Indiana Living Green - May 28, 2012

ILG /// JUNE 2012 /// INDIANALIVINGGREEN.COM 3

C O N T E N T S JUNE 2012

PUBLISHER Kevin McKinney [email protected]

EDITORIALEDITOR Jim Poyser [email protected]

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Alexis Boxer (West Lafayette)Jaclyn Goldsborough (Fort Wayne)Jennifer Troemner (Indianapolis)

CONTRIBUTORSMegan Anderson, The ApocaDocs, Alexis Boxer, Heather Chastain, David Hoppe, Lynn Jenkins, Carrol Krause, Joe Lee, Mark Lee, Shelby Kelley, Jesse Kharbanda, Rita Kohn, Bowden Quinn, Novella Shuck, Barbara Simpson, Renee Sweany, Jennifer Troemner, T. Wyatt Watkins

WEBDIGITAL PLATFORMS EDITOR Tristan [email protected]

I.T. MANAGER T.J. [email protected]

SALES & MARKETINGSALES ASSOCIATE Robert [email protected]

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING Mary [email protected]

PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR Lauren [email protected]

DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Christa [email protected]

COURIER Dick Powell

ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS MANAGER Kathy [email protected]

CONTRACTS Susie [email protected]

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

SENIOR DESIGNER Asha Patel

DESIGNERS Jarryd Foreman, SarahKate Chamness

08 One-tank wondersWorried about gas prices? Behold, Indi-ana features numerous outdoor destina-tions, all within one tank of gas from your home. We’ll take you to bike trails, hiking sites and camping spots — along with festivals and gatherings.+ photo courtesy of indiana dnr/outdoor indiana magazine

On the cover: Morgan-Monroe State Forest

D E P A R T M E N T S05 Doom & Bloom06 Watts & Whatnot08 One-tank Wonders16 Gardening with Lynn16 Advocates20 College Spotlight22 Food & Drink24 Green Biz26 Events28 Green Books29 Green Marketplace30 Ask Renee30 The PANIQuiz31 Life is an Egg by Joe Lee

20 Life in the coalfieldsThis installment takes us to the coalfields of West Virginia, where numerous students spent their spring break experiencing a land-scape of destruction.+ BY ALEXIS BOXER

22 The lake effectA tour of three sustainable breweries: Back Road Brewery in LaPorte, Shoreline Brewery & Restaurant in Michigan City and Figure 8 Brewing in Valparaiso.+ BY RITA KOHN

Phone: 317-254-2409To subscribe: IndianaLivingGreen.com/subscribe

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The other night, coming home late from downtown Indy, I saw something that nearly knocked me off my bike.

It was a beautiful cool night, the setting for an orga-nized bicycle ride, courtesy of INDYCOG and Mayor

Greg Ballard, that went from Sun King Brew-ery to Victory Field for the opening night of the Indianapolis Indians season.

The Indians won in the bottom of the ninth. After, we set up camp on the patio of the Chatterbox and as riders traveled up and down Mass Ave, we’d call out and they’d join us. We became a web of friendliness that

caught and trapped all bicyclists.As you might imagine, over the course of

the night, a few drinks were consumed, but by the time I got on my bike and wheeled away from the Chatterbox with my friends, I was steady enough to point and pedal.

Each of my bicycling friends turned toward their homes before me, so I was alone for the last mile or so, rolling through my neighborhood. It was about 2 a.m.; the streets were very quiet.

And then I saw him: a man, standing in a parking lot, partially obscured by bushes. I slowed and watched as he bent over, reaching down, something in his hand.

It was a plastic bag.I realized he was picking up his dog’s poop;

the dog was also now visible to me, standing by the parking lot.

This is the vision that nearly knocked me off my bike, because I was pretty stunned to think that in the middle of the night, with surely no one watching, this man was still will-ing to clean up after his dog.

I don’t know who started this “clean up after your dog” movement, but it’s pretty amazing when you think about it. For ever, people have just let their dogs go, with no compunction of cleaning up. Yet something has changed in human behavior over the past decade or more, and people now are rarely seen allowing their dogs to poop with abandon.

Likely, the movement was comprised of a bunch of people, and then some commu-nities in collective decision-making, that thought this up.

Constantly stepping in poo had to be a prime motivator.

I know what you’re thinking. There’s an awful lot of plastic created — then tossed away — to take care of that poop. Surely, someone somewhere has done the calculation and de-termined that it’s either better for the planet to a) let your dogs leave their doings or b) pick it up with a plastic baggie.

But I don’t want to know; because what I want to believe is that this guy cleans up after his dog in the middle of the night because it’s the right thing to do. And that just as easily, we can make transportation, energy and con-sumer decisions in the same spirit.

I pay attention on a daily basis to what’s happening to the planet’s ecosystem. It’s awful, like a train wreck and I’m unable to turn away. The changes to our climate, to our oceans and to our weather, are happening fast and on an enormous scale, much more so than any current human effort to alter it.

So what does a late night bike ride and a guy picking up his dog’s poop at 2 a.m. mean in the grand scheme of things?

Small stuff makes a difference on a grand scale if enough of us participate.

Do the right thing, the smart thing, the less wasteful thing.

Choose earth.

doom & bloom with Jim Poyser

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Appocalypse NowFrom Reuters (http://reut.rs/InbMi5) comes a

story about Fragile Earth, a new app for iPhone and iPad that features over 70 places on the planet that reveal the impact of global warming.

Sites include the receding Muir Glacier in Alaska, the impact of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes in Iraq. Feast your eyes on the devas-tating earthquakes in Haiti and Pakistan and the tsunami in Japan, and behold how mining, deforestation and dam building have changed areas of the planet. You can even see before and after photos, so you can see for yourself evidence of environmental changes.

All this for $2.99!

Americans are united after allA new survey suggests that inter-party bicker-

ing, highlighted by mass media does not reflect the sentiments of most Americans on one of the most important issues of the day — clean energy. The survey conducted this spring of 1,019 Americans, for the Civil Society Institute (CSI) — a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank — found that the majority of citizens agree it is imperative for the United States to sever its dependence on dirty energy.

“I think the main takeaway of the survey is that this alleged partisan gridlock in DC and the In-diana State House is fiction,” said Kerwin Olson, executive director of Indiana’s Citizens Action Coalition — Indiana’s oldest and largest consumer and environmental right organization. “[Legisla-tors] like to politicize everything, when both parties are responsible for doing what Americans want, and most want clean energy.”

Some highlights: Most (68 percent) think it is “a bad idea for the nation to ‘put on hold’ progress towards cleaner energy sources during the current economic difficulty.” A whopping 85 percent of Americans — including 76 percent of Republicans, 87 percent of Independents, and 91 percent of Democrats — agree that energy de-velopment should be balanced with health and environmental concerns. Only 13 percent think “health and environmental concerns should not block energy development.”

Read the other facts that fly in face of par-tisanship at http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/media/042512release.cfm

Recycling gets a boostIndianapolis has ushered in a way to keep

the city beautiful and waste down by introduc-ing 20 recycling bins around the metropolitan area. The city installed the new bins on April 26 on Monument Circle, adding to the already present recycling containers on Mass Ave and Broad Ripple Village.

“The pedestrian recycling initiative is a great example of the private-public partnerships the city of Indianapolis seeks to develop our sustainability efforts and improve quality of life

for our residents,” said Mayor Greg Ballard in a press release. “The bins fill a need for street-level recycling, will reduce our environmental footprint and will help keep our city cleaner.”

The easily identifiable bins are located in and around Monument Circle, allowing Hoosiers to dispose of aluminum, paper and plastics with clean consciences. The new bins are the fruits a partnership between the India-napolis Office of Sustainability, Nestle Waters North America, Keep America Beautiful and the Indiana Recycling Coalition.

Growing Places Indy series begins

Starting June 5, Growing Places Indy will host an 8-week public conversation about food, community and sustainability. GPI’s Slow Food Garden stands at the Chase Near Eastside Leg-acy Center (727 N. Oriental St.) is the location for the public conversation series. The farm stand will be 4-6 p.m.; public conversations will be inside in the large classroom from 5-6 p.m.

Just to give you a sense, speakers include Barb Ammerman, Clinical Nutrition Manager at Wishard Health Services (June 5), DUOs’ Becky Hostetter (June 12), Health and Hospi-tal’s Michael Kaufman (June 19), KI Ecocen-ter’s Imhotep Adisa (June 26).

A Greener Indiana upgradeOne of Indiana’s best DIY websites (and we

mean that in the best sense), A Greener Indiana,

just got a sweet upgrade. It’s more than a facelift, fo’ sho’, as here are some of the new features:

• Tighter integration with Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc., so you social network nuts can now include links to your Facebook and Twitter accounts right on your profile page. For instant sharing, you can also post to your social networks right from the site.

• They have revamped the groups and most of the groups feature live feeds right from the source.

• Generally speaking, this is one rockin’ site – or rather a whole bunch of interconnected sites that enrich your appreciation of all things outdoors and green in Indiana. As AGI’s Eric Stallsmith says, their mission is to “create a living online magazine.” By gum, they’ve done it! See for yourself: agreenerindiana.com.

Turning on the lights at Woodruff Place

Over the next five to six weeks, Indy’s historic Woodruff Place will be getting a ‘green’ makeover. Thanks to a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 74 historic, city-owned street lamps will be rejuvenated, rewired and retrofitted with energy-efficient LED bulbs, which in total will consume roughly 75 percent less energy than the outdated lights currently sputtering in the streets. The new lights will boost morale, make evening strolls safer and save the city thousands of dollars in energy bills. They’ll be saving even more in the long term, because the Woodruff Place Civic League will take over main-tenance of the lamps for the next eight years.

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illustration by shelby kelley

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As gas prices continue to soar, every-one is feeling pain at the pump. Instead of forgoing the family summer vacation or sacrificing their much-needed timeout, savvy travelers are spending their vaca-tions closer to home. The premium on fuel may be sky-high, but the significance of refueling your spirit is invaluable.

One-tank wonders offers ideas from DNR’s Bob Bronson about roundtrip adven-tures that can be reached on a tank of gas or less, providing cost-conscious trekkers the opportunity to get far enough away from home to relax and recharge. Plus, it’s good to know your own state, follow the edict to “wander Indiana.”

Whether you’ve saved enough pennies for a daytrip, an overnight excursion or an extended getaway, here are several one-tank summer es-capes that will help stretch your vacation dollars.

