September/October 2009 - Indiana Living Green by Indiana Living Green

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S : ENERGY •

Solar Installations Heat Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

F A M I LY / H O M E / E D U C AT I O N

Worm Compost at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

PUBLISHER Lynn Jenkins Lynn@IndianaLivingGreen.com (317) 769-3456

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Lights Out for Bird Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

EDITOR Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp Editor@IndianaLivingGreen.com

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Purdue Gardens Have International Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

CONTRIBUTORS: Sue Arnold Joe Bennett Shannon Cagle Katelyn Dunn tom mcCain Meghan McCormick Maria Smietana Jennifer Streisand Renee Sweany COPY EDITOR Joseph L. Bennett SALES Sales@IndianaLivingGreen.com (317) 769-3456 GRAPHIC DESIGN Paul Wilson Design (317) 624-9900

G A R D E N / N AT U R E

LOCAL FOODS/BEVERAGES •

Alternative Crops Take Root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

F E AT U R E S •

Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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Footprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Green, Greener, Greenest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

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Green Finds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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Green Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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Publisher’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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The Last Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Put worms to work on kitchen scraps. SEE PAGE 24.

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GREEN•GREENER

GREENEST you to make a difference. Illustration © iStock.com

Indiana Living Green offers ways for

GREEN 1. Get outside to enjoy nature by bird watching and feeding the birds. 2. Use solar passively by opening drapes and blinds on sunny days in winter. 3. Look for and purchase local produce and meats and locally made products while shopping.

1. Learn more about the migration of birds and their dependence on native plants. 2. Become familiar with the enormous power of solar energy and its potential use in Indiana. Support legislation that allows clean solar energy to become competitive with coal in order to protect our air and water. 3. Whenever you can, choose local grocers, butchers, independent restaurants, artisans and those businesses that offer eco-friendly products and espouse green initiatives.

Illustration © iStock.com

GREENER

GREENEST 1. Explore the seasonality and locality of nature by spending time outdoors at parks, preserves or your own backyard. Experience nature firsthand. 2. Consider using solar actively with a solar hot water system or with the installation of panels to produce electricity. 3. Go out of your way to shop and support local green businesses. Tell them you appreciate their efforts to provide environmentally responsible products, services and information.

www.IndianaLivingGreen.com

GREENGreetings!

Lynn Jenkins, Publisher

Struggles, stimulus and subscriptions… back to a ‘new normal?’ Most of us have had to deal with new ways to stretch funds, tighten belts and loosen our grip on what we considered normal. Fortunately, most analysts’ reading of the numbers proclaims that with the tax cuts and stimulus packages, we are finally getting back on track — back to normal, everyday living. But is that what we want? Is it what we need? How about a “new normal?”

Living without may have led some of us to reconnect with family, friends and nature in new ways, finding our own entertainment and adventure. Hopefully we have learned a new normal of doing without many of the must haves we used to need. It’s a greener lifestyle — easier on the earth — than the lifestyle of replacing perfectly good “old” with something else just because it is “new.” These are lessons learned the hard way in tough times, but they are good green lessons. One thing Indiana Living Green has learned in this struggle is how much we appreciate our subscribers! It’s been a tough year for us since, as a free magazine, we depend on eco-friendly businesses to support us through advertising so we can deliver a green message to you at no charge. But many of our advertisers have had their own struggles in this economy. So each subscription has helped us survive this recession. People occasionally ask why anyone would pay for a subscription

to a free magazine. Our subscribers tell us they do so either for the convenience of having ILG delivered to their doors, or because they want to support ILG’s mission to provide information, resources and opportunities for and about local people, events, ideas and lifestyles, and to encourage consumers and businesses to live, work and grow in a sustainable manner. So thanks, subscribers! Your subscriptions are the stimulus we’ve needed to help us through our struggles. We are grateful! And if you don’t yet have a subscription, isn’t this a perfect time to show your support for a cleaner, greener Indiana? LY N N J E N K I N S

PLEASE SEND YOUR RANTS&RAVES TO:

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

Letters@IndianaLivingGreen.com Fax: (317) 251-8545 Indiana Living Green 1730 S. 950 E., Zionsville, IN. 46077

F O OT P R I N T S BY K AT E LY N D U N N

Helping Big Red Go Green

ill Brown is not new to the green scene. Since his college days at Ball State University, where he majored in green architecture, Brown has been promoting, supporting and implementing sustainable practices on whatever projects he touches, including the “Green the White House” campaign during the Clinton Administration. Since March, Brown has applied his green touch at Indiana University as its first director of sustainability. For the past several months, Brown, a former biology teacher and architect at Browning Day Mullins and Dierdorf and Mullins in Indianapolis, has focused on sustainability initiatives in academic programs and campus operations. That includes energy, transportation, food, infrastructure, new construction and remodeling. The Dale native says he’s found his “dream job” at I. U. Brown is excited about expanding the university’s internship program, in which students perform research and help implement programs such as the campus-wide Energy Challenge. Nearly 140 students applied for 18 spots in this past summer’s program. The interest affirms Brown’s

belief that students can help drive the movement. “I’m keen on the power of student activism,” Brown said. “With their enthusiasm, the university becomes energized.”

Bill Brown discusses wetland ecology with I.U. students. Photos courtesy Indiana University

Brown has seen eagerness from other campus groups as well, including many student clubs and departmental green teams. Over the coming years, he hopes to unify policies on recycling, green cleaning, integrated pest management and green purchasing. Apart from leading the Sustainability Internship Program, Brown teaches classes in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and helps to bring green issues to the attention of students, faculty and the administration. “As a leader in sustainability, what you’re leading is change,” he says.

Katelyn Dunn is a senior at Indiana University studying journalism and non-profit management and hopes to pursue a career in communications for a non-profit organization.

