Past Webinars

Has the hard clay soil in your backyard stunted the growth of your fruits, flowers and vegetables? Join us for tips on how to regenerate the health of your soil and learn how you can start preparing now for a healthy harvest this spring.

Presenters: 
Hyiat El-Jundi, assistant director, Farmers Assisting Returning Veterans
Dr. Kara Casy, director of Urban Agriculture and Renewable Resources, Dallas College

Have you ever thought about starting a beehive but didn't know where to begin? Join this conversation about how to resource, start and maintain your own backyard beehive in Dallas County.

Presenters: 
Shafeeqa Small, urban beekeeper and business consultant
Dr. Kara Casy, director, Urban Agriculture and Renewable Resources, Dallas College

In the wake of the pandemic, spending time outside is playing a more critical role than ever in sustaining people's mental and physical health. Studies have shown that immersion in nature has a profound impact on human health, such as boosting overall health, reducing stress, promoting active lifestyles, improved mental health and cognitive function, and creating a stronger community.

Texas Trees Foundation has embarked on a project to rethink how we design for people. The foundation is leveraging the restorative and health benefits of the environment to improve human wellness and create a sense of place by greening the streetscape along the main road and creating a 10-acre park to replace the cloverleaf interchange. By using an evidence-based process, each design decision is measured against health and environmental improvement targets.

The goal of the project is to foster a livable district that carefully considers the health of the natural environment, the health of thriving neighborhood systems and the health of the district where minds, bodies and spirits can heal.

Presenters: 
Lannie McClelen is the project coordinator for the Southwestern Medical Streetscape project with Texas Trees Foundation (TTF), a private nonprofit focused on urban forestry, green infrastructure and sustainable design. Lannie provides oversight and coordination of the initiative, ensuring that goals and objectives are met and ongoing advocacy and outreach efforts with partners and stakeholders are inclusive. Lannie is a registered landscape architect. Prior to joining TTF, Lannie served as a landscape designer at the city of Fort Worth and with SWA Group. She was also the senior project manager at Out Teach. She has taught landscape construction classes as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. She studied at Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Arlington, receiving undergraduate and master's degrees in landscape architecture.

Emily Fitzgerald is the Southwestern Medical District engagement coordinator at the Texas Trees Foundation (TTF) and supports the project by organizing the stakeholder outreach and community engagement efforts, while also assisting with day-to-day project coordination. Emily graduated from Wake Forest University in 2017 with a finance degree. She started her career in urban development as an analyst at HR&A Advisors, an economic development and real estate advisory consulting firm, supporting the firm's Southwest portfolio. In addition to her work at TTF, she is pursuing her master's degree in city and regional planning from the University of Texas at Arlington, graduating in May 2021. She is an active member of APA Texas and currently serves as the student representative on the APA Texas North Central Section Board.

Have you ever wanted to engage kids outside in the garden? Hear how Mill City Teaching Farm is showing students how to produce food through their Learn To Grow program. While cultivating fresh, healthy vegetables, students sharpen their reading, music and biology skills to help them succeed inside the classroom and in life.

Presenter: 
Alendra Lyons, director, Mill City Teaching Farm
Dr. Kara Casy, director, Urban Agriculture and Renewable Resources, Dallas College

Recycling has been in the news lately, specifically about shipments from the U.S. being turned away around the world. We can solve the problem by going back to recycling basics and reducing contamination at the curb. “Wish-cycling," the thought process wherein residents think something “should" be recyclable, is behind most of our recycling issues. In this webinar, you'll learn how the recycling process works, why it's important to keep contaminants out of the recycling stream and what you really should recycle.

Presenter: Lori Delacruz Lewis has more than 25 years of experience in environmental and sustainability education and leads the Sustainability Education team at Dallas College. She holds a master's degree in sustainability and development from SMU.

Have you ever wanted to grow your own greens indoors but didn't know where to start? In this session, you'll learn the fundamentals, best practices and helpful tips you'll need to start growing fresh food for your family in the comfort of your own home.

Presenter: Ples Montgomery IV is the executive director of The Oak Cliff Veggie Project, which builds and maintains community gardens within the Southern Sector of Dallas and operates a community produce rescue and distribution system. Ples educates his community on methods of cultivation, preparation of fresh produce and plant-based diets.

Dr. Kara Casy is the director of urban agriculture and renewable resources at Dallas College El Centro Campus. She says, “Empowering communities through increased access to affordable education, local high-paying jobs and healthy food is my jam."

