The electric slide? So yesterday.The Electric Company? Fun while it lasted.

Electric Light Orchestra? Thanks for the memories, Mr. Blue Sky. 

Recycling your electronics? A totally now way to save the planet.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, August 2, Sony, hhgregg, and Waste Management Recycle America are making it even more convenient to dispose of your electronics in an environmentally responsible way. Drop off your old TVs, VCRs, radios, and other electronic devices (at no charge) at these hhgregg locations:

4161 East 96th St.

• 8921 US 31 South
• 10101 East Washington St.
• 10101 East US Highway 36 (Avon)

Recycling these items not only keeps e-waste out of landfills, it also frees up space in your house for more energy-efficient electronics. (Tip: Look for the Energy Star logo the next time you buy).

If only we had a way to recycle our New Kids on the Block cassettes…

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Sometime in between An Inconvenient Truth and the recent spike in fuel prices, big-box retailers jumped on the green bandwagon, offering everything from organic cotton tees to Energy Star rated appliances. Recently, one national chain store made a move that impressed us so much, we had to share it with you. By now, you likely know that compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), though incredibly energy efficient, also contain small amounts of mercury, a toxic chemical. In an effort to get its customers to properly dispose of CFLs, Home Depot began offering a CFL recycling program at all of its stores.For those who recently made the switch from inefficient incandescents to CFLs, it’s not likely that you’ll have to replace your new bulbs anytime soon. The average lifespan of one CFL is a whopping 6,000-15,000 hours (between 8 and 15 times that of traditional incandescent bulbs). But when the time does come, you’ll have more than 1,900 Home Depot locations to choose from, including nine stores within 50 miles of Indy.

Hasta la vista, hazardous waste. 

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Fed up with your gas-guzzling, ozone-hating lawn mower? While dragging the sprinkler across the yard one more time, remember that grass can easily go dormant (brown) during these hot months (for less mowing) and still return to green health in September. To prolong your green lawn now, set your lawn mower blades at around three inches high; longer grass protects root systems from drying out and requires less watering.

But if green your lawn must be, keep in mind that gas-engine lawn equipment contributes to five percent of the air pollution in the U.S. each year. Electric alternatives are widely available, and many are now battery powered so you don’t have to drag an extension cord all over the lawn. Handheld yard equipment is generally cheaper than the gas-powered variety, but electric lawnmowers are $100 to $200 more than gas models.

For a zero-emission, locally-made alternative, look no further than Shelbyville-based American Lawn Mower Company, which has produced reel mowers since 1895. Old-fashioned in concept but not in design, pushing drives the reel and its spinning tines create scissor-like cuts on the cut bar. Most models are cheaper than gas-engine lawn mowers and require almost no maintenance. They’re also much lighter and more maneuverable.

When Meghan moved into her new home last year, her Dad gave her a reel mower from American Lawn Mower Company. (Thanks, Dad!) Besides the gas savings, she loves the fact that her mower is noise-free and doesn’t leave her smelling like an auto mechanic when she’s done using it.

Piece out,
Meghan, Renee, and guest tip-writer Kevin

We admit it. Saving the world can be tiresome.

Remembering to bring your own bags to the grocery store, separating the #1 and #2 plastics from the #3 through #7’s for curbside recycling, carefully calculating your commute to maximize fuel mileage…it’s enough to wear out even Captain Planet.
Our tip to you: Take a break. Kick up your heels. Go out and have a beer. (Here comes the part where we explain that we don’t want you to drink just any old beer, but a locally brewed variety, the sales of which benefit a local conservation organization.) On Thursday, July 17, the Central Indiana Land Trust will help Bloomington’s Upland Brewery launch its new craft beer, Preservation Pilsner, at an event in Broad Ripple. 
 
Where:  Chumley’s Beer House, 838 Broad Ripple Ave.
When: Thursday, July 17th from 7 to 9 p.m.
Why: Because we like you! (And because proceeds from the sale of this planet-conscious pilsner benefit the Central Indiana Land Trust.)

Get back to work, Planeteers. Your day of rest is still 48 hours away.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Water slides. Water skis. Watermelon. What’s not to love about H2O?Much as we delight in it and depend upon it to sustain us, water isn’t in infinite supply. To understand just how deep this statement runs, we encourage you to attend a free public screening of FLOW: For Love of Water, taking place July 12 at Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church, 237 N. East St. The film, a Sundance Film Festival 2008 Official Selection, is more than a cautionary tale. It’s an eye-opening look at how one of our planet’s most crucial resources is used (and abused) around the world, from Africa to California to India.

Catch FLOW now before it comes to theatres later this summer. Go ahead, lap it up!

