by Corey

Clearly, it’s dangerous to be alive. The news proves it daily. Even without a t.v., terrifying stories grab hold of my consciousness and fuel my neurotic tendencies via my smart phone, at the grocery store check-out, and in the parking lot of my kids’ school (“Did you hear what happened…? Soooo scary!”

But somehow the fear factor is amplified at Halloween, and tales of horror-in-real-life seem to multiply like bunnies in springtime. Only not as cute.

Now, we all know that much of the spook-fest prompted by the media is simply motivated by ratings; apparently, Wes Craven and the likes are on to something (who knew?). Fear sells. But it’s also true that some of it is really, truly real and really, truly scary. And some of it is important to be aware (aka: beware!) of.

But how not to turn concern into freeze or freak out? How to feel better about better-for-people-and-planet steps?

Since it’s launch in 2007, Green Halloween has been all about creating meaningful change through fun; about healthier holidays without the yuck; greener steps that are easy. No finger wagging, preaching, or in-your-face tactics. We don’t believe that fear is as motivating as joy, as yum and as simple. And you’ve told us you agree.

But at the same time, Green Halloween has always focused on addressing serious health and environmental concerns like heavy metals in face paints, candy made with junk instead of real food, and waste generated by decor, candy and costumes as well as the packaging from all the aforementioned. The reasons Green Halloween matters (in addition to the yum and the fun, which matter a lot) are far too numerous.

Take these recent headlines:

• Lead-Contaminated Halloween Costumes Shipped to Seattle (King 5 News, Seattle)
• French Bees Produce Blue honey After Eating M&M Waste (BBC, UK)
• The Toxic Truth About Sugar (International Weekly Journal of Science)
• Do Food Dyes Warrant a Warning Label? (Healthy Child, Healthy World)
• Lead, Cadmium, and Other Toxic Chemicals Found in Costume Jewelry (Yahoo.com)
• Nestle Chocolate is Produced From Child Labor, New Report Says (Global Post)
• Genetically Modified Candy! (InsidersHealthTV)

I don’t know about you, but all of this is concerning in my book.

But as we already established, fear is about as inspiring as a rotten pumpkin, so it’s important to counter dread-filled headlines with do-able, affordable, feel-good solutions. Otherwise, we’ll all end up looking like the sorry soul in Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream.

Green Halloween is the antidote to gloom and doom. And we make it easy-breezy.

And because you, and people all around you, refuse to “freeze” from fear, and instead embrace the possibility that Halloween can be healthy and tasty, non-toxic and cool, sustainable and affordable, eco-fabulous and fun, good news is now front page:

• Hershey to Source 100% Certified Cocoa by 2020 (PR Newswire)
• Whole Foods Drops Hershey’s Scharffen Berger Chocolates Over Child Labor Issues (Green America)
• Surf Sweets Organic Candy and EcoMom Alliance Team Up to Bring Waste-Free Party Kits to Schools (EcoMom Alliance)
• New Candy Company Launches With Aim of Unjunking the World (PR Newswire)
• Terra Firma Cosmetics Launches First Line of Truly Non-Toxic Face Paints
• ChicoBag Celebrates 5th Annual Reusable Halloween Bag Design Contest
• Hunterdon County Costume Swap a Great Success (Hunterton County Democrat)
• Green Halloween Costumes 2012: Easy, Free DIY Ideas For Kids And Adults (The Huffington Post)
• National Costume Swap Day: Event Aims To Help Parents Save On Kids’ Halloween Costumes (The Huffington Post)

Have some good news to share about greening Halloween? Do share!

***

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of  Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.

Our grand-girl, Zoe, told me she wanted to be Cleopatra for Halloween and asked if I’d help her make a costume.

We talked about what she wanted it to look like: a long white dress with a “collar” out of something with gold or silver threads plus a headband “crown,” and a belt.

I knew we could make the dress out of a sheet and I immediately thought about doing the collar and crown from this apron (for a queen who wanted to look like she cooked but never set foot in the kitchen?) that I’d inherited from an aunt. The fabric, a very lightweight brocade, is shot through with lurex threads that makes it shine like a star!

We might have chosen to make the dress by draping and cutting, but I’ve been wanting to teach Zoe to make her own clothes and sew from a pattern so the  $4 I spent on this project went to purchase one.

From there, Zoe pinned and cut the pattern, sewed the straight seams and ironed. (I sewed the curves. Too much ripping discourages a newbie.)

Once the dress was done we moved on to the collar. I used the facing from the dress as a template for the part that sits near the neck and measured out to each shoulder then added this measurement to the facing. The apron fabric is scratchy so I lined the collar with a piece of silk that I had stored in my sewing closet for 20 years or more! Added one snap to the back and voila!

For the belt, we gathered some gold fabric at the back. folded it in and sewed it down, then added two snaps to close it. Next we cut the original waistband and ties from the “apron” and folded this piece over the belt for an added no-sew decoration.

