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.

Soup that is healthy and simple

Soup is about comfort, warmth of soul, and the feeling of home.  And in the chill of winter, with Valentine’s Day just around the bend, soup can be about love:  love of friends and family and the care that you put into the meals that you create for them.  Let’s face it though, as busy moms, sometimes its about an easy dinner that fills the bellies fast and warms the heart!

Simple Tortellini Soup Recipe

Recipe submitted by Wenonah Michallet, mom of two from Tucson, AZ, whose recipes also appear in the book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family

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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.

The top 8 finalists for the 2010 Green Halloween ChicoBag design contest have been chosen!

Congratulations to every child who entered (over 500 kids this year!).

Click here for how YOU can help choose the winning design, which will be featured on a 2011 ChicoBag trick-or-treat bag, sold online and in stores all across the U.S.

Which design do you think best captures the “Spirit of a Green Halloween“? Vote by November 17th!

10% of the sale of Halloween ChicoBag™s support Green Halloween®! Thank you so much, ChicoBag for your support of our initiative! To purchase the 2010 Green Halloween ChicoBag, click here.

Meet Griffin! An adorable 19-month-old boy from St. Paul, Minnesota.

His mother, Sarah, was inspired by Green Halloween® to make Griffin an eco-friendly “Griffin” costume for Halloween this year!

(Be sure to check out Griffin’s 2009 owl costume made from wool fleece and Eco Felt).

As you may or may not know, a Griffin is part lion, part eagle so what’s a Griffin mama and daddy to wear? You got it!

Sarah was a “Eagle Mother” and her husband, Andrew, a “Lion Dad”.

Each costume was made with either recycled materials Sarah found at Goodwill or from home, and Eco Felt or wool felt. One of her favorite transformations was using an orange bath mat for Andrew’s lion mane!

All in all, Sarah spent less than $15 on supplies, which also made it a thrifty Halloween!

Sarah, we love your resourcefulness and style; can’t wait to see what you come up with next year.

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.

The lovely folks over at Oeuf is holding a creative costume competition. Even though Halloween is officially over, it doesn’t mean the creativity has to end. All you need for entering is a picture (drawn by kids of course!) and what their dream costume is. Submission deadline is November 14th, 2010 at midnight. One lucky child will have their dream costume made especially for them by the Oeuf team. The winning costume may even be apart of Oeuf’s dress up collection. Now that is a sweet deal!

Check out the Oeuf Dream Dress-ups page for details on how to enter. Happy drawing!

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.