Caption: Port Houston's new electric vehicles. 

This fleet will be used by several Port departments, and three cars will be pool vehicles for employees. Electric vehicles are powered by electricity and have large batteries instead of combustion engines, meaning there are no tailpipes for exhaust. They plug in to charge. Port Houston’s maintenance department installed the charging stations and ran the electrical lines underground at the Port’s facilities.

“Port Houston’s 100 percent asset-based renewable electricity contract makes these electric vehicles truly zero emissions,” said Kelli Gallagher, environmental compliance coordinator for Port Houston. The Port is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18 metric tons per year by using the vehicles.

The Port is also expected to save more than $400 a year per car as electricity is much cheaper than fuel. Life cycle savings are estimated at seven cents per mile. The vehicles each have a 259-mile battery.

“Port Houston staffers are excited and proud to be using electric vehicles. These vehicles are clean, meaning they pollute less, but they are also more efficient than gasoline-fueled vehicles,” said Mike Gignac, manager of central maintenance for Port Houston.

This effort is one of many measures Port Houston is taking to proactively build on its stewardship and environmental leadership strategy. “Port Houston continues to make greener, environmentally-friendly approaches to our operations as we are committed to being an environmental leader,” said Trae Camble, director of environmental affairs for Port Houston.

Learn more about Port Houston’s environmental initiatives here: https://porthouston.com/environment/.

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Port volunteers at Oyster Reef Restoration event.

Port Houston is committed to investing in initiatives that advance environmental stewardship efforts in our region. During Port Houston’s recent Oyster Reef Restoration project, more than 40 port volunteers, including employees’ families and friends, participated in a number of activities to create new habitat for thriving oyster communities.

Volunteers bagged more than 7,140 pounds of shells, which were used to create 32 new feet of oyster reef. Individual mesh bags, containing roughly 30 pounds of recycled, dried-out oyster shells were assembled by volunteers, then loaded into larger plastic bins and floated out into Galveston’s Sweetwater Preserve. The bags were then carefully placed in a pyramid-like structure underwater to create the new reef.

Oyster habitats are vital to the health of Galveston Bay, acting as natural water purifiers that effectively filter nutrients, fine sediments and toxins from the water column. Oysters constantly circulate water through their shell, filtering around two gallons of water per hour.

“Port Houston strives to improve local communities, even when those are underwater communities of oysters,” said Port Houston Director of Community Relations and Events Leslie Herbst.

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Caption: Port Houston Director of Environmental Affairs Trae Camble

Port Houston strives to be an environmental leader in the community, and staff engaged with numerous small businesses during a Small Business Industry-Specific Workshop on Environmental Affairs held recently.

Attendees received an overview of the port’s environmental department, including programs, projects and prosperity. The presentation was made by Trae Camble, Port Houston’s director of environmental affairs.

Port Houston holds an ISO-14001 environmental management certification and manages waste disposal, air and water quality, environmental auditing and stewardship programs at all of its facilities.

The event was held in coordination with the port’s small business development program, which offers a series of workshops for entrepreneurs to learn how to do business with the port.

“We have a variety of environmental projects and services at Port Houston, and a lot of them require contractor support,” Camble said. Notable projects include storm water permitting and environmental testing.

As one of the nation’s busiest ports, the Port of Houston generates nearly $7 billion in business activity annually. More than $547 million has been awarded by Port Houston to registered small businesses since 2002.

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Port Houston’s Bayport Berm Project was awarded for “Robust Community Involvement” at the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s (HGAC) Water Innovation Strategies of Excellence Awards.

The WISE Awards recognize innovative strategies and projects in the Houston-Galveston region that serve as models for improving water quality. The winning projects must exhibit efficiency, effectiveness and innovation.

“We are honored to be recognized for this achievement,” said Trae Camble, director of environmental affairs for Port Houston. “We had a number of volunteers participate in the community with us on this project, and our commitment to environmental leadership is an important part of our organizational best practices.”

The Bayport Berm Project supported the development of the new vegetation sight-and-sound berm near the Bayport Container Terminal. The new Seabrook sight and sound berm is a culmination of years of careful planning and industry partnerships. This vegetated berm will provide enhanced mitigation of sound near the Bayport Container Terminal for both the El Jardin and Seabrook communities, while also beautifying the area.

The Port Houston Trees program with Houston Wilderness, a community tree planting project, was also recognized during the ceremony.

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Port Houston strives to be an active steward in the community.

About 30 port team members joined thousands of other volunteers at the annual River, Lakes, Bays N’ Bayous Trash Bash in Pasadena March 30. This annual event is the largest single-day waterway clean up in the state of Texas.

Since 1994, over 100,000 community volunteers have collected more than 2,000 tons of trash and 17,000 tons of recyclables at Trash Bash events.  The program was founded in 1994 by the Houston-Galveston Area Council and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and has grown to 14 sites across the Galveston Bay region.

Port employees also recently showcased their creativity during the Beautify the Bucket Challenge, hosted by the Galveston Parks Board and Artist Boat organization.  This program allows participants the opportunity to take an active role in beautifying the Texas coastline by painting or decorating trash barrels with certain marine or nautical themes.

As part of the program, these barrels were placed along Galveston’s beaches where they will be enjoyed by visitors and help promote environmental stewardship and encourage proper disposal of trash to reduce marine debris.

