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| Houston Environmental Foresight |
Houston Environmental Foresight was conceived in 1993 at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) as a community-based project to identify, examine and rank major environmental issues that face the 8-county Houston region. In Phase 1, the Foresight program successfully organized scientists and community stakeholders, conducted a comprehensive environmental analysis, and achieved consensus on the ranking of major environmental concerns. Two well-received reports were issued as part of Phase 1, Seeking Environmental Improvement developed with the Foresight Committee, and Houston Environment 1995 developed by the Science Advisory Committee.
Goals
- To provide Houston's leaders with a well conceived ranking of the area's environmental risks - a ranking based on both community values and scientific evidence. Such a ranking will enable them to allocate scarce resources more effectively.
- To identify Houston's pressing research needs for reducing uncertainty about environmental risks in the community.
- To engage Houston area citizens in producing a credible evaluation of environmental risks and identifying options for addressing these risks.
Foresight Phase 1 Structure and Process
The Science Panel was composed of leading scientists and experts in the Houston area and included three Subpanels: Human Health, Socioeconomic, and Ecosystems. The panel considered scientific and technical information compiled for the process and brought their own judgment to bear in making an informed ranking of the relative risks associated with each of the 19 identified environmental issues.
The Foresight Committee consisted of 55 members and alternates who deliberated and worked together to examine environmental concerns of the region. After hearing from the Science Panel and Subpanels, the committee developed its consensus findings, which were published in January 1996.
The Board of Selectors, consisting of prominent elected officials and community leaders, named candidates for participation in the Foresight Committee.
Community Support
The Foresight program has been supported through gifts from the Houston Endowment, Compaq Computer, the City of Houston, Coopers & Lybrand, the San Jacinto River Authority, Houston METRO and The Lyons Foundation. Additional funds were sought from other foundations, private industry, and governmental agencies.
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| Page Updated/Reviewed: 01/04/2007 12:54 PM |
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