As if tainted beef and the infamous spinach scare of ‘06 wasn’t enough to contend with, now we’ve got a nationwide egg recall in the headlines. All of this raises a couple of big questions: Do you know where your food comes from? And how safe it is?

One objection we often hear about locally grown foods (like those you would find at a farmers market) is that they’re expensive. While it’s true that some of these foods can retail for more than those at discount chains, when you consider the costs that arise from incidents like the egg recall, saving an extra dollar or two on eggs purchased from a factory farm seems irrelevant if you’re exposing yourself to serious health risks. Small, family-run farming operations tend to have better control over the quality of food they produce. By purchasing their goods, you not only get a fresher, tastier product, but most likely, a safer one.

If you’ve never experienced the delight of visiting a local farm or farmers market, now’s the time to get on board. Going Local Week, running September 5-11, encourages everyone to eat one local food at each meal. Whether you’re biting into a juicy local peach or dousing your hamburger with Local Folks Foods ketchup (a favorite at Meghan’s house), incorporating one Indiana-produced food into each meal is a delicious way to celebrate our Hoosier heritage.

And remember, “Made In Indiana” isn’t always a seal of approval. Sustainable goes far beyond the distance food travels to get to your table. Use Going Local Week as an opportunity to get to know something new and interesting from a local food producer.

We can’t think of a better way to enjoy some of the year’s best produce while also helping bolster Indiana’s economy. How’s that for homeland security?

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

The next time someone says that your neighborhood looks a bit shady, thank them for the compliment. We’re talking, of course, about the good kind of shady…the kind that results from having an abundance of mature trees and shrubs. Though you may have snubbed shrubs and said “Oh, please!” to trees in your youth, you now realize that these things aren’t just pretty landscaping, they attract wildlife and provide a canopy that shields our homes from excess UV rays, meaning reduced air-conditioning costs. Need another reason? Homes surrounded by trees and shrubs are usually worth 20% to 30% more than those that aren’t.

But selecting the right tree is tough, right? Wrong! The Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) makes it easy by hosting an annual Fall Tree and Shrub sale (fall is considered a better time to plant trees than spring) that includes native varieties.

It works like this…

1. Peruse the SWCD’s online tree brochure to select your trees and shrubs. Take your pick from 14 different varieties of trees and 9 different shrubs. Depending on species, these range in size (1, 3, or 5-gallon sizes) and in price ($18-$32; sales tax included).
2. Submit your order to the SWCD by Wednesday, September 22.
3. Pick up your order on Saturday, October 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Normandy Farm subdivision information center, 7802 Marsh Road, on Indy’s northwestside.

Not a Marion County resident? Check the web site of your county’s SWCD. Go out on a limb! Plant trees and shrubs this fall. Your shadiness depends on it.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Summer days are drifting away, and that can only mean one thing…back to school time! If you’ve been looking for a way to get your kiddos (or nieces, nephews, or grandchildren) excited about the transition from swimming pool to elementary school, we have the solution: fun illustrated books with eco-conscious themes.

Rascal and Shady Recycle and Reuse by Beth Starr

Who wouldn’t love to learn about responsible waste management from two rascally raccoons? This new book, Rascal and Shady Recycle and Reuse, from Westfield resident Beth Starr is a treat. Because she’s local, Starr also hosts educational classroom programs at local elementary schools and uses her books as teaching tools.

The Earth Book by Todd Parr

How do you tackle the world’s big, complex problems when you’re still pint-sized? Leave it to author Todd Parr, who packs dozens of child-appropriate earth-saving tips into his practical yet entertaining book, The Earth Book. Look for this one locally at Global Gifts (and don’t forget to take your Green Savings Indy coupon for 10% off!).

I Am Mr. Ellie Pooh by Dr. Karl Wald

Send your child to show-and-tell with this one, and he or she is sure to get the class talking. This delightful storybook, I Am Mr. Ellie Pooh, is made using elephant dung paper…as in, Ellie Pooh. If that’s not clever recycling, we don’t know what is.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

It was the best of thymes, it was the worst of thymes (and oregano, tomatoes, and onions). Yes, try as you might, you’re still relatively clueless about gardening. Who has time to learn the finer points of seeding, weeding, and pruning when the last few days of pool time are upon us? If you’ve always wanted to be one of those people who says things like “Oh, this salad? Just a little something I whipped up from my garden,” we suggest attending the upcoming City Gardener program, hosted by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Some call them Cultural Districts. But we’d rather refer to them as Regions of Recycling Excellence. That’s because dozens of merchants in Broad Ripple Village, Fountain Square and on Mass Ave. are recycling cardboard, glass, scrap metal, paper, and plastics with help from Workforce Inc. The next time you’re at one of the participating restaurants, bars, or shops, be sure to thank them for their commitment to recycling.