Piece out,
Meghan & Renee

Roadside produce stands have their fair share of redeeming qualities. But in our search for a place that provides consistently good fruit and veggies at a fair price, backed by an owner who values relationships as much as selling products, our vote goes to Locally Grown Gardens. Here’s why we love the brick-and-mortar store south of Broad Ripple so very much:

1. It’s open 7 days a week-and open late enough on weeknights (8 p.m.) that even busy working types can still find time to stop by.

2. The shop is situated at 54th and the Monon Trail, making it convenient for walkers and bikers, who tote home baskets of peaches, bags of fresh green beans, cantaloupe, corn, peppers, cucumbers, and lots more. (And yes, if you would rather drive there, there is an ample parking lot.)

3. All of the produce is simply and artfully arranged on tables, and large chalkboards above the cash registers list the summer schedule (through September), including where each item is grown. While most of the items are culled from Indiana, a few, like cherries, are brought in from other Midwestern states.

4. Owner Ron Harris is a wealth of knowledge. The Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, who spent the much of his career as the corporate chef for MCL Restaurant and Bakery, maintains an in-house library of cookbooks and gladly assists customers who have questions about recipes.
 
5. Locally Grown Gardens is located in a converted auto repair shop and service station. Anybody else see the carbon footprint irony here?  

For more information, call Locally Grown Gardens at 255-8555 or e-mail.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

While you’re busy celebrating liberty and justice for all this weekend, why not declare your independence from food shipped overseas as well? Not only is eating local good for reducing carbon emissions, it’s also patriotic. That’s right: By purchasing your food from local growers, you help keep your Hoosier neighbors in business. Feels a lot better than helping out Big Agriculture, doesn’t it?As you prepare to ignite your grill this holiday weekend, consider the following local options for the great American burger:

Ground beef - Pick up Royer Farm Fresh Beef at the Broad Ripple, Fishers, or Zionsville farmers markets on Saturdays. Another good option: Moody Meats, which operates stores in Avon and inside downtown Indy’s City Market. You’ll find a variety of other meats perfect for grilling at Goose the Market at 25th and Delaware.

Veggie burgers - For a burger suitable for vegetarians, try grilling mushroom patties from Sheridan’s Local Folks Foods, available at numerous farmers markets and stores around town.

Fixins - Meghan’s awfully particular about her burger toppings, and there’s nothing she loves better than sliced tomatoes from Your Neighbor’s Gardens, topped with lettuce from Danville’s Seldom Seen Farm and pickles from Sechler’s, a St. Joe, Indiana operation that sells in several Marsh Supermarkets around Indy. (Click on the Nature’s Harvest ad to have local, organic produce for the rest of the summer!)

Cheese - The Swiss Connection, a Clay City farm, produces a slew of tasty cheeses made with milk from grass-fed cows. Mooove over, processed American cheese. 
 
Buns - Sandwich it all together on a lovely hamburger bun from Taylor’s Bakery. 

Repeat after us: I pledge allegiance to locally grown foods.

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Have rising fuel prices left a sour taste in your mouth? Did your last fill-up nearly make you pop your cork? But enough with the bad wine puns. If you’ve overlooked them in the past, here are a few reasons to reconsider Indiana-produced wine.

All of the grapes, none of the guilt. Wines that are produced locally take fewer miles to travel to your dinner table. And you don’t have to go far to find them-numerous liquor and grocery stores around town carry Indiana labels such as Oliver, Chateau Thomas, and Easley.

They like them! They really like them! Several Hoosier wines took home medals from last weekend’s Indianapolis International Wine Festival, an event that drew more than 3,200 entries from around the world. Among the winners: Chateau Thomas Winery’s 2005 CDP wine (Indiana-made Wine of the Year), Huber Orchard and Winery’s Razzy Apple (Best Indiana-grown Fruit Wine), Oliver Winery’s 2007 Creekbend Estate Late Harvest Vignoles (Best French-American Wine), Buck Creek Winery’s Alley Cat (Best Indiana-grown American Varietal), and Mallow Run Winery of Bargersville, who took the Indiana Governor’s Cup as the Best Indiana Winery.

You might save a little money. Sure, it’s no 3-buck Chuck, but in many cases, locally produced wine will cost you less than the imports. And here’s an idea: Use the money you save by skipping the pricey Californian, Australian, and French varieties on a new set of stemware. (Because everyone has a clumsy friend who tends to break things.)

If you still want to get your vineyard fix and, just maybe, reenact that classic scene from Sideways where Paul Giamatti goes nuts in the tasting room, plan to tour the Indy Wine Trail, seven of the state’s award-winning wineries. And the next time your California friends come a callin’ and ask for a glass of wine? Now you’ll be able to tell them who put the “Napa” in Indianapolis.

Piece out,

Meghan & Renee