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

Draw the blinds and grab a box of your favorite popsicles. In the words of the great Bananarama, it’s a cruel, cruel summer. If your anxiety over electric bills tends to rise concurrent with the scorching temperatures, it’s time to chill. Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) customers can trim their home energy costs in one of the following ways, no purchase required.

Make Cents
IPL’s Cool Cents program can help you save up to $20 annually on your electric bill. Enroll, and IPL will attach a device to your air conditioner that cycles it on and off during times of peak electricity usage (usually during the weekdays). While you’re unlikely to notice a change in temperature at home, you will notice a $5 credit to your IPL bill, June through September.

Ditch Your Fridge
That old energy-hogging fridge in your basement or garage may be good for keeping your excess beverage supply cold, but it’s also costing you a pretty penny. Consider having IPL haul it away (at no charge) and they’ll give you a $30 check.

Inspect Your Gadgets
You don’t need to be a super-sleuth with an extendable arm to solve the mystery of your high electric bills. Simply check out IPL’s online Home Energy Calculator or Home Energy Inspector programs to figure out your home’s energy usage and how to reduce it.

For our non-IPL subscribers, check with your local energy provider for similar offers. For instance, Duke Energy has several programs to help save energy and money too!

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

We will now recite MyCarbonPledge.

(Repeat after us)

I pledge allegiance to the girls
Of the Green Piece Indy team
And to the CO2 reduction for which they stand
One promise: to cut back on energy usage
With CFLs and lower electricity bills for all!

If you still haven’t swapped out your incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents, adjusted your thermostat a few degrees, or unplugged an unused appliance, now is the time, people! The Indianapolis Zoo’s MyCarbonPledge program aims to reduce Indiana’s CO2 emissions drastically by encouraging Hoosiers to adopt some simple habits. For example, you could…

1. Pick up a package of CFLs on your next shopping trip instead of energy-sucking incandescent light bulbs.
2. Turn your thermostat up 2 degrees in the summer and down 2 degrees in the winter.
3. Unplug an appliance. Yes, it’s really that easy!

When you visit MyCarbonPledge to make your promise public, don’t forget to join the Green Piece Indy Team by selecting “organizations” under Green Team/Partner. Doing so would melt our hearts (and, thankfully, not the polar ice caps).

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

[green-hous ih-fekt] -noun The phenomenon whereby the kindness and goodwill of one organization is trapped within the atmosphere and causes warmth and compassion throughout a system resulting in a green house.

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

Rain barrels, composters and sun-powered gadgets
Bright-colored books from The Binding Bee…gotta have it!
Organic lawn care and marshmallows with zing,
These are a few of our favorite things.

Below, a list of great finds from last weekend’s Green Fest Indy www.greenfestindy.com.

• Chemical Free Grass combines the convenience of a home lawn service with peace of mind. They use organic compost “tea” (a.k.a. the nutrient-rich liquid portion of compost) to treat lawns. Translation: No chemicals, no funny smell, no weird residue on your shoes or feet from walking through the grass, and best of all, no worrying about kids or pets playing on the grass.
• It’s hot then it’s cool: theSolarAG System’s solar attic fan keeps your home’s uppermost region cool while drawing its energy from the sun. It was great to finally meet the guys from Portland, IN who make the solar attic fan, which is available locally at Greenway Supply.
• What’s all the buzz about The Binding Bee? Think beautiful handmade blank books created from vintage and upcycled materials. Renee loved ‘em so much, she ordered a 100% recycled guestbook for her upcoming wedding.
• Of course, being green can also be delicious. We followed our noses to 240 SWEET Artisan Marshmallows, the delectable handmade creations of chef Alexa Lemley. Chef Lemley uses local and regional ingredients like Indiana corn starch and Michigan beet sugar and the result (as witnesses by the salty caramel-flavored cubes we sampled) is perfection.

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

When it comes to adorable holiday mascots, no one rivals Punxsutawney Phil. Who can resist a clever little groundhog who crawls out of his burrow every February 2 to predict the arrival of spring (or six more weeks of winter)? Though we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for warmer weather, we know better than to put all of our faith into the hands (er, paws) of a groundhog.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

If the phrase “town hall meeting” conjures up images of angry Americans about to blow a collective gasket, it might be the last way you want to spend your post-holiday downtime. So consider an alternative: Whether your politics tend to lean red or blue, we invite you to imagine a kinder, greener town hall meeting…one that (calmly) examines Indiana’s renewable energy and green business picture as well as what the future may hold. Mark your calendar for Thursday, January 7 when the Green Energy-Green Jobs town hall meeting and information fair comes to EpworthUnitedMethodistChurch (6450 Allisonville Road).

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan