Meet the girls of Trash Mash-Up!  Bridget and Jessica McCracken are the brains behind this eco-friendly operation.  They reduce waste by taking refuse and transforming it into art and they love working with the community hands-on by creating theatrical productions that are based in the San Francisco area.  I had the opportunity to ask them a few questions recently and here is what they had to say about Trash Mash-Up, working together, and how they celebrate a Green Halloween every year!

How did the Trash Mash-Up idea and name come to be?

Both Jessie and I have been interested in theater and puppets since we were kids growing up in Michigan.  Our parents have always supported our creativity and encouraged us to give back to our community.  When Jessie moved to San Francisco in 2004 (I had been here since 2001), we wanted to establish a community based art project that built creative connections in neighborhood of need.  We saw a need for public space and parks to be fostered for children and families in the Western Addition.  Jessie and I both wanted to work with trash to discuss issues of consumption and environmental justice but in a way that was fun, creative and not didactic.  Trash Mash-Up brings all of these aspects together in a collaborative community art project.

The McCracken sisters: Bridget and Jesse

How do you like working together?

It is amazing to collaborate with my sister.  TMU is a family affair.  Our youngest sister, Kate and our parents, Bill and Louise are on our advisory board.  But it is Jessie and myself who are the teaching artists and Managing and Artistic Directors.  Being sisters we are able to communicate ideas easily and come for a similar art background, both having studied and worked for The Dell’Arte Company.  Although we share similar training, we each bring our own style and ideas to the table.

This little girl is all dressed up and ready for the show!

What is your favorite aspect of the business?

My favorite aspect is leading the workshops.  Theater and art improves students’ self-confidence, communication skills and builds empathy for others.  They transform the learning process. It is amazing the dramatic changes and positive effects of students collaborating in creative ways.  I am always surprised by their solutions and their ability to describe their process.

Recycle and Reuse seems to be the Trash Mash Up theme and we love seeing it turn into art!

What is Your future vision of the Trash Mash-Up idea?

We are hoping to bring Trash Mash-Up to communities across the United States and world.  We are working on revising our study guide in order to better assist the spread of creative reuse.  TMU has had the opportunity to mash it up in Costa Rica, New York, Portland, and even our hometown of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.  Jessie and I look forward to additional community partnerships from around the world.

Great costumes made from recycled materials to put on a show for diverse communities in the San Francisco area.

How do you plan on celebrating a Green Halloween this year?

Trash Mash-Up is thrilled to be apart of the Yerba Buena Garden Festival’s Halloween Hoopla : Dance & Parade for Kids. This is the 11th annual YBGF Halloween program and will featuring interactive performances and games for kids. The Unique Derique hosts, The Venezuelan Music Project plays live music, Preston folds origami and Trash Mash-Up will be creating masks, eco-warrior medallions, noise makers and a Trash Monster for the costume parade. Just before the hoopla ends, children under ten accompanied by adults are invited to parade in their Halloween finery!

Empowering the community through the arts!

Get in on the fun of Trash Mash-Up!  Here are the best ways to contact Bridget and Jesse:

Email: trashmashup@gmail.com

Website: http://www.trashmashup.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/trashmashup

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/TrashMashUp

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trashmashup/

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/trashmashup

Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic!

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Celebrate the Halloween season with an EEK-O-friendly extravaganza:

#GreenHalloween #TwitterParty!

Hashtag: #GreenHalloween

Follow: @GreenHalloween

October 13, 2011  6-8pm PST

Get tips & tricks

• Healthy for kids & planet treats & “treasures”
• DIY costumes, make your own face paints, recycled decor & more
• Seasonal, Earth-inspired activities
• Ideas for a waste-less, spend-less holiday that keeps all the fun
• Find Green Halloween® events near you
• *Win* great, green gifts & goodies

And WOW! Just look at our special guests…

Partners

• Honest Tea – @HonestTea
• Goodwin Heart Pine – @HeartPine
• Kiwi magazine – @KiwiMagazine
• Red Tricycle – @Red_Tricycle
• Practically Green – @PracticallyGrn
• Endangered Species Chocolate – @ESC_Chocolate
• Nature’s Path – @NaturesPath
• Stretch Island Fruit Co. – @StretchIsland
• Revolution Foods – @RevolutionFoods
• Plum Organics – @PlumOrganics
• Surf Sweets – @SurfSweets
• Angell Bar @OrganicCandyBar
• Mr Halloweenster – @MrHalloweenster
• EcoMom.com – @EcoMom
• Celebrate Green! – @CelebrateGreen
• Today I Ate a Rainbow – @eatingarainbow
• Terrafirma Cosmetics – @MoMoGirl
• Damsel In the Attic – @DamselInAttic
• Neighborcare Health – @Neighborcare

