HOME SWEET HOME: HOUSTON!

Houston  Intersection of four ecological zones:  Prairies  Bayous  Forests  Galveston Bay

GULF COASTAL PRAIRIE/ KATY PRAIRIE

Oak motts

We are the Bayou City!

Buffalo Bayou

We have many bayou systems!

Galveston Bay

Kemp’s ridley Sea Turtle

Were any of the reasons to move here related to our natural resources?

Houston 10,000 years ago  Akoskia nation  Spring/summer – oysters, clams and fish from the Bay  Fall/Winter – small animals and plants from the prairie  They moved with the seasons to follow the food!

Prairie food sources

Bayous were used for transportation

Official founding of Houston  Allen Brothers – confluence (meeting point) of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak bayou – farthest point upstream where a barge could turn around.

Early economies  Cattle  Cotton  Sugar  Timber  PLUS waterways to move them!

1870’s: Railroads carried goods to ships and to markets east.  “Houston – where 17 railroads meet the sea.” (late 1800’s marketing moto)

Rice fields were established after barbed wire was invented.  Rice fields must be flooded, so rainfall is important.

What’s grown here today  Prairie foods:  Cattle  Rice  Bay foods:  Fish  Shrimp  Oysters  Crab

“THE WAY WE EAT TODAY HAS CHANGED MORE IN THE PAST 50 YEARS THAN IN THE PAST 10,000 YEARS.” -Michael Pollen, author

Reivis family, North Carolina

The Cavens, California

In this unit:  Where does your food come from?  How is your food grown?  What are the environmental impacts of how our food is produced?  What are the health issues with our American diet?  What are the real long-term dollar costs of our food?  Is our food system sustainable?  What are our options here in Houston?

“THE WAY WE EAT TODAY HAS CHANGED MORE IN THE PAST 50 YEARS THAN IN THE PAST 10,000 YEARS.” -Michael Pollen, author

How has our food system changed?