Maples, American Sycamores, Bald Cypresses, and Green Ashes.
See images from the tree-planting event below.
Credits: NASA/James Blair