Ride the Rail TrailsThis summer don’t just ride. Point your bike

toward one of these destinations and explore some of the great rail trail projects across the state. Indiana has increased the miles of rail trail significantly in the past few years. Hun-dreds of miles have been added and many more are in development. Here are some des-tination suggestions for rides around the state.

The Monon Trail The Monon Trail — completed in 2003

— is about 10.4 miles long from 10th Street in downtown, north to 96th Street, where it connects with the 5.2 mile Monon Green-way in Carmel. The trail now also goes into Westfileld, adding 16 more miles of fun! It now connects with the Indianapolis Cultural Trail at the 10th Street terminus. The Monon also intersects with the Fall Creek Greenway near 38th Street, which will take you almost all the way to Fort Benjamin Harrison. You can link with the Canal Towpath and take that trail to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Butler University and on to Broad Ripple.

There are numerous art installations along the way, with many clustered in the Broad Ripple area as the trail runs through the heart of the village. The trail has also spurred bike lanes on 46th, 52nd and 62nd streets, giving people more access to the trail. The trail stitches together neighborhoods, recreational facilities, cultural centers and schools.

The trail is open year round from dawn until dusk — and there’s been some wiggle

room created recently. The best access points for the Monon are the Broad Ripple and 96th Street trailheads (where restrooms are located). This is the centerpiece of the India-napolis greenway system and sees more than a million users each year.

Things to do/see on the Monon Trail: Central Park, between 111th and 116th

streets, a large park with fitness facilities. It includes a water park, a skatepark, gymnasium, trails and a fishing area. It also offers a small wetlands area, gardens, an arts studio and café.

The Monon Depot, just south of The Car-mel Arts and Design District, includes a small museum full of artifacts, photographs, and documents from the heyday of the Monon rail line. Admission is free.

The State Fairgrounds host more than 300 events each year, including the In-dianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show, the Indiana Flower & Patio Show, the Christ-mas Gift & Hobby Show and the Indianapo-lis Home Show. Other weekend offerings throughout the year include anything from flea markets, to dog shows, to public ice skating, to roller derby bouts.

Visit indy.gov/eGov/City/DPR/Greenways/

Cardinal Greenway Indiana’s longest paved rail-trail, Cardinal

Greenway is 62 miles (with a 12 mile gap north of Gaston) and spans five counties

in east central Indiana (Grant, Delaware, Henry, Randolph and Wayne). The Cardinal Greenway connects to the White River, adding six more miles of trail along the White River in Muncie. Trail users enjoy biking, running, walking and even horseback riding along the greenway. A popular Ball State University pastime, students frequently inline skate and run along the trail in Muncie.

The trail runs through cities, towns and farm fields. It travels over small creeks, the White River in Muncie and the White Water Gorge in Richmond. One hundred types of wildflowers have been identified along the trail. A nature preserve is also connected to the trail.

In the cities, you will see planned graffiti on a wall in Muncie along the trail. Marion features a splash park by the trail. You travel through a tunnel in Marion, and Richmond has a long bridge over the city streets. A vet-erans park is within a few hundred feet at the end of the trail in Richmond.

Free bicycle loans are available at the Wysor Street Depot in Muncie (700 E. Wysor St.).

Popular restaurants and retailers near the trail include:

• Blue Moon Restaurant, Losantville.• Mill St. Inn, Gaston.• Greenway 500 Bike Shop, Muncie.• Kirk’s Bike Shop, Muncie.• The Island, Muncie (seasonal business).

Visit cardinalgreenways.org.

One-tankWondersALL ON A SINGLE TANK OF GASby Heather Chastain | photos courtesy of Indiana DNR/Outdoor Indiana magazine

Cardinal Greenway


Nickel Plate Trail The 33.5 mile trail is

situated between Howard and Fulton counties. It transitions from wetlands to woodlands, offering a variety of plants and animals to see along the way. The trail is ideal for walking, hiking, running, bicycling, skating or even — for your winter one-tank wonders trip — cross-country skiing. Some points of interest are Scout Bridge, which crosses Little Pipe Creek south of the Peru trailhead. South of Bunker Hill and to the east of the trail are some of the remains of the Union Traction railway, the electric interurban line that was abandoned around 1940.

The trail currently goes through the communities of Cassville, Bennetts Switch, Miami, Bunker Hill, Peru, Denver, Deedsville, Birming-ham, Macy and Rochester. Trail organizers say when it’s well cared for the Nickel Plate Trail is one of the nicest-look-ing trails in the Midwest.

Work up an appetite on the trail and visit one of these restaurants.

• Hagen’s Deli, Denver.• Deangelo’s Pizza, Denver.• The Hot Spot, Denver.• Harvey Hinklemeyer’s, Peru.• Park Place, Bunker Hill.

Visit nickelplatetrail.org/.

Panhandle PathwayLost in the serenity of farm

country, you will find a trail stretching 21 miles through north-central Indiana. The Panhandle Pathway is a hik-ing/biking trail that stretches from Winamac to Kenneth. Water access points are some of the most popular along the trail. Patrons enjoy Tippeca-noe River, Mill Creek, Indian Creek and Crooked Creek. Kids especially like to gather around Crooked Creek, just south of Royal Center. The prairie grass planted in Royal Center is part of the original foliage from the 1700s. Star City features a grain elevator, and once you get north of Winamac, it begins to get very agricultural. Rolling hills, valleys and stone quarries line the trail. Rest areas can be found strategi-cally placed along the trail.

Visit panhandlepathway.org.

Pumpkinvine TrailWeave your way through the

simple life of Amish Country on a picturesque trail that leads into Goshen and connects to the Ma-ple Heart Trail and the Goshen Greenway. The total length: 30 miles; 17 for Pumpkinvine Trail; 13 for Maple Heart Trail/Goshen Greenway. Along the way, you’ll visit Krider’s World’s Fair Garden in Middlebury, The Quilt Garden Display in Krider’s Garden, an Amish school and farm animals, including horses, cows, llamas, camels (raised for their milk) and sheep. This summer, a popular sight in Goshen is the wildflowers that are in high bloom.

Attractions: Krider’s World’s Fair Garden

is located on Bristol Street just west of the fire station and across the street from the Mid-dlebury Historical Society Mu-seum and adjacent to the Green-way Park. Krider Garden is the crown jewel in the Middlebury Park system. It blends a wide variety of plants, shrubs, trees and waterfalls with area history. Krider Nurseries originally designed the gardens for display at the 1933/34 Chicago World’s Fair. Closely resembling the original design, these gardens have been restored for one-tank wonder travelers to enjoy.

The Quilt Garden Display features more than 100,000 glori-ous blooms, 19 gigantic gardens and 18 super-sized murals at 27 locations. The Quilt Gardens joins quilting, gardening and art into a one-of-a-kind event. Color-ful patchworks of quilt-inspired gardens and quilt-themed murals line the roads that form the trail. Every quilt garden and quilt mu-ral has its own intricate pattern, many are original designs, and each has its own unique story.

Visit pumpkinvine.org or amishcountry.org.

B-line Trail, Bloomington

Described by its users as a linear green space, the B-line is steeped in history and commu-nity pride. A former rail corridor and switchyard in the 1800s, it was transformed into a trail in the 1990s. People not only enjoy mov-ing along the trail, but participat-ing in the activities along the 3.1 mile trail that include plazas, art shows and farmers’ market.

This bicycle friendly communi-ty now has three trail systems con-nected to make 7.4 miles of trail. Users can also access the Clear Creek Trail and the Jackson Creek Trail from the B-line. The Jackson Creek Trail may only be six-tenths of a mile, but it’s very popular among children as it runs past two schools: Jackson Creek Elemen-tary and Childs Elementary.

Benches and drinking foun-tains (for humans and pets) are also located throughout the downtown section of the trail.

Art on the B-Line Trail

• BEAD (Bloomington Enter-tainment and Arts District).

• Animal Island.• Bloomington Banquet sculpture.• Dancing Spirit sculpture.• Worlds Apart, Always Con-

nected — Mundos seperados, siempre conectado mural.

Visit bloomington.in.gov/b-line.

Pigeon Creek Greenway, Evansville

Not officially a rail/trail greenway, the 6.75 mile Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage winds through the heart of Evans-ville’s industrial corridor. The 10-foot-wide paved trail show-cases the creek and the banks of the Ohio River downtown as it connects neighborhoods and parks, business districts and nature areas.

The trail also serves as a his-toric walk through the city. The recently restored historic March-and Bridge, built in 1881, has been

renovated into an overlook of the city. It offers a beautiful view of the river with markers that tell the story of the city’s first female businesswoman, Nellie Sweezer, and of the city’s finest hour — the shipyards and factories devoted to manufacturing LSTs landing craft and P47s fighter planes dur-ing the World War II effort.

The different corridors:The Riverfront Corridor

is located along Evansville’s downtown from Sunrise Park to Casino Aztar. The 1.5-mile trail goes by the Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science, the Evansville Pagoda, Convention and Visitor Bureau, the Four Freedoms Monument and Dress Plaza. Trailheads are located at Sunrise & Sunset Parks, the Evansville Museum and at the Evansville Pagoda with parking and restrooms available during operating hours. Connecting with the Industrial Corridor, a 2.3 mile trail, is very popular during the lunch hour.

The Middle Levee Corridor was the first trail constructed by the city. The trail was a demon-stration of the popularity of trails. The trail starts at the Heidelbach Canoe Launch and follows the Pigeon Creek Levee for 1.7 miles. Parking is available at the Heidel-bach Canoe Launch, Garvin Park Trailhead and limited parking at the Animal Control Center near the Uhlhorn Trailhead.

Visit evansvillegov.org/index.aspx?page=589

Pumpkinvine Trail


Clifty Falls State ParkMadison

Clifty Falls State Park is one of Indiana’s most beautiful settings. The park’s waterfalls change with the weather and seasons, ranging from frozen beasts to spectacular plunges to delicate mists. Clifty Canyon is a real draw; reminding us northern and central Indiana residents just how exciting it is to have avoided (mostly) a hellacious glacier. The entire park is fossil heaven (not to suggest any particular denomi-nation), but you can’t take any home! Numerous trail options exist, from “very rugged” to “easy.” Other activities include tennis, swimming, camping and a nature center. Nearby is the sweet town of Madison, which

you should definitely work into your visit; it’s a treat!

