OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

2025-11-20 Houston Resilience Committee Meeting Summary

Committees and Commissions — Thursday, November 20, 2025
BodyHouston, Texas
SessionCommittees and Commissions
DateThursday, November 20, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 40:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:20

If we have any public speakers that have arrived, the uh clipboard to sign up is over to my left, what would be your right right here on the table uh next to KPRC.

0:31

Um welcome to the resilience committee meeting.

0:36

Uh it is two o'clock.

0:37

We'll call the meeting to order.

0:39

And uh want to recognize uh first off, we've got council member uh Julian Ramirez and staff from uh councilmember Peck, Councilmember Martha Cassex Tatum, and uh Councilmember Alcorn's offices.

0:54

Thank you all for being here.

0:55

Um really excited today for the presentation.

0:59

Um Elizabeth Carlson uh came came uh to visit me a few weeks ago, and I was really excited to hear uh what's the what the uh FIFA is doing for the World Cup in response to resiliency and sustainable projects.

1:17

And so I believe Elizabeth, you ready?

1:23

We're ready for you.

1:25

And so we have Elizabeth Carlson, chair of the sustainability subcommittee for FIFA World Cup Houston 2026.

1:33

I have a seat, and we're we're glad you're here.

1:41

Well, I guess they will pull up the presentation table.

1:46

Let's she should.

1:52

Well, while she's doing that, I'll start with a quick intro.

1:55

Um, first of all, thank you to Council Matter for allowing me to speak here and for sharing this committee.

2:02

Um I'll maybe do a quick introduction of myself across a few hats and kind of why I'm here and involved in this program.

2:11

Um for those who don't know me, my day job is as chief sustainability officer for Tricon.

2:16

We're a chemical distribution and trading company headquartered here in Houston.

2:20

And my volunteer hat is chairing the sustainability committee for the Houston 2026 World Cup host committee.

2:26

Um, and I'll add my third hat is a bomb of three kids.

2:29

So um that all comes into play in some of this presentation that we're about to go through.

2:35

Um, you know, why invest time in this sustainability committee?

2:40

For me, it's related to all three of those roles.

2:43

You know, for industry, Houston is a center of industry.

2:46

We want to showcase the best of who we are and our leadership on a global stage.

2:50

Um, as a mom, this is all about how we build a better future for our kids, and we'll talk a little bit about how some of these environmental initiatives tie into health as well.

3:01

Um then finally, for me, the World Cup is really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring people together and make that positive impact and legacy in Houston.

3:11

Um it's our moment to lead.

3:12

We can show the energy capital of the world, our innovation hubs, our green spaces, our resiliency efforts.

3:19

Um, and I'll jump in in a minute here.

3:22

Is it showing for you guys or not yet?

3:24

Technical.

3:25

Looks like they're having trouble getting the presentation.

3:27

That's fine.

3:34

Give us just a minute.

3:36

Yes, I'll open some of my visual aids while we do that.

3:46

I'd like to recognize staff from uh councilmember Thomas's uh office has joined us.

3:51

Thank you for being here.

3:55

You all can be the first to get our nice new stickers for the World Cup efforts.

4:00

Um just got these printed, so we'll talk a little about why these exist.

4:05

Um but maybe two while they're pulling it up.

4:08

We have a lot of these different stickers I'll go over, but they're centered around a theme called Sustainability Starts with You with HOU.

4:14

And the idea is that in the lead up to the World Cup, we want every individual business, school to have the opportunity to take action on resilience and sustainability.

4:25

Um, and then depending on what action they take and kind of what organization they are, they'll earn these these badges or stickers.

4:33

Have you all are you engaging with school districts around what how do how are you doing on on that?

4:40

I'll show a slide on that in a minute, but um, and if we can't get it up, I can just talk through.

4:46

Um, and I think you all have the presentation from it being sent out, so I'm happy to just kick off.

4:53

Technology doesn't always agree with us if that if that works.

5:00

Um it looks like it's an HTV problem.

5:08

So you may want to go ahead and get started and we'll get them to catch it up as soon as they get it online.