SUBMISSIONS

Footprints provides snapshots of Hoosiers who embrace, promote and foster a sustainable lifestyle. If you have someone to recommend, please e-mail: info@IndianaLivingGreen.com www.IndianaLivingGreen.com

GREEN N E W S B R I E F S FOOD Pack a healthful lunch for kids

Photo credit...

The American Dietetic Association suggests following the ABCs when it comes to packing your children’s lunches. A. Aim for four food groups, by including whole grains, dairy, protein and fruits and vegetables. B. Be creative. Not all children like the standard sandwich of meat between two slices of bread. Try making wraps, tortilla triangles or a stuffed pita pocket. You might have an easier time sneaking in vegetables, such as a shredded carrot or chopped romaine lettuce. Cut up fruit to dip in yogurt. C. Communicate with your children about their lunches and include them in the meal planning. Make a grocery list together and have your children pick certain items at the store to help increase the likelihood they will eat them. For more info: www.eatright.org

BUILDING Fall Creek Place gets affordable green condos

©Fotolio

Indianapolis — King Park Area Development Corp. has created 13 LEED-certified condominiums in The Gramse, an historic, 1915 building at 22nd Street and Broadway in Indianapolis' Fall Creek Place. In addition to the affordability and green aspects of the project, the building is a candidate for the National Register of Historic Places. This is the first project in Indiana to combine affordability, historic considerations and sustainable construction. The renovation features Energy Star appliances, on-demand water heaters, paints that have low or no volatile organic compounds, high performance heating, cooling and insulation systems and landscaping with low water requirements. Eleven of the units are reserved for low- to moderate-income buyers, proving that well-built, green, affordable living is possible in Indiana and the Midwest, said David Kadlec, a partner in Casa Verde, the builder on the project.

Indy Food Co-op to open in Oct.

SUBMISSIONS

Indianapolis — Indy Food Cooperative Inc., expects to open the Pogue’s Run Grocer, 2828 E. 10th St., in October. It will be Indianapolis’ first non-profit, community-owned grocery store. Over the last several months, the co-op, with about 200 members, has been renovating the 70-year-old, 3,000-square-foot former Lane’s TV storefront near 10th Street and Rural Avenue, a blighted area with many vacant historic buildings. The co-op leased the building in July 2009. “Putting Indy’s only non-profit, storefront grocery store in an underserved area of the city meets an important mission of our group,” said Kyle Hendrix, president of the co-op. “Finding an adaptive reuse for this property will preserve and improve another building, as well as provide jobs and a living wage,” said Patrick Dooley, co-chairman of the 2012 Super Bowl Legacy, an economic development committee working to revitalize the 10th Street Corridor during the next three years. For more info: www.indyfoodcoop.org

For the latest news about green living, visit: www.IndianaLivingGreen.com. Submit your news items with high-resolution images to: editor@IndianaLiving-Green.com.

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Specialty Crops Diversify Indiana’s Agriculture BY SHANNON CAGLE

Photo courtesy Fields of Agape

There’s more than corn in Indiana — a lot more. That’s the overwhelming message from Hoosier growers literally branching out into a variety of products previously thought exotic or too unmarketable to attempt.

Keith Welch sits on a tractor last July after planting Judy Avery’s field with food-grade soybeans. a new crop for Fields of Agape. Other partners include Judy Avery (left), Anna Welch and Michael Smallwood. Spartacus, the Welch’s Great Pyrenees, is a canine partner.

An east-central Indiana cooperative, Fields of Agape, grows organic golden flax on its members’ acreage in Henry and Rush counties. Golden flax is the health food rage these days thanks to its high content of Omega-3 fatty acids that promote heart and cholesterol health. There also are indications that it fends off everything from breast cancer to macular degeneration to depression. In its own way, flax is a wonder plant. Grown in just 100 days, it’s one of the oldest fiber-producing crops known to man. The fine, pale fiber in the stem is called tow, hence the term tow-headed for a very blonde child. Combined with flax’s medicinal qualities and lovely pale blue flowers, what’s not to love?

Healthful flax Keith and Anna Welch, who lead Fields of Agape, began growing golden

flax for health reasons, but invited friends to join them as they took a stewardship approach. “Each of us wanted to be a part of producing food, to become a local food resource, to use the land that we’ve been made stewards of to produce an edible food product rather than for it to be traditional agriculture,” says Anna. Flax is being grown on such a massive scale, you might wonder why anyone would be interested in a small, but increasing, crop from Indiana. Two words: organic and local. Fields of Agape partners with small outlets that specialize in locally grown organics, from Bloomington to Muncie, with Indianapolis in between. The greatest difficulty? Keith Welch says it’s the seed itself. Very similar to sesame seeds in appearance, flax can be difficult to harvest. But the extra effort is worth it. Fields of Agape has grown

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Photo courtesy Fields of Agape

its commitment by another 50 acres for 2009.

Oddball pluots In the southeastern Indiana community of Moores Hill, Gabe Seidman of Seidman Farm, gambles with Mother Nature on fruits he calls “oddballs.” For the past 15 years, Seidman has wowed neighbors and consumers alike at the Batesville farmers market with plums, peaches, apricots and cherries, the likes of which they’ve never seen. This year Seidman is focusing on pluots, among other exotics. Pluots are three quarters plum and one quarter apricot. He’s also taking a shot at apriums, more apricot and less plum. They’re a real challenge, he says, because Indiana’s climate is not their preferred growing environment. But for locals, that’s the very thing that makes Seidman’s fruit their personal ambrosia. Seidman laments that he can’t grow the fruit organically, but says modern diseases and parasites make growing a

whole crop nearly impossible. Still, he knows exactly what makes his fruits taste so much better than similar varieties shoppers may see in grocery stores. “Those fruits shipped in from California can’t compare with those grown locally on a tree. The California fruits are picked before they’re ripe and don’t have a chance to develop the great sugar content that a tree-ripened fruit has.” That would include the “flattened” peaches gaining popularity; Seidman is trying those this year, too. “I probably give away as much fruit as I sell just to prove to folks that eating fruit grown here tastes so much better!”

