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Home : Newsletter_school08
Back-to-School Sept Newsletter - Sep 02, 2008
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Back to school means... ...it's almost Halloween!
Okay, so maybe "back to school" means some other things too, but around here, we've got pumpkins on the brain.
Can you blame us?
Halloween is a beloved holiday cherished by children and adults alike, but many parents also feel a sense of discomfort/dread/dis-ease (you fill in the word that works for you) about the holiday because of the health, environmental and financial costs associated with it.
Enter Green Halloween®.
Green Halloween® is here to support families in keeping all the great memories but losing the traditions we can do without. It's here to show parents that going green can be easy and affordable AND that it can be F-U-N.
Although our website has hundreds of ideas for turning your Halloween into an eek-o-friendly one, here are our tips for where to start:
1. Get the kids involved. Your children may have tons of ideas for how they can help care for themselves and the planet during the fall season. Let them choose one of their ideas and see it through. They'll be more likely to be engaged when they feel engaged.
2. Start small. No one says you need to strive for an entire green overhaul this year. If you feel overwhelmed, your efforts at sustainability are less likely to be sustainable. Instead, choose one to three ways you can go healthy and/or green this year and see how it goes. You can strive to turn your holiday a deeper shade of green next year (or for the next holiday).
3. Simplify. Simplification is a great way to reduce the cost, waste and chaos of this or any other holiday.
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Great gifts for a good cause
These treats, treasures, and gifts are ideal for any occasion or holiday.
Even better, a portion of the sale of these products goes to straight to Treeswing to support their mission to improve the health of our children through programs such as Green Halloween®.
Want to green up your holidays, year-round? Celebrate Green! will show you how. Co-authored by Green Halloween® founder, Corey Colwell-Lipson and her mom, Lynn Colwell, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, is the first of its kind guide to giving all of your holidays and celebrations an eco-makeover. Visit the Celebrate Green! website by clicking here.
Clif Kid™ Spooky S’mores bars are made from organic ingredients and whole grains and will be sold in large and mini (perfect trick-or-treating size). They’ll be available in stores for a limited time only so don’t wait too long to try ‘em or you’ll have to wait until next year! Check out the Clif Kid™ website.
ChicoBag™ limited edition, reusable trick-or-treat bags, designed by kids for ChicoBag™ and Green Halloween®! Purchase bags from retailers near you or from online boutiques such as Greenfeet.
Do you own a store or website where you'd like to sell the bags? Contact GreenHalloween@ChicoBag.com for sales information.
Dream A Little offers many natural handmade toys that inspire imagination and creativity such as their "Candy Corn Juicy Bugs" perfect for Halloween gifts and prizes. Sold individually or in sets. Explore the Dream A Little website.
Visit our products page for more products from companies who support Treeswing’s great programs such as Green Halloween®.
Do you have a business that sells products that are good for people and good for the planet? If you are interested in being a featured vendor, click here to learn more about how to participate in our Featured Vendor Program.
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Green for Good™ is putting on the Green Edmonds Festival on Saturday, September 13th. This event, billed as “an outdoor celebration of Greener Living,” will bring Green businesses and organizations together with people interested in living a more environmentally-friendly and health-conscious lifestyle. Green Halloween® and Treeswing will have a booth at the event, along with booths providing Green products, ideas, children’s activities, and organic food.
At 2:30 p.m. listen to Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell, Green Halloween’s founders and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, as they engage festival attendees with their fun, practical, and Earth-Friendly ideas for greening your celebrations. We hope to see you there!
Sign up for the Green for Good™ newsletter and get monthly tips for celebrating Green year-round from Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell.
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Contests for kids
Check out our contest page for great ways to get your kids involved in Green Halloween®, have fun, and win some great prizes.
Starting today, submit your child's Green Halloween® t-shirt design for a contest hosted by CODE Creations. Not only will the winning design be featured on t-shirts seen all over the U.S., some of the t-shirts will be hidden like treasures that can only be found through Geocaching.
And don't forget to take a peek at our winning designs for the reusable Green Halloween® trick-or-treat ChicoBag™. The bag features a spook-taculous drawing submitted by 12-year-old Estefania Vargas from Wesley Chapel, FL, pictured below. The bag comes in its own pouch with a design inspired by the artwork of a six-year-old from Arizona.
Please note: our contests page is updated regularly. If you do not see the contest or the winning designs you are looking for, please check back.
Thank You
to our
2008 Sponsors
National:
Platinum Pumpkin Level:
Silver Pumpkin Level:
Bronze Pumpkin Level:
The Richards Family
Media Partners:
In-kind:
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| Treeswing in action |
Call for volunteers
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Highlight on our partners |
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Overlake
Hospital
goes Green!
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It's Back-to-School time and there is much to look forward to at Treeswing! Several Seattle schools will have a new PE Curriculum, thanks to our Get Fit – Get Smart! partnership with Seattle Schools. After receiving the School Board's approval last fall, the Five for Life curriculum will be rolled-out and evaluated in ten schools and then implemented district-wide in the 2009-2010 school year. In addition to exercise, this curriculum promotes lifetime wellness through teaching children how to make healthy eating and activity choices.
Every kindergartner in Seattle will also have a new jump rope to look forward to, thanks to our Jump Up! program. Treeswing will be hosting a school event to kick-off this initiative at Dearborn Park Elementary on September 30th.
Here’s to a healthy year!
For more facts, resources and ideas on raising generations of healthy children, sign up for the Treeswing newsletter.
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Green Halloween® is taking part in numerous events and we could use some helping hands during the month of October.
If you live in the Seattle area and would like to join us at events as we work to make this Halloween greener, let us know. Even if you don’t live in Seattle, there are still ways you can help out.
To get involved, email Corey at corey@greenhalloween.org.
Upcoming Seattle-area events include...
Issaquah Salmon Days Festival
October 4-5, 2008
Bellevue Farmer's Market
October 9, 2008
Pumpkin Prowl at Woodland Park Zoo
October 24-26, 2008
For the complete list of our 2008 Seattle-area events, visit our events webpage. For events in our other Green Halloween® cities, please search our map page.
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Overlake Hospital Medical Center has been selected as a Best Workplace for Recycling by King County’s solid waste division.
In the past year, Overlake has developed a comprehensive recycling program through its “Go Green” campaign. The recycling campaign includes recycling bins in key locations, a yearly recycling education program for employees, and a composting program the hospital started in association with the City of Bellevue.
This program is facilitated by Overlake’s Green Team, an employee group comprised of representatives from multiple departments.
Read the full article to learn more about this great initiative.
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| Treeswing.org |
GreenHalloween.org |
OverlakeHospital.org |
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