1501 Green Road; 812-273-8885; in.gov/dnr/parklake/2985.htm

eXplore Brown CountyNashville

This new park offers 500 acres of adventure — year round! The Zip Line Canopy Tours really catch our imagi-nation; heck, we had a staff retreat there last fall and it was great fun! Featured are the lon-gest, fastest, tallest zip lines in Indiana. Go through treetops, fly over a lake, feel free as a bird (with a harness, that is). Good golly, you can even zip at night! Other activities include hiking, paintball, ATV tours (OK, not so green) and moun-tain biking. Visitors can stay in

One-tankWonders

COMMUNING WITH NATUREby ILG Staff | photos courtesy of Indiana DNR/Outdoor Indiana magazine

eXplore Brown County

4610 South Burlington DriveMuncie, Indiana 47302

CONTACT US: 765.284.2964RiverGardens-Indiana.com

Free Wifi Available

River Gardens BED & BREAKFAST

Relax and EnjoyRelax and Enjoy


rustic cabins or camp and can also rent a rowboat or canoe.

2620 Valley Branch Road; 812-988-7750; explorebrowncounty.com

Hoosier National ForestNine Indiana counties

Nestled in the hills of South-ern Indiana is the Great Mother of Indiana forests: 202,000 acres of nature just aching for you to come and tread lightly upon its proverbial tundra.

There are 266 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, plus oppor-tunities to camp to your heart’s content. Outstanding features include the Pioneer Mother’s Memorial Forest, comprised of 88 acres of old growth forest and an archeological site; and the Charles C. Deam Wilder-ness, Indiana’s only Congres-sionally designated wilder-ness area with 13,000 acres of solitude. There are numerous water recreation spots, includ-

ing the popular Hardin Ridge Recreation Area.

811 Constitution Ave., Bedford; 812-275-5987; fs.usda.gov/hoosier

Indiana DunesPorter County

The Indiana Dunes are com-prised of 15,000 acres of beaches, prairies, wetlands, savannahs and forests, along with two parks: In-diana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park. You’ll need plenty of time to ex-

plore this fragile, breathtaking and diverse ecosystem. Pretty much all activities are available, from swim-ming to hiking to fishing to biking to skateboarding. Also, don’t forget gazing at the water and ogling the sunset, too. Note the Beyond the Beach Discovery Trail, a self-guid-ed tour of 60 sites that showcase the region’s greatest natural and cultural treasures. They include outdoor recreation, museums and historic sites.

1215 N. State Road 49, Porter; 219-926-2255; indianadunes.com

Knobstone TrailClark, Scott and Washington counties

Wander southern Indi-ana on the Knobstone Trail, widely considered one of the most beautiful hiking paths in the country. Its 58-mile long trajectory maneuvers through 40,000 acres of gorgeous forest, extending from Deam Lake, just north of S.R. 60 in Clark County, to Delaney Park, just east of S.R. 135 in Washington County. Here’s how bucolic this is by the list of ‘don’ts’: no mountain bikes, ATVS, motorcycles or other mo-

Mt. Baldy, Indiana Dunes


torized vehicles. Even horses and wheeled vehicles are prohibited! It’s just you and a good pair of hiking boots — and don’t forget to watch out for ticks. Large, full color, waterproof maps are only $4 and can be purchased through the DNR by calling 317-232-4200.

Everything you need to know: www.in.gov/dnr/outdoor/4224.htm

LimberlostGeneva

The Limberlost Cabin, a state historic site administered by DNR and managed by the Indiana State Museum, honors the life and work of Gene Stratton-Porter. Stratton-Porter is one of our state’s most fa-mous authors, an accomplished naturalist and born storyteller. Her most famous book, A Girl of the Limberlost, is still widely read and appreciated. It’s esti-mated some 50 million people have read her works. She and her husband built this cabin, a 14-room home in the Queen Anne style that features the original furniture, paintings and photographs. Commune with the space that housed one of Indiana’s great nature lovers — and enjoy the nearby Limberlost Swamp, from which she drew her inspiration.

200 E. 6th St., Geneva; 260-368-7428; indianamuseum.org/sites/limbplan.html

Morgan-Monroe State ForestMorgan and Monroe counties

Behold more than 24,000 acres of some of the most spec-tacular ridges and valleys you’ll find in Indiana. Camping and hiking are encouraged, and get this: You can pan for gold! Heck yeah, why not? You have to get a permit, but can’t you just see yourself panning for gold, strik-ing it rich? It’s got to have bet-ter odds than a lottery. Three forest lakes, Bryant Creek Lake (nine acres), Cherry Lake (four acres) and Prather Lake (four acres) are open to fishing. Trail designations range from “rugged” to “moderate” for you hikers. Plus, there’s the Draper Cabin, a primitive, wooden-floored log cabin that takes visitors 100 years back in time.

6220 Forest Road, Martinsville; 765-342-4026; in.gov/dnr/for-estry/4816.htm

Portland Arch Nature PreserveFountain County

This National Natural Landmark delights all who visit. Located near the Wabash River in Fountain County, this preserve is marked by Bear Creek flowing through a deep ravine. Joined by a tributary, the waters carved an opening through a massive sandstone formation, creating the natural bridge dubbed the Portland Arch. Managed by the Indiana DNR, this 435 acre tract features two trails, with plenty of natural beauty and wildlife abound-ing. Treat yourself to this one of a kind destination!

Division of Nature Preserves, 402 W. Washington St., Indianapolis; 317-232-0209; in.gov/dnr/natu-represerve/4698.htm

Turkey Run State ParkMarshall

Numerous commune-with-nature opportunities await ye here. We will never forget the trip we had at Turkey Run years ago. Suddenly it grew cold, dark and strange; we were experiencing an eclipse! This is a magical place, with hiking, camping, fishing, picnicking — all the fun you’d expect to have. Situ-ated just southwest of Crawfords-ville, Turkey Run features deep, sandstone ravines, plus stands of aged forests and scenic views along Sugar Creek. The Colonel Richard Lieber Cabin honors the father of Indiana’s state park system.

8121 E. Park Road, Marshall; 765-597-2635; in.gov/dnr/parklake/2964

Wolf ParkBattle Ground

An Indiana treasure, this park is a great way to get to know one of nature’s most extraordinary crea-tures, the wolf. Through seasonal activities (May 1-Nov. 30) and edu-cation opportunities, park-goers have numerous ways of getting to know these beasts better. You can sit in the Turtle Lake grandstand and watch Wolf Park’s pack of wolves go about their daily lives. This perch gives you great views of the pack’s seven-acre enclosure. You won’t want to miss the wolf/bi-son demonstrations, the Wolf Park kids camps, or the popular howl nights. Come and commune!

4004 E. 800 North, Battle Ground; 765-567-2265; wolfpark.org Limberlost (above); Portland Arch (middle); Wolf Park (below).

Another way to get out and about Indiana is to attend one or more of our state’s festivals. Here’s a top ten list of festivals outside Marion County:

Indiana Fiddlers’ GatheringJune 22-24

Tippecanoe Battlefield. This three-day acoustic music festival features the best in old time folk, swing and Celtic music. Headlin-ers this year include The Kountry Kernals, Kim and Jim Lansford, The Tina Adair Band, The Volo Bogtrotters and gypsy-jazz pio-neers, the John Jorgenson Trio. Expect free musicians’ work-shops, free kids’ concerts and an open stage. Camping opportuni-ties. dcwi.com/fiddlers.

Angola Balloons AloftJuly 6-7

Sometimes we wonder what life had been like had the Hin-denburg NOT crashed. Would we be flying dirigibles instead of air-planes? Airplane travel is not very green, but dirigibles and hot air balloons sure are by comparison! If you agree, then don’t miss this free event that features balloon pilots competing for cash and prizes, filling the sky with their brightly colored airships. Other entertainment includes skydiving, remote controlled aerial displays, plus food and a children’s fun fair. Especially titillating is the announcement of “special shaped balloons” in the 2012 lineup. Can we get one shaped like a bicycle? angolaballoonsaloft.com.

Circus City FestivalJuly 14-21

Peru: known as the Circus Capital of the World. Celebrate circus heritage with amateur cir-cus artists in a three-ring circus arena, culminating in a massive

parade. Expect spectacular acts of courage and prowess, plus rides, food and family fun. C’mon, you’ve passed by the signs for Peru a thousand times. Now it’s time to stop and see what all the hubbub is about. perucircus.com.

Wabash RiverfestJuly 14

Hey, any festival that honors a river has our support. And the river in question here is the Wabash, rich in Hoosier lore. Plus, West Lafayette is cool, so why not go and enjoy the canoe races, the food, the music, the educational exhibits, the 5k run, the children’s activities and more. And if that isn’t titillating enough, there’s a gathering of dulcimers. wabashriverfest.com.

College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement FestivalJuly 21-21

South Bend and the College Football Hall of Fame play host to a weekend jam-packed with fun-filled events. Friendly for families and fans of all ages, celebrate the induction of football legends into the College Football Hall of Fame. Football fans from across the country gather to honor college football’s gridiron legends, and have a variety of opportunities to meet and mingle with the en-shrinees. The 2012 class features Florida State’s Deion Sanders, Ohio State’s Eddie George and former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr among other gridiron icons. collegefootball.org/enshrinement.

Biggest Block Party Ever!July 28

We like a festival with an exclamation point, and we think Columbus is an amazing town, so ergo: we pick it! Surely,

some of the most mindful stewards of the planet live and work in Columbus and the sur-rounding area, so come and rub elbows and press the flesh with your green compatriots. Starting at 5:30 p.m. and, according to the website, going “all night,” the block party features food, beer, wine and music, includ-ing The Why Store and Denise Kocur. artsincolumbus.org.

Amish Acres Arts and Crafts FestivalAug. 2-5

Nooooobody parties green like the original old school artisans, the Amish! This annual gathering in Nappanee features more than 300 artists/crafters at Amish Acres as they sell their wares and ply their trade in an setting of frivolity and fun. Lots of good food and continu-ous entertainment — and it’s the 50th year for this festival so expect an extra special atmosphere.Amishacres.com.

Madison RibberfestAug. 17-18

Need an excuse to visit bu-colic Madison? Look no further than the Ribberfest! Treat your-self to a weekend of blues music, a barbecue cook-off, including a backyard-style barbecue and get this, a kids’ cook-off. You’ll have paddle wheel boat cruises, a 5k walk/run (to walk off all

the barbecue) and a kids’ area to keep the little ones entertained. All this and more right on the Ohio River. Now it its tenth year. madisonribberfest.com

Swiss Wine FestivalAug. 23-26

Located at Riverfront Park in Vevay, this event features a wine tasting pavilion featuring more than 100 varieties of Indiana wines. Plus, you’ll experience a host of fun, including a parade, arts and crafts, food booths, a beer garden (in case you don’t like the wine), a corn hole tour-nament — and if you’re sitting on the fence on this one, know that the Little Swiss Polka Danc-ers will be performing! swisswinefestival.org.

Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and CraftsSept. 1-2

Your one-stop shop for all-things-Bloomington arts. Get to know all the performance art groups and wander among the artists’ booths. Food, drink and party. Now 35 years old, this has to be one of the best art festivals anywhere. While you’re there, plan to enjoy the aforementioned B-line trail. 4thstreet.org.

For an expansive look at Indi-ana festivals: IndianaFestivals.org

Angola Balloons Aloft


One-tankWonders

INDIANA’S RICH ARRAY OF SUMMER EVENTS

by ILG Staff | photo courtesy of Indiana DNR/Outdoor Indiana magazine


As you look ahead to trips over the summertime across Indiana, you may be lulled by the breezy movement of corn and beanstalks and the steady rhythm of a tractor pass. But in the distance, in many parts of Indiana, lie vast acres of coal

ash sludge lagoons, the decades-long remains of Indiana’s unusually dependent, unhealthy reli-ance on coal for electricity.

These lagoons contain toxic concentrations of metals, yet our state and federal government have provided weak safeguards to protect our drinking water, rivers and streams, and wildlife from its dangers. In fact, just at the moment when decades-delayed federal safeguards seemed within reach, anti-regulatory ideo-logues and segments of the electric power industry have attempted to undermine the implementation of those necessary safeguards.

Though Indiana is the fourteenth largest of states, it ranks first in the nation in terms of the number of coal ash sludge lagoons. These often unlined pools contain a stew of metals, including hexavalent chromium, beryllium and arsenic, which in certain con-centrations can be carcinogenic.

Under current policy, these sludge lagoons are allowed to be located in floodplains and near aquifers used for drinking water. Were this toxic stew to end up in a drinking water well, the U.S. EPA has concluded that it could yield a one-in-fifty chance of cancer.

Indiana has appallingly shallow safeguards on the books to protect us from coal ash spills arising from these lagoons: No requirements for composite liners. No requirement for a pro-fessional engineer to design these lagoons. No required groundwater monitoring. No manda-tory inspections. No bonding requirements.

Truly, do such safeguards matter to the health of our people? How could a responsible, modern

American electrical utility possibly put hard-working, law-abiding people in harm’s way? Unfortunately, the reality hits agonizingly close to home. Just four hours south of the Indiana bor-der, one of the largest manmade disasters in U.S. history took place four years ago by a federally owned utility in business for nearly eighty years.

This disaster, one hundred times the size of the Exxon Valdez, spilled over one billion gallons of coal ash sludge into the Emory River.

The monetary cost is at least $1.2 billion. It would have cost at most $25 million to have upgraded protections to contain this coal ash sludge pool — an extremely cheap insurance policy that would have prevented untold damage to the lives of a community, fish and mammals.

Indiana has not been spared this risk. In Mar-tinsville, the White River has experienced, in the last six years, two coal ash spills from lagoons owned by Indianapolis Power and Light, each on the order of 30 million gallons.

Eight Indiana coal ash sludge lagoons have contaminated groundwater, and 60 percent of the lagoons inspected by the U.S. EPA were given a “poor rating” for structural integrity. Residents in one town, East Mt. Carmel near Evansville, were found to have boron-containing coal ash residue from a Duke Energy-owned lagoon in their water wells, compelling the com-munity to live on bottled water — and, eventu-ally, piped water from miles away.

Despite abundant toxicity concerns of coal ash, it is allowed to be “recycled” to produce innumerable household products, building materials and even soil amendments. Where coal ash poses the most risk is when it is not enclosed. This happened in the Town of Pines in northern Indiana, where the Northwest Indiana-based util-ity NIPSCO was allowed to dump more than 100 million tons of coal ash into an unlined landfill, and dispose of its coal ash by using it as road fill and a soil leveler throughout the town. As a result, a toxic plume of heavy metals made its way into residents’ drinking water wells.

The Hoosier Environmental Council con-tinues to put its energies and resources into helping fellow Hoosiers be more protected from the risks of coal ash sludge pollution. We’re legally representing a community group in the Town of Pines that has been deeply

harmed by coal ash contamination.While some electric utilities are convert-

ing their sludge lagoons to more protective solid waste landfills, many unlined lagoons remain. We’re active in a broad coalition of Indiana groups, led at the national level by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earth Justice, working to secure long-held safeguards against coal ash sludge lagoons at the federal level.

This election season, talk to your legisla-tive and congressional candidates with your concerns about coal ash disposal. Share your concerns with gubernatorial candidates John Gregg and Mike Pence. And join our campaign: Write us at [email protected], Subject: Coal Ash.

Indiana’s coal ashsludge ponds

hoosier environmental council with Jesse Kharbanda

Indiana has appallingly shallow safeguards on the books.

GARDENING WITH NATUREby Lynn Jenkins

Art in the gardenWhether your artistic inter-

est leans to music, dance or painting, you can count on Nature to fill your garden with art — IF you work with her.

Her abundant native flowers and vibrant leaves provide spectacular color. Her orches-tra delights us with bird song

and celebration, including night concerts of the mockingbird. Frogs and toads add to the chorus. Her dance team presents flittering but-terflies in day and luminous fireflies at night.

When considering the colorful plants for your garden, choose natives that wildlife has known for generations. An example: hum-mingbirds return when blooms (and nectar) appear on the wild red/yellow native col-umbine, Aquilegia canadensis, not the later blooming blue/pink hybrid.

Birds eat fruits and seeds from many na-tive trees and shrubs generally not found in garden centers. For instance, hackberry, Celtis occidentalis, which has small berries in fall, is appreciated by songbirds, including the bluebird, cedar waxwing, yellow-bellied sapsucker, mockingbird and robin. Hackberry leaves are also the essential food for the caterpillars of the friendly Tawny Emperor and Hackberry butterflies, and are also eaten by the peculiar looking Snout butterfly and the beautiful Mourning Cloak. What will hap-pen to Nature’s artistic performers if we stop planting their needed foods?

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is also not favored by landscapers, but its small red fruits, called drupes, are highly valued by songbirds. I planted a wood’s edge grouping of spicebush to attract the most interesting of caterpillars, the Spicebush butterfly. For several years I observed the shrubs, finally celebrating after discovering munched leaves! Sure enough I found the lime green big-eyed caterpillars peeking out from their secure tents of rolled leaves. Pure joy.

This spring I watch the egg-laying dance of the Pipevine Swallowtail, as two butterflies flittered around my nondescript Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolocia durior). These butterflies are entirely dependent on the Pipevine for their larval food source. Although it can be found in nurseries, it’s often overlooked for the showier Clematis, which does not offer comparable wildlife beauty.

Choose wisely for wildlife, and let Nature add art, music and dance to your garden.

Got a gardening question, comment or tip to share? Contact Lynn at [email protected]


1. On a level of personal preference, I am pleased in the extreme by the effects of climate change. Giddy! My fam-ily roots are in

the Deep South. No one is fonder of hot weather than I. Unless I’m required to wear a three-piece suit in a parked car on a triple-digit day, you will not hear a peep of complaint out of me about the heat.

2. On a level of personal conviction, I am unnerved in the extreme by the effects of climate change. Horrified! As predicted by the most sophisticated, peer-re-viewed science and corroborated daily by the evidences of tempera-ture rise, frequency of extreme weather events, glacial melting, sea level rise - just to get ‘warmed up’ - the climate is in crisis, the hour late, and game nearly over.

We all make choices on the basis of our deepest desires. Ultimately, we do what we want. Short-term self-interest is one tempting crite-rion for action. Whether yielding to the allure of a double-fudge sundae or ignoring the long-term consequences of a rapidly-warming planet, we can play now and pay later. Yet, we are all required to live with our choices.

As a father, my greatest desire, far beyond my craving for warm weather, is that the Earth my chil-dren inherit is sustainable, that my generation doesn’t doom theirs to destruction. This desire trumps my preference over the price of gas at the pump, my love of transcontinen-tal travel or the size of my 401K. It is more important to me by far than the growth rate of our economy or my federal income tax rate.

If it would help ensure the Earth’s well being for my children and grandchildren, as measured by trends of ppm levels of Co2, biodi-versity, clean air and water, and the like, then I would gladly pay higher taxes, suffer higher energy costs, even bundle up indoors in winter.

A Protestant minister, I’ve endeavored to live by faith tenets that call us to love the Earth and our neighbors as ourselves as surely as we love God. In the Judeo-Christian

tradition, God names the Earth “good,” associates Sabbath-keeping with honoring the land, its rhythms and wisdom, and calls us to be stew-ards, not dominators, of creation. All major faiths resonate with these perspectives. They affirm creation’s intrinsic worth and the call to cher-ish and keep it. They likewise hold an uncanny similarity in their calls to love the neighbor and act for the welfare of the vulnerable among us.

The Earth stands near a tip-ping point. Widespread drought, shrinking coastlines, proliferat-ing severe weather events, and unprecedented misery for those most exposed to their conse-quences, who are predominantly poor, are already in evidence.

Imagine what might happen, then, if Hoosiers, who practice their faith with heart and conviction, awakened both to this urgent hour for the Earth and to the mandate of their traditions to act on its behalf. Pew research indicates what many already intuit: faith communities en-gender a greater measure of shared social responsibility than society at large. The Catholic social teaching of social mortgage holds that all human goods are a part of God’s cre-ation. None is purely mine or yours. Without the community of others and the largess of creation itself, none of us would have anything.

What is required is that we open our eyes and hearts and act for the sake of the poor and vulnerable, coming generations, and, indeed, ourselves.

Recently I joked with my own children, “Because I love you, let me go ahead and apologize now for this wreck of a planet my generation is going to be leaving for you. Good luck in advance!”

As soon as the words came out of my mouth I wanted them back. If comedy is tragedy revisited, then this was a flippant surrender before the fact to a still-avertable catastrophe.

As James Hansen of the NASA Goddard Institute puts it, “It is immoral to leave our children with a climate system spiraling out of control.”

The alarm bell calling us to act for the Earth and climate with moral force and faithful resolve has already sounded, but there is still time. It is not yet too late!

Two confessions

hoosier interfaith power & light with T. Wyatt Watkins

Binford Farmers Market

Saturday, June 2

9:00am-12:00pm

Circle City Pride Picnic

Sunday, June 3

11:00am-2:00pm

Rush Hour Johnson County

in Greenwood

Thursday, June 14

4:00pm-7:00pm

Midwest Sports Complex

Tuesday, June 26

6:00pm-8:00pm

3rd Annual

Heavy Trash and Bulk Item

Drop-off Day in Westfi eld

Saturday, June 30

9:00am-4:00pm

A cleanerenvironment.A strongerworkforce.

“Rush Hour Recycling” Check Facebook for details

754 N. Sherman Dr.Indianapolis, IN 46201

Tel: 317.532.1367www.RecycleForce.org


Unfortu-nately, conserv-ing Indiana’s wild places and ensuring our wildlife has a safe place to call home is not free. Indiana’s

conservation initiatives, from protecting fish and wildlife areas to carrying out wildlife studies, depend on millions of dollars in state and federal funding.

Historically, hunters and anglers have made a large financial impact on conservation funding. Since the mid-19th century, states have required non-residents to pur-chase licenses to hunt. In 1901, for example, Indiana made out-of-state hunters buy a $25 license, and two years later, Indiana residents started paying a $1 fee to hunt in the state.

Factoring in equipment pur-chases, hunting and fishing brings a lot of money to the state, and two important federal reimbursement programs help steer this money toward conservation.

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Res-toration Fund apportions revenue taken from taxes on hunting and fishing equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

In 2011, Indiana acquired over $9 million from these two programs, which have brought around $230 million to Indiana since they began. All of this money goes toward DNR’s conservation programs.

Funding for Indiana’s conserva-tion initiatives should not depend solely on the money spent by hunt-ers and anglers. Conservation needs help from everyone, and there a number of ways you can contribute.

The next time you renew your car’s registration, buy an Envi-ronmental License plate. Dona-tions from environmental plates go toward the Indiana Heritage Trust, which buys land from willing sellers to protect Indiana’s rich natural heritage for wildlife habitat and recreation.

Environmental plate sales have helped protect over 50,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat, and without this income, the Indiana Heritage Trust will no longer be able to purchase land for future

parks, nature preserves, and fish-ing and hunting areas.

If you already have an envi-ronmental plate, consider donat-ing to the Nongame Wildlife Fund. This important program supports restoration projects for Indiana’s nongame species, animals such as bald eagles, river otters, ospreys, and peregrine falcons, which cannot be hunted.

The Nongame Wildlife Fund depends entirely on donations to protect the over 750 endangered and nongame species call Indiana home. At tax time next year, you can easily help by donating all or part of your state refund on the state tax form. Alternatively, DNR makes it easy to donate online or through the mail.

Anyone who enjoys the wildlife at Indiana’s public wild spaces, even those who do not hunt or fish, can and should buy a hunting and fish-ing license from the Department of Natural Resources.

Proceeds from license sales di-rectly fund conservation programs. For example, license revenue helps DNR acquire and manage places like Goose Pond, over 8,000 acres of critical prairie and marsh habitat. Cherished by hunters, anglers, and wildlife watchers, Goose Pond has become an important stopover point for numerous migratory bird populations and offers ample op-portunities for fishing.

Hunting and fishing licenses sales help maintain Goose Pond and other important wild places by leveraging money from the federal government. From the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Programs, Indiana receives about $11 for every fishing license and $25 for every hunting license sold.

Buy a $25 combination license, and you more than double the federal dollars coming to Indiana for conservation.

Whether you hunt, fish, watch wildlife, hike, bike, or simply enjoy the outdoors out your window, please consider supporting our state’s conservation initiatives through one of the funding mechanisms mentioned above. Investing in conservation will provide Indiana’s wildlife with safe places to prosper and allow future generations to enjoy and learn about our natural heritage.

Invest in Conservation

indiana wildlife federation with Barbara Simpson


The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has published its 2012 draft list of Indiana’s

polluted waters. It’s a discour-aging report, showing that lakes, rivers and streams all around the state aren’t meeting water quality standards.

Perhaps the most disturbing finding, from a human health perspective, is the presence of mercury in fish tissue at levels that could harm fetuses if their mothers ate the fish. IDEM identified 348 water bodies with mercury-contaminated fish, including both forks of the White River, the Wabash, the Ohio and Lake Michigan.

With waters in 71 counties on the list, the evidence of mercury contamination is so extensive that any water not on the list may be the result of inadequate sampling rather than the absence of contami-nated fish. In fact, the samples used for the list were all taken before 2006. IDEM has more fish tissue data but hasn’t been able to incorporate them into the water quality assessments yet due to lack of resources.

While mercury may get into our waters from several sources, the main culprit — and the easiest to eliminate — is burning coal for electricity. Coal contains mercury, which goes into the air when the coal is burned, lands on the ground and gets into wetlands where it turns into methylmercury. In this form it becomes part of the aquatic environment and accumulates in fish.

In a study published last year, IUPUI professor Gabriel Filip-pelli found that mercury from the Harding Street power plant on the south side of India-napolis is getting into the White

River, posing a threat to people (especially women of child-bearing age) who eat the fish.

The Environmental Protec-tion Agency has issued a rule to require coal-burning power plants to reduce the amount of mercury they release, but air pollution controls simply capture the mercury along with other pollutants. The pollutants may still threaten the envi-ronment when the captured fly ash is put into landfills or slurry ponds. The surest way to reduce the threat is to stop burning coal.

Several Indiana utilities are planning to retire some of their coal-burning generators, partly because of the E.P.A. rule but mostly because the age of the plants (they’re often 40 years old or more). In addition, the low cost of natural gas makes shutting down the coal burners the smart business decision.

Citizens Energy is switch-ing from coal to natural gas for its steam plant just south of downtown. Indianapolis Power and Light plans to retire its smaller coal units at the Harding Street plant, but not for several more years and it wants to keep operating the main coal-burning unit there.

Perhaps its customers (that’s you, Indianapolis) can con-vince IPL to follow Citizens’ example and help protect our White River fish and the peo-ple who eat them by switching to clean sources of electricity like wind and solar.

Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about the state of Indiana’s waters, you can visit the IDEM “Impaired Waters” web page (http://www.in.gov/idem/nps/2647.htm) and learn all the distressing details.

Bowden Quinn is Conserva-tion Program Coordinator for the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter.

Mercury in fishis a danger to humans

sierra club with Bowden Quinn


Spring break for co-eds is often viewed as a time of excess and consumption, mixed with images of beach-es and umbrella drinks. For a handful of Indiana youth, this past spring break was an experience in consump-

tion and excess, except there was no sand between our toes, just coal dust.

We experienced a landscape of destruc-tion and the price paid for our nation’s mindless addiction to energy and unwill-ingness to face the truth.

Several Indiana University students visited the coalfields of southern West Virginia, also known as “Coal Country” but maybe more ac-curately described as the “Belly of the Beast.” We planned a trip to see and hear firsthand accounts of life in southern West Virginia, the area of America we chose to sacrifice for our present day novelties and lifestyle.

I work with students around Indiana fight-ing coal plants on their campuses, the stran-glehold Duke Energy has on our statehouse and the pollution that comes from both. In Indiana there is a state mandate that basically says any state-run institution, such as public universities, that burns coal for electricity must purchase coal from Indiana.

Call it the state’s twisted version of a “buy local” campaign.

Though we don’t have mountains in Indi-ana, we do have deposits of coal. That makes our state a prime spot for strip mines that devastate the land. Indiana is home to the largest strip mine east of the Mississippi — Bear Run which is about 100 miles southwest of Indianapolis in Sullivan County — and the most dangerous coal ash ponds in the U.S.

The coal being burned at Indiana and Pur-due universities comes from the Hoosier state. The energy purchased from Duke on the grid to provide electricity, however, comes from places like West Virginia and from practices such as mountaintop removal coal mining.

Mountaintop removal is just what it sounds like. Coal companies, in order to cut down on costs, have developed a method in which they clear cut the forest, then use explosives to blow the tops off the mountains to get to the thin coal seams beneath them. They then dump the remainder of the soil, rock and trees, also known as “overburden,” into the valleys, covering streams and polluting the water for area residents.

While in West Virginia, we stayed with a couple who are part of the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, an organization fighting to preserve the land and save it from

destruction by the coal industry. Sid and Dana were our host family and quickly became like surrogate parents and guardians, while two young men, Junior and Adam, from the orga-nization Coal River Mountain Watch, acted as our protectors and tour guides.

They opened their homes and their hearts to this group of strangers, sharing their stories and hoping we would share them with our communities back home.

We spent our first night around a campfire, hearing accounts of coal industry bullying, abuse and a history of dangerous and negli-gent tactics. As each West Virginian told his or her story, we were given a deeper look into the heart of the pain in Appalachia.

Adam is one example. His family lived on their land for generations, their home situated on top of millions of dollars worth of black rock. The coal industry tried unsuccessfully for years to convince his family to sell their land to be mined. Finally, after two years of harassment and bullying, they gave in and were awarded with only 10 percent of what the land was valued at initially, sending them into a poverty cycle that took years to break.

Due to this loss of income and home, Adam enlisted in the Army. He quickly moved up the ranks and was sent to Afghanistan to fight a war that took the lives of several of his friends. Upon his return from war, he immediately took up arms in a different battle — the fight for his homeland. He now lives in a small community in southern West Virginia threat-ened by coal mining and a massive sludge dam casting a shadow over his home.

While in Appalachia, we built relation-ships and connections to the people there. These are the folks on the front line, the people who need the most support, the folks receiving threats and living with the shadow of corruption in their land.

We were told about the Buffalo Creek sludge dam break in 1972 that killed more than 100 people and left 4,000 homeless when 132 million gallons of toxic sludge flooded 17 small towns in Buffalo Creek Hollow. We heard about an infant who was killed in his crib when an errant boulder from a mine site came crashing down on his home. We heard about water that is so toxic it runs red out of the faucet and is undrinkable. We heard about the 2.8 billion gallon toxic coal sludge dam that sits directly above a middle school, wait-ing to break at the next blast of C-4. We saw Coal River Mountain, the last stronghold of a community fighting to maintain its identity, a mountain slated for destruction. These are the terrifying and dangerous realities that these people cope with every day of their lives.

We heard about how Junior has had death threats left on his apartment door and can’t travel alone. These people are literally fight-ing for their lives, living in a place where in-dustry has ruled for more than a century and where they have to fight every day to keep another mountain intact.

Currently more than 500 mountains have been destroyed and more than 2,000 miles of streams are gone, all for our wanton con-sumption. We can change this. We just need to work together to ensure that these stories are told and action follows. On campuses students and young people are carrying on these conversations with their peers and ensuring that this issue is known.

Don’t be fooled. The coal industry is losing its grip in the U.S., but until we as citizens stand up for our neighbors, any amount of power is too much for Big Coal. “Welcome Home” was the term we kept hearing while staying with Sid and Dana.

Welcome home, America. Until this chang-es, we are all from “Coal Country.”

For more information about the fight against mountaintop removal coal mining visit crmw.net.

Reflections on West VirginiaBy Novella Shuck, IU-Bloomington

Our trip to West Virginia was important to me because I don’ t think I quite understood beforehand what it is like to live in such a challenging place and to have the culture of coal mining be so tangible and so tangled up with the different spheres of one’s life.

Every day in southern West Virginia, these people wake up and coal is a part of their lives. And it is not an abstract, “I suppose this electricity must come from somewhere,” kind of way. It is a very real, concrete presence.

Coal is everywhere, in the dirt beneath your feet, in the trains and trucks that pass you on the narrow, winding roads. Perhaps more sig-nificantly, it is there in the history, in people’s sense of family and heritage.

If you stop and ask someone what they think about coal, you will not get the blank stares that you so often get elsewhere. You also will not get vague opinions based on economics or global climate trends. Instead, you get passion and intensity from people whose lives have been fundamentally shaped, too often tragically, by coal com-panies willing to do anything to get at that certain rock beneath the soil.

Coal matters here. This trip was only a brief glimpse at the relationship between West Virginians and coal. But to interact in

college activism with Alexis Boxer

Life in the coalfields


such a personal way laid a very important weight of responsibil-ity on my shoulders.

After all, we must be held ac-countable for our energy actions.

Right now, West Virginia is reaching a point of no return. If we continue to mine coal, especially through the more “effi-cient,” more destructive methods of mountaintop removal and strip mining, the land soon will be destroyed beyond repair and a way of life will be lost.

Personally, I think Appalachia is worth protecting and, despite witnessing such massive environ-mental destruction, I am inspired to have met so many individuals dedicated to representing the people, holding the coal compa-nies accountable, and preserving their homes and land.

Fighting for a clean energy futureBy Megan Anderson, IU-Bloomington

As president of Coal Free IU and a student leader in Indiana it can be easy to lose sight of the true reason we organize. Running the Beyond Coal campaign on campus allows us to talk about the problem and try to find solu-tions, but we also get mired in bureaucracy and process.

This spring break several of my peers and I took the time to reconnect with another side of this issue and witness the impact of the coal industry first hand. At IU and in Indiana we deal with the effects of mining and poor air quality. But in southern West Vir-ginia they are dealing with some of the most concentrated deadly effects of pollution, exploitation and corruption fueled by moun-taintop removal coal mining. We

spent the week with folks fighting against mountaintop removal coal mining and learned about their struggle and their vision for a sustainable Appalachia.

My experience was incred-ibly emotional, especially as we looked out upon a strip mine site that covered the land as far as the eye could see and had ruined an entire range of mountains.

We spent two nights on Kayford Mountain where Larry Gibson lives and where his fam-ily has lived for more than 200 years. The scenery has changed, the ecosystem has changed and the way of life has changed drastically during that time. What was once a quiet mountain is now nearly decimated and is continuously assaulted by the sound of explosives, heavy haul trucks and draglines.

Kayford has paid the price for “cheap electricity.” However, it has never had any electricity of its own, until a few years ago when Gibson purchased the first solar panel for his home.

The people of West Virginia and Appalachia are on the front lines of this fight for a clean en-ergy future and we in Indiana are fighting alongside them.

In southern Indiana people are fighting the unchecked expansion of coal mines, coal plants and coal ash ponds. Let’s not forget about them; let’s work with them.

Let’s start here and make Indiana a true leader in clean energy production. Starting with our campuses is the best example. Ball State is showing great leader-ship by investing in a geothermal system for its campus.

IU and Purdue can and should be leaders, part of the solution, not the problem.

The mountaintop removal site on Kayford Mountain — literally in Larry Gibson’s backyard.

Editors note: Indiana’s craft beer industry has been synonymous with sustainability since John Hill opened Indiana’s first brewpub in 1990. In this series (see April’s issue), we’re highlighting the diversity of brewing green, region by region.

Sustainability is as much about passion as it is a product choice for Back Road Brewery in LaPorte, Shoreline Brewery & Restaurant in Michigan City and Figure 8 Brewing in Valparaiso. All three reside in old buildings with a storied community connection that locals like to reminisce about. These businesses were rehabbed into breweries by their founders, laboring alongside family members and friends us-ing locally sourced materials.

While each has a different business model all three grow out of the cultural history of the region, including names to reflect a local character, event or way of life.

Figure 8 Brewing“Naming the beers is region-related,”

says owner/brewmaster Sam Strupeck. “Nobody asks about the origin of our Region Rat Red Ale if they’re from here. If

they’re not, we can give them the story… associated with Porter and Lake counties in general. I believe it comes from the steel mills starting the term ‘Mill Rats.’”

Smokestack Porter honors the architectur-al feature jutting into the skyline. Imperial Heirloom Raspberry acknowledges the local farm growing the berries and the distinctive heirloom vegetables used in the food menu.

Rock climbing is the basic story behind Figure 8’s brew names with a personal tie-in for owner Tom Uban and brewer Mike Lahti and their family and friends. Now customers share their connections as well, so names have personal meaning.

Back Road BreweryIn 1997 when Back Road founder Chuck

Kricilek moved from homebrewing into operating a production brewery, he looked for a name to reflect his philosophy. This makes for an interesting story of brand name ownership. His original “Brick” Road idea didn’t irritate anyone connected with the Wizard of Oz, but it did offend a similarly named brewery in Canada, so Kricilek, he says, went with “‘Roads’ [as] a way to take you into the future.”

Kricilek personally distributes bottles and kegs to retail stores and restaurants in the northwest region. If you stop by the brewery on a day when Kricilek is brewing he’ll stop to share a taste but generally you come upon a selection of Back Road’s brews, such as I did, with a visit to STOP 50 Wood Fired Pizzaria [stop50woodfiredpizzeria.com].

STOP 50 owner Chris Bardol says he “looks for [brewers] with the same dedication to their craft as we have to ours, which is the authentic Naples Style Pie prepared just as it was 168 years ago in a brick oven.”

Like brewers, Bardol sources his products regionally, including pizza ingredients and specially seasoned wood for the fire.

Shoreline Brewery &Restaurant

Sustainability and wood are equally signifi-cant to Shoreline, which buys used bourbon barrels to age some its of beer, after which the now twice-used barrels are broken up for firewood for locally-based Lange’s Meat Mar-ket to use for smoking meat that Shoreline buys for its restaurant.

You’ll also be savoring the distinctive flavors of locally grown and harvested hops for each of the breweries’ seasonal harvest ales. And while all three give spent grains to farmers for animal feed and compost use, Figure 8 retains a por-tion to use in their own kitchen to make beer bread and pretzels, and for 4-legged friends, a special treat of dog biscuits.


FOOD AND DRINK

Indiana Craft Brewing Green:The Lake Effect By Rita Kohn

submitted photoShoreline Brewery & Restaurant

Back Road Brewery308 Perry St.LaPorte, 46350219-362-7623www.backroadbrewery.com

Shoreline Brewery & Restaurant208 Wabash St.Michigan City, 46360219-879-4677ShorelineBrewery.com

Figure 8 Brewing 150 Washington St. [corner of Indiana Ave. & Washington St.]Valparaiso, IN 46385219-477-2000FigureEightBrewing.com

Craft beer events:June 3Crown Brewing Corn Roast FestivalCrown Point. [Crown Brewing was featured in ILG April 2012]

July 8Red, White & Brew FestShoreline BreweryMichigan City

Visit the Art & Earth Trail (ArtandEarthTrail.com) to learn more about breweries and brewpubs.


Incandescent light bulbs have changed little since Edison’s time. Highly inefficient, they squander 80-90 percent of the energy they con-sume in the form of heat rather than light. Now that greener alternatives are available, the U.S. government is gradually phasing out incandes-cents, beginning with 100-watt bulbs this year.

Many people have switched to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), which cost some-what more than incandescent but use up to 50 percent less energy. CFLs, however, have two dirty little secrets.

First, if you’re in the habit of turning lights on and off whenever you leave or enter a room, CFLs won’t last up to eight years as advertised. Most consumers don’t realize that each flip of the switch lessens the lifespan of a CFL. Sec-ondly, CFLs contain traces of mercury, which means they should be recycled rather than thrown out with the trash. “Five milligrams of mercury is negligible,” you might shrug; but re-tailers sell hundreds of millions of fluorescent bulbs each year, all of which contain mercury and will eventually be discarded. Cumulatively, that amounts to staggeringly high amounts of toxins in our landfills and atmosphere.

But there’s another “green” lighting option: mercury-free light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs contain no filaments but consist instead of several glowing silica chips mounted beneath a lens.

“They’re semiconductors – solid-state light-ing,” explained Hugh Kremer, owner of LED Source in Bloomington, whose sales territory extends throughout Central Indiana.

“Typically, LEDs use nearly half the energy of CFLs,” Kremer said. “CFLs have an inferior quality light. Think about how things look under a CFL bulb: grayish, washed-out. LED light has a

higher color rendering index, which makes colors look closer to the way we really perceive them.”

LEDs are now available in a wide spectrum of tones that range from very warm (2,700k) to very white (5,000k). They provide a bright-er, more natural look than fluorescents, which are notorious for imparting a “morgue look.”

LED lights deliver impressive amounts of lu-mens (light output) for very low watts (energy). A 60-watt incandescent provides the same lumens as a 13-15 watt CFL or an 8-10 watt LED. The LED therefore provides equivalent high-quality light for a fraction of the energy.

LEDs are dimmable and will not flicker or buzz. CFLs often take several minutes after turn-ing on to brighten up, but LEDs are “instant-on.” Because of LED’s low energy resistance, you can grasp the glowing end of a light that’s been burn-ing all day and feel only warmth, not heat.

The most impressive thing about LEDs is their longevity.

“In a residence, you’re looking at probably a 20- to 25-year lifespan for an LED light,” Kremer said. “Think of it: if you put one into an infant’s crib area, they’ll be using the same bulb when they come home from college to visit.”

Although it’s easy to work up enthusiasm for lights that use a fraction of the energy of incandescents, many people will balk at the cost of LEDs: $20 to $40 for a single light. Less expensive LEDs are available at many big box outlets, but they will not offer the five-year warranty of the higher-end lights, nor will they perform as well. The high initial cost of a $40 LED will be offset in the long run by the extended lifespan of the light. The total 10-year cost of a single LED light plus all its associated electric bills will actually be significantly less

than the comparable cost of a fixture contain-ing a series of incandescent bulbs that use a lot of electricity and burn out regularly.

