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

While some solutions to America’s energy quandary are downright puzzling (such as, oh, finding a way to stop all that oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico), others are pretty easy to figure out. Like, stop driving your car across the strip mall parking lot from one store to the other (duh). Stop idling (double duh)! And for Pete’s sake, figure out a better way to get to work than simply driving alone, whether that’s carpooling, vanpooling, riding the bus, biking, or walking. Granted, we realize that walking to work or finding a bus that stops near your office isn’t always an option. Finding someone to carpool with, however, no longer has to feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Simply visit the Central Indiana Commuter Services (CICS) website and sign up to be matched with others in your area who are interested in carpooling. We know what you’re thinking: What if I get sick and need to leave work early? Or what if I need to stay late? CICS has already thought of that, friends. Through their Emergency Ride Home program, qualified commuters receive 5 vouchers a year for taxi service. If that isn’t incentive enough, now through July 4, 2010, if you refer a friend to CICS and they sign up to find a carpool partner (or registers as a carpooler, vanpooler, bus rider, biker or walker), both of you will be entered into a drawing for a $50 CICS prize pack. The referral must write your name and promo code (RAF610) in the comments section when registering online or give your name and code when registering by phone (317-327-RIDE).

This Fourth of July weekend, declare your independence from commuting solo once and for all!

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Basement flooded? Backyard BBQ rained out? Got caught in a storm on the Monon Trail? You can blame a lot of things on the rain. But when your backyard starts looking a little dry this summer, you’ll be whistling a different tune, Milli Vanilli.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

We used to call them cheapskates, tightwads, and penny pinchers, but now the savers are considered the smart ones. Yes, thanks to the good ol’ economy, frugality is back in fashion. If you’d rather not dust off your coupon-clipping scissors just yet, we invite you to try Green Savings Indy www.greensavingsindy.com, Green Piece Indy’s thrifty little sister.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Stuck in a toxic relationship with your household hazardous waste? If you’ve been stockpiling half-empty paint cans, old bottles of bleach, used motor oil, and the like in your basement or garage, it may be for one of the following reasons.

1. You’re devising a terrorist plot.
2. You belong on TV’s “Horders.”
3. You’re not sure how to safely dispose of these chemicals.

We’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and guess that it has something to do with #3. And you’re in luck: This month, organizations around the city are offering drop-off sites where you can recycle or safely dispose of your household hazardous waste (including paint, cleaners, and compact fluorescent light bulbs) and unwanted electronics (like old TVs and computers). Some events will even recycle your old tires! For a detailed list of acceptable items, please visit the event’s website.

IUPUI Toxaway Day

When: April 9 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Parking Lot 401, 1324 Indiana Ave. (across from the Herron Sculpture/Ceramics building)

Johnson County Solid Waste Management District’s Spring Clean Up Day
When: April 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: JohnsonCounty 4-H Fairgrounds, 250 Fairground St., Franklin (enter off US 31 between Dairy Queen and Wendy’s)

City of Indianapolis Earth Day ToxAway Event
When: April 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: 3 locations around town

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Bring your glow sticks, your glow-in-the-dark sneakers, or even unearth your Glo-Worm from the 80’s. But whatever you do, don’t turn on the lights! Yes, we’re approaching Green Piece Indy’s 3rd annual Earth Hour shindig once again. This year’s party powers down March 27 at 8:30 p.m. Join us at Whole Foods Marketplace (1300 E. 86th St.) for living food samples, acoustic music, and one solid hour of candlelit conversation in celebration of Earth Hour, an internationally observed event that aims to reduce energy consumption (read: CO2 emissions) through the simple act of switching off the lights for one hour. Last year, nearly 1 billion people around the world participated and major national and world monuments, including the Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Las Vegas strip, Eiffel Tower, and London’s Big Ben, all went dark for the event. Can’t make it to the party? Encourage your family members, friends, and neighbors to turn off the lights from 8:30-9:30 p.m. on March 27.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

If Super Bowl Sunday didn’t turn out to be quite as super as you’d hoped, we feel your pain. And we come bearing a cure to your post-season blues: home improvement. Because, let’s face it, there’s nothing like a fresh coat of zero-VOC paint, a shiny new rain barrel, or a park bench made from recycled materials to help rid your mind of that disappointing loss.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

You wanted: A 1-year membership to the fruit-of-the-month club
You got: A fruitcake

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

You can party like it’s 1999 as you count down the minutes this New Year’s Eve, just be sure your calendar reads 2010 on January 1. Although electronic or web-based calendars are arguably the greenest ways to go, if you’re like us, it may be tough to ween yourself from your trusty paper datebook.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Giving thanks is easy. Giving up hard-earned dollars, particularly at a time when wearing your frugality like a medal is suddenly popular again…well, that’s a lot tougher. And if your bank account balance is dwindling or you’ve recently found yourself on the wrong end of a pink slip, giving can feel nearly impossible.

That’s why we’re thankful for Goodsearch.com. Unlike that other popular search engine that starts with a “G,” Goodsearch donates a little change to our fave environmental charities every time we use their site to perform a web search.

Here’s a short list of land- and animal-focused Indiana organizations that benefit from Goodsearch.com.

Central Indiana Land Trust
Friends of Indiana Dunes
Friends of Indianapolis Animal Care and Control
Hoosier Environmental Council
Humane Society of Indianapolis
Indianapolis Parks Foundation
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
Nature Conservancy of Indiana

Attention online shoppers: You can also give back by using Goodsearch’s sister site, Goodshop.com. Search the list of retailers (it includes the big ones like Amazon, iTunes, Macy’s, Target, etc.), designate your charity, buy your stuff, and voila! The retailer will donate a percentage of your purchase (usually between 1% and 7%) to your chosen charity.

You’re just a point-and-click away from protecting the planet…get to work!

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan