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 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

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

The holidays ended months ago. You lost those last 5 holiday pounds weeks ago. And yet you’re still in a holiday-induced catalog fog, no thanks to your favorite retailers. Unwanted catalogs, mailers, and other promotional materials that arrive daily in your mailbox are not only annoying, they’re downright wasteful. Though most catalogs are recyclable (and some are even made from recycled content), the fact that they even exist in the Digital Age is pretty unbelievable. After all, hasn’t the Internet eliminated the need for purchasing items over the phone?

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

When spring 2009 rolled around, you vowed to finally weed those messy beds, plant a veggie garden, and exist upon a strict diet of tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce grown exclusively by you. Yet somewhere along the way, your plan fell apart. If last year’s plot has gone to pot, it’s time to pull yourself up by your gardening clogs and try, try again. But where to start?

Consider attending one of the following events at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

• Urban Composting: The Demise of the Stinky Trash Can (April 15)
• Basic Landscape Design in Two Sessions (April 17)
• Planet Indy: Gestalt Gardening with Felder Rushing (April 22)

Or, if you’re more of a self-starter, place an order for native trees and shrubs (order deadline: May 5) through the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District’s upcoming sale. While you’re at it, get a rain barrel (order deadline: May 1) or two. It’s the most effective way we know to keep your garden hydrated year-round without incurring any extra charges on your water bill. We give them two (green)thumbs up!

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

If your 2009 tax return wasn’t quite as hefty as you’d hoped, we have a suggestion for stickin’ it to Uncle Sam in 2010. (And we don’t mean skipping out on next year’s tax payments altogether.) If you’re planning to make any upgrades to your abode this year, consider focusing your efforts on improving your home’s energy efficiency. Not only will this result in lower utility bills for you and a smaller impact on the planet, it can also mean a sizeable federal tax credit.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan