2024 Year in Review:
Celebrating Community Support: Missouri City Green Honors
Partners and Volunteers
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On November 14th, Missouri City Green hosted a special evening to honor and express our gratitude to those who play a key role in helping us Keep Missouri City Beautiful. During the event, we also introduced our new Partnership Levels of Distinction as the next exciting step in the growth of our Partnership Program. We are deeply thankful for the ongoing dedication and commitment of our Partners and Volunteers. Your support continues to make a meaningful impact, and we are proud to have you as part of the Missouri City Green community! |
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Missouri City Green Brings Treats and Environmental Education
to Tricks & Treats in the Park - October 19
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At the Missouri City Green booth, kids and adults enjoyed treats alongside Take Care of Texas activity books, stickers, bookmarks, and recycling information. A storm drain replica, surrounded by everyday household items, offered an engaging educational game. Children eagerly sorted items into bins labeled Recycling, Plastic Bags, Yard Waste, and Trash, reinforcing the message: “Only Rain Down the Drain!” |
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Native Plant Workshop - October 8
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On October 8th, local residents gathered at a special event hosted by Missouri City Green, the City of Missouri City, and Fort Bend Master Gardeners to learn how to incorporate native plants in their gardens that support pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Led by Mary Parkhouse, a certified Texas Master Naturalist™ and Fort Bend Master Gardener, the event provided valuable insights on using native plants, such as milkweed, turks cap and purple coneflower, to enhance local ecosystems.
Mary emphasized the importance of incorporating native plants that not only thrive in our climate but also provide crucial food sources for pollinators. Attendees learned how easy it is to create a "Living Landscape" in any garden, regardless of size, while reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. A key highlight was the discussion on the critical role of milkweed in supporting monarch butterflies and how planting it can contribute to saving this endangered species. In addition to the informative session, the event featured a free raffle where participants won native plants to take home and start their own pollinator gardens. The event’s success reflects a growing community interest in sustainable gardening practices, and organizers hope it will inspire more residents to create pollinator habitats in their own yards. As one attendee shared, "Mary’s advice was clear and easy to follow—I’m excited to start planting these beautiful, native species!" |
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Missouri City Green Hosts Successful Composting Workshop - September 21
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Twenty-six attendees, including five children, joined Missouri City Green’s Worm Composting Workshop. Led by composting expert Sam Guardiola from the Fort Bend Master Gardeners, participants learned how to establish and care for a thriving worm composting system. Everyone had a great time crafting their own bins filled with wriggling worms to take home! This event was hosted by Missouri City Green, with support from Fort Bend Master Gardeners and Missouri City Parks & Recreation. |
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Life Time Fitness–Missouri City Honored with
Golden Tree Award for Sustainability Leadership
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Congratulations to Life Time Fitness–Missouri City for receiving the prestigious Golden Tree Award during the August 5th Missouri City Council Meeting! The recognition highlights their exceptional efforts in four key areas:
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Nurturing Young Environmentalists:
Missouri City Green and Fort Bend Master Gardeners Inspire
Summer Campers with Eco-Focused Activities
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Twenty-six children from the Missouri City Summer Day Camp, enjoyed a morning filled with activities focused on recycling, worm composting, insects and plants. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Missouri City Green and Fort Bend Master Gardeners, the campers had the opportunity to make bird feeders from recycled objects, create adorable chia pets utilizing plastic water bottles, explore the fascinating world of composting with worms, and learn all about butterflies and caterpillars. It was a great day for campers and volunteers. |
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Missouri City Green Hosts Monarch Butterfly
and Backyard Habitat Workshop
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On May 4, 2024, Missouri City Green hosted a well-attended Monarch Butterfly and Backyard Habitat Workshop at the Missouri City Recreation & Tennis Center. The event, which drew around 50 attendees—including nearly 10 children—was led by Shannon Westveer, a Texas Master Naturalist™ with the Coastal Prairie Chapter and a proud Missouri City resident. Shannon's engaging and informative presentation focused on creating native habitats right in our own backyards to support monarch butterflies and other local wildlife.
Shannon shared valuable tips on selecting and planting native species that provide crucial food sources for monarchs, highlighting the importance of creating a "living landscape" that supports pollinators. The workshop emphasized how easy it can be to transform ordinary yards into habitats that benefit both people and wildlife. The event also featured a free raffle, with attendees winning native plants to take home and add to their gardens. |
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Missouri City Green awarded Gold Star Status for 2024!
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Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), a statewide grassroots environmental and community improvement organization, recently named Missouri City Green, a Gold Star Affiliate for 2024. This is the nineth straight year Missouri City Green has earned the honor. Gold Star recognition is the highest membership recognition status any community affiliate can achieve. In 2023, KTB affiliates engaged over 32,000 volunteers in over 500 cleanups who contributed to collecting 3.7 million pounds of waste and recyclables from Texas roadways, trails, and waterways. Missouri City Green successfully implemented programs to clean up litter, reduce and recycle waste, educate local citizens, and beautify and enhance the local community. |
200 Families Recycle 24,640 Pounds of Confidential Documents,
Saving Trees, Landfill Space, and Reducing Pollution
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On April 27, over 300 families had 24,640 pounds of confidential papers shredded onsite by ProShred with 100% of the material recycled locally.
The vendor's Environmental Recycling Activity Report revealed the following benefits from our shredding event:
Missouri City Green and Missouri City Parks and Recreation partnered to host this event. |
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Quail Valley Garden Club Receives Prestigious Golden Tree Award
for Environmental Responsibility
for Environmental Responsibility
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At the April 15, 2024 City Council meeting, Missouri City Green presented Quail Valley Garden Club with a Golden Tree award for their ongoing commitment to beautifying Quail Valley and Missouri City. One of the objectives of the Quail Valley Garden Club is to enhance civic beautification and to work for the conservation of natural resources. The Garden Club has various adopt-a-spot projects of beautification as well as its partnership with the City of Missouri City to plant trees in parks. Thiss organization continues to make a visible difference in helping Keep Missouri City Beautiful. |
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Over 750 Missouri City Residents Embrace
Eco-Friendly Fun at Edible Earth Fest
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On Saturday March 23rd, the scenic Oyster Creek Trail bustled with energy as Missouri City families immersed themselves in a day of learning and enjoyment at the Edible Earth Fest. Organized by Missouri City Parks and Recreation and Missouri City Green, with support from Fort Bend Master Gardeners, Texas Master Naturalists, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, the event was a vibrant celebration of environmental awareness.
Attendees were able to visit various informative booths that showcased different methods for preserving the environment. These booths covered a wide range of topics, including recycling, water conservation, beneficial insects, composting and worm composting. There were also several craft and activity booths that showcased different fruits and using recycled water bottles to make chia pets. Participants were able to take home more than 125 trees, 480 native plants, and seed packets for free, thanks to the generous support of HEB, MC Parks and Recreation and Prairie View A&M Cooperative Extension. Special thanks to Home Depot and Uncle Jims Worm Farm for donating backyard composting bins and a worm composting bin for the event. We express our gratitude to all the volunteers who contributed to making this event a great success. |
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Congratulations to the Edible Earth Fest Photo Contest Winners!
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Category: In Wildlife & Animals Winner, Samiha Qureshi (Overall Winner) A Double Surprise! Runner-Up, Shailendra Mehrotra Egyptian Goose |
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Category: In Garden & Harvest Winner, Lerin King A Glistening Flower After The Rain Runner-Up, Lynda Nguyen Bumblebee Getting Deep For A Meal |
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Category: Tiny Details Of Nature Winner, Carol Schorn Butterflies At A Feeder Runner-Up, Jessica Jubin Bejeweled |
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Youth in Philanthropy Plant 88 Trees and
Wildflower Seeds in Community Park
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Missouri City Green was pleased to host volunteers from the Youth in Philanthropy program on February 10, 2024. These dedicated young people trudged through uncertain weather conditions and planted 88 trees at Community Park. Additionally, they made and distributed over 50 wildflower seed balls. These efforts not only beautify Community Park, but also create inviting habitats for our wildlife and insects. This project would not have been possible without the support of CenterPoint Energy and the City of Missouri City. |
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2024 Electronics Recycling Event Achieves Remarkable Success, Diverting 30,000 Pounds of E-waste from Landfills
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Missouri City Green hosted its 11th Annual Electronics Recycling Event on Saturday, January 27. The collaborative efforts of Missouri City Green volunteers, the Missouri City Parks & Recreation Department and CompuCycle (R2 Certified Recycler) resulted in the collection of 30,000 pounds of unwanted, outdated or broken electronics being kept out of landfills.
Approximately 475 people dropped off acceptable items that will be refurbished or broken down for their valuable component parts to be put back into the manufacturing process. Thank you to those who generously donated toward future community clean up events! |
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