Landscaping with perennials will save you money, time and water. Why? Because they live more than two years and generally require less water and maintenance than annuals. You don't need to replace them each year or expend a lot of effort in keeping them alive. Not all perennials die back to the ground, and many are evergreen or semi-evergreen during the winter. This webinar will showcase the best perennials for north Texas, explain what they require to thrive in your yard (water, sun, shade, etc.) and what types of creatures they will attract (pollinators, birds, etc.).

Presenter: Bonnie Arnold Reese is an award-winning North Texas landscape designer who has operated Beautiful Landscapes since 1982. She is a popular author (“Common Sense Landscaping") and public speaker specializing in low maintenance, low water use, nature-friendly landscaping.

Video and transcript coming soon!

Heroes don't always wear capes. Sometimes they are disguised as people who are working to solve the climate crisis. A group of scientists at Project Drawdown have identified 100 existing careers that, together, can stop and reverse global warming. Learn about these career opportunities and how they align with Dallas College's Guided Pathways.

Presenter: Lori Delacruz Lewis is the sustainability education coordinator for Dallas College. She produces curriculum resources, faculty/student/community workshops and special events that inspire people and businesses to practice the principles of sustainability in three areas: equity, economy, environment. Lori is pursuing a doctorate in urban planning and public policy from the University of Texas at Arlington and has a master's degree in sustainability from Southern Methodist University.

Video and transcript coming soon!

This webinar will cover the basics of onsite solar photovoltaic (PV) electrical energy for homes or businesses, including the system components, sizing a system, optimizing a system and paying for a system. Over time, a solar PV system generates a profit for you with long-term, low-carbon energy production.

Presenter: Paul Westbrook designed his own passive/active solar home in north Texas in 1996, which won the Energy Value Housing Award for Innovative Design. His home was the first DFW house on the national solar home tour, and over 2,000 people have toured the house.

Paul led the green design of a Texas Instruments factory in Richardson, which was the first LEED Gold semiconductor factory in the world. He then worked to improve the energy and water efficiency of TI's 20 million square feet of global facilities. They were able to double the company energy and water efficiency in less than 10 years. In 2012, Paul was named a senior fellow for the U.S. State Department's Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) program. In 2019 he published a book, “The Joy of Efficiency. " Paul's degree is in mechanical engineering.

Video and transcript coming soon!

Contribute to science around the world from anywhere! Hundreds of crowdsourcing opportunities exist — both outdoors and from your home computer. We'll explore collecting data to track caterpillars, ladybugs and plastic litter. Plus, you'll learn how to contribute to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Structures Database and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s mosquito habitat maps. Submit magnetic data to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) when you're outdoors, or identify coral reefs for NASA from home. There are also many opportunities to assist with humanitarian relief efforts around the world … from your home computer. Contribute data to the global scientific community and help citizens on the other side of the world in a crisis … while safely social distancing.

Presenter: Lori Delacruz Lewis has more than 25 years of experience in environmental and sustainability education and leads the sustainability education team at Dallas College. She holds a master's degree in sustainability and development from SMU.

Does the idea of composting intimidate or disgust you? Fear not! Let Turn teach you the basics of how to create your own compost at home using organic waste from inside and outside your urban space. You will get an overview of soil biology, compost methodologies and techniques, and tips on usage and application in your home landscape.

Presenter: Lauren Clarke is the founder and CEO of Turn (turncompost.com). Lauren has degrees in violin performance from the University of North Texas, strategic communications from Columbia University and culinary arts from El Centro College. She has a broad background in marketing and strategy, doing work for large and small companies. Lauren is a certified Master Gardener with Texas A&M AgriLife (class of 2013) and a certified composting specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife. She is educated as a compost facility operator with the U.S. Composting Council, and she is also a Certified Culinarian with the American Culinary Federation. She is supremely grateful for her husband, two children, backyard chickens and edible yard.

Have you ever planted a garden, watched it bloom, then discovered it half-eaten and withering on the vine? Dr. Kara Casy and Darciea Houston are back for a second webinar by popular demand. Join us as they share tips for managing pests in the garden, preventing disease and creating a holistically healthy garden that will thrive instead of merely survive.

Presenters: Dr. Kara Casy is the director of urban agriculture and renewable resources at Dallas College El Centro Campus. Darciea Houston is a holistic health and wellness professional.

We are learning to care for our environment by recycling and managing our resources; we encourage others to follow. But what are you doing for your own sustainability? Each day we are faced with stress, negativity and problems that are too big for us to solve alone. Come learn ways we can increase our personal sustainability by using nature, self-care and available resources to increase our ability to finish the race in the best position possible.

Presenter: Karen Cuttill has worked at Dallas College Richland Campus since 2005, helping students overcome challenges so they are successful in their educational goals.

She is highly engaged on her home campus as well as actively involved in promoting mental health and wellness across Dallas College. She is often asked to speak on stress management, positivity and mental well-being. She is passionate about the benefits of community college, building sustainable communities and the environment.

Video and transcript coming soon!

Presenter: Kevin Wilhelm, author of a new book by the same name

America is as divided as ever, and with each “side" becoming more entrenched in their own views, nothing is getting done. Sustainability business consultant and author Kevin Wilhelm has developed a much-needed toolkit that provides both hope and practical strategies for finding common ground and win-win solutions for people who deeply disagree with you. His book will equip Americans to address our nation's largest public health, economic and environmental challenges.

Presenters: Dr. Kara Casy, Director of Urban Agriculture at El Cento and Darciea Houston, nutrition and wellness consultant.

Join us for tips on growing your own healthy fruits and vegetables at home, on a budget! Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned gardener, with a little inspiration you'll be well on your way to improving your health, while saving money.

Review the Q&A forum on What to Grow Now

Organizations are powerful entities. Though they have the potential to harm in the pursuit of profit, they have just as much potential to do good. This good is referred to as corporate social responsibility (CSR) or sustainability. McKinsey & Company defines sustainability as "the management of environmental, social and governance issues." Thus, a company's CSR efforts are measured by three pillars of sustainability: environmental, sociocultural and economic.

Sustainable practices are defined as those that:

1. at minimum do not harm people or the planet and at best create value for stakeholders and
2. focus on improving environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the areas in which the company or brand has a material environmental or social impact (such as in their operations, value chain or customers). Harvard Business Review excludes companies with a traditional CSR program that supports employee volunteering in the community — this does not by itself qualify as sustainability.

Although many organizations are embracing sustainability efforts to one degree or another, getting employees to back these efforts has presented more of a challenge.

How can employees be motivated to choose to improve sustainability performance?

Presenter: Dr. Gemmy Allen, Dallas College faculty member
Gemmy S. Allen is a faculty member and coordinator of the Management and Business Administration program at Dallas College North Lake Campus. Her bachelor's and master's degrees are in business administration, and her Doctor of Education degree is in leadership (Ed.D.) from Lamar University. Her awards include being named Outstanding Mountain View College Faculty Member and receiving the Golden Oak Award, Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce; the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence in Teaching Award at Mountain View College and North Lake College; the award for Mountain View College Innovator of the Year; and member of Innovation of the Year at North Lake College, Cedar Valley College, LeCroy Center and District Office.

She is the co-author of the textbook "Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations," now in its 11th edition. In addition, she has co-authored several discipline-specific, internet-related books and has developed several online classes.

What can you do to protect our native species and habitats? Join us as we learn why the invasion of exotic species in the United States such as Asian Tiger mosquitos, garlic mustard, cowbirds, Zebra mussels and European starlings is one of the greatest threats to ecosystem biodiversity and sustainability. We'll also explore how human activities help exotic species. This free webinar is part of the Sustainable U Lunch and Learn series produced by Dallas College and EarthX.

Presenter: Brie Day has a passion for projects that help our environment and educate students and the community about science and sustainability. Brie has taught full time at the community college level for more than 18 years, teaching more than 28 courses in the environmental and biological sciences. She currently teaches in the areas of general and environmental biology at the Eastfield campus in Mesquite, where her curriculum focuses on project-based, hands-on education, both in the lab and in the field at Samuell Farm.

Brie recently won the Eastfield College "Excellence in Teaching – Piper Professor Faculty of the Year" award. Throughout her career in higher education, Brie has worked to build K-12, university and industry partnerships for educational initiatives in the biological and environmental sciences.

Brie's education includes the completion of three years toward a doctorate (achieving ABD status) in environmental and natural resources science: evolutionary molecular genetics of salmonids from Washington State University, Vancouver. She also holds a master's degree in biological sciences: conservation biology/invasion ecology from Illinois State University and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences: ecology/evolutionary biology/behavior from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Presenter: Dr. Kara Casy, Dallas College

Free webinar

Learn how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in your front yard (or back yard) through our first Lunch and Learn webinar. See several examples of how to switch out coleus for kale and begonias for beets in any space you have available while achieving a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing design and abiding by city codes. Please visit the registration link below to participate in this event.

View the Foodscaping webinar handout (DOC - 2.75MB).