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

We know better than to take sides in the traditional books vs. downloadable e-books debate. But we’ll gladly offer up a few of our favorite eco-themed reading recommendations. Whether you’re toting your paperbacks to the pool this summer or curling up with your Kindle, add these titles to the top of your list.

Meghan’s Pick
No Impact Man by Colin Beavan
Follow the adventures of a New York family as they forego takeout containers, electricity, and even toilet paper, all in the name of saving the planet. After you’re done reading it, be sure to check out the documentary film version of Beavan’s story, also titled No Impact Man.

Renee’s Pick
Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies by the ApocaDocs (a.k.a.  Indiana natives Michael Jensen and Jim Poyser)
As if the ApocaDocs’s take on news articles with titles like “Sea otters worth $700 million in carbon credits” wasn’t enough to cackle yourself into taking action, their hilariously frightening book is now available for download or purchase. Their solution to the state of the planet: “we have to shift to a more humble, efficient, slowed-down and locally-oriented society/community.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Whitney Brake’s Pick (Whitney is an IPS reading teacher)
The Talking Earth by Jean Craighead George
Middle school-aged readers will enjoy this tale of Billie Wind, a young Seminole girl who struggles with balancing her tribe’s beliefs about the planet with more current environmental concerns, like pollution and nuclear war. Billie goes to the Everglades in search for answers, with an otter, a panther cub, and a turtle serving as her guides.

Lynn Jenkins’s Pick (Lynn is the publisher of Indiana Living Green)
A Conservationist Manifesto by Scott Russell Sanders
“It’s pertinent and local,” Lynn says. “He’s a dedicated Hoosier from Bloomington and makes many references to Indiana. Without rants and shouts, he’s able to gently write us to anger at the atrocities that man heaps on nature.”

Share your fave environmental reads in the comments section of this piece. We’ll select a few “best sellers” for some fun gifts from our bag of eco-tricks.

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

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

Whether you call them juice boxes, drink pouches, Capri Suns, or something else, those squeezable little containers tend to pop up everywhere from the school cafeteria to youth soccer games. And while they’re great at quenching thirst, they’re not so great for the environment.
Fortunately, there’s now an easy way to upcycle (that is, converting useless materials into usable ones) these and other lunchbox staples while raising money for your fave nonprofit.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

These days, everyone from Ed Begley to that Lazy Environmentalist guy have an opinion on how to save the planet. But shouldn’t the advice vary a bit if you’re, say, brand new to the green movement vs. a gritty Grist-reading veteran? If only becoming more environmentally friendly came with a handy color-coded guide, like the ones you find at ski resorts, to indicate when it’s time to get off the bunny slope and onto the black diamond run.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

While you were ringing in 2010, we were ringing in year #3 of Green Piece Indy! Since sending out our inaugural Green Piece Indy e-mail on January 1, 2008, our readership has exploded to nearly 3,000 subscribers, and we have continued to increase our reach in the community through Rush Hour Recycling, Earth Hour, Green Savings Indy, Green Fundraising Indiana, and other important events. Of course, we didn’t make it to our 2nd birthday alone. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to our advertisers, who continue to support us even during tough times, and, of course, to you, our readers.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan