The impacts of a changing climate can be felt across the state of Texas. Hurricanes and other extraordinary weather-related events have led to increased erosion, degradation of wetlands and heightened chances of flooding. These impacts also affect our operations and compel us to place sustainability at the center of our business strategy and recommit ourselves to building climate resilient energy networks while helping advance a better future for all through climate action.
Habitat and ecosystem restoration is important because it can deliver positive ripple effects such as sequestering carbon, helping to prevent erosion and flooding, increasing species diversity, and reducing human-wildlife conflicts, all while improving livelihoods for people.
In 2021, Sempra invested $6.6 million in climate action activities across our family of companies and the Sempra Foundation, including in Texas. Sempra supported purposeful nonprofits doing transformational work in sustaining the environment, including those committed to habitat and ecosystem restoration and helping to shape a cleaner future.
This Earth Month, we shine a spotlight on three organizations supported by Sempra to help improve climate resilience in the Lone Star State:
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Memorial Park Conservancy
Sempra provided $100,000 to the conservancy’s prairie restoration project. Today less than 1% of native Gulf Coastal Prairie habitat remains even though native prairies are more resilient than the forested habitat that exists in this area today. As a result of our grant, natural areas have been upgraded to help the park be more resilient to climate conditions and more hospitable to diverse vegetation and wildlife. -
Galveston Bay Foundation
With a donation of nearly $150,000, Sempra is supporting the foundation’s efforts to add 73 acres of wetland restoration and shoreline protection in Dollar Bay – Moses Lake by planting over 60,000 stems of cord grass. This conservation effort is adding 47 marsh grass terraces of intertidal marsh complex to help protect and restore an area that has suffered from the harmful impacts of erosion, and is projected to help remove up to 38 tons of carbon dioxide every year. By reducing erosion, the wetlands can store more carbon from the atmosphere, reducing the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the restoration and habitat creation project across the various ecosystems in the region. Additionally, Sempra's funding is helping support an EcoCenter where the foundation seeds, grows and harvests marsh grass to support habitat restoration across the salt marshes, prairies and other aquatic ecosystems in the bay. -
Trees for Houston
Sempra recently contributed almost $53,000 to plant 800 trees within MacGregor Park and the East End Management District. Now in its 38th year, Trees for Houston has planted over half a million trees in the greater Houston area advancing beautification efforts while also helping improve air quality for Houston's residents.
Sempra’s mission to be North America’s premier energy infrastructure company drives us to do the right thing by working to reduce environmental harm and finding new ways to work with nature. Our energy behind Texas connects us with nonprofits that share our values and helps us shape a positive future for the communities we serve.
Keep exploring: find out about our climate initiatives in California and Mexico