5:14

Evidently, they're working with HTV.

5:16

Thank you.

5:17

Perfect.

5:17

I will just kick off.

5:18

Good thing I kept some notes, so I'm not relying on the screens.

5:22

Um I'll talk about the schools in a second.

5:24

Um, just you know, on the background of the sustainability committee that you'll see in the slides.

5:30

Um, the way this is structured is that FIFA contracts with each sort of host city differently.

5:35

Um, and in our city, it's through the um Sports Authority Foundation and the host committee.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Resilience Planning█████████████████████████████████████████████57%
Environmental Protection█████████████17%
Community Engagement███████9%
Public Engagement███4%
Solid Waste Management███4%
Transportation Planning███4%
Parks and Recreation██3%
Procedural██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Houston Resilience Committee Meeting: FIFA 2026 Sustainability Presentation

The Houston Resilience Committee convened on November 20, 2025, to hear a comprehensive presentation from Elizabeth Carlson, Chair of the sustainability subcommittee for the FIFA World Cup Houston 2026 Host Committee. The meeting focused on the strategic integration of resilience and sustainability initiatives into the World Cup planning, emphasizing legacy projects that benefit the Houston community beyond the event dates. Key themes included air quality monitoring, waste reduction in bayous, sustainable school programs, and the "Green Corridor" initiative.

Consent Calendar

  • No formal consent calendar items were noted in the transcript; the meeting proceeded directly to the main presentation and discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public speakers attended the meeting. The Chair noted that two individuals had signed up to comment but were absent.

Discussion Items

  • Sustainability Committee Structure: Elizabeth Carlson detailed the committee's composition, which includes government, private sector (industry and hospitality), civil society (NGOs like Air Alliance and Trees for Houston), K-12 education (HISD), and university representatives (Rice, UH, TSU, etc.). She noted the committee has approximately 420 stakeholders on its list.
  • Legacy and Materiality: Carlson explained that the committee adopted FIFA's material issues (climate, energy, air, water, waste) while adding Houston-specific cross-cutting themes of "resilience" and "innovation" to ensure local leadership.
  • Sustainable Event Management: The committee is developing an ISO-based sustainable events toolkit derived from FIFA requirements but designed for long-term use by Houston for all future events. This includes capturing knowledge from retiring city staff regarding previous mega-events like the Super Bowl.
  • Grow the Game & Resilient Sports Fields: A project is underway to design neighborhood soccer fields that are resilient to heat and flooding. This involves collaboration with Texas A&M, EPA, TCEQ, and HPARD. Guidelines will be published as a toolkit to ensure safe playing environments for children.
  • Air Quality Initiatives: Addressing the 2023 Human Rights Report identifying air quality as a top concern, the committee is working with Air Alliance and the city to increase air quality monitoring in the Third Ward and East End (Eto). They will measure air quality before, during, and after the event to document impacts on vulnerable populations.
  • Water Quality and Bayou Cleanups: The committee is finalizing a calendar (expected December 10) for bayou cleanups with Splash Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Trash collected will be recorded in the Texas litter database to raise awareness about waste flowing into Galveston Bay.
  • Hospitality Toolkit: A sustainability toolkit for restaurants and hotels in the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) region is being rolled out. Businesses can earn badges/stickers by performing actions like planting trees, pollinator gardens, or recycling, with incentives for small businesses included.
  • School Sustainability Program: Planned for launch in January, this program allows students to earn stickers by completing STEM-linked sustainability projects curated by partners like the Houston Zoo and Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation.
  • The Green Corridor: A "big idea" project to use the existing transit loop (Red Line, Columbia Turnaround Trail, etc.) as a story map to showcase Houston's resilience infrastructure. This includes planting trees, creating pollinator/garden demonstration sites, and highlighting energy innovations. The committee observed a lack of public water stations and recycling bins at current Metro stops.
  • Funding and Volunteers: Carlson clarified that the committee is primarily volunteer-driven with limited funds from the host committee and sponsors. No grants have been awarded yet, though micro-grants are being considered for school programs. The "Big Idea" of reusing 3.6 million single-use items annually remains a goal but is economically challenging.