“Buying an LED light is like a magazine subscription,” Kremer said. “Buying a single issue of a magazine at the newsstand each month is expensive. It’s far better to get a long-term subscription, because that makes the cost per issue drop over a period of time.”

LEDs are rapidly becoming more widely available and less expensive, and are predicted to make up half of all lights on the market within the next five years.

“An LED light is not a consumable, like an incandescent bulb that you use and throw away,” Kremer said. “Instead, think of it as an appliance that you attach to the house. And you’ll be using 85 percent less energy than incandescent, and about 40 percent less than a CFL.”

Resources: Hugh Kremer, general manager of LED Source (Bloomington) provides a wide va-riety of Philips LED lights for commercial and residential purposes, which come with five-year warrantees. Contact him at 812-822-1747 or [email protected].

Wired Magazine has a long and intelligent article discussing pros and cons of current green lighting, “The Future of Light is the LED”, accessible at http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/08/ff_lightbulbs/all/1.

The U.S. government gives thumbs-up to Energy Star-rated LEDs, but warns against cheap versions, http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=ssl.pr_why_es_com

Let there be LED!GREEN BIZ WITH CARROL KRAUSE

Expires July 07, 2012


INDIE ARTS & VINTAGE MARKETPLACE June 1 & 30Indianapolis. Jon and Kelly Jenkins, along with Antique Helper Auctions, are throwing a monthly marketplace showcasing the very best regional artisans, vintage items, foodies and musicians. The first-ever Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace will take place at Glendale Town Center from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. The Marketplace continues through the summer months: June 30, Aug. 4, and Sept. 1. It will be a celebration of responsible consumerism, featuring locally produced, handcrafted goods, plus the ultimate reuse/recycling: antiques!indieartsvintage.blogspot.com

MAYOR’S BIKE RIDEJune 2Join the city of Indy and the Marion Co. Public Health Dept. for the 4th Annual Mayor’s Bike Ride. This year, the summer cycling event will follow and highlight the newest bicycle lanes on Lafayette Road, key stretches of asphalt and awesomeness that will help to put an emphasis on healthier life-styles, cleaner air and less traffic congestion. Free kids’ bike helmets will be given away while supplies last. Registration is at 9 a.m., and the ride at 10 a.m., beginning at Fishback Creek Public Academy Free.hhc.kavi.com/events/bikeride

TOUR DE CUREJune 9Diabetes affects more than 25 million people across America, and is a leading cause in adult blindness, amputation, and neuropa-

JUNE EVENTS

2404 W. 62nd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46268

317.253.3033

[email protected]

Montessori Preschool Founded 1971

SUMMER DAY CAMPJune 11, 2012 thru August 17, 2012

Look for the July issue of ILG on stands June 25

Eco-Heroes & ZerosIndiana is replete with environmental challenges.In this issue we’ll explore some of these problems, and offer some solutions.

thy. Join more than 50,000 riders nationwide in raising money to find a cure. Riders who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes can register to become Red Riders, and receive free recognition gifts as well as an official red jersey. The Indiana Tour will be held on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Check in begins at 6:00 am and races begin at 7:30 a.m. Closing times vary ac-cording to the specific route. $200 fundraising minimum.4790 W. 16th St., main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/

REDISCOVER 1836 PRAIRIETOWN GRAND RE-OPENINGJune 9-10Conner Prairie. Starting June 9, the grand re-opening of the 1836 Prairi-etown at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park will provide ample glimpses into a greener, more DIY time. New adventures have been added to this popular exhibit; and the newly revitalized pioneer town offers you the chance to be a part of Indiana’s past. Spend the day as a Prairietown citizen; earn wages on an odd job, then spend it at the Whitaker Store. Get the first look during our grand re-opening week-end on Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $14/adult, $13/seniors 65+, $9 youth (ages 2-12), free for members and youth under 2.Info: (317) 776-6006 or (800) 966-1836 or visit connerprairie.org.

GIRLFRIEND RIDEJune 16Columbus. Are you a girl? Do you like to ride a bike? Do you want to ride with other girls? Listen guys, no costumes or wigs: you will be found out! The Girlfriend ride in Columbus is a fun chick trip — and serves as a fund-raiser for Turning Point Domestic Abuse Center. Expect numerous fun stops (they call ‘em “swag stops”)” music, drinks, snacks and chocolates. No records will be broken for speed, but fun will be had; all levels of bicycle experi-ence are welcome. girlfriendride.org/GFR_Columbus.html

SUMMER SOLSTICE AT THE IMAJune 18Mark the summer solstice and the two-year anniversary of the open-ing of 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park with a day of wonder in the park. Explore the park’s newest commissioned work: “Chop Stick,” an outdoor pa-vilion/concession stand built from a single 100-foot tulip tree. Plus, New York-based artist Rebecca Davis will unveil choreography created directly in response to the 100 Acres. A free concert by Cloud Cult will have you jumping. For a full schedule, visit imamuseum.org. Free; 5-8 p.m.

FROGS ARE CALLINGJune 22Conner Prairie. Amphibians worldwide are suffering from great challenges. Get the kids out to fall in love with these creatures early so they can grow up to advo-cate for them. Activities include creating a paper frog and listening to frog calls. An on-site pond will provide possible frog sightings — and you can bet there will be some leapfrogging going on! Ages 2–5; children must be accompa-nied by an adult (at no charge). Cost: $11/member youth ($12/non-member youth) 9:30 –11 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m. Reservations required by calling 317.776.6006; visit: connerprairie.org

NITE RIDEJune 23Is there anything sweeter than this annual CIBA event, Navigate Indy After Dark, where thousands of bicyclers occupy closed streets throughout Indy on a 20-mile trek? You ride along in a river of fellow bicyclers, some in costume, others singing songs, and get to experi-ence the postcard picture version of your town, all accompanied by the flashing red lights affixed to the back of the bikes. At the end, everyone gathers for a party at the Velodrome for grub, brews and live music: Utopian joy. Registration: 4-10 p.m.; ride: 11 p.m., beginning at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. $29. niteride.org.

KIDS TRIATHLONJune 24JCC’s fifth annual Indianapolis Kids Triathlon gets the kiddoes off the couch and into the world of fitness. The event is for competi-tive and non-competitive athletes ages 7–14; a “small fry” division involves children 6 years old and younger with parental assistance. Small Fry activities include a 25-yard swim / 2-mile bike / .5-mile run; Junior Division (ages 7-10) participants engage in a 100-yard swim / 3.5-mile bike / .5-mile run; Senior Division (ages 11-14) endure a 200-yard swim / 6-mile bike / 1-mile run. The fun begins at 9 a.m. Early registration reduces the entry fee. See: jccindy.org

HUBBARD’S CUPBOARD GARDEN GALAJune 30Bloomington. Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is hosting an evening event to raise support for their Garden Education Program. The elegant affair showcases their garden at the Banneker Com-munity Center and features food from local restaurants. Check web site for more details; at press time their info cupboard was bare!mhcfoodpantry.org



BEECONOMY: WHAT WOMEN AND BEES CAN TEACH US ABOUT LOCAL TRADE AND THE GLOBAL MARKET By Tammy Horn The University Press of Kentucky; $29.95r

Bees are essential. Their primary function isn’t to spoil picnics or in-flict pain by stinging. Bees pollinate much of what we need to sustain the food chain. They’re out in fields and among trees dusting pollen hither and yon so plant life can grow.

In the process of sustaining themselves in these pursuits, they set up an amazing culture of inter-dependence in hives, which results in highly-prized products — honey for food and other multiple uses and beeswax for candles and works of art. But bees are under siege from predators over which they — and we — have little control.

Tammy Horn, with a family heritage of beekeeping, is con-cerned about the worldwide loss of bees. If bees disappear, so does much of our food supply world-wide. Horn’s purpose is to generate interest in beekeeping generally and research specifically.

As director of Coal Country Bee-works in eastern Kentucky, Horn is engaged in reclaiming surface-mine sites with pollinator habitat, thus replacing abandoned and ugly acreage with plant life that in turn invites animals and birds.

Beeconomy takes us on a world tour from the rise of civilization to the present, tracing the intertwined role of women and the role of hon-eybees as essential for a sustainable society. Read it.

— RITA KOHN

EARTH WORKS: SELECTED ESSAYSBy Scott Russell SandersIndiana University Press; $25.00q

“What I feel is not exactly panic, because I’m spared for the moment the chill of knowing I will die,” writes Sanders in an es-say called “Force of Spirit,” one of 30 in Earth Works, a selection of essays spanning his career. “What I feel right now is amazement that anything lives, fly or hawk, virus or man.”

In language that’s patient, prob-ing and precise, the Bloomington-based Sanders, has, over the past 30 years or so, built a body of work articulating what it means to live during this time on planet Earth and, particularly, that part of the planet called the American Midwest.

It’s hard to think of a writer today who is better at finding and expressing the profound nature discovered in such simple gifts as a shared meal or a walk in the woods.

His prescription is daunting: It means turning what’s left of our consuming culture upside down. But Sanders is as much about the quality of mercy, learning ways of forgiveness, as he is about accusa-tion and blame.

— DAVID HOPPE

ON THE FUTURE OF FOODHRH the Prince of WalesRodale Books; $6.99q

With a forward by Wendell Berry and an afterward by Will Allen and Eric Schlosser, you hardly even need a middle, but by golly, Prince Charles’ speech, printed here in a small-book format, is a powerhouse argument for clarity, sanity and massive change about all-things-agriculture.

Prince Charles says — and these stats are well known — that one billion people on the planet are hungry, while another billion don’t get essential vitamins and nutrients in their diets. Meanwhile, over a billion people are considered obese. Prince Charles calls this “an increas-ingly insane picture. In one way or another, half the world finds itself on the wrong side of the food equation.”

The Prince advocates for a sustainable food system, one that relies on the small farmer, along with a reassessment of how we calibrate and operate the entire system. At present, damage to the environment by agri-giant farming is not factored into the system.

Moreover, the Prince says we need “to include in the bottom line the true costs of food produc-tion — the true financial costs and the true costs to the Earth.”

This affordable, tidy tome fits in your pocket, will be great to pull out and share with others, at a party and over a meal. Read, learn and join the food fight.

— JIM POYSER

GREEN BOOKS

EVERY THURSDAYFROM 4PM - 7PMJUNE 7 - SEPTEMBER 27CORNER OF 82ND & HAGUE ROAD

Family atmosphere – the church has a booth called Flavor Café and we sell gourmet hamburgers and chili dogs - we use proceeds from our Flavor Café to provide scholarships to families that attend our pre-school.


