by Wendy

We use plastic bags on a daily basis. But did you know approximately 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year and only 1 to 2% of them are being recycled. The plastic bags that don’t get recycled end up in landfills, littering oceans and causing widespread pollution. So what can we do cut down on our overall plastic consumption?

1- Cut down plastic bag usage by using reusable bags. I have these cute Sesame Street themed reusable bags from Envirosax. Envirosax creates great eco-friendly and inexpensive bags that can be reused over and over again. I think they’re light, washable, and fun to carry around since I using them to carry groceries, bring lunch to work. What I also love about them is they donate a percentage of its sales to charities and non-profit organizations dedicated to the preservation of the environment.

2- Stop using garbage bags and emptying your trash straight into the garbage bin. If you don’t like that option, you can try using recycled or biodegradable, compostable garbage bags. I use these Pridegreen Biodegradable Trash Bags I purchased on Amazon. These trash bags are made with green recyclable plastics and will completely break down and leave behind no harmful toxins.  And every 13 plastic bags saved equals enough petroleum to drive a car one mile.

3- Use reusable stainless steel or glass bottles for drinks instead of using plastic cups or bottles. This will help cut down the use of plastic water bottles at work, at home, and everywhere you go. Kleen Kanteen makes great steel water bottles that are durable, BPA-free and better for the environment. They come in all sizes that can be great for packing lunch for the kids or taking to work.

What are some other easy ways you can cut down your plastic usage?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.

When I think Earth, I think blessed!

In the month of November, its common to want to count our blessings in honor of Thanksgiving.  When you think about Earth, what comes to mind?  As a nature and green enthusiast, I think about how lucky we are that someone spoke up for the rights of the animals, our oceans, our parks, and the solidity of our way of life.  More than a decade ago, people weren’t aware and took for granted what beauty we possess on this beautiful planet.  We took for granted what we consumed and fed our children and we took for granted that the swamps, oceans, lakes, and parks would always stay pristine.  I propose that this Thanksgiving, you introduce your love of the planet into your feast!  This is a great way to pass down the wisdom of the ages to your children.  It’s easy!  All you have to do is write it down, mention it aloud, or simply invite changes into your meal for everyone to notice.  You can do this by using a free-range turkey, composting your scraps, or by using your green bags to buy your Thanksgiving meal this year.  You lead by example and trust me, your kids and other family members will take notice! Stay tuned for up coming tips on how to go green for Thanksgiving but for now, just be grateful to have gone green and look up the cheap skip bins, they are a great way to start recycling,  Skip Bins Brisbane and their system will then give you the best price for one of our skip bins in your area from one of our many trusted and reliable suppliers.  Your awareness reduces your carbon footprint on the planet.  Now that’s something to be grateful for!

Buy your Thanksgiving meal with a nifty green bag!

Consider alternative fuels to reduce your carbon footprint

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle bottles, newspapers, plastic bags, and more!

If you keep plants or plant a tree, expect clean air for years to come

Earth is really in the palm of your hands!

Be thankful that you decided to Go Green!

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on her blog, Charming Laurali Star, and on her site, The Damsel in the Attic, where she sells handmade and vintage clothing and accessories.  Another fab way to help reduce, reuse, and recycle!  Check it out!

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.

Trick or treat? Both! With scary foods and treats galore.

Have an up-coming Halloween party and don’t know what to make to feed your guests?  No worries!  Here are five scary foods and treats that are sure to monster rock the house down!

Scary Pear Heads:

Using Pears as your main ingredient makes for a fun and spooky treat!

Ingredients

Directions

1. Remove the stem from the pears. Using a wooden skewer, make a hole in the stem end of each pear. Insert a lollipop stick in each hole.
2. In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate. Let stand until cool. Dip the pears in the chocolate, turning to coat. Stand the pears up in a piece of foam or oasis. Let stand until set, about 40 minutes.
3. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the semisweet chocolate. Let cool for 5 minutes. Fit a small pastry bag with a #4 tip, and fill with melted semisweet chocolate. Pipe chocolate onto pears to create facial features. Let stand until set, about 10 minute

Be sure to use chocolate with Fair Trade on the label!  For more fun recipes like this, check out Martha Stewart online!

Swamp Juice:

This spooky drink will creep out any party goer...in a delicious way!

Ingredients

• FOR 8 SERVINGS:
• 1/2 cup small tapioca pearls (found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)
• 100% natural food coloring
• 4 tablespoons organic sugar

• 8 organic gummy worms
• Seltzer water
• All natural lemonade
• 8 organic gummy worms

Instructions

1. MAKE THE EGGS: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. COLOR THE EGGS: Divide the pearls, with the remaining water, between two bowls. Add 4 drops of food coloring (we used 3 drops of yellow and 1 drop of green in one bowl, and 4 drops of blue in the other) and 2 tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. Stir the mixtures, then allow them to sit uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and rinse the pearls with cold water.
3. ASSEMBLE THE DRINK: Spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass and drop in a gummy fish. Fill the glasses with seltzer water, then add a splash of lemonade. Place a gummy worm around a spoon as shown.

Be sure to get use one of our fun sponsors for your gummy candy at Surf Sweets!  For more fun Halloween recipes similar to this one, check out Disney Family Fun!

Pizza Mummies:

Little mummies for mommy and her little kids too!

 

 

Ingredients (choose organic whenever possible)

• English muffins
• Pizza sauce
• Black olives

• Scallions
• Red or green pepper
• Cheese sticks or slices

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350º F. For each mummy, spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an English muffin (toast it first, if you like).
2. Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils.
3. Lay strips of cheese (we used a pulled-apart cheese stick) across the muffin for the mummy?s wrappings.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty.

Be sure to use English Muffins that are whole grain and gluten free!

For more fun Halloween recipes similar to this one, check out Disney Family Fun!

Swamp Creatures:

Oooooey, Goooey Swamp Creatures that taste good!

 

Ingredients

• All natural/organic Macaroni and cheese
• Sautéed spinach

• Olive slices

Instructions

1. Mix up a batch of macaroni and cheese, then spoon it into greased muffin cups and bake until firm, about 25 minutes.
2. Let the creatures rest for about 10 minutes, then gently remove them from the tins. Place them upside down on a swamp of sautéed spinach and add olive slice eyes.

Be sure to use whole grain, gluten free pasta for the macaroni!

For more fun Halloween recipes similar to this one, check out Disney Family Fun!

Slivered Scream Beans:

Healthy and Scary at the same time!

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound haricots verts
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 Thai chile, thinly sliced
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black sesame seeds (kalustyans.com)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Prepare an ice bath. Bring a 4-quart pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add haricots verts, and blanch until vibrant green, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, and transfer to ice bath. Let stand until cool. Drain in colander, and thinly slice haricots verts on the bias.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add garlic, and cook until just golden, 1 minute. Add ginger and chile, and cook for 1 minute more. Add blanched haricots verts, and cook, tossing, until heated through. Season with salt. Add sesame seeds and lemon zest, and toss to combine.

For more fun recipes like this, check out Martha Stewart online!

Blogger Laurali Star can also 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.

 

 

 

by Corey

We are thrilled and honored to partner with Non-GMO Project to present the first-ever Guide to a non-GMO Halloween!

Offered to parents as a toolkit, the 2011 Guide contains a list of Non-GMO Project Verified Halloween treats (such Nature’s Path organic crispy rice bars, Endangered Species Chocolates and Glee Gum minis), fun ideas for “treasures” (non-food goodies) and even a healthy recipe from our very own food blogger, Kia Robertson.

Get the Guide here.

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.

Guest post

Halloween should be fun, right? Unfortunately, a scary reality is that one of the biggest nights for the chocolate industry supports a system that relies on forced child labor on many West African cocoa farms. But you can do something to help stop such practices and still enjoy Halloween.

This October, families, organizations, and businesses across the U.S. can help children forced to work on West African cocoa farms by participating in the 5th annual Reverse Trick-or-Treating campaign. By handing out organic, Fair Trade chocolates from Equal Exchange with attached informational cards when they go trick-or-treating, participants can bring critically important attention to the thousands of children who are trafficked and forced to work in horrible conditions on West African cocoa farms.

This year’s Reverse Trick-or-Treating program marks the 10^th anniversary of the September, 2001, signing of the Harkin-Engel Protocol that called for an end to the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa supply chains of the major chocolate companies. The campaign to raise awareness that there is a Fair Trade alternative to child labor was launched in 2007, two years after the deadline had passed for signatories to end the worst forms of child labor. Ten years after the protocol’s signing, most of its conditions have still not been met.

Equal Exchange knows there’s a better way to go and instead sources its Fair Trade and organic cocoa from farms in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, and Ecuador. The vanilla from Madagascar and sugar from Paraguay for Equal Exchange’s chocolate are also certified Fair Trade and organic.

Contributed by: Kelsie Evans, Equal Exchange Chocolate Products Coordinator