Key Outcomes

  • Presentation Accepted: Council members expressed strong support for the initiative, with Councilmember Ramirez emphasizing the need for youth engagement and Councilmember Thomas's office inquiring about public safety/trafficking plans (noted as handled by separate committees).
  • Commitment to Collaboration: Councilmember Cassex Tatum offered assistance from her office regarding parks and other city resources.
  • Next Meeting Scheduled: The Resilience Committee adjourned with the next meeting set for December 11, 2025.
  • Data Collection Plans: Confirmation that air quality and trash collection metrics will be measured and made public for the Third Ward, East End, and bayou areas.
  • Toolkits in Development: Multiple toolkits (Sustainable Events, Soccer Fields, Hospitality, Schools) are in final stages of development for public release in late 2025/early 2026.

Meeting Transcript

If we have any public speakers that have arrived, the uh clipboard to sign up is over to my left, what would be your right right here on the table uh next to KPRC. Um welcome to the resilience committee meeting. Uh it is two o'clock. We'll call the meeting to order. And uh want to recognize uh first off, we've got council member uh Julian Ramirez and staff from uh councilmember Peck, Councilmember Martha Cassex Tatum, and uh Councilmember Alcorn's offices. Thank you all for being here. Um really excited today for the presentation. Um Elizabeth Carlson uh came came uh to visit me a few weeks ago, and I was really excited to hear uh what's the what the uh FIFA is doing for the World Cup in response to resiliency and sustainable projects. And so I believe Elizabeth, you ready? We're ready for you. And so we have Elizabeth Carlson, chair of the sustainability subcommittee for FIFA World Cup Houston 2026. I have a seat, and we're we're glad you're here. Well, I guess they will pull up the presentation table. Let's she should. Well, while she's doing that, I'll start with a quick intro. Um, first of all, thank you to Council Matter for allowing me to speak here and for sharing this committee. Um I'll maybe do a quick introduction of myself across a few hats and kind of why I'm here and involved in this program. Um for those who don't know me, my day job is as chief sustainability officer for Tricon. We're a chemical distribution and trading company headquartered here in Houston. And my volunteer hat is chairing the sustainability committee for the Houston 2026 World Cup host committee. Um, and I'll add my third hat is a bomb of three kids. So um that all comes into play in some of this presentation that we're about to go through. Um, you know, why invest time in this sustainability committee? For me, it's related to all three of those roles. You know, for industry, Houston is a center of industry. We want to showcase the best of who we are and our leadership on a global stage. Um, as a mom, this is all about how we build a better future for our kids, and we'll talk a little bit about how some of these environmental initiatives tie into health as well. Um then finally, for me, the World Cup is really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring people together and make that positive impact and legacy in Houston. Um it's our moment to lead. We can show the energy capital of the world, our innovation hubs, our green spaces, our resiliency efforts. Um, and I'll jump in in a minute here. Is it showing for you guys or not yet? Technical. Looks like they're having trouble getting the presentation. That's fine. Give us just a minute. Yes, I'll open some of my visual aids while we do that. I'd like to recognize staff from uh councilmember Thomas's uh office has joined us. Thank you for being here. You all can be the first to get our nice new stickers for the World Cup efforts. Um just got these printed, so we'll talk a little about why these exist. Um but maybe two while they're pulling it up. We have a lot of these different stickers I'll go over, but they're centered around a theme called Sustainability Starts with You with HOU. And the idea is that in the lead up to the World Cup, we want every individual business, school to have the opportunity to take action on resilience and sustainability. Um, and then depending on what action they take and kind of what organization they are, they'll earn these these badges or stickers. Have you all are you engaging with school districts around what how do how are you doing on on that? I'll show a slide on that in a minute, but um, and if we can't get it up, I can just talk through. Um, and I think you all have the presentation from it being sent out, so I'm happy to just kick off. Technology doesn't always agree with us if that if that works. Um it looks like it's an HTV problem.

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