Next up—the crown. I had some stiff buckram-like material and used that to form a head band and the diamond. Once it was sized to fit Zoe’s head, we glued fabric to the front of each piece, then glued the two pieces together and added a couple of small stitches so the diamond couldn’t fall off.

In reference pictures, there seemed to be decorated braids at the front of Cleopatra’s hair, but I didn’t have any beads in appropriate colors. When I found some black beaded trim, it added just the right touch.

Finally, we decided she needed some jewelry that at least looked like it was worthy of a queen if not as quite as costly.

I dug out some gold paper candy wrappers from my crafting stash, and made a chunky ring and bracelet simply by molding the paper into the form we wanted. The charm for the necklace is a circular shell covered in the same paper.

The outfit was complete at a cost of $4 for the pattern. We used items that would normally have been tossed. Zoe launched her sewing career and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to teach her and see her joy in learning as well as wearing our creation.

The project took about a day to complete so there’s still time if you’d like to make one for your trick-or-treater.

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of  Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.

2012 Green Halloween® Blogfest

Halloween is fast approaching, and we here at Green America are doing our best to support a Green Halloween® – one that is healthy for you, your families, and our planet. Since we know that you care about kids, families and the planet, we’d like to invite you to participate in our Green Halloween® Blogfest that will be taking place from Wednesday October 24^th to October 31^st. We hope that our invitation inspires you to share your own ideas about having a Halloween that is both fun and healthy.

For this BlogFest we would like to put a spotlight on the health concerns that have grown around traditional treats that are handed out on Halloween. Halloween is big on fun, but unfortunately, it is also big on unhealthy traditions. Many moms and dads worry about the impact of this holiday on the health of their kids and the planet. There is growing awareness and concern for the connections between children with diabetes, food allergies, and obesity and the presence of processed ingredients, hidden sugars, synthetic chemicals, and artificial colors in our food system.

On the flipside of this, it is easier than ever to find helpful information and make healthy choices. Green Halloween proudly advocates for this and supports a Halloween that is easy, affordable, fun and oh yes, healthy. Green Halloween encourages families to give out healthier treats and non-food “treasures” to trick-or-treaters, and luckily, there are now many awesome options available this Halloween. Green Halloween itself has partnered with these great organizations, whose missions support the Green Halloween goals of showing families that it is possible to keep the fun, while losing the unhealthy, un-Earth-friendly traditions.

We hope that you will join us and share your ideas on what a healthy Halloween means to you. Share with us your thoughts and tips on:

• How do you make Halloween healthier?
• Why is it important to think about health when celebrating Halloween?
• What the challenges are to making Halloween healthier and more Earth-friendly?
• What are your favorite ways to “Think outside the {conventional} candy box” and provide alternatives to traditional candy? Do you do treasures, have traditions like the “Switch-Witch”, or provide healthy alternatives?
• Your tips for managing the amount of the junk candy your children consume at Halloween?
• How has your environmental ethic or interest in health framed your celebration of Halloween?

It’s not about telling parents how they should celebrate – it’s about inspiring them to make choices that make sense to their families, their budgets and their schedules. And when many families make healthier and more sustainable choices for Halloween – taking even the smallest of steps – big impacts can be made for the short and long term.

Please join us in celebrating a Green Halloween.

To participate you can:

• Write your own post based on our questions. You are more than welcome to use GreenHalloween.org as a resource, clicking on the tags at the bottom of this post are a great place
  to start. We also recommend clicking on the links to our sponsors below as well. They perfectly exemplify what we are all about at Green Halloween and are a great inspiration.
• Update a past blog post that you have written that fits with this topic. (Now is a great time to remind people about your work and bring a new audience in on your tips and ideas)
• We can provide you with an original Green Halloween post for you to repost as is, or personalize yourself. (Just contact GreenHalloween@GreenAmerica.org for this)

Other Instructions

• Post a link to your blog post in the comments below, so we can read it and promote it.
• Green Halloween(R) is a registered trademark, so the first time it is mentioned in your post, please be sure to include the registration mark
• If you are on Twitter, share your post on there. Please include the Hashtag, #GreenHalloween
• Your Blogfest entry should mention that is a part of the 2012 Green Halloween® Blogfest, and link back to this original signup post so that people reading your post can find our other entries.
• We encourage you to check out each other’s blogs, comment, and provide feedback.
• Don’t be shy, any entry, no matter how big or small, is welcome to be a part of this.
• Have fun, write about what you believe, and read the work of others with similar interests.
• Connect to Green Halloween on Facebook and Twitter
• And please feel free to pass this on to other bloggers you think might be interested.

What’s in it for you?

• We will have a page on GreenHalloween.Org with links to all participating blogs
• We’ll do our best  to support your post with Tweets and via Facebook, and of course you’re welcome to post on our Green Halloween Facebook page
• If we receive media calls from anyone interested in hearing from bloggers, your name and blog will be added to the list (if you choose)
• Grow your profile, increase your network, and share your work with a new audience
• You’ll feel great having supported this effort to make a difference for parents and planet!

