Everyday, Texas Public Radio connects you to your world. Now we want to make sure that we preserve our ability to live in it.

For eight consecutive years, TPR, in partnership with numerous eco-friendly organizations, has used the month of September to spotlight environmental issues that directly impact your home, your neighborhood, your community and your world.

Our Focus on the Environment series raises awareness of how individuals affect their world and imparts practical advice on how to make a fainter footprint on the environment. This year, we commune with nature and promote green building. Then we discover the future of driving and beautify one of San Antonio's most historic public spaces.

For more information on our September series, select an event below.

• September 5: Stories from the Heart of the Land Preview / IMAX Screening
• September 9: San Antonio is Building Green
• September 20: Texas Water Symposium
• September 25: Driving Cleaner: On the Road to Greener
• September 29: National Public Lands Day: Xeriscaping Brackenridge Park

2007 might go down as the year it wouldn't stop raining. But anyone who has lived in Texas for more than five minutes knows that this constant barrage of drizzle and deluge is an anomaly, not the norm. More often than not, this time of year we are all watching the aquifer level plunge and our plant life wilt as we swelter in the piercing summer sun.

In the bone-dry days of summers past, the only means of keeping plant life attractive and alive, while also being responsible in our water consumption, is to employ the principles of xeriscape. For seven years, Texas Public Radio, in partnership with San Antonio Federal Credit Union and the San Antonio Water System, has worked to beautify our parks and public spaces while employing water-saving landscaping measures. This year, in commemoration of National Public Lands Day, we will gather at the newly renovated entrances of Brackenridge Park to xeriscape and irrigate one of San Antonio's most historic and celebrated public spaces.

When: Saturday, September 29, 8am – Noon
Where: Brackenridge Park – East Entrance on Broadway and Funston

If you have volunteered for our Brackenridge Park project this Saturday, please download and fill out a volunteer waiver provided by the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. Any minors who wish to volunteer must have a waiver fill out by their parent or guardian. You can download and print a copy of the waiver here.

Brackenridge Park is the latest recipient of our National Public Lands Day efforts. Previous eco-friendly beautification projects include:

• 2001: Xeriscaping San Pedro Park
• 2002: Colorization of Woodlawn Lake Park
• 2003: Landscaping Madison Square Park
• 2004: Xeriscaping the Cortez Library
• 2005: Xeriscaping the Julia Yates Semmes Library
• 2006: Xeriscaping the O.P. Schnabel Park entrance and playground

A detailed history of our past xeriscape projects are available here.

Thank you to the nearly seventy-five volunteers who have made a commitment to make this year's xeriscape project a success. We now have the manpower needed complete our xeriscape project, but you can commemorate National Public Lands Day by volunteering at any of the other NPLD projects taking place in our area this weekend.

More information about National Public Lands Day projects can be found at publiclandsday.org.

Want to know how you can adopt xeriscaping in your own home garden or landscaping project? A list of water-saving plants that will add color, texture and vibrancy to your home landscaping projects is available on the SAWS website.

Made possible by the support of San Antonio Federal Credit Union and San Antonio Water System.

Donations of plants and materials for our upcoming xeriscape project are from Texas Plant Ranch, Milberger's Landscaping and Nursery, South Texas Growers, Mortellaro Nursery, Dodd's Family Tree Nursery & Forest, Rainbow Gardens Bandera, Rainbow Garden's Thousand Oaks, Case Verde Wholesale Farm, Natives of Texas Plant Nursery, Shades of Green, Nature's Herb Farm, Fredericksburg Herb Farm, and Schumacher Hill Country Garden.

A special thank you to Green Vegetarian Cuisine & Coffee for providing breakfast to our volunteers.

The 2007-08 Texas Water Symposium is a series of four free water issues lectures and forums. The first event takes place at Schreiner University on September 20, in the Cailloux Activity Center. The discussion will take a look at Central Texas' population growth, the distribution of the water supply that must support it, the various agencies responsible for its stewardship and the complexities of decision-making.