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Port Houston employees teamed up with Galveston Bay Foundation to host one of our largest environmental cleanup events of the year. Despite having to reschedule the original event due to Tropical Storm Florence, more than 100 volunteers showed up at Morgan’s Point to lend a helping hand, collecting 2,174 pounds of trash and recyclables from the beach and surrounding areas.

This all-volunteer effort is dedicated to preserving and protecting our Texas coastline, including Galveston Bay. As part of the event, volunteers had the unique opportunity to document the different types of trash collected on the Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell App, an app used globally by the public to collect and study trash findings across the many waterways and oceans of the world.

“Port Houston is proud of our commitment to being good environmental stewards and responsible neighbors,” said Garret Berg, community relations manager for Port Houston. “Even with the cold and windy weather, it was great to see so many volunteers from both local communities and industry turn out to support this important cause.”

Volunteers of all ages worked together to collect nearly one dumpster’s worth of trash and potential marine debris, demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship and keeping Galveston Bay clean and beautiful.

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Representatives from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in Austin visited Port Houston to discuss efforts to further reduce seaport and rail yard emissions Oct. 24.

Port Houston staff shared updates on the port’s air quality programs such as the goods movement emission inventory, the clean air strategy plan and the truck drayage loan program.

The Greater Houston Port Bureau also attended, as the trade organization represents a large number of private and public companies along the Houston Ship Channel.

TCEQ officials noted that Houston is a major focus when the organization considers environmental initiatives due to the city’s large population and many petrochemical businesses among other factors.

Port Houston is the local sponsor for the federal Houston Ship Channel and is responsible for maintaining the waterway through dredging projects.  

Trucking companies and cargo-handling equipment dealerships as well as fleet owners later joined the discussion to learn firsthand about the Commission’s emissions reduction plans and opportunities, including program applications and requirements.

TCEQ officials also received a tour of the Bayport Container Terminal and a Port of Houston fireboat tour along the waterway to view current port dredging activities.

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Port Houston employees joined dozens of fellow canoe and kayak enthusiasts for the annual Greens Bayou Regatta, a 7.5 mile paddle race held Oct. 6. The event focuses on combining recreation, stewardship and education on one of Houston’s most beautiful and secluded waterways, Greens Bayou.

Paddlers, made up of both novices and seasoned veterans, were greeted with opening remarks from both the City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Precinct Four Commissioner Jack Cagle. Both elected officials were there to highlight Greens Bayou and reiterate the importance of Houston’s waterways.

Kayaks, canoes, and even several stand up paddle boarders spent the morning exploring the nature of Greens Bayou. The Port Houston team took the opportunity to collect trash from several areas along the bayou and earned the prestigious Styrofoam Cup, the award for most trash collected along the Greens Bayou race course.

“The Greens Bayou Regatta continues to be a great community event and excellent way to showcase one of Houston’s waterways,” said Garret Berg, community relations manager for Port Houston. “Credit to our whole Port Houston team for demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship by receiving the Styrofoam Cup award.”

Funds raised from the event go directly to the Greens Bayou Coalition to assist with its work of highlighting the importance of conserving Houston’s waterways and watersheds. 

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Oysters are often thought of as small creatures, but rarely do they receive the recognition for the big impact they play in Galveston Bay and our local ecosystems. Port Houston teamed up with the Galveston Bay Foundation for the third annual Oyster Reef Restoration Project near Galveston’s Sweetwater Preserve July 22.

Despite the summer heat, Port Houston employees and their families rolled up their sleeves and worked together to construct 55 feet of new oyster bar and plant over 750 stems of cordgrass to create new marsh habitat.

Environmental projects like these play an important role in improving water quality and help keep the bay healthy and sustainable for the future. Oyster habitats are vital to the health of Galveston Bay, acting as natural water purifiers that effectively filter nutrients, fine sediments and toxins from the water column. In fact, a single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. 

Oysters are also a valuable indicator species, meaning that their presence in the water can be used to gather information on the overall health of our bay and its waterways.

“We’re proud to be back participating in our third year of this program,” said Garret Berg, assistant community relations manager at Port Houston. “The volunteer turnout was great and our team was able to construct several large sections of new oyster reef. These new portions of the constructed reef can provide habitat for up to 17,600 new oysters.”

In addition to the volunteer project, the Port of Houston Authority has a five-year lease agreement with the Galveston Bay Foundation for its oyster shell recycling program. The property leased to the Foundation is used to store, clean and cure the shells before they are returned to the bay to create new reefs.

“We truly appreciate the partnership we have created with the Galveston Bay Foundation, and enjoy the opportunity to play a role in this important environmental stewardship project,” added Berg.

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Port Houston welcomed more than 50 high school teachers from across the United States June 28 during the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration‘s Planet Stewards workshop in Houston and Galveston.

The NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project strives to provide knowledge and resources to educators who are working with elementary through college-aged students. That information can then be used to shape scientifically-informed individuals and communities who are prepared to respond to environmental challenges monitored by NOAA.

The workshops allow educators to engage with scientists, education and communication specialists about environmental challenges impacting different regions and to discover resources and activities that they can bring back to their classrooms or communities.

The Texas workshop highlighted environmental impacts to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Port Houston hosted the educators on the last day of the four-day workshop. Port Houston’s staff from Infrastructure and People divisions presented on environmental stewardship efforts and conducted a classroom exercise on assessing the technical and financial case for installing solar photovoltaic panels on a rooftop. The visitors also took a tour aboard the M/V Sam Houston.

Port Houston is an environmental leader, internationally recognized among top-ranked ports.

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