Broad Ripple businesses 
Ambrosia
Artifacts
Barley Island
Boogie Burger
Broad Ripple Tavern
Brother’s Bar & Grill
Bleeker Street
Casba
Corner Wine Bar
Crackers
CT Pepper’s
Monkey’s Tail
Naked Tchopstix
Niche
Old Pro’s Table
Periwinkle
Red Mango
Union Jack Pub
Usual Suspects
The Vogue
Wellington Pub

Mass Ave businesses 
Arts A Poppin’
The Best Chocolate in Town
Eye Candy
The Frame Shop & Franklin Barry Gallery
JC Bicycle Sales & Service
Mass Ave Toys
Mass Ave Wine Shoppe
Nurture
Old Point Tavern
R Bistro
Schmidt Associates
Silver in the City/At Home in the City
Watts Blooming

Fountain Square businesses
(don’t have a full list of Workforce Inc. recyclers)

If your business is looking for ways to recycle in the office, contact Workforce Inc. at 532-1367 or look in to one of the following resources:

EcoRewards (an Abitibi Bowater program that pays for recyclables)
Rays (offers residential and commercial recycling)
Republic (offers residential and commercial recycling)

Some days we look at the summer sun and curse its unrelenting heat and wrinkle-inducing UV rays. But that giant ball of gas may be just the ticket to breaking our nation’s dependence on oil once and for all. In light of the recent spill in the Gulf of Mexico, more and more Americans are rethinking renewable energy. Could the answer to our country’s energy problems be as simple as installing solar panels on millions of roofs around the country? We’ll let you be the judge on this, well, hot topic.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

As if your trip to the Indiana State Fair didn’t leave you full enough, the foodie fun continues later this month with two scrumptious, sustainable eating events. Ladies and gentleman, fill your bellies!

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

We haven’t been this excited since Project Runway’s Christian Siriano fashioned a dress out of Reese’s peanut butter cup wrappers! On October 22, the Indianapolis Museum of Art will host Project IMA: Fashion Unbound, a runway show featuring apparel made from unexpected materials, including those that have been reused or repurposed.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Forget what you learned in high school economics class. There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there are free trees to be had, thanks to the folks at Brehob Nursery. They recently gifted scads of Red Maple, Honey Locust, Eastern Redbud, and Shadblow Serviceberry trees to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and, in turn, KIB is offering these sultans of shade at no cost to you, the public, to plant in Marion County. Pick up your trees Friday, August 6 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 1263 S. Harding St. (southeast corner of S. Harding St. and W. Morris).

What you’ll need

• A truck or truck and trailer. These sizeable suckers aren’t saplings, people. They won’t fit in a car, so don’t even try it.
• A tarp or sheet to protect the tree from wind burn - we know you like to drive fast.
• Lots of water. Due to their size and the season, these trees must be watered twice a week until November. In all, they require 20-30 gallons per week, depending on rain. Start harvesting rain now by ordering a rain barrel from the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District.
• TLC. You don’t need to be a certified arborist to plant them, but you should follow the provided planting instructions to prevent damaging the trees’ roots.

What you won’t need

• Money. But if you happen to have some cash on hand, donations to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful will be accepted.
• An order form. Trees are not ordered in advance but distributed on a first come, first served basis.

Turn over a new leaf! Help reduce CO2 emissions by picking up and planting a tree this Friday.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

You sit down to lunch at a local restaurant, scan the menu, and notice a hamburger made with Indiana beef. Seems like the greenest choice, right? Maybe not. Before you say bring it on to that burger, keep in mind that “Made in Indiana” doesn’t necessarily mean sustainable. Sure, it may have traveled a short distance from farm to fork, but did the farming process take a greater toll on our local environment?

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan