- TEXAS GREEN NETWORK
- TEXAS "FRACKING" AT EAGLE FORD
- FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS BAN
- RAISED FLOWER BEDS
- WHY IS VICTORY GARDENING IMPORTANT
- CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Welcome to H2O To Grow, a newsletter from a San Antonio Native for local Rainwater Harvesting and Gardening Enthusiasts.
TEXAS GREEN NETWORK
This week I am attending a meeting by the Texas Green Network, "a modern chamber-of-commerce, a community of Texas businesses, organizations and individuals committed to accelerating the adoption of sustainable best practices in the way we do business".
You should definitely check out their website: http://texasgreennetwork.org/
Green Business is the wave of the future. Take for example, Japan. The tragedy at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant will definitely be causing a mind-shift into alternatives for future electricity needs.
And in this modern age of instant news and YouTube videos, the results of these disasters are plastered across the screens and minds of billions of people at a time. No more is this happening in some remote city like Chernobyl that everyone seems to have forgotten and which their government effectively hid from the world.
But I digress; let me get off my soapbox for a second.
The Texas Green Network is a non-profit, 501(c)6. Basically they promote businesses that support sustainable and eco-friendly business habits. This is something H2O To Grow also supports.
So the mixer is being held at The Cove, a favorite place of mine for fish tacos. And it’s on Monday, which is a perfect way to end the first weekday. And it’s free.
So I’m going to get those business cards handed out and network with some like-minded green business owners.
TEXAS FRACKING AT EAGLE FORD
I’m not sure if any of you are familiar with the term Fracking. It is a term being used to define the practice of pumping thousands of gallons of treated water into natural gas pockets to break up the rock and release the natural gas.
It is an ugly sounding word for an ugly practice. There has been no scientific evidence that the practice poisons water tables, but hey, there is also no scientific proof of how the universe started, YET.
The rumors that follow this type of natural gas drilling are water coming out of faucets which can be caught on fire. There are breathing and health factors which residents around these waste water wells residents say didn’t exist before the drilling.
And if that wasn’t scary enough, they may even be able to cause earthquake clusters. Possibly from forcing hundreds of thousands of years of wear and tear on the land within a matter of months.
But to be fair, I don’t have a solution for the energy crisis. People are going to continue to drive gas guzzlers, build mansions for 2, and tear up green belts to install more parking lots.
It will take an act of God to change people from their ways, it usually does. But without that happening, I don’t see how people will turn the corner and become better stewards of our planet.
There is a very great article in THE CURRENT about it. You should read it!
"I’m not opposed to natural gas drilling, I’m not some wacko environmentalist … I am against being poisoned, though, and I’m certainly against my children being poisoned." – Calvin Tillman, Mayor of Dish, TX
4th OF JULY FIREWORKS BAN
This is just a friendly reminder. No fireworks in the city limits.
Even with the rain we had on Wednesday night, the conditions are still very good that someone is going to set their lawn on fire. Or set their neighbor’s lawn on fire.
So please, don’t be that guy who was just gonna light a couple of sparklers for the kids who ends up burning his "chanclas" putting out the grass fire.
RAISED FLOWER BEDS
Raised flower beds are handmade beds that are elevated for ease of use. They usually stand 12" above the ground and can be bordered by stone, wood or any other ornamental object which will hold the dirt in place.
The reason they are so awesome for home gardeners is they allow ease of preparation and maintenance. No more digging through your lawn and making permanent holes.
They are also very easy to prepare, since most of the soil will be added at the exact levels you need for the optimum growth.
Installing a drip irrigation system being fed by a rain water harvesting or reclaimed water irrigation system will save you money and save Texas water.
Since raised flower beds can be made in any size, you can have multiple flower beds with varying soil types for different plants growing at the same time.
I’d like one for growing strawberries, one for cantaloupe, one for watermelons and one for tomatoes. And of course one for spinach.
By using drip irrigation with varying flow rate drippers, you can create a unique ecosystem for any and every type of plant you could ever want to grow.
And if you ever decide to move them, dismantling is easy since they are above ground.
Send me an e-mail for more information on installing a raised flower bed garden in your home. Cesar@h2otogrow.co
WHY IS VICTORY GARDENING IMPORTANT?
Why is any type of Gardening important? Well, it’s so we can continue to live.
Our land, Texas, has lost many of its green areas to development and suburban sprawl. All the wildflowers and prickly pear that fed the butterflies and the bees have been pushed outside the city limits. And we sit and wonder where have the bees gone?
We need to garden to bring back the bees, to soothe your soul, to feed your family or community, to reduce "urban heat island" effect.
Whatever the reason for gardening you choose, it will be the right choice.
You will feel the plight of the farmer who is facing a drought so bad he may go out of business and perhaps you will choose to shop at a Farmer’s Market to support a local grower.
Maybe your neighbors will grow their own gardens and you can share the literal "fruits of your labor" with each other, building a stronger community.
Maybe your kids will learn the lessons their great-grandparents already knew, the land is your life, treat it well and it will treat you well.
CALENDAR
Monday, June 27th, 6pm to 8pm – Texas Green Network San Antonio Meet Greet & Eat Mixer. Location: The Cove, 606 W Cypress St, 78212. Admission is free and free appetizers will be provided by The Cove.
Tuesday, June 28th, 6:30pm thru 8:00pm – meeting of the Native Plant Society of Texas - hands-on instruction on the basics of native-plant propagation. Native plant & seed exchange. Location: Lions Field Adult Center, 2809 Broadway. FREE!
Wednesday THRU Friday - July 6th, 7th and 8th 7:30 am to 4:30pm – 8TH Annual Summer Water Conference for Educators – (FOR TEACHERS!!!) - To explore practical strategies to teach water concepts and issues.
FARMER'S MARKETS
Every Tuesday, 8am – 12pm - Main Plaza Farmer’s Market – 115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, TX. Repeats every Tuesday
Every Saturday, 7am – 11am - Bracken Farmer’s and Artisans Market – 7561 E Evans Rd, San Antonio, TX 78266. Repeats every Saturday.
Every Saturday, 9am – 1pm - Pearl Farmer’s Market – At Pearl Brewery along the banks of the San Antonio River.
Every Wednesday, 4pm – Pearl Brewery’s Wednesday Market – Pearl Park parking lot
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