Walkmans, Discmans, and bag phones may have gone the way of the dinosaur, but that’s no reason to toss them out with the trash, my friend. Same goes for all that cardboard and foam packaging that accumulated over the last week. Instead, pile it all into the family truckster and head to Broad Ripple Park, Ellenberger Park, Garfield Park, or Krannert Park on January 9 for the 4th Annual Post Holiday Recycling Event, hosted by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and the City of Indianapolis. Bring your (non-artificial) Christmas tree for mulching and your cardboard, electronics (anything with a cord), and molded foam packaging (commonly known as styrofoam) for recycling, anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Volunteers will be on hand to unload your vehicle.

Kick off the New Year by dropping dozens of pounds (of cardboard, electronics, and foam packaging!).

The event kicks off at 6 p.m. with exhibits, followed by a short overview of Indiana’s energy policies and green job opportunities at 7:35 p.m. The town hall style portion of the evening will commence at 8 p.m. and features Sen. James Merritt (R-Indianapolis) and Sen. Jean Breaux (D-Indianapolis). Want to be sure your questions are considered? Submit them in advance to EpworthGreenTeam@gmail.com.

Town Hall Goes Green or Town Brawl Goes Mean? You decide.

Flipt Studio
Join Shelly Leer (a.k.a. Mod Home Ec Teacher) for one of her Beginning Upholstery classes, where you can (finally) learn to recover that old side chair Grandma gave you.

Indianapolis Art Center
Hope on your bike and head to the Indianapolis Art Center, located just off the Monon Trail at 67th Street, for classes that utilize found objects, including a Bookmaking class, a Frugal Metalsmith class, and Willow Workshops, where students learn to make their own furniture, such as a Bent Willow Chair, Garden Bench, Garden Trellis, or the curiously named Sassy Chair.

Indianapolis  Museum of Art
Build a better landscape that helps prevent runoff in the IMA’s Rain Garden Basics class.
Or, finally master the art of odor-free composting in Urban Composting: The Demise of the Stinky Trashcan.

From your pals at Green Piece Indy, we wish you and your family a happy (and green) holiday season!

You wanted: A pet dog
You got: A Zhu Zhu pet hamster

You wanted: A snuggly cashmere sweater
You got: A Snuggie

Before joining the hordes of dissatisfied gift recipients making returns at the mall, consider a kinder, gentler way to rid your home of unwanted stuff. Freecycle it! This isn’t eBay, Craigslist, or even the good old fashioned barter system. Freecycle users simply post an OFFER (an item they’re willing to give away) or request items from other users by posting a WANTED on the website. And that’s it - first come, first served. No bidding, no haggling, no PayPal. A recent search of the Indianapolis area Freecycle page turned up 375 free items, including a Crock Pot, an HP Laserjet printer, an iPod, and numerous pets in need of good homes.

We think it’s a great way to keep items out of landfills (and shelters!) and keep more money in your pocket, too. As for the fruitcake, we hope you find a taker soon.

Fortunately, one local company produces paper calendars that are among the greenest on the market. Time Factory Publishing, an Indianapolis-based maker of wall calendars, pocket calendars, desktop calendars, and more, made headlines last year when it installed a turbine and became the first wind-powered business in Indianapolis. But the company has taken their environmental commitment even further by using chlorine-free Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) paper, environmentally-safe inks, and corrugate displays that are certified by both the Sustainable Forest Initiative and FSC. When you’re finished using the calendar, be sure to recycle the pages at a nearby Paper Retriever bin.

Another interesting option: a plantable 2010 calendar. Botanical Paperworks, a Canadian company, embeds each page of their 100% post-consumer waste calendars with North American wildflower seeds. So, with each passing month, you can simply rip off a page, plant it in a pot of soil, and watch it grow. With any luck, you’ll be turning September into black-eyed susans in no time.

FOR THE GARDENER: Greenway Supply for rain barrels. Worm’s Way and Nature’s Crossroads for organic gardening supplies.
FOR THE FASHIONISTA: 8 Fifteen for Flea Bags (designer totes made from reclaimed bolts of fabric from NYC’s Garment District), Doucette Duval clothing (made of reclaimed fabrics), Julia Failey’s line of recycled metal jewelry, and a selection of deliciously scented soy-wax candles.
FOR THE OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST: Rusted Moon Outfitters for Patagonia fleece and Capilene base layers (both made of recycled materials), as well as Prana yoga gear (made from sustainable materials) and SIGG reusable water bottles.
FOR THE WORLD TRAVELER: Global Gifts and The Village Experience for handmade gifts crafted from recycled and sustainably harvested materials.
FOR THE FOODIE: Indy Winter Farmers Market and Traders Point Creamery Green Market, where you can cull a selection of locally grown and locally made food, drinks, and other items for gift baskets.
FOR THE BIKE COMMUTER: DG Bicycle in Nora for bikes and cold-weather riding gear.
FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING: Mother Nature’s Sun for a relaxing massage, reflexology, or other treatment.

SustainIndy will host the first annual Indianapolis Sustainability Awards on February 9. The event honors those who make Marion County a healthier, better place to live through their efforts to conserve energy, improve our quality of air, water, and land; and reduce waste by reusing and/or recycling. Maybe you know someone who spearheaded a neighborhood clean-up or planted a community garden this year. Or perhaps your company started a recycling program or initiated a new energy conservation policy. Whatever the case, SustainIndy applauds all projects, large and small, and encourages those who have lead them to submit their application by December 15, 2009. Award winners will be named at a luncheon at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.

If you didn’t turn out to be Peyton Manning, Apollo Ohno, or Kate Winslet, you still haven’t missed your chance to shine. Apply now for the 2009 Indianapolis Sustainability Awards!

Piece out,
Renee & Meghan

Sprint and Keep American Beautiful have teamed up to offer a free phone recycling program that benefits our community - and no, you don’t have to be a Sprint customer to participate.

After deleting your personal data from your old phone, simply follow these steps:

1. Go to www.recellular.com/kab/
2. Select “IN” and designate “Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc”
3. Print the mailing label
4. Send in your wireless phones, batteries, and accessories to be recycled. The postage is paid-all you have to do is put it in an envelope or small box and drop it in the mail.

The Wild Heart Association accepts old cell phones, batteries and accessories to reprogram them for people who are survivors of domestic violence.

The Lawrence Sunrise Kiwanis Club has cell phone collection boxes at National City Bank (E. Washington St. & Mitthoeffer), Credit Union Service Center (near Washington Square Mall), Forum Credit Union (5760 Sunnyside Road), and the IvyTechBuilding (59th St. at Fort Harrison; box located on 1st floor near bookstore). Any money received from the sale of the phones goes to Riley Children’s Hospital. Phones that are no longer of value get properly recycled.