Pepper power Jim Campbell of Johnson County grows a type of fruit too, but one that’s so hot it can make you cry. Campbell, a firefighter by profession, has spent more than 25 years growing some of the hottest peppers his hot-sauce customers can handle. He knows the bulk of fact, fiction and trivia about hot chiles. For

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

In spring, blue flax glows among the wheat.

starters, it’s not the skin or the seeds that give chiles their heat — it’s the white membrane that connects the seeds to the meat of the pepper that contains the burn (file that with your salsa recipe). The peppers have exotic and deadly names like Zimbabwe Bird and Trinidad Scorpion. Campbell affirms that taste is still the trend leader over heat, and he tries to anticipate where the market is going. He thinks he’s finally flirting with the 1,000 mark when it comes to varieties he’s attempted to grow. As with Seidman’s fruits, weather can wreak havoc on a pepper crop, so Campbell began renting acreage in other states in an attempt to avoid disasters like floods, hurricanes and unexpected frosts. Under the name Mild to Wild Pepper & Herb Co., he currently farms peppers in Texas and Florida, as well as Indiana. – Continued on page 10

SPECIALTY CROPS DIVERSIFY INDIANA’S AGRICULTURE Continued from page 9

Jim Campbell of Mild to Wild Pepper & Herb Co., inspects his crop.

Campbell started growing peppers to keep his colleagues in the firehouse supplied with heat and wound up producing enough to sell wholesale. He also markets his own sauces under the brand name Mild to Wild, and has created a specially blended barbecue sauce that can be sent free to the deployed active duty soldier of your choice through the company’s website.

While he jokes that pepper growing is a heartbreaking business and that the potential for crop disaster makes it a form of legalized gambling, he’ll tell you in the same breath that it’s the stress of the Indiana growing season that gives his peppers their exceptional heat. “It’s really too hot and humid to grow most of these in Indiana, but that back and forth between the wilting heat of day and the cool of night is what gives them that burn.” If they live through it. Campbell says most of the hot pepper growers around the country know one another, which can make pepper growing as a business a lot easier. “It’s a phenomenal network really. There are no jerks in the chili pepper business, no competitors. Just friends doing the same thing I’m doing.”

REFERENCES: • Fields Of Agape, 8343 N. Rushville Road, Carthage, (765) 914-0944 • Farmers Markets listing, www.IndianaLivingGreen.com • Mild to Wild Pepper & Herb Co. www.wildpepper.com

Shannon Cagle is a freelance television producer/writer and an avid gardener. She and her husband, Rick Dawson, operate a used bookstore on the Historic National Road in Knightstown called Cobalt Blue Press.

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Keeping K eeping what’s what’s h here ere today, today, h here ere ttomorrow. omorrow.

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GROWING

Green&Global AT P U R D U E Photo courtesy John Sautter

BY JOE BENNETT

International students grow their comfort food on 172 plots at Purdue University.

“Growing more food locally has a tremendous economic, nutritional and environmental impact. Foods imported from distances greater than 40 miles, use five to 15 times more energy than locally grown food.” Carlos Iglesias

“From July till the end of October, I don’t buy vegetables,” Aloke Bera says, gazing happily at his garden full of Asian veggies near the Purdue University airport in West Lafayette. Bera is one of about 125 people who grow vegetables for their families and friends on garden plots Purdue makes available to anyone who wants to take advantage of Indiana’s rich soil, keep food production local and reduce stress on the environment. Vegetables from Bera’s native India and other nations dominate his Purdue garden. He particularly likes to grow bitter melon (Momordica charantia), which not only is a staple of stir-fry cooking, but also helps ease the effects of diabetes and other illnesses. An assistant research scientist at Purdue, Aloke grows tomatoes, cucumbers and okra in another garden behind his West Lafayette home.

Organic produce He says his gardens help exercise his body and give him peace of mind because of the environmental benefits. “I try to grow my vegetables organically without pesticides, which improves the quality of the environment for wildlife, especially bees and butterflies. I have my own composting system, and I use horse manure from a local farm for fertilizer.” Purdue devotes about 150,000 square feet of land, divided into 172 plots, to the garden program administered by Purdue Village, a student residential complex where married students and their families, as well as other students,

live. Plots range from 300 to 1,380 square feet, and gardeners pay $25 to $50 a year, depending on size. The fees help pay for plotting supplies, garden events, mowing, tilling and maintenance of water lines, which the university provides for irrigation. The program is open to the public, as well as Purdue students and employees. “The garden area itself is not certified as organic, but many gardeners practice organic methods of pest control, watering and vertical trellis gardening techniques,” says Andy Robison, residential life manager for Purdue Village. “Many people use black plastic for weed control, or grass clippings and straw to prevent weed growth.”

Community initiative Because the gardens started informally as a tenant initiative, no one is sure of the exact history, but Robison believes they go back to the late 1950s. “The gardens’ success is in the community they foster and the local food production value. Because Purdue Village has many international students, many of the gardeners grow unique vegetables that are hard to find in North America.” Carlos Iglesias grows a dizzying array of vegetable crops, including some that are common in his native Uruguay. He especially looks forward to harvesting a small, round summer squash (Cucurbita pepo) that is related to zucchini and that Iglesias says is delicious when stuffed with a ground beef mixture and baked. “Friends start calling me in July, wanting to know when the squash will be ready,” he says. A geneticist for a popcorn producer, Iglesias is not affiliat-

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ed with Purdue, but is grateful for the garden program. Familiar crops like corn, soybeans and cucumbers flourish in his plot, alongside grass peas (Lathyrus sativus), grown from Uruguayan seed, blue potatoes, varieties of hot and mild peppers, and even peanuts, which Iglesias says do fine in Indiana. He and his wife eat fresh vegetables all summer and fall and freeze and can enough to get them through the winter.

Sustainable, local food “Growing more food locally has a tremendous economic, nutritional and environmental impact,” he says. “Foods imported from distances greater than 40 miles, use five to 15 times more energy than locally grown food.” Like Iglesias, Mohamed Abdelwah finds Indiana soil and climate friendly. The Egyptian veterinarian works as a research assistant at Purdue while his wife completes her degree program. He grows lettuce, peppers, eggplant, okra and other vegetables for his family and friends. “In my country, when you have something, you share,” he says with a smile. “We will enjoy these all summer.” Ruijun Zhao, a post-doctoral researcher in computer science, keeps his wife and 4-year-old twin sons in vegetables, including some Chinese varieties. He gets help from his parents, who share his apartment in Purdue Village. The family eats everything they grow. “The soil here is much richer (than in China),” he says. “We can plant things closer together, and it is much easier to keep things watered.” Robison says administering the gardens is one of the most satisfying things about his job, and he admires the gardeners who are more skilled than he is. “I administer the gardens but I am not a good gardener myself,” he says. “I have a garden here, but only a few tomato plants and some squash. I tried to grow cilantro and basil, but most of it burned up in the hot sun!” Joe Bennett is a former journalist and retired Purdue administrator, who teaches writing at the university and works as a free-lance editor and writer.

Carlos Iglesias grows a round summer squash that is a favorite food in his native Uruguay.

Visit the Indiana Living Green Web site for Carlos Iglesias’ recipe for stuffed round summer squash. www.IndianaLivingGreen.com Photo courtesy John Sautter

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LIGHTS

OUT. BY

SUE

ARNOLD

The life cycle for many birds includes spring and fall migrations. During their flights, many birds die from collisions with human-made obstacles. The problem is urgent, and conservation organizations, such as Indianapolisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Amos W. Butler Audubon Society are joining forces with community leaders, the public and industry and business to unravel the causes of bird collisions in order to make the birdsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; journeys safer. One of the challenges is to find ways to modify the design and use of structures, equipment and vehicles while still having them serve their purposes.

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

LIGHTS OUT! Continued from page 15 As millions of birds pass through the Midwest on their way to nesting grounds in the North or wintering grounds in the South, they face a long and arduous journey, made more hazardous by tall buildings, wind turbines, communication towers and other obstacles. Many birds migrate at night, using the earth’s magnetic field and the stars to navigate to predetermined destinations thousands of miles away on other continents. Their instincts haven't prepared them for the existence of buildings and towers that rise higher than the tallest trees.

Findings from studies first undertaken in Boston, where large numbers of injured and dead birds were found at the base of tall buildings, were later confirmed during migration periods in Toronto and Chicago. Chicago was the first U.S. city to dim tall building lights to save birds’ lives. Chicago’s tallest buildings have all turned off their decorative lights during spring and fall bird migrations. Chicago’s Lights Out program puts it in the forefront of American cities taking action to protect birds. Lights Out is a cooperative effort by the city, the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago, the Chicago Audubon Society and the Field Museum.

Bird rescues

Photo courtesy LightsOutIndy.org

A 45-minute search on one May morning in downtown Indianapolis found these five birds dead because of building strikes. Clockwise from upper left: Grey Catbird, Kentucky Warbler, Ovenbird, Grey Catbird and Common Yellowthroat.

Disorienting light Artificial lighting further complicates the problem. Birds are attracted to the lights on tall buildings and may collide with the structures or circle repeatedly and fall to the ground from exhaustion. More than 100 million birds are killed in the United States each year, mainly as a result of being attracted to and disoriented by city lights. The good news is, we can dim or turn off those lights and reduce building strikes, the number-one killer of birds.

The Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) was formed in Toronto to rescue fallen birds (50 to 90 percent of birds involved in collisions may die from internal hemorrhaging) and to publicize the problem to the community. Cleaning crews, security and management were encouraged to turn off lights when their work days end or when they leave an area. Lights Out New York uses the Empire State Building as the icon for its program of turning off lights in tall buildings from midnight to 6 a.m. A similar effort in Boston has reduced the amount of electricity used for lighting by up to 25 percent. Lights Out Indianapolis was initiated by the Amos W. Butler Audubon Society to protect birds and reduce energy consumption. Members are making plans and contacts to focus first on downtown Indianapolis, where the city’s tallest buildings are. Volunteers have been working with building owners and managers, conservation group partners, civic

leaders and the public. People who work in tall buildings can influence this outreach and participate directly by turning off their workplace lights when they leave at night. Individual participation can have significant results, too. Small changes at home, involvement at work and active voice and contribution in your community can make a big difference in bird conservation. A plus for the pocketbook is reduced light bills and, for the environment, reduced carbon emissions.

When should the lights be turned off? Lights should be dimmed, turned off, or shielded by blinds, especially the upper stories, between midnight and dawn in the spring from April 1 to May 31, and in the fall from Aug. 15 to Oct. 31. Staff working late can use task lighting and turn off the ceiling lights closest to windows.

Why save birds? Protecting birds has been a driving force behind the conservation movement since the early days of unregulated hunting, the use of toxic pesticides, and the destruction of habitat. Birds are sensitive to changes in the environment and easy to census. Changes in bird population can indicate environmental problems. Birds are a tremendous resource for insect and rodent control, plant pollination and seed dispersal. They also add to our economy — at least 46 million Americans watch birds, and those birders spend big bucks feeding the feathered creatures, buying equipment and traveling to see them.

How can you help? Turn off those lights and help the Amos W. Butler Audubon Society convince others to do the same. For more information: www.lightsoutindy.org or e-mail, lightsoutindy@yahoo.com

Sue Arnold is a member of Amos W. Butler Audubon Society and the Indiana Audubon Society. She is a Master Naturalist, an advanced Master Gardener and “plant pig.”

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Photos courtesy Don Gorney On June 18, this Indianapolis insurance company’s parking garage was lit up, even though it was 4 a.m. when employees are unlikely to be at work. We need to honor the sacrifices of military men and women, but the Indiana War Memorial and Plaza was aglow at 4 a.m. in June. Lights Out Indy would like to see downtown buildings extinguish or reduce illumination after midnight. Besides protecting birds, companies would save money by reducing energy costs.

A pretty picture, but the floodlights used to illuminate the Indiana State House contribute to bird deaths and cost taxpayers for unnecessary energy use. The lights attract insects, which, in turn, attract birds. The lights confuse some birds' navigational systems while migrating through downtown Indianapolis, and they frequently fly into buildings resulting in their death. Several dead birds were found near the State House during Spring 2009.

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N : • American Bird Conservancy, www.abcbirds.org • Lights Out Chicago, www.lightsout.audubon.org • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management www.fws.gov • Guidelines for siting and construction of Wind Turbines www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/wind • Communication Tower Threats to Birds, www.abcbirds.org/conservationissues/threats • DNR info hotline for Wildlife Rehabilitators, 1-800-893-4116

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

Solar Energy

Future Sunny for

Michael and Liz Grevenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solar energy array on their Columbus home.

Photo courtesy Richard Stumpner

Richard Stumpner’s home in Bloomington has a passive solar system. Eventually the trees will shade the south side of the house in summer but allow the sun in during winter.

BY JENNIFER STREISAND

Photo courtesy EcoSource.com

Homeowners and businesses that use a solar array for power are still the exception in Indiana, but the answer to the question: Is solar feasible here on a large scale? is YES! The long-term feasibility of using solar energy is strong, according to various experts in the industry interviewed by Indiana Living Green magazine. In fact, the number of Hoosiers who have inquired about using solar energy in their homes or businesses is noticeably up in 2008 and 2009, said Jeff Duff, senior engineer at Duke Energy. As for actual installations, the utility company has processed approximately seven in 2008, and 11 through June 2009. “We certainly have seen an increase in calls from homeowners and businesses interested in setting up a solar array,” he noted. Businesses have inquired, particularly the ones that are able to get grants, and homeowners realizing there are more attractive tax incentives. The vast majority of Hoosiers enter into an agreement with a utility on billing arrangements because it is the most practical way to operate a solar system for electric power, said Duff. Another piece of anecdotal evidence that points to more widespread use of solar is that more solar businesses are advertising in Indiana Living Green magazine, said Lynn Jenkins, publisher of the magazine in its third year of operation. “We have seen the number of builders who are promoting solar installations increase,” she said. – Continued on page 20

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

INDIANA SOLAR TOUR The Indiana Renewable Energy Association will participate in the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour on Oct. 3. A first for Indiana, the tour includes photovoltaic (solar-electric), solar-thermal and small wind systems. Tour areas include Indianapolis, Bloomington, Michiana, Lakeshore and Evansville. This is the 14th year for the ASES tour, which is held in conjunction with National Energy Awareness Month. The world's largest grassroots solar event, nearly 140,000 people toured 5,000 buildings in 3,000 communities in 2008. Tours focus on energy-saving techniques, sustainable building design, energyefficient appliances and use of green materials with real-world examples of costs and moneysaving government incentives. Details posted at www.indianarenew.org.

FUTURE SUNNY FOR SOLAR ENERGY Continued from page 19

Meteorological details There are some misconceptions that may be preventing many people from considering a solar array for home or business. One misconception is that you need a sunny climate to operate a solar system reliably, but the weather is never perfect. “You can still generate electricity or heat from solar with cloudy conditions,” said Michael Gibson, a LEED accredited professional research fellow at the Center for Energy Research, Education and Service at Ball State University. Gibson is currently working on a solarpowered cooling system. The key is to make sure the panels are set up and installed correctly in accordance with how much sunshine a particular piece of property gets, he explained. Computer software is used to make calculations to maximize efficiency of the panels. “There is clearly defined meteorological data available now, so you know what you are getting into for a specific place,” Gibson said. An experienced solar installer will be able to get the panels and do all of the calculations for you. Michael Greven, principal at EcoSource Inc., based in Columbus, stressed that understanding how a solar photovoltaic system works will go a long way toward improving its effectiveness and getting the maximum benefit from the investment. Everything in the home that runs on electricity should operate normally with solar power, he said. “It’s a very simple program, really. You have your solar panels on your roof, and then you bring that power into an inverter, and the inverter is kind of the brain of the program. The inverter either puts the power into your house or feeds it back into the grid.” There is far less waste than traditional coal-powered electricity, which loses a lot of power between when the power leaves the grid and when it gets to your

house, Greven said. He and his wife, Liz, have a solar array in their Bartholomew County home. “That’s one of the beautiful things about solar power on your roof; you are not losing any power from those panels through the inverter into the house. It’s all right there.”

More solar power for less In June 2009, Greven and his team installed an array at the home of boB (sic) and Cindy Henning in a subdivision on the eastside of Indianapolis. For the Hennings, the entire system, including the labor to install it, will cost $18,000, after a 30 percent federal tax credit, and other financial incentives available to local homeowners are deducted, said Henning. In addition to more efficient equipment, the installation was fast: It took about a week to complete. “The panels themselves are the newest thing,” said Henning. “Most of the older products produce around 175 watts. These panels produce 210 watts for the same amount of space.” More powerful panels coupled with better inverters have made the cost of a solar array go down in a short time, modeling the trend of evolving technology, which typically becomes less expensive as it improves. The Hennings have a net-metering agreement with Indianapolis Power & Light Co. The utility responded quickly after the solar array was installed. “They got the meter out within 48 hours of when we had it ready to go on the grid,” boB Henning said. “We had informed them a week or two ahead of time, and then two days after we were up and running, they installed the net meter.” Greven’s EcoSource, Inc., is one of a handful of solar installation companies in Indiana, but more are emerging, including Eco Energy Designs, based in Indianapolis. The company plans to

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launch operations in September 2009, said Luke Jackson, president and owner. Jackson and his partners think there is a real need now for this type of business in the Indianapolis area, and the public is open to the idea of solar energy. “We thought this would be an excellent opportunity to start in Indianapolis because the market is wide open,” Jackson said.

Improving net metering The idea of net metering is for customers to get a credit on the solar power they don’t use in an arrangement with the utility company, according to Net Metering, An Overview, a paper prepared by Eric Cotton of ECI Wind and Solar in Fairmount. The concept is an important financial incentive designed to entice homeowners. It is one of the ways to make solar power more common. Often, however, the wording to describe net metering is not entirely correct, explained Laura Arnold, president of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association, a non-profit organization that advocates for businesses interested in using renewable energy. There is a little bit of a misnomer in that people refer to net metering as selling electricity back into the grid, but that’s not exactly what it is, Arnold said. The term net metering comes from the concept of netting out the difference between what you need and any excess you have. You get credit for the excess by allowing your meter to literally run backwards, she said. The Indiana General Assembly has tried to pass an expanded net metering law, which that would allow net metering for larger loads, particularly, businesses. As of this summer, the net metering rule in Indiana only applies to homeowners and K-12 schools with small capacity. Businesses are excluded from the net metering rule, and Indiana is now the only state where policy – Continued on page 22

excludes businesses and other commercial and industrial customers from net metering, according to Freeing the Grid, Best and Worst Practices in State Net Metering Policies and Interconnection Standards, published in October 2008 by the Network for New Energy Choices. The legislature is expected to take up the issue again in January 2010. A feed-in tariff is another financial incentive being explored by some utilities in the state, said Arnold. A feed-in tariff is actual cash for renewable energy produced. It is being used with success in Europe. “What it does is it allows a customer to be paid for electricity that they are producing and putting back into the grid, regardless of their own individual consumption. With a feed-in tariff, the utility should compensate the customer on what it costs to produce the electricity,” she noted. On paper, a feed-in tariff is an even greater incentive than net metering, which is a credit, as opposed to cash. Feed-in tariffs generally apply to businesses with larger loads, noted Matthew McCardle, a spokesperson for Indianapolis Power & Light Co. Currently, IPL has filed a proposal with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to expand net metering to their customers with larger loads, and to establish a voluntary feed-in tariff for customers installing systems with capacities ranging from 50 kilowatts to 10 megawatts. As part of its “smart grid” plan, Duke Energy is also proposing financial incentives for customers who want to install renewable energy systems.

Manufacturing solar? Although the potential exists in Indiana for more pervasive use of solar power, another question with significant financial stakes lingers: Can the state be a manufacturing hub for the equipment necessary to make solar energy every-

Photo courtesy Richard Stumpner

FUTURE SUNNY FOR SOLAR ENERGY Continued from page 21

Solar installation at Richard Stumpner’s Bloomington home.

one’s choice? The answer can be found again in whether manufacturers will want to set up shop here, or whether there will be better economic incentives somewhere else, said Mark Pinto, chief technology officer for Applied Materials Inc., a company specializing in nanomanufacturing, including solar photovoltaic cells and energy-efficient glass. Pinto addressed solar energy’s future in his lecture last spring at Purdue University. Pinto cites Germany as a place where incentives have made the country a leader in the consumption and manufacturing of solar energy. “Eastern Germany has perhaps the best incentives for factories for semiconductors and solar in the world. They are both exporting solar and using it locally,” Pinto said, noting that the climate there is similar to Indiana’s. The U.S. Department of Energy will allocate $117.6 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to speed up commercialization of solar technologies, including manufacturing. In June 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a comprehensive energy bill, which allocates investments in clean energy technologies, but an energy bill has not yet passed in the Senate. Widespread use of solar energy will

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happen eventually, whether the incentives are there or not, but it will happen faster with incentives, Pinto said. There are significant global considerations, too. “The risk is that the United States will become just as dependent on other places supplying the technology,” he said. If such a scenario were to result, the reason would again be better economic incentives for manufacturers overseas, and not cheaper labor.

Use what we have For the foreseeable future, coal will play a part in electricity production in Indiana, noted Dick Stumpner, president of Stumpner’s Building Services Inc., based in Bloomington. The company

specializes in passive solar designs for buildings. Passive solar designs use the natural heat from the sun and no equipment, per se. Stumpner also has a solar array in his home. “But as more and more people use solar power and producers find better ways to manufacture the panels, the cost of it will continue to come down,” Stumpner said. The investment in solar energy will only grow over time, both financially and environmentally, stressed Greven. “The situation will only enhance itself here if the rates for power go up a little bit. When we finally harness the sun, think how much more reasonable things will be.”

Jennifer Streisand a freelance writer based in West Lafayette, has written more than 100 business articles and taught undergraduate courses in communications at Purdue University. A former broadcast journalist, she holds an Indiana teaching license in English and journalism.

WRIGGLE

Compost Garbage

OUT OF

Photo courtesy Renee Sweany

BY MEGHAN MCCORMICK

Renee Sweany’s kitchen waste is ready for worm composting.

Apple cores, banana peels, and coffee grounds may be garbage to you. But to certain species of worms, they’re a veritable feast. Vermicomposting, or worm composting, isn’t a new concept. Yet, as people become increasingly conscious about the waste they generate, some are putting worms to work and receiving in return nutrient-rich compost for their gardens and flowerbeds. “It fascinated me to know that I could take my kitchen scraps and turn them into a very rich soil amendment,” says Jennifer Molica, a mail order assistant manager with Worm’s Way in Bloomington. Molica maintains the store’s in-house vermicomposting bins. “At home, I compost outdoors in the warmer months, but in the winter months, scraps would just get thrown in the garbage. Using a worm composting system allows one to compost yearround.”

Composting kits make it easy Renee Sweany, co-founder of Green Piece Indy, a twice-weekly e-mail containing tips for green living, started worm composting about three years ago. “After researching many possibilities for creating a worm habitat, I decided to invest in a Wormtopia kit,” Sweany says. “At the time, I wasn’t much of a do-it-yourself person, so building my own bin from tubs seemed like a lot of work, with too much room for error.” The Wormtopia, which sells for $134.95 at Worm’s Way,

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Photo courtesy Renee Sweany

serves as a multi-level housing unit for worms and includes one pound of red worms, bedding materials, and a book, Worms Eat My Garbage, by Mary Appelhof. “You place your worms and kitchen scraps in the bottom tray, then spread a thick layer of coco coir (shredded coconut husks, which serve as worm bedding) on top,” says Molica. “Once the worms have eaten through the layer of food and bedding, they migrate to the next level to seek out new food. You repeat the process on each level, until the worms make their way to the top level.”

Worm selection Of course, success hinges greatly upon using the right type of worms (red worms or, in warmer climates, African night crawlers work best) and adding the right type of food waste to the bin. Molica recommends coffee grounds, tea

bags, and fruit and vegetable scraps, the exceptions being highly acidic varieties, such as citrus fruit. Avoid adding woody or thorny produce stems as well. Chopping up scraps with a food processor before depositing them makes the process run even smoother. Animal products, including eggs, meat, and dairy, should never be placed in the bin, as worms cannot digest these materials. It’s also imperative to store the bin in a location that keeps a consistent temperature between 60 and 75 degrees.

Storing unit “Most people keep their bins in their basements,” Molica says. “They shouldn’t be kept outside because of the elements and invasion of other insects, such as centipedes or millipedes, which could harm the worms.” During her first year of vermicomposting, Sweany kept her worms inside her home, but later moved

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

Worm composter can be placed in the garden for ready access to castings or worm team.

them to her unheated garage to free up space. “They simply went dormant,” she says. “Then they woke up in the spring with quite an appetite!”

Worm byproducts Once composting begins, minimal maintenance is required, although checking the bottom level of the bin from time to time is recommended. “Once you see a dark brown to black, rich dirt-like substance — vermicompost, a.k.a. worm castings — you can harvest the castings on that particular level,” Molica says. Gather the castings, taking special care to separate the stray worms from the compost, and move the emptied tray to the top. Be sure not to discard the – Continued on page 26

WRIGGLE COMPOST OUT OF GARBAGE Continued from page 25 moisture — commonly known as “worm tea” — that flows through the compost bin. “It is just as nutrient-rich as compost and is much more readily available,” Sweany says. “This spring I had an ailing zucchini plant that tripled in size after I added worm tea.” Because worms typically do not eat produce scraps as quickly as we humans discard them, burying the scraps beneath layers of newspaper, shredded office paper, or finely shredded coco coir is important to keeping gnats and odors at bay. “To harvest good quality castings usually takes a couple of months,” Molica says. “Red worms are efficient eaters, but they do pace themselves.” Sweany says it took her worms a little more than a year to produce enough compost for an 18 square-foot garden. “If you want to have some great compost for a garden next year, get a vermicomposter going right now,” she recommends. RESOURCES: • The City Farmer’s Worm Composting www.cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61 • Cornell University’s Worm Composting Basics www.css.cornell.edu/compost/worms/basics • The Worm Woman, Mary Appelhof www.wormwoman.com • Indy Tilth’s Composting Resources http://tinyurl.com/qejswe • Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof • Worm’s Way, www.wormsway.com Freelance writer Meghan McCormick pens Green Piece Indy (www.greenpieceindy.com), a twice-weekly e-mail with tips for living a greener lifestyle in Indianapolis. A former Indianapolis Monthly assistant editor, she has also written for INtake Weekly and The Indianapolis Star.

GREEN Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods, by Nina Planck, 2009, Bloomsbury, $17, paperback In the same straightforward, sometimes controversial, manner as in her previous foodie classic, Real Food, Nina Planck questions current nutritional guidelines for bringing up baby. In Real Food for Mother and Baby she rails against any rules that limit traditional foods such as butter, whole milk, grass-fed meat, eggs and certain fats (yes, even some fats.) Going against widely accepted concepts, Planck explains that “real” or traditional foods are much superior to industrialized or imitation foods, and should not be replaced by artificially created and stripped down entities, which only resemble “food.” From fertility issues through conception, breast feeding and babies’ first foods, Planck discusses the hazards of modern industrial foods such as margarine and other butter-like spreads, corn-fed beef, bleached white bread, processed white sugar and high fructose corn syrup. She lays out the importance of specific nutrients for father, mother and baby. Based on her experiences and observations with her young son, Planck offers first hand facts and experiences throughout this book. Of particular interest to many may be the nursing dilemma, or more precisely when to wean a baby or toddler. Plank’s conclusions and bold recommendations are not born out of her own opinions, but based on solid research with copious notes and a strong bibliography. The resources and index will make her latest book a standard for mothers who are looking for the best nutritional guidelines for their babies. BY LYNN JENKINS

BOOK REVIEWS What Can We Do: A Book About Global Warming by Cathy Kravitz, 2009, Dog Ear Publishing, $16.95 paperback For families and teachers looking for a way to involve children in the global warming discussion comes What Can We Do, written by Carmel’s Cathy Kravitz. Her book, aimed at third to sixth graders, outlines the problems, offers discussion points and describes what actions we can take to reduce our carbon footprint, all in a story format. The story wends itself around a rambunctious bunch of kids who accomplish quite a lot, from completing homework assignments about global warming to organizing neighborhood meetings to explore ways to conserve resources. The kids opt to play outdoors rather than watch TV or play games on computers. They practice water conservation and ride their bikes or walk instead of begging for rides from mom. They turn off air conditioning and open windows, and they discover what they can accomplish when working together. Kravitz, a potter, painter and art teacher, also provided the charming and lively illustrations for the book. BY JO ELLEN MEYERS SHARP