GREEN MARKETPLACE

Homemade & Fair Trade

Organic cotton sheets, towels, kitchen linens. Also recycled glass and paper items. Excel-lent place for green wedding registry. Brands include Coyu-chi, Green Glass, In2Green, bambu and more!http://www.honeysucklehome.com/

Pets

Esoteric Healing with Lynne Hirschman. Remote 30-minute sessions allow your pet to re-ceive treatment without leaving home. Since 1998. Call 317-205-9020.

Health & Wellness

Relief from Chronic PainManual Therapies includ-ing craniosacral work. Serv-ing clients since 1985. Lynne Hirschman, MS, PT. 317-205-9020.

Your Body and WaterIonized Micro-clustered Alkaline water NEGATIVE “ORP” a very potent antioxidant Watch: KAN-GEN demo on YouTube.com, then Call 317-370-9994 for a free trial

Local Farms

Community Supported AgricultureLocal Fruit, Produce and EggsMake a change to 100% local farm produce this seasonCertifi ed Naturally [email protected] Family Farm1949 Sunny Acres DriveBedford, INChemical free, custom grown heirloom and European fruits and vegetables for professional chefs. Produce of exceptional quality and fl avor for the home chef. CSA shares available - summer/winter.

http://www.localharvest.org/heartland-family-farm-M9428

Farmers’ Markets

ALC’s Farmer’s MarketEvery Thursday from 4pm- 7pm, June 7 - September 27, corner of 82nd and Hague Road.

http://www.alcindy.com/AL-Cfarmersmarket.html

To advertise in Green Marketplace, contact Robert Barnes at 317-808-4611 or [email protected]

Buy Fresh, Buy LocalStarting on May 1st!Open Saturday from 8:00 am to Noon11501 East Washington Street

http://www.town.cumberland.in.us

Every Tuesday from 4pm-7pm, May 22- September 25, at the intersection of South Meridian and McCarty, across the street from Shapiro’s Delicatessen

Geist Farmers’ MarketCome visit us starting May 3rdThursday 2:30 - 6:30 p.m.Holy Cross Lutheran Church8115 Oaklandon Rd.

www.geistfarmersmarket.com

Unique atmosphere, vendors and producers.North United Methodist Church38th and MeridianThursdays 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.Opens June 2

Supporting locally grown and pro-duced foods for over 15 years!Opening Saturday May 5 for the 2012 season.Find us at www.brfm.org

We’ve moved to the McCords-ville United Methodist Church. Open Wednesdays June 20 thru Sept. 5, from 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.

www.mccordsville.org

62nd and Binford Boulevard (Hawthorne Plaza)Saturdays: April-Oct and holi-days, 8am to 1pmConvenient parking and lots of variety!www.binfordfarmersmarket.com

Products & Services

Offering retail sales of cloth diapers and accessories, gift sets, baby slings, and natural parenting products. We pro-vide one-on-one diaper consul-tations, local workshops, and on-line gift registries.

www.ecologicalbabies.com

Olry PhotographyEco-Friendly Wedding, Engage-ment & Event PhotographersProud to be certifi ed members of Greener Photography’s Leadership Circlewww.olryphotography.com

Reface, don’t replace!ECONOMICAL & ECOFRIENDLY! Our environmentally friendly countertop resurfacing system gives you a whole new look us-ing your existing countertops. Call 317-431-5198 to schedule your free in-home estimate.www.ecocountertopsusa.com

www.myenergyoutfi tter.comEnergy Outfi tter has the home performance experts to improve the comfort and reduce the en-ergy waste in your home.

Specializing in attic and founda-tion insulation and solar electric energy systems.

Call today for a free estimate 317-797-3500

Organic Foods

Endangered Species Chocolatewww.chocolatebar.com/Endangered Species Chocolate is committed to providing premi-um, ethically traded, all-natural and organic chocolate bars. 10% of net profi ts are donated to support species, habitat and humanity. Indulge in a cause.

Litterally Divine Toffeeand Truffl esNatural chocolates made with organic and locally sourced ingredients. Found at Traders Point Creamery Green Market. www.litterallydivinetoffee.com

www.poguesrungrocer.orgAn Indy Food Co-op store, Pogue’s Run Grocer is a full-service natural and organic grocery featuring affordable, fresh, healthy, and locally-produced products.

Community

MAKING INDIANAPOLIS A BET-TER PLACE TO RIDE A BICYCLE. DONATEHelp Support our causeJOINBecome a memberVolunteerBe a part of the action

www.theindycog.com/membership

The Children’s HouseMontessori Preschool founded in 1971A classical education through individual instructionin an atmosphere free of com-petition. Contact us at 317-253-3033 or www.thechildrens-houseindianapolis.com

Gardening Services

Spotts Garden ServiceOrganic. Sustainable. Earth fi rst. We design, install, and maintain beautiful, earth-friendly gardens. Love your garden. We do.

SpottsGardens.com317-356-8808

Place your ad for as little as

$20Add a logo

for $15

ContactRobert Barnes317-808-4611or RBarnes@

IndianaLivingGreen.com

ApocaPoetry Contest In honor of the Year of the Apocalypse, Indiana Living Green, along with the Writers’ Center of Indiana (www.indi-anawriters.org), is announcing a poetry contest. Not just any poetry contest, but a contest with a theme: the Apoca-lypse, ya know, 12/21/12. Here’s the deal. You must write your poem in the style of James Whitcomb Riley. That’s right, the Hoosier Poet himself. Write in the dialect, keep to the form and rhyme about the Apocalypse, with an Indiana angle.

Send your submissions (limit two) to [email protected].

The winner gets $250. We will print any we think are decent or hilarious. Deadline: Oct. 1, 2012; we’ll announce – and print — the winner (and many of the non-winners) in December, of course, just in time for The Endtimes.

Workshops

Green Turtle Botanical SanctuaryMedicinal Herb Classes with Susan Clearwater RN. Enjoy the sanctuary gardens. Learn to identify and cultivate herbs ~ Create tinctures and salves ~ Use herbs holistically. Go to: greenturtlebotanicals.com


The ApocaDocs’ Pre-Apocalypse News & Info Quiz (PANIQuiz) tests your knowledge of current environmental news. Brought to you by the ApocaDocs, Michael Jensen and Jim Poyser. Check your results (at the bottom), then see www.apocadocs.com to find out more.

THE PANIQuiz

1. What is a profound impediment to the military “going green”?

__ a. Soldiers think it’s “sissy.”__ b. The oxymoron police__ c. Disbelief among generals in climate change__ d. Republicans__ e. Money

2. What’s happening with new flame retardants that replaced old, toxic flame retardants?

__ a. They’re way better for the environment!__ b. No one is studying them.__ c. They’re better for the environment, but they

cause fires!__ d. They’re just as toxic.__ e. They are making the environment retarded.

3. What disturbing thing has been found west of the Mississippi for the first time?

__ a. Colony collapse disorder__ b. White nose syndrome__ c. A dead zone__ d. Flame retardants__ e. Island of plastic

4. In a first-time discovery, what did a study find regarding the impact of pesticides on amphibians?

__ a. It makes them stronger.__ b. It causes hermaphroditism.__ c. It changes their shape.__ d. It puts hair on their chest.__ e. It turns them into reptiles.

5. How does a warming Atlantic increase fire danger in the Amazon?

__ a. Warming ocean = increased acidification; thus flammability.

__ b. Hot ocean = blazing forest!__ c. It’s magical!__ d. It doesn’t — trick question!__ e. A warming ocean draws moisture from the forest.

6. Why did the EPA cancel their $20 million green chemistry grant program?

__ a. No one applied.

__ b. Newt Gingrich made them.

__ c. Too many people applied.

__ d. No explanation was given.

__ e. They ran out of money.

7. How many pounds of trash does an average American toss out per day?

__ a. His/her own weight.

__ b. 4.4 pounds

__ c. 1.1 pounds

__ d. There’s no such thing as an average American.

__ e. 2.2 pounds

8. What do USGS scientists say about the relationship between oil and gas production and earthquakes?

__ a. Not related at all.

__ b. There are no such things as earthquakes.

__ c. Jury’s still out on this one.

__ d. Oil and gas production helps prevent earthquakes!

__ e. Almost certainly related.

9. What will melting glaciers release?

__ a. Norse yachts

__ b. Woolly mammoths

__ c. Unspeakable anguish

__ d. Styrofoam cups

__ e. Ancient bacteria

10. What does a new study link inner-city pollution to?

__ a. Bad tasting tongues

__ b. Persistent coughing

__ c. Childhood obesity

__ d. Black lung

__ e. Rural illnesses

Correct Answers: 1. (d): Republicans (The Daily Climate); 2. (d): They’re just as toxic. (Windsor Star); 3. (b): White nose syndrome (HuffingtonPost); 4. (c): It changes their shape. (United Press International) 5. (e): A warming ocean draws moisture from the forest. (The Daily Climate); 6. (d): No explanation was given. (Envi-ronmental Health News); 7. (b): 4.4 pounds (Wall Street Journal); 8. (e): Almost certainly related. (New York Times); 9. (e): Ancient bacteria (The Daily Climate); 10. (c): Childhood obesity (London Daily Mail)

ASK RENEE

Got a question for Renee? [email protected]

Q: Where can I recycle expired car seats?

Since recycled car seat art hasn’t really taken off, I recommend finding a local commodities recycler. I asked my friends at Re-cycleForce on the near east side of Indianapolis and they said they would break it down into the different pieces and parts that can be recycled (plastic and metal) and responsibly dispose of the rest.

Q: My parts bike has reached the end of the road. In fact, to get a part off it recently, I had to hacksaw thru a section. It’s now pretty much spent. What do I do with this carcass? (bikecass?)

It sounds like you’ve been spinning your wheels trying to be as green as possible. First, way to go for reusing parts from an old bike. Af-ter all, Reuse is second only to Reduce (which you were also doing by not buying new parts). Now that your bike is up on blocks in the driveway, you can take it to RecycleForce, www.recycle-force.org, to be recycled along with any old electron-ics, cardboard, EPS foam, glass, plastic, aluminum, and…apparently car seats!

Not in Indianapolis? Check out www.indianarecycles.org to find recyclers in your area that may take random objects.


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Look for the July issue of ILG on stands June 25

Eco-Heroes & ZerosIndiana is replete with

environmental challenges. In this issue we’ll explore some of these problems, and offer some solutions.

Documents

Indiana Living Green - May 28, 2012