POWER TALK

ETEC BUILDING BIOMASS PLANT

Continuing its search for renewable sources of energy, East Texas Electric Cooperative (ETEC) has finalized a contract with the North American Procurement Company to build a wood-fueled biomass plant next to NAPCO’s operations in Woodville. The plant, the first of its kind for the area, will produce 50 megawatts of power as it converts excess, or scrap, wood materials into renewable, carbon-neutral energy for ETEC’s 10 electric distribution co-op members. When used for energy, biomass such as wood scraps is considered clean, or carbon neutral, because a plant releases no more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than it absorbed during its lifetime.

Ryan Thomas, ETEC’s chief financial officer, thanked NAPCO for its efforts on the innovative project and said the co-op “is delighted to invest money in our local economy while providing renewable energy for our members.”

Kyle Kuntz, general manager/CEO of Sam Houston Electric Cooperative, one of ETEC’s members, said: “In addition to bringing reliable, renewable power generation to our cooperative members, this new facility will improve the availability of power following major outages such as those caused in recent years by Hurricanes Rita and Ike.”

GLOSSARY

Fossil Fuel— Hydrocarbons such as coal, oil or natural gas found within the top layer of the earth’s crust that are used to produce heat or power. Also called conventional fuels, these materials were formed millions of years ago from plant and animal remains.

HAPPENINGS

Take a spin around the globe without leaving Texas at the Brazos Valley Worldfest, scheduled for November 14 in College Station.

The festival celebrates the international diversity and heritage of the Brazos Valley, a seven-county area rich with the influence of many cultures, including Native American, African-American, Chinese, Czech, German, Hispanic and Italian.

As part of the festival’s biggest draw, people stroll from one display booth to the next, getting their souvenir passports stamped with something representative of a particular culture or their names written in another language.

The festival also serves up international cuisine, children’s activities and numerous cultural performances, which this year feature Japanese drumming from a Kaminari Taiko (thunder drum) group and Native American dancing and drumming.

Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater. Admission is free. For more information, call (979) 862-6700 or go to www.brazosvalleyworldfest.org.

THE MAGNIFICENT BALD CYPRESS

“Especially in areas where water levels fluctuate, they tend to form knobby protuberances, called knees. These outgrowths from the lateral roots sometimes reach 12 feet in height, but their precise function—whether support, food storage, or aeration—is unknown.”

—Matt Warnock Turner, Remarkable Plants of Texas: Uncommon Accounts of Our Common Natives, University of Texas Press, 2009

WHO KNEW?

Bury yourself in a macabre collection of industry paraphernalia at the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston. Save this trek for a gloomy day and learn about 20th- and 21st-century funerary rituals and customs. Here, grave-minded visitors can peruse a number of fascinating areas, from an exhibit detailing funeral and burial rituals for popes to ancient and present-day embalming methods. Check out a huge selection of hearses—horse-drawn to motorized—and coffins. And if you’re looking for that perfect gift, try the black coffee cup inscribed with the museum’s motto: “Any day above ground is a good one.” Or how about a piece of coffin-shaped chocolate embedded with a white skeleton? To get particulars, call (281) 876-3063 or go to www.nmfh.org.

CHECK IT OUT
Bed & Buffalo

On the flat prairie northwest of Denton, grazing bison provide an unusual backdrop to the Buffalo Valley Event Center on the Meritt Bois D’Arc Buffalo Ranch. The modern facility, created by Jackie and Bob Meritt, includes 19 hotel rooms and 10 RV sites with full hook-up capabilities. Bob spent most of his career building high-rises, and his background is reflected in the massive, open-air atrium with a floating patio at the center of the hotel. His Native American roots inspired him to acquire the buffalo herd.

This is a good, no-frills location for weddings, business retreats and family reunions. But guests feel as coddled as if they were surrounded by chintz and porcelain. For more information, call (940) 482-3409 or go to www.buffalovalleyeventcenter.com.