Non-profit partner

• Goodwill Industries International – @GoodwillIntl

Event partners

• Womentorz – @Womentorz
• LiveGreene – @ShopLiveGreene
• Natural Luxe – @NaturalLuxe
• Eat Cleaner – @EatCleanerFood
• EcoPartyTime – @EcoPartyTime
• Divine Moms – @Divinemomz
• Green Halloween Daytona Beach – @GreenHalloween1
• Los Angeles Costume Swap – @LACostumeSwap
• Anna Clark – @annaclark

Hosted by: The Smart Mama – @TheSmartMama

How to join the party

1. Join or log on to Twitter

2. Follow @GreenHalloween

3. Use hashtag (#) #GreenHalloween to “chat” in the party and to follow other participant’s posts

Hint: You may find it easiest to use a (free) program such as Hootsuite or TweetDeck to participate. New to twitter parties? Do a quick Internet search for “how to participate in a Twitter party” and you’ll find dozens of tutorials.

*RSVP by adding your Twitter handle in a comment below to be eligible to win prizes!

Prize partners: Honest Tea, Kiwi magazine, Nature’s Path, Stretch Island Fruit, Revolution Foods, Angell Bar, Celebrate Green! & Lunchbots.

(One entry per handle. Most prizes will ship only to the continental U.S.; some may ship to Canada. If you cannot accept a prize, prize will be offered to another event participant.)

And check out our events page for more virtual and real-live events from now through Halloween!

Kick off the Halloween season with a

National #CostumeSwap Day Twitter party!

Save money, reduce waste & have F-U-N.

Hashtag: #CostumeSwap

Follow: @CostumeSwapDay

September 27, 2011  6-7pm PST

Get tips & tricks:

• How to host a costume swap
• Getting the most out of attending a swap
• Ideas for a waste-less, spend-less holiday that keeps all the fun

WIN: Great, green prizes from Kiwi magazine, Nature’s Path, Revolution Foods, Celebrate Green! and Angell Bar. (To be eligible to win, you must enter your Twitter handle in the comment section, below.)

Special Guests:

• Swap.com

• Kiwi magazine

• Green Halloween

• EcoMom Alliance

• Practically Green

• Celebrate Green!

Hosted by: The Smart Mama

How to join the party:

1. RSVP by adding your Twitter handle (@YourName) to the comment section below (only those who RSVP are eligible to win prizes)

2. Join or log on to Twitter

3. Follow @CostumeSwapDay

4. Use hashtag (#) #CostumeSwap to “chat” in the party and to follow other participant’s posts

Hint: You may find it easiest to use a (free) program such as Hootsuite or TweetDeck to participate. New to twitter parties? Do a quick Internet search for “how to participate in a Twitter party” and you’ll find dozens of tutorials.

RSVP by adding your Twitter handle in a comment and enter to win great, green prizes*!

*One entry per Twitter Handle. Most prizes will ship only to Continental U.S.; some may ship to Canada. If you are unable to accept the prize, another winner will be chosen.

National Costume Swap Day™ is a partnership of Green Halloween®, Swap.com & Kiwi magazine. National Costume Swap Day is celebrate the second Saturday in October each year – in 2011, on October 8th. To find a swap near you, visit www.CostumeSwapDay.com.

And check out our events page for more virtual and real-live events from now through Halloween, including a #GreenHalloween Twitter party on 10/13/11!

On Valentine’s Day, when we’re enjoying the chocolate given to us as gifts by the people we love, most of us are not aware that there’s a side to chocolate that’s not too sweet.

That’s why Green America has launched a National Week of Action, February 4-14, 2011, for screenings of the film The Dark Side of Chocolate.

During the week of action, Green America is also asking us to send a special Valentine’s Day card to Hershey’s CEO, David West, asking him to “have a heart”, eliminating child and forced-labor by shifting to Fair Trade Certified cocoa. Further, Green America has a similar online letter-writing campaign, asking Hershey’s to commit to sourcing 100% Fair Trade Certified cocoa by 2012.

What Fair Trade Certified chocolate means:

• Chocolate was produced without human trafficking and without forced or child labor
• Chocolate was produced under standards that protect environmental and human rights.

To get involved in the cause, gather friends and family together to host a screening of the The Dark Side of Chocolate. Get your screening kit here.

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

2010′s Green Halloween in NYC was a screamin’ success!

“Screamin’ Green Halloween” was hosted by Brookfield Office Properties at the World Financial Center in the Big Apple.

Eek-o-fabulous fun was had by all (6,000 guests in just 4 hours!) with recycled art, a costume swap, poetry reading, marching band, healthy/green goodies and more.

Here are a few of the fab photos (by photographer Andrew Federman) for more, click here.

And check out this HUGE promotion banner hanging for all to see!