Any questions, requests for posts/photos/resources, or support are more than welcome. We are here to help! The best way to ask questions is: GreenHalloween@GreenAmerica.org

Lastly, We’d like to extend an invitation for you to join us for a #GreenHalloween Twitter Party on October 22 from 9-10pm EST. There will be plenty of inspirational ideas for those of you having trouble getting started on your post!

***
Green Halloween is a non-profit, grassroots community initiative to create healthier and more Earth-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween. It began in the Seattle area in 2007 with backers such as Whole Foods Market and was such a huge success that in 2008, the initiative expanded nation-wide. In cities across the country, volunteer coordinators are turning their city’s Halloween holiday
healthy and eco-friendly, but many are also raising money for their own, local nonprofit beneficiaries via the initiative. Green Halloween, as of 2012, is a program of Green America. Green Halloween is possible because of their partnerships with Honest Tea®, Lara Bar®, Stretch Island Fruit Co.^TM, Endangered Species Chocolate, Plum Kids, Unreal^TM, Applegate® , Cascadian Farm®, Surf Sweets®, Bitsy’s Brain Food^TM, Brainard’s Natural Remedies®, and Glee Gum^TM.

Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. Our mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace— to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. We work for a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the bounty of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come.

Every year at our daughter’s school they have classroom Halloween celebrations. Families are asked to send in a snack for the class to enjoy, thankfully in our school there is a requirement that half the snacks be healthy, this helps to balance out all the sweets. Being the “Today I Ate A Rainbow” family we always sign up for bringing in a healthy snack and this veggie skeleton is one of our favorites! The best part is when I pick up our platter at the end of the day it’s always empty while there are still trays of cupcakes and other goodies still uneaten!

Here are the simple directions to make a Rainbow Veggie Skeleton:

You’ll need the following items:

• Head of cabbage or iceberg lettuce
• Zucchini slices (rounds)
• Bell Pepper slices (cross-cut)
• Celery stalks
• Sugar snap peas
• Carrots (peeled)
• Broccoli florets
• Cauliflower florets
• Cherry/Grape Tomatoes
• Healthy dressing of your choice!
• Olive slices

Step 1. Line half of small bowl with lettuce for the skeleton’s hair; fill with dressing. Place at one end of large tray or baking sheet for the skeleton’s head.

Step 2. Cut vegetables the arrange them on tray to resemble skeleton’s body

* We added the fake spiders for a little extra fun

Halloween parties can have a balance of sweets and health…by spending a little extra time you can make veggies just as fun as any junk food! You can also get the best bow stabilizer.
Happy Healthy Eating,

Kia

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

Green Halloween® Twitter Party!

Hashtag: #GreenHalloween

October 22, from 9 to 10 pm EST

Where: Twitter!

Who: Follow the featured Twitter handles @GreenHalloween and @GreenAmerica

Register: Win prizes from @HonestTea @ESC_Chocolate, @CascadianFarm, @BrainardsNatRem, @PlumOrganics and @GreenAmerica. RSVP below to be eligible.*

What to Expect:

• Treats & “treasures” that are healthy for kids & the planet
• 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
• Finding Green Halloween® events near you
• Interact with others
• Win great, green gifts & goodies*

Please, help support Green Halloween and Green America and spread the Green this Halloween! Share this event with your social media network! The more individuals and groups we have involved, the better our great ideas will spread!

What you can to do to participate:

1. RSVP with us by adding your Twitter handle in the comments below to be eligible for prizes*
2. Check out the  Green America and Green Halloween websites for guides and tips for living your life in more green, healthy, and socially just ways
3. Follow our featured hosts: @GreenHalloween and @GreenAmerica
4. Log into Twitter through Tweetchat.com on October 22^nd a little before 9pm EST and put #GreenHalloween as the hashtag to follow
5. During the party, make sure every comment you submit has the hashtag #GreenHalloween (if you use Tweetchat, this will be done automatically) in it
6. Share your ideas, support each other, and participate. Also, come win some prizes from our great sponsors:

*(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.)

Green Halloween is a non-profit, grassroots community initiative to create healthier and more Earth-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween. It began in the Seattle area in 2007 with backers such as Whole Foods Market and was such a huge success that in 2008, the initiative expanded nation-wide. In cities across the country, volunteer coordinators are turning their city’s Halloween holiday healthy and eco-friendly, but many are also raising money for their own, local nonprofit beneficiaries via the initiative. Green Halloween, as of 2012, is a program of Green America.

Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. Our mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. We work for a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the bounty of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come.

For Questions about the party or about another event. Send a tweet to @GreenHalloween, post in the comments below, or send an email to GreenHalloween@GreenAmerica.Org