Texas Public Radio will record the forum for broadcast on the Newsmaker Hour at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 28

More information is available at www.schreiner.edu/water

Texas Public Radio invites you to Focus on the Environment at the Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair in Fredericksburg's Marketplatz.  The three day family fair running from Friday, September 28th , through Sunday the 30th , focuses on alternative fuels, organic growing and eco-friendly products.

TPR is extending an exclusive offer to our members, by giving away fifty one-day passes to this environmental event. Claim your tickets by calling 800-622-8977.

The Renewable Energy Roundup is organized by the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association and
Texas Solar Energy Society, in cooperation with
Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

You can find more about this Hill Country family event at TheRoundup.org.

If you could tell any story about people and the natural world, what would it be?

From the curator of the celebrated public radio series "This I Believe" comes "Stories from the Heart of the Land," an audio exploration of mankind's place in nature. In this unique series, producer Jay Allison dispatched a team of accomplished radio producers to places both exotic and familiar. He challenged them to capture people's connections with place. And they went…all over.

• Elizabeth Arnold went to the woods with grizzly bears.
• Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister stalked coqui frogs in Hawaii.
• The Kitchen Sisters went to the river's edge.
• Scott Carriers walked with pilgrims around a mountain in Tibet.
• And that's just a start!

The result is an eclectic mix of stories that transports listeners to evocative and magical places in the natural world. This collage of essays, poems, music and interviews brings a rich new dimension to our concept of place. "Stories from the Heart of the Land," a series comprised of five one-hour programs, will air Thursdays on KSTX 89.1 FM beginning September 6 at 7 pm.

Members of Texas Public Radio will have an opportunity to join us, Wednesday, September 5, from 6 - 8 pm, at the IMAX Rivercenter, for a sneak preview of "Stories from the Heart of the Land" before it airs.

Carter Smith, Texas State Director of The Nature Conservancy, will present images and commentary that accompany audio clips of this unique radio series, providing an added dimension in which to experience this exquisite audio portrait of mankind and nature. The Nature Conservancy will give away 50 beautifully packaged sampler CDs of "Stories from the Heart of the Land" to the fifty first reservations to this event.

Mr. Smith's presentation will be followed by a screening of the IMAX film Mystery of the Nile, which chronicles the journey of a team of explorers facing insurmountable challenges as they navigate the Blue Nile and Nile rivers, from source to sea.

When: Wednesday, September 5, 6 – 8 pm
Where: IMAX Rivercenter, 849 E. Commerce, San Antonio, TX 78205

The "Stories from the Heart of the Land" preview is an exclusive opportunity for Texas Public Radio members. The IMAX Rivercenter will provide complimentary popcorn and soda to attendees. Free parking validation will also be available. To reserve your space for this event, call Texas Public Radio at 800.622.8977.

“Stories from the Heart of the Land” is produced by Atlantic Public Media and curated by Jay Allison and Emily Botein with support from The Nature Conservancy.

The answers to numerous questions asked by attendees of "San Antonio is Building Green" are now available. To gain a deeper insight of what was discussed at this hugely successful event, click here.

San Antonio is going green. Our city council voted unanimously to build our city facilities green. That's great news but what is green building, what is the significance, and what does it mean to you? These questions and more will be answered. You'll leave with a clearer picture of how to start make a greener statement in your home and office.

Texas Public Radio, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Partnership for Energy (MPE) and its Build San Antonio Green Program, will shed light on how San Antonio is trailblazing the adoption of commercial and residential green building.

A distinguished panel of local industry experts will explain the foundations of green building and answer the questions we all have regarding this new and vital mandate. Our panel of speakers will address questions such as: What is Green Building? What are the criteria for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, and what does that mean for our future? Is San Antonio building green now? Invited speakers include:

• What is Green Building?: Anita Ledbetter, Executive Director, Metropolitan Partnership for Energy
• Residential Certification — Build San Antonio Green: Stephen Colley, Metropolitan Partnership for Energy
• Commercial Certification — LEED: Robert Harris, Lake-Flato Architects
• Green Building Legistation: Tom Fitzpatrick, Consultant to Public Citizen —Texas Office
• Panel Discussion:
  • Panel Moderator: Bob Sohn, Sr. Advisor for Planning and Development, Silver Ventures — The Pearl Brewery Project
  • Bruce Evans, Director of Strategic Energy Management and Client Solutions, CPS Energy
  • Karen Guz, Director, Conservation Department, SAWS
  • James Andrews, U. S. Green Building Council
  • Chris Schultz, AIASA
  • Russel Smith, Executive Director, Texas Renewable Industries Association
  • John Friesenhahn, Imagine Homes
  • Rose Ryan, City of San Antonio
  • Anita Ledbetter, Metropolitan Partnership for Energy
  • Golda Weir, Bexas County Energy
  • Sheila Morales, Architect, LEED AP, H-E-B

Those interested in commercial building will learn more about Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards and home owners will understand Build San Antonio Green's certification for residential building, an innovative and ambitious program that exceeds national standards.

A green tour of the environmentally-friendly Pearl renovation project will commence after the panel discussion, as well as a wrap-up reception opportunity for one-on-one conversations with our speakers and guests. New and current home owners will be connected to resources to help adopt simple, cost-effective green measures and practices in the improvement of their own homes. A wealth of information will be made available to ease your transition into green building and home maintenance practices, including information on alternative energy, eco-friendly building materials, and more.

San Antonio is Building Green is free and open to the public.

When: Sunday, September 9, 1 – 5 pm
Where: The Pearl Stables, 312 Pearl Parkway, Bldg. 2, San Antonio, TX 78215

San Antonio is Building Green is made possible by support from H-E-B and Windtricity by CPS Energy.

With a more informed citizenry than ever before, we see a greater personal commitment to protecting the environment. The opportunity for all of us to help is real, but to overcome many transportation-related problems, we need help from the research community.

Fortunately, some of the answers to reducing carbon emissions and increasing fuel efficiency may spring from a San Antonio source. Join Texas Public Radio as we explore the automotive engineers' solutions to minimizing the environment and our dependency on carbon-based fuels.

Dr. Thomas W. Ryan III, engineer at Southwest Research Institute and President Elect of the National Society of Automotive Engineers, will share what his colleagues, together with the automotive industry, are developing in the laboratory to increase fuel efficiency while decreasing emissions.

Paving the way for Dr. Ryan's presentation, experts from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will address government mandates and regulations, while VIA will reveal steps the transportation industry is taking to "drive cleaner."

Attendees can look at the future of clean driving, now. A variety of fuel-efficient and alternative energy vehicles will be on display, courtesy of Zap Cars of San Antonio and Austin Energy. A reception will follow giving participants and attendees the opportunity for dialogue.

Driving Cleaner: On the Road to Greener is free and open to the public. To reserve your space for this event, call Texas Public Radio at 800.622.8977.

When: Tuesday, September 25, 6 – 9 pm
Where: Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, 116 Blue Star, San Antonio, TX 78204

About our Speakers

Richard Garcia, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality:"Keeping the Air Clean in Texas"

Mr. Garcia is regional director of the Texa Commission on Environmental Quality for the San Antonio region. He will outline what we can do to help control our air quality and what TCEQ and local and regional agencies are doing to help us meet new air quality standards - and how more stringent regulations might affect us all if we fail.

Michael Dominguez, VIA Metropolitan Transit:"Greener Busses for VIA's Fleet"

Mr. Dominguez is a community planner for VIA, which has recently adopted ultra-low sulfur diesel and ethanol for its buses, replaced its diesel trolleys with propane, and soon will be driving hybrid busses on San Antonio's streets.

Dr. Thomas Ryan III, Southwest Research Institute:"Cleaner Vehicles: Where Are We Now, and Where Are We Heading?"

Dr. Ryan is president-elect of the Society of Automotive Engineers International and an Institute Scientist for the Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division of Southwest Research Institute. He will discuss how emissions standards came into existence, what the future holds for more stringent regulations - and how scientists and engineers are working to meet and surpass those standards using new technologies.

Made possible by support from Windtricity by CPS Energy and Zap Cars of San Antonio.