It's time to get your salsa on!  The gardens are full of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and everything else that makes salsa a summer wonder food.  Show off your favorite salsa recipe at our Salsa Contest, August 28th, at the Downtown Farmer's Market.  Registration is $15; early registration is encouraged, as entries will be capped at 25. 

Categories are:

• Raw salsas
• Cooked salsas
• "Specialty" salsas (where non-traditional ingredients are the focus)

Winners will be judged and awards given for each category, as well as a Best-In-Show "Taster's Choice" award.  Winners in the three categories will receive a $25 gift certificate to the Downtown Farmer's Market.  Taster's Choice will receive a $50 gift certificate.

Terre Foods Cooperative’s mission is to provide access to organic and natural foods at fair value for the Terre Haute community. As a member-owned and member-run market, we are committed to serving the needs of the community while using ethical and sustainable business practices to sustain and invigorate our regional economy. 
For more info:  812-201-7910  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Carol Hudelson and Karen Foster, both of Paoli, will be cooking up some fine summertime recipes for your enjoyment at the farmers market in Orleans this Saturday. On behalf of the Lost River Market and Deli they'll share recipes illustrating some unique and tasty uses for the summer bounty available to you.

Carol will be preparing her favorite gazpacho recipe loaded with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and more. Karen will be sharing a favorite Gulf Shore recipe partnering black eyed peas and seasonal produce. These recipes use natural ingredients, readily available and healthy for you, but also guaranteed to dazzle the taste buds.

Join the Lost River Market and Deli cooks this Saturday at the farmers market in Orleans. Receive free recipes and coupons for ingredients. The cooking demo will take place at 10 a.m.

For more information about Lost River Market and Deli contact 812-723-3735 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Potential for high ground-level ozone readings may affect sensitive groups.

INDIANAPOLIS – The city of Indianapolis forecasts Friday, August 20, 2010 as a Knozone Air Quality Action Day for ozone. The region’s air quality may become unhealthy for individuals who are sensitive to air pollutants and may be categorized as “orange” on the Air Quality Index (AQI). 

Tomorrow’s AQI forecast indicates that ground-level ozone levels may be high. Ground-level ozone is the key component in urban and regional smog.  Smog is formed when harmful emissions from a variety of sources react with sunlight.  Because heat and sunlight are important in its formation, ground-level ozone is more common from April through September.

 Many scientific studies have associated ground-level ozone pollution with serious health problems, such as aggravated lung disease and decreased lung function.  It can also trigger and intensify asthma attacks. Children, the elderly, and people already suffering from lung disease are especially vulnerable to its effects. 

Small changes in behavior on the part of individuals and businesses can prevent the formation of ground-level ozone pollution. The public is asked to follow these guidelines:

Reducing vehicle idling

Biking or walking instead of driving

Carpooling

Using public transportation

Combining errands

Filling gas tanks and mowing after 6 p.m.

Individuals, especially active children, the elderly and anyone suffering from lung disease, should also monitor their health on Knozone Air Quality Action Days. People who have any concerns about how air pollution affects their health should seek the advice of a physician.

Knozone
Knozone is a year-round voluntary air pollution reduction program for the city of Indianapolis through the Office of Sustainability. The program educates the public about the effects ground-level ozone (smog) and fine particles (soot) on public health and the environment and promotes clean air strategies that help clean the air. For more information, please visit www.knozone.com or call (317) 327-4AIR for current air quality information.

[Indianapolis] – INDYCOG and Sun King Brewing Company join forces for “2 Wheels 1 City,” an event designed to celebrate all things bicycle on September 11, 2010 at the Indianapolis City Market beginning at 3pm.

Planned activities include an afternoon of fun, food from local vendors including West Coast Tacos, A Taste of Philly and Natural Born Juicers, tasty local craft beer from our friends at Sun King Brewing Company and, of course….bikes.

A bicycle donation drive for Freewheelin’, a community bike initiative that teaches at-risk youth valuable bike repair and maintenance skill is also part of the day’s activities. Freewheelin’ accepts gently-used bikes that are repaired by volunteer mechanics and then sold at reasonable prices to area residents.

Join us as we celebrate the ever-growing bike culture in Indianapolis and see the future site of the City Market station for bicycle commuters in the east wing.

Secure bike parking is offered for all of those who arrive via our favorite mode of transportation, however if you need to drive don’t fret as we are working on designated parking areas in close proximity.

Also, 2 Wheels 1 City will occur shortly after the usual farmers’ market that happens every Saturday in front of the City Market, so make a day out of it and see all the great local vendors that come take part. The Original Farmers’ Market on Saturdays takes place on Market Street (between Delaware and Alabama) from 9:30am until 1pm through October.

The Indianapolis City Market is a non-profit organization, and the Original Farmers Market was reinstated in 1996, boasting once again plentiful produce and community meeting place. For further information, visit our website www.indycm.com, our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/IndyCM?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter @IndyCM.

Just when leaders in the U.S. Senate admitted to abandoning their plan of issuing a federal climate bill by the end of this year, top Chinese officials were discussing how to launch carbon trading programs under their country's next Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

Serving as China's overarching social and economic guidance, Five-Year Plans consistently lay out the most crucial development strategies for this giant emerging economy. Once included in the plan, carbon trading will be viewed as part of China's national goals and will be domestically binding. This occurred most recently with the country's 2010 energy intensity target, which called for a 20-percent reduction from 2005 levels and was disaggregated into provincial and local targets, with local officials held accountable for achieving them.

In short, China seems to be accelerating full-throttle toward a low-carbon economy.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6502