Cooking Green by Kate Heyhoe, 2009, Da Capo Books, $17.95 paperback From Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation to Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, the last decade has been chock full of books challenging us to more eco-friendly eating. However, relatively little has been written on how to improve the ways we cook our food. Kate Heyhoe’s Cooking Green aims to address this oft-ignored question. Heyhoe offers a unique book that is half ideas for greening your kitchen and half

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

“green basics recipes.” Heyhoe begins by crafting the term “cookprint” in reference to “the impact you make on the planet when you cook.” The cookprint of a meal, although not given a rigorous scientific definition, is useful for getting us to think about all the ecological choices that go into its preparation, from the selection of food to transportation and storage to the ways in which it is prepared. Heyhoe spans the breadth of her definition of cookprint, as she offers suggestions for improving how we cook. She begins by looking at the appliances we use and focuses especially on ovens and cooktops. “The simplest way to shrink a cookprint is to reach for cooktop recipes first, rather than oven ones,” she writes. The “What to Buy” chapter guides readers through the many ecological dilemmas at the grocery store or farmers market. The book includes many tasty recipes, too, with Heyboe’s focus on everyday, basic foods that, prepared properly, help lower a meal’s cookprint. These recipes represent many cuisines, including Mexican, Vietnamese and Italian. The book also has a fine section of meat-free main dish recipes. Cooking Green is an essential book, one that you will want to re-read and use frequently as a kitchen resource. BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH

Smith is editor of The Englewood Review of Books (http://englewoodreview.org), where this review first appeared. It is reprinted here with permission.

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Daina’s Petite Pies — Caramel Apple Just in time for fall, Caramel Apple pie is filled with chunks of five varieties of apples from Appleworks in Trafalgar, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with caramel and crunchy streusel. Each bite is interesting because of the different apples with a caramelized filling of evaporated milk, cream and a crunchy topping of oatmeal, peanut butter and brown sugar. Daina Chamness’ pork, apple, veggie, shepherd’s, tamale, and chicken pies were named Indiana Artisans, a state program that promotes handcrafted, value-added food products. An individual pie is $6.95; full size, $20. Available at farmers markets and select independent grocers. Visit the Web site to find locations and menus: http://dainaspetitepies.com

West Paw Eco Nap Dog Beds Your pooch will love this slim profile dog bed. It will make owners happy too with its stylish design, durability and easy maintenance. The machine-washable Eco Nap is made with a green eco fabric, which includes an outer shell made of 85 percent IntelliLoft fibers, which are produced from recycled plastic bottles. The inner fill is 100 percent IntelliLoft. The extra large Eco Nap diverts more than 40 plastic bottles from landfills. The fibers are also very durable and strong to make the Eco Nap unlike any other dog bed available. It’s lightweight and makes a great road trip bed for the back of the car. The low profile makes it easy to slide under a bed or couch. Made in USA. Cost: $26.99 to $92.99. Available at www.TuwA.com

SUBMISSIONS

Indiana Living Green September/October 2009

Please send information about your green products to: Editor@IndianaLivingGreen.com, or mail to Indiana Living Green, 1730 S. 950 E., Zionsville, IN 46077.

You Wanted WHAT with that Whole Wheat Toast? Selling sustainably grown and artisan-made food is without a doubt the most satisfying work I’ve ever done. What I hadn’t expected was the collection of comedic moments that would come along as a bonus. Folks shop at farmers markets for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is to get some entertainment with their fresh groceries. But a prized handful will never know the wealth of laughs they provide to us vendors in return. The major product from our farm is a line of organic whole grain breads, for which I have my oven-loving hubby to thank. Most of our clients think his recipes are pretty good, but a few believe it’s their duty to vastly improve upon his ingredient choices. The most memorable was a woman looking for a bakery product without wheat, gluten, dairy, yeast, salt, oil or sugar. She had been able to get such a creature, in frozen form, from a company in northern Indiana, now sadly out of business. Once thawed, the product had to be eaten quickly, she recalled, because it didn’t stay edible long. I bit my tongue just enough to avoid blurting out that it seemed to lack all criteria for edibility to begin with. She left insisting that we could make a fortune if we would only resurrect this wonder of her culinary world. My husband was once faced with a woman who lingered at our market table long enough to complain between bites of a large Danish pastry that she couldn’t buy our breads because her doctor had ordered a no-gluten diet. The hole that my hubby bit into his tongue that day may never quite heal. Similarly, not a season goes by that I don’t get a handful of diabetics who ask if I sell anything they can eat. I call upon the decades I spent in medical research to

give them a brief tour of the benefits of fiber and complex carbohydrates as part of a balanced diet, and steer them to the whole grain side of the table. I no longer cringe when they invariably opt instead for a bag of my European butter cookies. When the bread shares table space with my vegetables, it’s the reaction to my mix of colorful bush beans that brings the most chuckles. One woman deemed them scary, insisting that the purple ones looked poisonous. I didn’t divulge that if I were in the business of poisoning my fellow citizens, I’d pick a plant that was a whole lot less obvious than a hybrid bush bean in July. Food irony is not limited to breads and veggies, as I learned when swapping stories with other vendors. One beef grower is continually left speechless

THE LAST ROW BY MARIA SMIETANA

when asked whether his products are frozen, while the questioner still holds the solidly icy block of meat in his hands. But he chuckles most over the disappointed fellow who announced into his cell phone that there were no bananas anywhere at the market. We think he’s related to the shopper who was incredulous when informed that avocados do not grow in Indiana. The blue ribbon, however, still goes to a veteran egg vendor, who briefly supplied a small-town restaurateur with the best his free-range hens could lay. The bright yolks turned her cakes “too yellow,” the client said upon canceling her order, and her breakfast crowd, no doubt accustomed to factory-farm eggs, complained that her scramblers and over-easys were starting to taste “too fresh.”

Maria Smietana, is a refugee from the corporate world who now writes and grows organic produce on her mini-farm in Boone County.

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