July / August Issue

BUILDING/REMODELING

• Exterior Paints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

ENERGY

• Ceiling Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

FAMILY/HOME/EDUCATION

• Green Funerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

• Safe Cosmetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

GARDEN/NATURE

• Control pests in the garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

LOCAL FOODS/BEVERAGES

• Saucy Flavors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

FEATURES

• Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

• Green, Greener, Greenest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

• Green Finds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

• Green Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

• Footprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

• News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

• Publisher’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

• The Last Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Let bugs de-bug your yard.Page 10

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

I N D I A N A L I V I N G G R E E Nis published bimonthly and is printed on

recycled paper with soy-based inks.

© 2009 by Indiana Living Green, Inc.Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

P U B L I S H E RLynn Jenkins

[email protected](317) 769-3456

E D I TO RJo Ellen Meyers Sharp

[email protected]

C O N T R I B U TO R S :Susan GillieBob Koschkatom mCain

Michele McCarthyEd McKinley

Betsy SheldonMaria Smietana

C O P Y E D I TO RJoseph L. Bennett

S A L E [email protected]

(317) 769-3456

G R A P H I C D E S I G NPaul Wilson Design(317) 624-9900

W E B D E S I G NMargaret Hsu Stout

[email protected]

P R I N T I N GThe Papers

Milford, Indiana

S U B S C R I P T I O N S$18, six issues

Indiana Living Green1730 S. 950 E.

Zionsville, IN 46077

C I R C U L A T I O N20,000

1

T H EGREEN C A L E N D A R

VISIT IndianaLivingGreen.com FOR THE MOST UP TO DATE CALENDAR!

2 www.IndianaLivingGreen.com

Please submit calendar items by visitingour Web site: www.IndianaLivingGreen.com ore-mail [email protected]

SUBMISSIONS

GREEN1. Avoid routine spraying of plants with chemicals. Diagnose specificproblems and use the least harmful products only when necessary.

2. Create summer meals made of fresh veggies, organic foods andproducts from local markets.

3. Dress for the weather and use fans rather than air conditioningto cool an area.

GREENER1. Create a healthy environment for your plants, including regularadditions of compost to the soil.

2. Buy local products, such as breads, salsas, meats, eggs, pies anddairy from local stores, farms and markets, encouraging a systemof local food security.

3. When possible, close windows and drapes in the morning to createa cool cave effect; open windows in the evening after temps dropto 70º F or below.

GREENEST1. Accept a certain amount of insect damage and allow nature tofind its balance.

2. Start a compost pile. Grow your own veggies. Make your ownsalsas. Put away some of your own food for the winter.

3. Purchase green power from your utility provider so that theelectricity you use supports a clean environment and green jobs.

Indiana Living Green offers ways for you to make a difference.

GREEN•GREENER

GREENEST

We welcome hot summer days

till the heat and humidity get

so high that air conditioning is

the only relief. We baby

boomers well remember the

sweltering summers before we

could travel from air-conditioned

homes in air-conditioned cars to air-conditioned shops

and workplaces. Evenings were often spent outside

where it was cooler. Humid summer nights were worse

than the days with the only breeze a squeaky fan, sheets sticking

to the skin and pillows constantly turned to find the cooler side.

But those oppressive summers gave usthe opportunity to chase lighting bugs,dabble in creeks, ride bikes fast just tocreate our own breeze and even rest inthe shade of a tree looking for puppies,cars and other shapes in the thick cumulusclouds. Muggy evenings offered thechance to distinguish the night soundsand to become familiar with the stars asa part of our environment, not just achapter in the science book.

A recent NBC-TV experiment inPhiladelphia challenged a group of highschool kids to eliminate cell phone ande-mail use for 10 days. The outcomeproved surprising for one participant whohad to determine what to do with hisnew-found “free time.” He recounted that

Indiana Living Green July/August 2009 3

he studied more, exercised more andinteracted more often with his family.

What might happen if we chose tosimplify our lives and reach back a bitto communicate more with family, com-munity and the environment? Wouldour sense of place help us find what weare busily pursuing in our hectic huntfor “better living?” Just maybe, anoccasional still evening under the starscatching lightning bugs and listening tothe summer sounds, or a warm daywatching clouds drift or skipping rocksin a creek might help us rediscover ourproper sense of direction.

LYNN JENKINS

GREENGreetings! Lynn Jenkins,Publisher

Summer: chill, simplify, communicatewith each other and nature

Please send your Rants&Raves to:[email protected]: (317) 251-8545Indiana Living Green1730 S. 950 E., Zionsville, IN. 46077

Illustration©iStock.com

“When you buy anew car off theshowroom, it’s alreadytaken more energy tobuild it than it willuse in its lifetime,”he says. “My modelwill provide jobs, but

eliminate the factories andhuge dealerships.”More than 40,000

guests have toured theGiant, and millions morehave learned from TVdocumentaries andcoverage about the high-tech home. The Giant ispowered by solar panelsand storage batteries,which produce enoughenergy to run two com-puters, a big-screen TVand a washing machine,not to mention a record-ing studio and a one-of-a-

kind refrigerator. The hollowed beechtree is positioned to take advantage ofcool underground air. With the help of atiny microchip, the freezer maintainstemperatures that keep ice cream solid.

Cook, who’s earned the President’sAward for tourism and WRTV- Channel6’s Leadership Award, anticipates thathe could complete the prototype of hisvehicle in 14 to 18 months. “It is mostassuredly the car of the future,” he says.

Betsy Sheldon writes regularly abouttopics of sustainability and is co-author ofGreen Cleaning For Dummies and a blog-ger for Wiley Publishing.

hat do you getwhen you mixWillie Nelson,

Leonardo da Vinci,Henry David Thoreauand a Hobbit? A manwith musical acumen,creative genius, respectfor nature, and a prefer-ence for living in a half-underground home — aman known as Vic Cook.

A musician-by-trade,educator and renewableenergy advocate bydestiny, Cook lives off thegrid in the Giant, a homehe designed and built him-self from stone, timber andother materials gatheredon his thick-wooded prop-erty outside Pendleton.

Cook, who observesthat the two environmen-tal issues that affectAmericans most are their homes andtheir transportation, is now focusingon creating an affordable electrichybrid vehicle. He’s completed designwork and has been presenting theconcept to audiences in the CentralIndiana area, as he seeks $1.5 millionto build the prototype.

Cook envisions a car that not onlygets 60 miles per gallon running onethanol, but also generates enough extraenergy, to help power the owner’s home.He’s also committed to a productionprocess so simple that the car couldbe assembled by a service station orsmall business.

Footprints provides snapshots of Hoosiers who embrace, promote and foster asustainable lifestyle. If you have someone to recommend, please e-mail:[email protected]

SUBMISSIONS

FOOTPRINTS BY B E T S Y SHE LDON


Indiana’s Green Giant

W

When you buy a newcar off the showroom,it’s already taken more

energy to build it than itwill use in its lifetime,”he says. “My model will

provide jobs, but eliminatethe factories andhuge dealerships.

—Vic Cook

“

”©BetsySheldon

E N V I R O N M E N T

Conner Prairie expandsgreen initiatives

Fishers — Conner Prairie Interactive HistoryPark has installed a 45-foot-tall wind turbineand 22 solar roof panels and begun restora-tion of a 200-acre prairie grassland to reducethe park’s impact on the environment andconserve resources.The Uni-Solar panels, located on the roof

of the Welcome Center, and Skystream windturbine feed directly into the power grid atConner Prairie. They also are used to educateguests about the natural environment.The prairie project is expected to have a

major impact onwater quality andhabitat restorationin the upper WhiteRiver watershed. Itwill allow guests toexplore a typical19th-centuryIndiana prairiegrass habitat. It willtake up to threeyears to establishfully.

E N E R G Y

Purdue researches newways to produce biofuels

West Lafayette — The U.S. Department ofEnergy plans to fund a $20 million effort tocreate an Energy Frontier Research Center toadvance work in biofuels at Purdue University.The center will investigate methods to bypassthe currently used processes involving biologicalfermentation, reducing the need for large andexpensive biorefineries and expanding therange of biofuels beyond ethanol.The Department of Energy also chose

Purdue's project as one of 16 that will be fund-ed by President Obama's American Recoveryand Reinvestment Act. The five-year project todevelop direct conversion technologies of plantbiomass to fuels will create at least 20 newjobs for students, postdoctoral researchers andprofessional staff in Indiana and another eightjobs at partner institutions.

Yorktown landsheadquarters, manufacturing

operations for renewableenergy

Yorktown — VAT-Energies, LLC, and VAT-Service, LLC, wholly owned subsidiaries ofVAT-Service Getriebetechnik in Germany, planto locate their North American corporateheadquarters, service and manufacturingfacilities near Yorktown in Delaware County.the company make vertical vane turbinesand renewable energy powered lightingsystems for municipalities, neighborhoodsand other applications.The companies will invest $3.3 million to

locate in an existing 60,000 SF facility in ParkOne Business Park, at the intersection of I-69and Ind. 332. The plans call for up to 120new jobs locally by 2011.VAT is the second group of companies

specializing in wind and renewable energycomponents production to select DelawareCounty for its U.S. headquarters. Last fall,Brevini announced plans to locate its NorthAmerican wind turbine gearbox manufacturingfacilities in the Muncie area, creating 450jobs and adding $60 million in new capitalinvestment.

For the latest news about green living, visit: www.IndianaLivingGreen.com. Submityour news items with high-resolution images to: [email protected]

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ORGANIC,

The Cosmetics Conundrum:


Could it really be possible thatharmful toxic chemicals are in myfavorite beauty products? After all, theskin is the largest organ in our bodies,and it readily absorbs chemicals thatmay be found in the lotions, potions,creams and makeup that we use on adaily basis.

Should you search for products thatare labeled as natural or organic in orderto guarantee they are safe to use? Or areproducts being greenwashed via cleverpackaging and marketing campaigns,tricking consumers into thinking thesecosmetics are not detrimental to healthand not toxic to the environment?Recognition of this cosmetics conun-drum motivated Indiana Living Greento explore what’s really lurking in beau-ty products.

Skin-deep knowledgeSavvy green-minded shoppers must

educate themselves about their favoritebeauty products to learn whether theycontain ingredients harmful to health orthe environment. Focusing on the labelsrather than the often-enticing packagingenables the consumer to make informedchoices. Reading the list of ingredients,recognizing what to avoid and under-standing what latent effect these chemi-cals may have are essential steps whendeciding which cosmetics to purchase.

What kind of basic knowledge isneeded in order to make educatedchoices regarding beauty products?According to Julie Gabriel, author ofThe Green Beauty Guide, productsshould be “formulated without harmfultoxic chemicals — including paraben

B Y M I C H E L E M C CA RT H Y

What’s a girl to do when she wants to treat herself to some new cosmetics,

but has heard rumblings about lead in lipstick or mercury in mascara?

g©iStock.com

chemicals ending with -xynol, -ceteareth and –eth. as well as ethylene,polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethyleneor oxynol. Research shows that 1,4-dioxane easily soaks into the skin.1,4-dioxane is considered a probablehuman carcinogen by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency.

• Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethan-olamine (TEA) are ammonia com-pounds that can form cancer-causingnitrosamines when they come incontact with nitrates. Nitrosaminesare banned in both Canada and theEuropean Union. They are found inmost personal care products.

• Petrolatum is more commonly knownas petroleum jelly and is a cheapbyproduct of oil that leaves a largecarbon footprint. Petrolatum is com-monly found in lip balm and lip gloss.

Little to no regulationTo further the dilemma about what’s

what in the world of beauty products,cosmetics is a $30 billion a year industry,which operates without much regulationof its products. The Food and DrugAdministration is the regulatory agencyfor the industry, but that seems to be onlyin name. Even though the Federal FoodDrug & Cosmetic Act “prohibits themarketing of adulterated or misbrandedcosmetics in interstate commerce,” theFDA “does not have the authority to givepre-market approval of cosmetic productsand ingredients in order to be marketedlegally except for color additives.”

Stacy Malkan, author of Not Just aPretty Face: The Ugly Side of the BeautyIndustry notes “there are still no industrystandards for organic personal care prod-ucts in the United States.” There-fore, cos-metics companies ultimately are account-able to ensure the safety of their productsand ingredients. This type of self-policingcreates an environment where consumersmust take the initiative to look for beautyproducts that meet their own standards.


and formaldehyde-based preservatives,sulfate-based detergents, syntheticpenetration enhancers, artificial dyesand fragrances.” Beauty products also“shouldn’t contain chemicals that poisonthe environment, such as phosphate andsulfate detergents, petrochemicals andphthalates.”

Unpronounceably toxicWhat do these foreign sounding

words mean to those of us who love toperuse the cosmetics counter, but do nothave a background in science? As a ruleof thumb, avoid products with ingredi-ents that you cannot pronounce. Useyour purchasing power and talk to salespeople or retail managers about the cos-metics they sell. Ask them about theingredients. Use your purchasing powerto let the industry know that consumerswant eco-friendly and health-consciouscosmetics rather than products full ofdamaging ingredients.

Here is a list of toxic ingredientscommonly found in many beauty prod-ucts and why they may be unsafe. Thisis by no means an exhaustive inventory;most beauty products contain far toomany chemicals to mention, but this is agood starting point. Clip this list andtake it along on your next shopping trip.

• Phthalates (pronounced tha-lates)are industrial chemicals used to holdcolor and fragrances. Research sug-gests that phthalates may disrupthormonal systems in both men andwomen.

• Parabens are preservatives used toprevent bacteria growth and extendthe shelf life of products. Studieshave shown that they are weaklyestrogenic (female hormones orsteroids) and can be absorbed by thebody through the skin.

• 1,4-dioxane is commonly found insodium lauryl/laureth sulfates and – Continued on page 8

green©iStock.com

REFERENCES:

• The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel,HCI (www.thegreenbeautyguide.com)

• Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Sideof the Beauty Industry by Stacy Malkan,New Society Publishers,(www.notjustaprettyface.org)

• Don’t Go to the Cosmetics CounterWithout Me: A Unique Guide to over30,000 Products, Plus the Latest Skin-Care Research by Paula Begoun withBryan Barron, Beginning Press

• Organic Beautymagazine,www.organicbeautymagazine.net

• Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database,www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

• FDA: www.tinyurl.com/y8m6n4

• USDA: www.tinyurl.com/539tnq

Michele McCarthy lives in Indianapolis with her husband and four kids. Her love of allthings green stems from her passion about holistic health and wellness. She is one of theleaders for the Indianapolis chapter of the Holistic Moms Network, www.holisticmoms.org


Another piece of this puzzleis the use of the words naturaland organic when describingcosmetics. Products beingdescribed as natural don’t needto meet any specific require-ments. The description is mis-leading because it often impliesthe contents are non-toxic.Gabriel notes that according togovernment labeling require-ments, natural means that aningredient “has not been signif-icantly altered from its originalstate, nor has anything beenremoved from it (with theexception of water), nor haveother substances been addedto it.”

Read the labelReading labels is the best way to

tell whether products are actually toxinfree or whether the marketing depart-ment has greenwashed the package topromote a sense of environmental healthand well being. The FDA does not havean official definition for organic either,as it applies to cosmetics. A beautyproduct labeled as “made with organicingredients” does not have to meet anyspecific standards.

To meet the growing demand fornon-toxic cosmetics, products are nowbeing manufactured and stamped as“certified organic,” which means theyhave met various standards as set forthby a certifying association, but not theFDA. The criteria for various associa-tions are different in regard to whatcertified organic actually implies. Eachorganization issues its own seal ofapproval based on the products’ ingredi-ents, which then provides some sortof consumer protection guarantee. Keepin mind that according to the U.S.Department of Agriculture, “certifiedorganic” means that an ingredient orthe whole product meets its standardsand has been grown or producedaccording to strict government-enforcedorganic agricultural standards.”

THE COSMETICS CONUNDRUM Continued from page 7

However, this definition does not applyto cosmetics or beauty products, and itis not what is implied with the stampof approval from various certifyingorganizations. Consumers, therefore,must still read the label to determinewhat’s actually in the product.

Ingredient databaseThe Environmental Working Group’s

Skin Deep cosmetic safety database is agreat resource to investigate what ingre-dients are in various beauty products.This Web site rates products on a scaleof 1 to 10, based on a variety of factors,including any potential health or envi-ronmental hazards linked to the prod-uct. The reports also include whetherthe company has signed the Campaignfor Safe Cosmetics Act, as well as thelist of ingredients from the packaging.

Eco-friendly and non-toxic productsare available both locally and online at avariety of places. Whole Foods, WindingWay Farms, Bllomingfoods, SunspotNatural Market, Aveda, Sephora,Macy’s Beautiful Planet, Origins andSkin Crafters are just a few places in theCentral Indiana area that provide cos-

metics along the green spec-trum. For online purchases,here are just a few of themany Web sites selling safercosmetics: www.organicdivas.-com, www.Upurea.com andwww.natureofbeauty.com.The debate continues about

the validity of organic beautyproducts. Also, regulation ofthe cosmetics industry is notstandardized. The good newsis that safer alternatives areavailable. Learning whatingredients are found in cos-metics will be the biggestadvantage in determiningwhether the product containspotential toxins. Purchasing

beauty products as an informed con-sumer will get you on track towardgreening up your cosmetics. �

©Gimmestock.com


DON’T LET IT

Parasitic wasp (Ichneumon)

B Y J O E L L E N MEY E R S S H A R P

Lady beetle larva eating aphids.

bugYOU

Preying mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)

PhotocourtesyPurdue

University

© iStock.com

A vital part of nature anda sustainable landscape arethe insects and birds.Hummingbirds, finches,bees and butterflies, spreadpollen from plant to plant,aiding in the production of foodand flowers. Worms, beetles and antsloosen the soil and make pathways forwater and other nutrients to reachplants’ roots. Birds also eat insects aspart of their diet. And they feed on oneanother, too.However, none of us wants our land-

scapes ruined by pests that are going toeat the leaves or suck life’s juices fromour fruit and flowers. A sustainable wayto protect our landscapes is to practiceintegrated pest management, a tool shedof methods that reduce or eliminate ourneed for synthetic chemical intervention.Pest management in this context

includes all pests: insects, diseases andweeds. In this article, we’ll look at howthis works with insects and diseases.These include cultural practices as wellas several types of controls, includingbiological, genetic, mechanical or physi-cal, regulatory and chemical. IPM is con-sidered a common-sense and cents-savingway to control pests in our landscapes.Here are some tips:

Cultural controls:Make sure your landscape has a wide

variety of plant species. The more diversi-ty, the less damage there will be frominsects and diseases.

Select plants that are resistant topests. Consider avoiding plants in therose family, because they are a big drawfor Japanese beetles. Select plants that areright for the site in size and horticulture

When it comes to sustainable practices in the landscape, we look tonature for examples. For instance, we use compost, leaf litter, manuresand other organicmatter to improve our soil. Nature uses these elements,too. We only have to walk in woods and look at the ground to see bitsof leaves and other plant debris layered in the soil. Animals make theircontributions, too.

requirements, such as fullsun or wet soil. Makesure plants that are sus-ceptible to fungus diseases

have good air circulation tohelp fight the disease.

Follow proper planting methods.Plants that are planted improperly aremore susceptible to attacks from insectsand diseases. Improperly planted plantsalso will not thrive.

Biological controls:Eliminate the use of insecticides,

which are non-selective. Non-selectiveinsecticides do not discriminate betweena bad bug, such as an aphid, and a goodbug, like a butterfly. Instead, rely on abad bug’s natural predator to take careof the situation. For instance, adult andlarvae lady beetles love to dine onaphids. Spiders are another predatorycreature that makes fast work of bugs.You can introduce predatory insects,

such as lady beetles, praying mantis andparasitic wasps, to your garden by pur-chasing them at some garden centersor at retailers that specialize in environ-mentally friendly products for the land-scape, such as Worm's Way, Gardener'sSupply and Gardens Alive!

Genetic controls:Select plants that have been hybridized

to be resistant to insects or diseases.For instance, there are crabapple varietiesthat are resistant to the fungus diseasesthat attack this ornamental tree’s leaves.Also, certain cultivars of tomatoes

have been bred to be resistant to wiltand other diseases.


– Continued on page 28

Lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis)

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Paint ItGreen©iStock.com

B Y B E T S Y S H E L D O N

Coffee compost or straw-bale gold? For the environmentally attuned,

finding an acceptable paint for the outside of the home isn’t as easy as

selecting a color. A number of factors come into play, and first among

these is the level of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, in paints. The

carbon-based elements found in many household products emit toxic

vapors that pollute indoor space and linger for months after the paint

dries, potentially causing eye irritation; headaches; nausea; and liver, kid-

ney and nervous system damage. Prolonged exposure has even been

linked to cancer.

Even though paint fumes dissipatefaster outdoors, they combine with fos-sil-fuel byproducts and sunlight to createground-level ozone, which adds to smog.To make matters worse, exterior paintsand stains typically contain more VOCsthan their indoor counterparts. Blame iton the weather: “These paints need tostand up to the elements and tempera-ture extremes,” says Robyn Baker, in-store designer for Green Way Supply.“It’s the VOCs that lend the tough,durable attributes.”

At present there are no zero-VOCexterior paints, and natural paints basedon clay or milk aren’t rugged enough foroutdoors. But Baker reports that findinga suitably low-VOC shade — whethernet-zero neutral or photovoltaic fuchsia— is possible.

Paint by NumbersQuick lesson: The VOC level in

paints and stains is measured in gramsper liter, or g/L. The U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency defines zero-VOCpaints as having less than 5 g/L. Its stan-dard for “low” is 250 g/L for water-

based paints and stains, and 380 g/L foroil-based products. These levels are high-er than many state and private agencystandards.

Eco-minded manufacturers are morelikely to follow Green Seal’s more strin-gent GS-11 standard. The independentthird-party certification (www.green-seal.org) sets interior paints at 50 to150g/L and exterior products at 100 to 200g/L. In addition, GS-11 prohibits a hostof EPA-allowed chemicals such as ben-zene, formaldehyde, and toluene, andsets stringent performance standards forwear and tear and washability.

Scott Schmitt, owner of GreenbrushPainters and a painting contractor formore than 13 years, explains that low-VOC paints have come a long way inthe past few years, performing as well asor better than traditional paints andavailable in a spectrum of colors and avariety of textural finishes, from flat tosemi-gloss. Best of all, many of theseexterior products are available at VOClevels well-below 50 g/L.




SHOPPING FOR PAINT Schmitt suggests the following steps for buying low-VOC exterior paint:

1. Research online. Visit brand Web sites and request VOC information, which may beprovided in the form of a Material Safety Data Sheet. You can also find this information on the MSDS Web site (www.msds.search.com).

2. Check for third-party certifications, such as Green Seal. Be alert to certifications that appear to be from the manufacturer.3. Look for the VOC content in tiny type on the back of the paint can label.4. Purchase from a paint retailer rather than a big-box store if you want to talk to

someone who is knowledgeable about paints and VOCs.5. Ask about pigments! Consumers often don’t understand that the color added to the

base paint can also contain VOCs. Ask whether the store’s tint system is zero- or low-VOC. If not, shop around for one that is—or if that’s not an option, go with a lightercolor (the darker the pigment, the more VOCs.)

6. Not surprisingly, no- and low-VOC paints cost more than the conventional formulas.It doesn’t hurt to ask for a contractor discount.

7. If you prefer to hire a painting company, find one that is committed to environmental principles and uses the lowest VOC product possible.Angie’s List now identifies eco-friendly businesses on its Web site (www.angieslist.com).

PAINT IT GREEN Continued from page 13


Betsy Sheldon writes regularly abouttopics of sustainability and is co-authorof Green Cleaning For Dummies and ablogger for Wiley Publishing.

CaveatsThe increase in demand for zero-

and low-VOC paints is certainly goodnews. But it doesn’t mean these productsare entirely without risk. As Terry Black,co-owner of Green Way Supply, says,“They harm less, but they aren’t neces-sarily harmless.”

Even zero-VOC paints may containharsh chemicals that off-gas, such as

ammonia, but because they don’tcontribute to smog, they’re notconsidered VOCs. The safestcourse of action is to buy nomore paint than you’ll need,follow the manufacturer’s instruc-tions (I know, it’s sort of likepaying attention to the flightattendant demonstrating the seatbelt mechanics), and carefullystore the remainder. You canalso donate leftover paint to anonprofit enterprise such asHabitat for Humanity’s Re-Store.

Says Schmitt, whose business useslow- or no-VOC paints exclusively,“Conventional paint still sells better thanlow-VOC paint. But green will be ouronly option sometime soon.” �

LOW-VOC PAINTS TO CONSIDER:

• AFM Safecoat• Benjamin Moore Aura• Mythic Non-Toxic Paint• Sherwin-Williams’ Superpaint, A100,Resilient

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GREEN FO

B Y E D M C K I N L E Y


R

18

“You don’t want to go out making astatement that is not how you lived yourlife,” says Seaman, now president of theFuneral Consumers Alliance ofBloomington. Through her work withthe nearly eight-year-old nonprofitgroup, Seaman informs consumers oftheir interment options and is helping tonurture the green burial movement inIndiana.

In most discussions of green burial, atrend just beginning to gain momentumhere and across the nation, proponentsbring up the four-year-old Santa Fe,N.M.,-based Green Burial Council andJoe Sehee, its founder and executivedirector. The council sets standards forgreen cemeteries, green funeral homesand green burial products, and it certi-fies companies that meet the standards.

Like most of his cohorts on thegreen-burial scene, Sehee points out thatmuch of what Americans think theyknow about burial laws simply isn’ttrue. Contrary to popular opinion, not asingle state in the Union requiresembalming, steel caskets or concreteburial vaults, he says. No laws prohibitburial of an unembalmed body in abiodegradable container placed directlyin the ground, he notes.

“It’s something that just drives mecrazy,” Sehee says of the common mis-conceptions. “I hold the funeral industryresponsible for perpetuating thosemyths.” He recommends asking 10 ran-dom funeral directors about green bur-ial. “I’ll bet you get 10 different shadesof the truth.”

Despite Sehee’s impatience with what

Carol Seaman began thinking about alternatives to traditional American

burial about a decade ago, after three of her ecologically conscious friends

died young. It didn’t seem right to Seaman that lives devoted to recycling,

reuse and composting should end with toxic formaldehyde embalming

fluid, air-tight caskets sheathed in steel as thick as car fenders and water-

proof burial vaults of reinforced concrete.

he sees as a cavalier treatment of thefacts, the council is working successfullywith scores of funeral homes and ceme-teries across the country to advance thegreen cause. Local examples includeIndianapolis-based Flanner andBuchanan Funeral Centers, NathanButler Funeral Home in Worthingtonand Lafayette’sHippensteel FuneralService and Crematory.

Hippensteel performedthe first green burial in theMidwest on Sept. 8, 2008,and has logged two moresince then, says JoeCanaday, the funeralhome’s business manager.Others doubt those burialsqualified as the region’sfirst green intermentsbecause nearly all burialsbefore the mid-1800swould count as green. Butfew would deny theHippensteel burials’importance to the greenmovement.

For all three ofHippensteel’s green burialsthe families chose100 percent biodegrad-able caskets, Canaday says. The funeralhome required embalming of two of thebodies because the families displayedthem in public visitations, he notes.Hippensteel laid all three to rest in thePreserve in Spring Vale in Lafayette.

The Preserve, opened just a weekbefore the first Hippensteel burial there,is the Midwest‘s first green burialground, according to Canaday, and wasthe first recognized as green in Indianaby the Green Burial Council. The wood-ed one-and-a-half acre Preserve couldaccommodate 310 burials and sits adja-cent to the established conventionalSpring Vale cemetery. Available landnearby would allow the cemetery toexpand the Preserve to 20 acres, saysCanaday.

Standards and advice from the GreenBurial Council contributed so much tothe planning and execution of thePreserve at Spring Vale that Canadaydescribes the information as “MapQuest”for traveling from Point A to Point B inoperating a green cemetery.

The council defines three categories ofgreen cemeteries, says Sehee. He consultedexperts in finance, management, sustain-able landscape design, restoration ecology,consumer affairs and conservation man-agement, combined with “way too manylawyers” to set standards stringentenough to have meaning but practicalenough to accommodate hard-nosed busi-ness people, he says.


A low-impact burial ground, thecouncil’s first level, reduces waste, toxinsand energy use by banning metal cas-kets, concrete burial vaults andformaldehyde-based embalming. If acemetery meets the first-level require-ments and looks esthetically natural, itreaches the second level and qualifies as

a natural burial ground.The highest-level greencemeteries, called conser-vation burial grounds,meet the parameters ofthe first two levels andalso help restore andsteward the land with thehelp of a conservationentity, such as a landtrust.

The board of ThePreserve at Spring Valesought help from theIndiana Department ofNatural Resources, theTippecanoe County Soiland Water ConservationDistrict, the Green BurialCouncil, local conserva-tion groups and seedcompanies, Canaday says.

To return the Preserve to the savan-nah that once edged northwesternIndiana, he says, the board has plantedindigenous grasses and wildflowerswhile culling a few trees to mimic thenatural canopy that typically coveredabout 50 percent of the ground herebefore modern development.

Instead of traditional marble, graniteor limestone tombstones, the Preservewill mark graves with rounded stonesfound in the area. Families can chooseto engrave flat surfaces of the mostlyrounded stones, Canaday says. The pre-serve is planting electronic devices in thegraves that the staff can use to locate theexact spots where bodies rest, he adds.

At the area’s second green cemetery,Kessler Woods in Indianapolis, planners


Contrary to popular opinion, not asingle state in the Union requiresembalming, steel caskets or concreteburial vaults. No laws prohibit burialof an unembalmed body in abiodegradable container placeddirectly in the ground.

©PhillipGiddens

The Preserve at Spring Vale in Tippecanoe County.


were still mulling over rules for monu-ments and electronic locators as IndianaLiving Green was going to press. Theburial ground, a section in WashingtonPark North that could expand to asmany as five acres, was scheduled toopen in May.

Kessler Woods falls under the juris-diction of the Washington ParkCemetery Association, a nonprofitorganization that operates seven ceme-teries in greater Indianapolis in associa-tion with Flanner and Buchanan FuneralCenters, says Ted Mau, association pres-ident.

Except for Kessler Woods, the associ-ation grooms its properties to fit thewell-manicured image of close-clipped,lush green grass most Americans associ-ate with cemeteries. “We keep it neatand orderly,” Mau says of the tradition-al grounds.

But that’s not the theme at KesslerWoods. “The intent here is to have amore natural feel — like you’re walkingin a state park or national park,” saysMau. “I’ve spent a lot of time in RockyMountain National Park, and my hopeis Kessler Woods winds up looking likesomething along those lines.”

Several families arranged in advancefor space in Kessler Woods before theburial ground opened, says Barb Milton,Flanner and Buchanan vice president ofcommunity relations. She credited mediacoverage with an uptick in interest ingreen burials.

But the green burial movement ismerely catching up with the low-costfunerals already offered by NathanButler Funeral Home, according to MattMulligan, the funeral provider’s admin-istrator. The Worthington-based compa-ny, which has no bricks-and-mortarfuneral home, was launched six yearsago.

“We didn’t build a multi-million-dol-lar building and charge a couple thou-sand dollars for four hours of visita-tion,“ says Mulligan. “We do them inchurches where they are free.” The

funeral home also conducts funerals atfraternal organizations and in clients’homes.

What Mulligan repeatedly refers toas “the Entrenched Industry” charges$8,000 to $12,000 for a traditionalfuneral — figures that roughly fall intoline with surveys of Monroe Countyfuneral homes conducted and publishedby the Funeral Consumers Alliance ofBloomington. “Our traditional or com-mercialized funeral service, including thecasket and the vault, is $4,500,”Mulligan says.

Green funerals typically cost lessthan traditional funerals because of less-expensive caskets and the absence ofembalming. Some families reduce thecost even more by skipping visitationand even by digging the grave them-selves by hand, says Mulligan. Burial ina green cemetery costs about the sameas in a traditional cemetery, however,observers agree.

Nathan Butler charges $1,350 forthe most basic green burial, Mulligansays. The funeral home adds a card-board casket for $50, or a total of$1,400. For an additional $500, or atotal of $1,850, the funeral homeincludes a locally made flat-top oakveneer casket.

“What we would do is come out andpick up the deceased and transport themto the place of burial — or to the funer-al home and then later to the place ofburial – with refrigeration in the mean-time,” says Mulligan. Bigger cemeteriestend to require vaults, but MonroeCounty alone has 20 or so small town-

GREEN FOR ETERNITY Continued from page 13

ship, private and church cemeteries withno such rules, he says.

Nathan Butler’s low-cost burialsbuck trends that arose partly in responseto circumstance and partly as an attemptto capitalize on circumstance, many inthe funeral industry agree.

Conventional wisdom holds thatembalming provided a way of preservingbodies of Union soldiers killed in theCivil War for rail transport home. Thenear-mummification of Lincoln’s bodyfor repeated viewings during its odysseyfrom Washington to Springfield, Ill.,deepened the acceptance of embalming.

By the 1880s, ghouls were digging upfreshly buried corpses in the name of sci-ence to sell as cadavers to medicalschools. That trend gave rise to suppos-edly secure burial vaults. Cemeterieslater justified their requirement forvaults by noting that the dirt atop agrave tends to sink if the casket isallowed to decay, yielding an indentationin the otherwise perfect turf.

Funeral directors sold caskets of 18-or 20-gauge steel — about the thicknessused in automobile bodies — by askingthe bereaved whether they wanted metalsuitable for a Cadillac’s fender or for atuna can, one observer notes.

Sehee grows so cynical when describ-ing the industry that he cites duplicity asa key reason for starting the council.“Unless the social and ecological benefitsassociated with green burial were fierce-ly protected it would just be diminishedas another marketing gimmick of thisindustry,” he says. “It would simply begreenwashed down the drain.”

Natural lined casket from www.naturescasket.com.

Yet, Sehee speaks highly of membersof the industry who have embracedgreen burial, often choosing to enter theniche early because they anticipategrowing demand as the Baby Boom gen-eration begins to die off in greater num-bers.

Besides Hippensteel, Nathan Butler,and Flanner and Buchanan, Indianafuneral homes that have earned thecouncil’s certification include FrenchFuneral Home in Brazil, ErleweinMortuaries in Greenfield and Fortville,and the Callahan DeBaun FuneralHomes in Terre Haute.

Moreover, many in the funeral busi-ness agree that any funeral home willassist families seeking green burials.“Funeral homes have always providedthe services people request,” says CurtisRostad, Indiana Funeral DirectorsAssociation executive director. “If youare interested in an environmentallyconscious burial, let your funeral direc-tor know or your cemetery peopleknow. They’re going to do what theycan to accommodate you.”

Advocates of green burial considercremation a good alternative becauseIndiana state law allows families to scat-ter ashes just about anywhere. However,generating the intense heat required forcremation can entail releasing a lot ofcarbon into the atmosphere.

While Rostad sees a place for greenburial in the funeral industry, he hopesthe movement will not marginalize thefamilies who choose traditional burials.

“Everyone wants to be remem-bered,” says Rostand. “I hope we don’tget to the point where people think theonly way you can have a green burial isto be buried on the side of a mountainwhere there is no marker and the weedsgrow over the spot and nobody knowsthat you ever existed.” �

Ed McKinley, a freelance writer and editor,is a former reporter for the IndianapolisStar. He divides his time between Chicagoand Monticello.

Tim Burton, owner of Burton’sMaplewood Farms, describes his maplebarbeque sauce as “not overly tangy, notoverly thick or too thin, pleasant to thepalate. It has a nice maplely flavor.”Made with 40 percent grade B maplesyrup, the sauce is versatile. “You canuse it as a marinade, a finishing sauce forgrilled meats or in a baked bean dish.”

Yearning for an earlier age of “gardenparties, big hats and mint juleps,” ErinJones-Edds was inspired to createCountry Mouse City Mouses’s line ofdressings, vinaigrettes and spreads. “Wereally want our food to have a “vintage”appeal“ says Jones-Edds. Nyona LakeJezebel is an updated version of an old-school, Southern classic, the Jezebel

sauce. “As for the “Nyona Lake” part, itis a small lake in northern Indiana whereour parents have a cottage,” she says.

Erin’s version of Jezebel blends organ-ic products: pineapple, grainy mustard,roasted garlic and horseradish. It lends afruity, tangy taste to summer’s grilledmeats and pasta salads. Her new cre-ation, Chimichurri Pesto is great in pota-to salad.

For Yeimy Rodriquez, sauces or sal-sas, bring back memories of Mexico. Anative of the Guerrero region, Yeimymoved with her family to Indianapoliswhen she was four. “Just talking aboutsalsa makes me feel proud of my heritageand happy that other people enjoy theflavors of Mexican cooking.”

B Y S U S A N G I L L I E

Now is high season for vegetables and fruits. In earlier times, families

would “put things by”— save the harvest bymaking preserves, ketchups,

relishes and chutneys. They’d simmer summer tomatoes, making bar-

beque sauce to use at cookouts, picnics and church socials. That tradition

continues among inspired Indiana food artisans who create sauces, salsas

and spreads that harken back to those times.


SaucyFLAVORS

PhotocourtesyNationalGardenBureau

Now Rodriquez uses her taste memo-ries to create salsas used in artisanalsandwiches and wraps for The Patio atRiley Outpatient Center. This summershe’s making salsa cruda (fresh salsa)with an emphasis on fresh fruits, such aspineapple and mango, as well as cab-bage. “Customers are tired of processedfoods and crave the taste of freshness,”she says.

Two Hoosier natives parlayed theirlove of salsas into successful businessesthat are winning loyal customers, culi-nary awards and recognition. JimCampbell of Mild to Wild Pepper andHerb Company markets salsas based onhis Indiana-grown peppers. CharlieFerguson owns Crazy Charlie’s Gourmet


Salsa. “My dad took me down to thefarmers market on South Street. We raisedpeppers; I was raised around produce.”

When Ferguson took his salsas to theFiery Food Show in Texas, he won firstplace. “Everyone knows Indiana tomatoesare fabulous,” Ferguson says, “but so areour peppers. Jim Campbell growshabanero chili’s that are the finest in theworld. The soil here is great for peppers.”


“Everyone knows Indiana tomatoes are fabulous,” Ferguson says,“but so are our peppers. Jim Campbell grows habanero chili’s thatare the finest in the world. The soil here is great for peppers.”

© StockXpert


SAUCY FLAVORS Continued from page 23

The Patio, IndianapolisRiley Hospital’s Outpatient Center, 702 Barnhill DriveHours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through FridayDaily salsa specials, artisan sandwiches and spreads, breakfast

Mild to Wild Peppers and Herb Company, FranklinContact: Jim CampbellWeb site: www.wildpepper.com/index.htmlHot sauces and salsas, ground chilis, pepper mashes

Crazy Charlie’s Gourmet Salsa, FishersContact: Charles Fergusonwww.cgsalsa.com/Salsa and chili sauces

Indiana ArtisansContact: Eric Freemanwww.in.gov/indianaartisan

Products mentioned in this article can be purchased directlyfrom the artisans’ websites, as well as local farmers marketsand specialty and gourmet shops

SOURCES FOR

SAUCES SALSA

Burton’s Maplewood Farms,MedoraContact: Tim Burtonwww.burtonsmaplewoodfarm.comMaple syrups, preserves, salsa, barbeque sauces

City Mouse Country Mouse, IndianapolisContact: Erin Jones-Eddswww.countrymousecitymouseindy.com/homeSalad dressings, vinaigrettes, spreads

Photo courtesy National Garden Bureau


Susan Gillie is a professional cookand blogs at Indieats, www.indieats.com

Now, through the efforts of theIndiana Artisan project, specialty saucemakers have recognition and support toexpand their businesses. Sponsored byfour state agencies, a jury panel selectsand certifies the finest food producersand artisans in the state. “Erin Jones-Edds, Tim Burton and Jim Campbellreflect the excellence and commitment toquality that we look for in an IndianaArtisan,” said program director EricFreeman. “The goal is to help food arti-sans promote their businesses.” Burtonsays the certification has enabled him tomove into the Chicago market. “It’sgiven me credibility. I believe that’s whywe were accepted into Chicago’s GreenCity Market.”

So, what was old is now new.Housewives, out of necessity, pre-served fruits and vegetables, chop-ping and mixing them up, makingthem into relishes and sauces. Theirreward was money saved on foodbills, but the enduring benefit wasthe recipes they created. Thesebrought happiness to their familiesand friends, and we can continue toenjoy them today. Old memories,along with new ethnic and culinaryinfluences, are taking us back to asimpler time and purer food.


Cheap

B Y J O E L L E N MEY E R S S H A R P

A ceiling fan is themost efficientway tomove summer’s stifling air andreduce the room temperature. As the blades spin, they create a draftthat cools us and helps us reduce air conditioning costs.

If you use air condi-tioning, a ceiling fanwill allow you to raisethe thermostat settingabout four degrees withno reduction in com-fort, says the U.S.EnvironmentalProtection Agency. When the tempera-tures are moderate, ceiling fans free usfrom using the air conditioner forextended periods.

Fans work best when the blades are7 to 9 feet above the floor and 10 to 12inches from the ceiling. They should beinstalled so their blades are no less than8 inches from the ceiling and 18 inchesfrom the walls.

Size mattersLarger ceiling fans move more air

than smaller ones. A larger blade alsoprovides comparable cooling at a lowervelocity than a smaller blade. This maybe important in areas where loose papersor other objects will be disturbed by astrong breeze. A more expensive fan thatoperates quietly and smoothly will prob-


ably offer more trouble-free service than cheap-er units. Check thenoise ratings, and, ifpossible, listen to yourfan in operation beforeyou buy it.

Winter savings, tooIn the summer, ceiling fans move in

a counterclockwise direction. Whenyou stand under the fan, you can feel abreeze. In winter, most fans can be set tomove in a clockwise direction. At a lowspeed, a gentle updraft is created, whichmoves warm air down from the ceiling.By installing a ceiling fan and adjustingthe thermostat, we can realize additionalsavings in energy and money. Rememberthat ceiling fans cool people, not rooms.Turn off the ceiling fan when the room isnot occupied to save even more.

ENERGY STAR rated fans are about50 percent more efficient than conven-tional units. That can save more than$15 a year on utility bills for each oneused.


Chills©iStock.com

©StockXpert

CHEAP CHILLS Continued from page 27


SELECTING THE RIGHT SIZECeiling fan blades span from 29 to 54 inches long. The most popular size is 52-inch.Measure the room to determine the best fan size. Here’s a guide:

Room size Recommended fan size75 sq. ft. 29- to 36-inch76 to 144 sq. ft. 36- to 42-inch144- to 225 sq. ft. 44-inch225 to 400 sq. ft. 50- to 54-inch

Source: ENERGY STAR, http://tinyurl.com/26zyc9

TYPE OF MOUNTSStandard — comes with a 3- to 5-inch downrod, which is a metal piece that extendsfrom the ceiling bracket to the top of the fan.Extended — recommended for high ceilings. Used to hang the fan at the desired 7 to 9feet from the floor. Check with the manufacturer or sales person to determine the rightdownrod length for the room.Flush — anchors against the ceiling. Most standard fans can be installed with this mount.Some manufacturer sell low-profile or hugger fans, which are specifically designed as aflush mount. Ideal for rooms with ceilings lower than 8 feet in height or when a fan withan optional light would hang too low. Hugger fans do not move as much air as a regularfan because the blades are closer to the ceiling.Sloped — used for angled or vaulted ceilings.

Source: ENERGY STAR, http://tinyurl.com/26zyc9

Mechanical or physical controls:When you inspect your plants regular-

ly, you can spot trouble early on. Whenyou do, there are ways to remove or trapthe pests or create barriers to keep themaway. One of the best tools is a strongspray from the garden hose to wash offaphids and other insects from plants.Hand picking or shaking insects from

plants also is effective. A damp newspa-per in the hosta bed at night will collectmany slugs and snails on the earth sideby morning.The University of Kentucky recom-

mends one effective method for control-ling gypsy moth larvae on a small num-bers of trees is to put a band of folded

burlap around the trunk to provide anartificial resting site for the caterpillars.Destroy the caterpillars that gather there.Applying an antitranspirant spray tolilac leaves in summer to prevent infec-tion by the spores of powdery mildew isanother example of a protective barrier.Wilt-Pruf is a natural product madefrom pine resin that coats plants to pro-tect them from drying out.

Chemical controls:Usually considered the last resort after

all other methods have failed, pesticidesare valuable tools in pest management,but their misuse has led to such disad-vantages as pest resistance to the pesti-

cide, outbreaks of secondary pests,adverse effects on nontarget organisms,unwanted pesticide residues and directhazards to the user. Used correctly, pesti-cides are indispensable tools in the IPMarsenal.Even then, a chemical, either natural or

synthetic, should be applied only whenthe problem has been identified correctly.Always read and follow the label instruc-tions of the product you use.For more information on sustainable

landscape practices and links to IPMresources, please visit www.Indiana-LivingGreen.com �

DON’T LET IT BUG YOU Continued from page 11

GREEN B O O K R E V I E W S


WILD THOUGHTS: Just Outside theWindow by Chris HeeterYileen Press. $18.00

Chris Heeter’s first book of poetry,Wild Thoughts: Just Outside theWindow, began quite by accidentwhen she promised to write a poemevery Wednesday and e-mail it to agroup of business leaders. The 89pages of Wednesday poems appear insections: Sharing the Land, A Walk inthe Woods, Present to the Moment,Just Outside the Window, WildAbundance and Nature’s Reflections.Sketches by Richard Nelson are onenvironmentally friendly paper.

Heeter, whose poetry has beenpublished in Indiana Living Green, isthe founder of The Wild Institute, anorganization connecting peopleto nature and one another. Sheserves as a guide and inspirationalleader for kayaking, dogsledding,canoeing and hiking trips for women.

Informed by her intimacy withnature, she writes in “The RoadHome”:

Through the rain,Coyote stares as I go by —Matted wet fur, steely eyes.

He is the one who will followme home.The one who pierces the nightwith his wild calls,The trickster whose tracks mimicmy ownOn the journey back to home.

Reminded that poets are tricksterstoo, Heeter’s success using e-mail todevelop an audience is an inspiration.The book is available at www.TheWild-Institute.com or www.YileenPress.com

BY ELIZABETH KRAJECK

Growing Your Own VegetablesBy Carla Emery and Lorene Edwards ForknerSasquatch Press, $17.95, Paperback

Carla Emery was an inspiration to ageneration of do-it-yourself homestead-ers, sharing her experiences and guid-ing them with her best-sellingEncyclopedia of Country Living,published in 1994. Although shedied while on a speaking tour in2005, her words continue toinspire and have as much reso-nance today as they did 15 yearsago. Lorene Edwards Forknertakes a fresh look at Emery’swork inGrowing Your OwnVegetables as the first single sub-ject carved from the encyclopedia.

The book covers how to getthe most food from the leastspace, whether in the ground orin pots, with the least impact onthe environment. The basic phi-losophy, of course, is that local isbest, and how much more localcan you get than your back yard orback porch? Forkner offers a commonsense and practical approach to grow-ing just about any vegetable, fromasparagus to zucchini. She prescribescompanion plants for fighting insectsand gives tips on crop rotation andmaximizing space.

She admits that we don’t need our

own gardens forfresh food andadvocates shop-ping farmers mar-kets and buyingproduce in season.“But for those ofus willing to bravethe weather, dancean evasive tangowith pests and dis-ease, kneel in thedirt, sport definite-ly non-fashion-for-ward tan lines

while shading our heads against the mid-day sun, or support friends, neighborsand small farmers who do, the table isset for a feast that feeds both body andmind, belly and spirit, at once economi-cally sound and emotionally satisfying,”Forkner writes.

BY JO ELLEN MEYERS SHARP

M A R K E T P L A C E


GREENFINDS

Beach Bum JewelsArtist Linda Michevicius melds her love of beaches and their jewels into beautifulpieces of jewelry. The featured bracelet, called Watermelon, has emerald green andwatermelon colored beach glass, shells and beads on a sterling silver link bracelet.All of the glass is authentic and found on a beach, says Michevicius, who lives aboutthree blocks from Lake Michigan in Indiana and is treasurer of the North American SeaGlass Association. She also does custom work using beach or sea glass from people’scollections. Jewelry ranges from $20 to about $200. The Watermelon bracelet is $65.Available online at www.BeachBumJewels.com and at select retailers throughoutHarbor Country.

Herbal Art Soaps and Skincare ProductsBrian Paffen combines his passion for health, wellness and greenliving with his dream of being his own boss. An Indiana Artisan,he owns Herbal Art, a Fishers-based company specializing inhandcrafted soaps and skincare products made with natural andorganic ingredients. His products are sodium lauryl sulfate free,

paraben free, and use no animal by-products. Honey and Shea Everyday was developedafter he moved from North Carolina back home and discovered that some of his soapswere not as effective in Indiana's harder water. He created the Honey and SheaEveryday line which is made with Indiana honey and formulated to keep its fragrance,lather richly and cleanse effectively in both hard and soft water. Soap is $5 a slice.Paffen will open a store July 9 at 9943 Allisonville Road, Fishers. Available online atwww.herbalartonline.com

Please send information about your green products to: [email protected],or mail to Indiana Living Green, 1730 S. 950 E., Zionsville, IN 46077.SUBMISSIONS


BE A PAR T O F TH E

GREEN [email protected]

(317) 769-3456

After five years of running an organicproduce farm, I know only a few thingsfor certain: bad bugs are everywhere; allthe good ones must live at someoneelse’s farm; and in my next life, I need toget a degree in entomology. That’s thebranch of biology dealing with thingsthat creep, crawl, bite, sting and general-ly bring out the “ick” response in mostpeople. It’s a branch on which I clearlyneed to climb higher.

Each season brings new bugs I’venever seen, old ones I remember butcan’t categorize beyond their six legs andfamiliar ones whose arrival I greet withdread. The dread comes from remember-ing what a small number of bugs cando to a large number of plants, especial-ly when those plants provide my liveli-hood.

Our first — and still most destructive— arthropod combatants were theJapanese beetles. They arrived the yearmy husband installed the grape arbor,and I concurrently dedicated a good-sized patch of garden space to raspber-ries. Both crops are magnets for themetallic-backed pests, a leafy one-stopsingles bar where they meet, munch,mingle and mate.

In close second place came the toma-to hornworm, something I had onlyheard other farmers curse over, until Istarted to investigate why large sectionsof my tomato plants seemed to disap-pear into thin air. That’s when I firstmade face-to-horn acquaintance with thelarva that resembles a tomato vine sowell as to be all but impossible to detectwithout lots of practice. It’s battlefieldcamouflage at its finest.

So what’s a small-time produce grow-er to do? Turns out I could be doing alot, actually. The Organic MaterialsResearch Institute (affectionately knownas OMRI) publishes a whole catalog ofnatural insecticides approved for use on

with a deft sweep of a rubber glove.I initially dispatched the hornworms

in much the same way, until a memberof my organic gardening group pointedout that this ferocious-looking larvamorphs into a beautiful moth, and madean eloquent plea to the gathered tomatogrowers to cease their murderous ways. Idon’t know how many other membersshe converted, but ever since, I’vedeposited most of my daily catch ofhornworms into a neighboring hayfield,in hopes they might make dinner of anightshade species other than tomatoes.I doubt many survive to full moth-hood,but it allows me the illusion that I’mnow a more benign killer.

After five years, I think we’re win-ning the war on the hornworms. To theJapanese beetles, I have only this to say:“Don’t make me start raising chickens!”

T H E L A S T R O W B Y M A R I A S M I E T A N A

organic farms. The relatively benignremedies listed therein won’t harm yourkids or wildlife (assuming you differenti-ate between the two), and won’t hangaround long enough to damage soil orgroundwater. Paranoid purist that I am,though, I vowed early on to run thefarm without so much as a speck ofchemical inputs, OMRI-blessed or other-wise. I figured if I couldn’t tell the differ-ence between a beneficial bug and itsdestructive cousin, why would I expect achemical to be that smart?

Insect control on our farm has there-fore consisted mostly of hand-to-leg com-bat. I started to derive great satisfactionfrom scooping the Japanese beetles into abucket of soapy bleach water. If I caughtthem early in the morning, when theywere too cold to move quickly, I couldsend hundreds of them to a quick death


Please Buzz (or Crawl) Off…

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

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