Instead of: Watching Peyton Manning spend too much time on the bench.
Try: Asking your neighborhood association to spend a little on an eco-friendly bench for neighbors to enjoy. Recycle Design, an Anderson based company, makes park benches (as well as recycling bins, trash cans, planters, and other products) out of recycled materials.

Instead of: Raining on the Saints’ parade (c’mon, it’s their first Super Bowl title)
Try: Learning about rain gardens at the upcoming “A Landscaping with RainGardens: The ABC’s of Design and Construction” workshop, taking place Feb. 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Registration fee: $50 (way cheaper than a ticket to the Super Bowl)

Instead of: Painting the town blue
Try: Painting your home with low-VOC or zero-VOC paint. (VOCs are volatile organic compounds and have been linked to health and environmental hazards.) Better yet, hire Green Brush Painters, a locally owned company, to do the work for you.

Until next NFL season arrives, we encourage you to team up for Planet Earth. Because nobody comes into our house and pushes us around.

Green Piece Indy has been named a finalist for an Indianapolis Sustainability Award for our Rush Hour Recycling program. The winner will be announced next Tuesday, February 9 at a downtown luncheon at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Wish us luck!

Join Green Piece Indy at 6 p.m. in studio 213 of the Murphy Building. As part of IDADA’s First Friday Gallery Tours, we’re teaming up with People for Urban Progress, makers of the Dome Handbag (cute wallets, clutches, and messenger bags made from the former roof of the RCA Dome; proceeds from the sales benefit the Indianapolis Parks Department), for a fun event. While in the Murphy Building, you can also visit Indy Swank, purveyor of vintage (read: reused) clothing, including (you guessed it) Dome handbags.

And since you’ll already be downtown, you might as well stop in for the grand opening of Flame Art Studios. Based inside the Circle City Industrial Complex (1125 Brookside Ave., C-15), Flame Art Studios specializes in metal, glass, and silver artwork, jewelry, and other treasures. Many of the items that will be on display are made from recycled materials.

Remember: Don’t let cabin fever get you down. Get out this Friday for a green gallery hop and tell Old Man Winter to shove it!

That’s why we’re grateful for Indiana’s new Energy Star Appliance Rebate Program, which gives us an added incentive to heat our homes efficiently, regardless of how long winter sticks around. The $6.1 million program, which begins February 1, offers Indiana homeowners rebates of up to $500 for the documented purchase and installation of an Energy Star rated furnace or Heating, Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, or up to $1,000 for a geothermal heat pump. To qualify, items must be purchased and installed after February 1, 2010. Pick up a rebate form from the Office of Energy Development.

Whether or not Phil sees his shadow on February 2, you’ll see big rebates if you upgrade old, inefficient appliances to qualified Energy Star appliances after February 1.

Now it’s time to hop on the scales and calculate your current carbon footprint. (We promise it will be substantially less annoying than hopping on a real scale). While there are many reliable carbon footprint calculators available online these days, we find The Ecological Footprint Quiz from the Center For Sustainable Economy to be among the simplest to use. You can also read about the other types of ecological impacts this site’s calculator measures.

No matter your BMI or LDL, this is one measurement we can all stand to reduce.

Next week, you’ll have the chance to attend Conservation Day, taking place Tuesday, January 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Indiana Statehouse (200 W. Washington St.). Conservation Day gives regular people like us the opportunity to speak with legislators about topics like renewable energy, protecting wildlife habitat, and clean air, water, and soil standards. While you’re there, you can also meet representatives of various conservation organizations from around the state.

Register now, or forever hold your peace.

OUT: Stock prices that sag.
IN: Community supported ag. CSAs allow consumers to purchase a share (also known as a membership or subscription) from a farmer and, in return, receive a box of seasonal produce, eggs, herbs, milk, or other items for a designated period of time (typically spring through fall).

OUT: Another trip through the McDonalds drive-thru.
IN: Another pick-up at Old McDonald’s CSA. Most CSAs either provide home delivery or have convenient pick-up points throughout Indianapolis and its suburbs.

OUT: Overpaying for produce that spoils soon after you buy it (because it’s been trucked in from across the country).
IN: Feeling spoiled by how fresh your fruits and vegetables taste (because they’ve been trucked in from a neighboring county).

Many area CSAs fill up quickly, so we suggest contacting them soon to reserve your share. This recent article from Indiana Living Green contains a comprehensive list of local options, including GSI supporters like Nature’s Harvest Organics (CSA coupon in Green Savings Indy 2009-10), Seldom Seen Farm (CSA coupon in Green Savings Indy 2010-11), Balanced Harvest Farm, and Valentine Hill Farm.

Happy 2010…here we grow again!

Enter Robert Dittmer and Julie Vincent, the Indianapolis-based authors of the new book “Shades of Green” (available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The book takes a level-of-commitment approach to going green at home. Those new to protecting the planet can stick to the “I Can Do That” level, while those who are a bit more committed may want to jump to the “Takin’ It to the Next Level” level. Been recycling since birth? Check out the “Dedicated to a Green Lifestyle” level.

But remember: Going green isn’t about keeping up with the Joneses or keeping a running tally of every scrap of paper you recycle. It’s about getting into the habit of making simple, sustainable choices that add up to big results for Planet Earth.

To that end, Greendrinks is an informal monthly gathering of likeminded folks who meet up to share ideas for a greener city while getting to know one another. Groups exist throughout the state in places like Bloomington, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Northwest Indiana, South Bend, and of course, here in Indianapolis.

This month, the Indy group is convening at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12 for a tour of the city’s newest local brewing company, Sun King Brewery (135 N. College Ave.). Stop by, meet others in the Indianapolis green community, and have a few drinks while you’re at it. Not that you need another excuse to get together with friends.

You’ll find more information about Greendrinks Indy on (where else?) Facebook.