Attending the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver CO and learning just how complex the issue is. With the involvement of legislation, corporate utility companies, upstart alternative energy providers and environmental action leagues, there is definitely no easy fix here. It is going to take the public getting involved in local legislation and making an effort everywhere they can. You can start by taking advantage of the Green Power programs in your area. It works. Stay tuned and I’ll tell you how.

Unexpected goodness. Mashed potato mixed with andouille and herbs, deep fried and topped with fresh corn and a horseradish sauce. Pair with a $2 double decker slider and you have yourself a meal under $6.

Don Hall’s Castleton Grill is located at
6010 East 82nd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46250
ph: 317-595-9595

It looks like another chain restaurant from the street – right on the corner of 82nd and Castleton Square Mall – but don’t let that stop you. This is not a chain… here, let them explain:

“The Castleton Grill crew appreciates that every dollar you spend with us, you are enabling us to support the kind of community we choose to live within.” [At this point I was sure the words "church" and "family values" were to follow, but no friends, not this time.] “That’s why we’re so proud to serve healthy, all natural, free-range eggs, fresh chicken farmed the way nature intended (with no hormones, steeroids, antibiotics, or growth incentives) and fresh salmon raised under holistic and environmentally sound management. All recipies made with whole ingredients, from scratch, and scourced locally when possible.”

The JCC – yes, the Jewish Community Center
located at 6701 Hoover Road
Their phone number is (317) 251-9467

I have a daughter that grew up on Croissants. She loves them. Up until we moved to Indianapolis, she lived on their buttery goodness. I’ve searched high and low to give this girl what she desires most, and finally, I have found the source. The best croissants in Indianapolis. I admit, the shell could be a little more crisp, but what? I’ll get used to it. And I’m finding out the cafe has lots of other food stuff as well. Read on…

“The Center Cafe searves authentic Israeli and Middle Eastern specialties along with American Fare. Choose from hummus, burekas, fallafel, shwarma, homemade soups, schnitzel, vegetarian choices, bagels, pastries, cakes, burgers, hotdogs, fries and more. Catering services available. Strict dietary laws observed.”

Let us cater your next event!
The cafe is open the following hours:
Monday-Thursday 11am-8pm
Friday 11am-3pm
Saturday – closed
Sunday 11am-6pm

Directed and produced by Takeshi Kamisato, this DVD is not a yo-yo trick video, but a true documentary about the players whose lives are bound together by a wheel and a piece of string.

New School 101

Do you flip through the pages of those eco-modern-lifestyle magazines and websites and wonder, “why don’t we have eco-friendly energy and lifestyle choices here in Indianapolis”? Stop wondering my friends, because you do. Indiana Power & Light (IPL) offers their customers the option to purchase electricity generated from clean, renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass generation.

The current Green Power premium is only $0.002 per kilowatt-hour (2/10th of a cent) and represents renewable energy purchased from Midwestern wind farms and Indiana landfill gas generation plants. At this premium, a typical residential customer using 1000 kilowatt-hours in a month and enrolled at the 100% level would pay an additional $2 on their IPL electric bill. Yup, that’s it. For the price of a fancy cup of coffee you can significantly reduce your impact on our environment. In 2007 alone, IPL Green Power customer usage circumvented 14,000 metric tons of CO2 = over 3,000 passenger cars being taken off the roads for one year! That’s phenomenal.

The Green Power Option is available to both residential and commercial/industrial IPL customers. Commercial and industrial customers should call their IPL Account Executive for additional informaiton on the premium or to enroll in Green Power.

How do you enroll? You just check a box. That’s it.

Click this link for more information

Click this link to enroll

Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) is a subsidiary of IPALCO Enterprises, a multi-state energy company providing a variety of energy products and services. IPL provides retail electric service to approximately 475,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Indianapolis and portions of other Central Indiana counties. For more information, visit their website at www.iplpower.com

So it’s common knowledge that Indianapolis has the largest children’s museum in the world – a more than 400,000-square-foot facility that houses 11 major galleries that explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures and the arts. But did you know, included in the price of museum admission, you can catch a live theater performance? I sure as hell didn’t.

I’ve discovered the Lilly Theater at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and I think it’s phenomenal. Hidden on the bottom floor of the museum, Lilly Theatre produces 3-4 mainstage productions each season, and hosts internal and external events. Get your kids away from the TV and the computer and get them into the theater.

Auditions are held as needed for upcoming shows. Anyone interested in design or production team opportunities can contact Gary DeMumbrum, Theaters Manager at 317-334-3804. Anyone interested in volunteer opportunities can find information at www.childrensmuseum.org.

Next up at the Lilly Theater:

Levi Coffin and Madam C.J. Walker
Feb. 9 and 16 at 1 p.m.
Celebrate Black History Month in the Lilly Theater with vignettes exploring the lives of two historical legends that played a significant part in the struggles and triumphs in American history in the 1880s and 1900s. Meet Levi Coffin, the “president” of the Underground Railroad; and Madam C.J. Walker, an astute business woman and the first black female millionaire. A post-performance discussion will allow students an opportunity to interact with the actors.

A Year with Frog & Toad
March 11 – April 20
Joining forces with Actors Theatre of Indiana to present act I of A Year with Frog and Toad, based on the beloved Frog and Toad children’s books.