Series Will Spread the Green Vision Word

Andy Lipkis, founder and president of TreePeople, will speak July 18 on his vision for relandscaping Los Angeles into a city that recaptures and reuses its rainwater.

The discussion will launch a Green Series in the new Mark Taper Amphitheatre in TreePeople’s Coldwater Canyon Park, located at Mulholland and Coldwater Canyon drives.

“Environmental Good News: A Road Map” is the evening’s theme. Lipkis will outline the large-scale retrofit of the Los Angeles landscape being designed by TreePeople through a project called TREES (Trans-Agency Resources for Environmental and Economic Sustainability). The effort aims to minimize the threat of flooding, drought and pollution.

Also onstage will be actor Ed Begley Jr. reading from the works of John Muir.

The Green Series complements TreePeople’s “Once Upon a Canyon Night,” a program of play readings and music under the stars. The new season kicks off July 16 and 17 with Moss Hart’s comedy “Once in a Lifetime,” read by the Actors Conservatory Ensemble.

The 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday presentations will continue weekly through August, with the schedule including a musical production of “Androcles and the Lion” and a reading of the original screenplay of the hit movie “Airplane.” Admission is $12.

The Green Series, which is held at 7 p.m. Sundays, is scheduled additionally for Aug. 8 and 29. Admission is $20.

Audiences are encouraged to arrive early with a picnic to enjoy the mountaintop park. A portion of the proceeds benefit TreePeople and the park.

Information for both series: (888) 922-3846.