Quote of the Week - 11.01.11

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."

~Mother Theresa

"Every time you give someone Fair Trade chocolate, it is most definitely a beautiful thing."

~Coco-Zen

Stuff We Found Today - 10.23.11

"Macquarium"

Family, Kids & Health Stuff

• Stress and Toxins Can Combine to Increase Illness in Children - (Greenwala) Interesting study... (makes sense to us!)
• Child Slaves Made Your Halloween Candy. Stop Buying It. - (GOOD) Start spreading the news...
• Kids' Brains Absorb Twice as Much Cellphone Radiation as Adult Brains - (Inhabitots)
• 10 Ridiculous "Pinkwashed" Products That May Actually Cause Breast Cancer - (Ecouterre)

Food Stuff

• Infographic: Unexpected Chemicals in Your Food - The Health Risks of Pesticide - (Greenwala) That's why it's best to get organic whenever you can.
• 'No magic bullet' can protect cocoa from climate change - (ConfectioneryNew.com) Will chocolate become a true luxury item??
• Chocolate That Feels As good As It Tastes - (Green Energy TV) Video by Fair Trade USA.
• 12 healthy homemade candy recipes - (Mother Nature Network) Some fun ones to try...and to taste!

Beauty & Fashion Stuff

• Fair Trade Fashion: Ridiculously Inexpensive Jewelry from Morrocco - (EcoStiletto) Gorgeous gold "silk" and silver bead necklace and bracelet.
• The Company That Wants You to Buy Less - (New American Dream) Patagonia would rather you repair or buy used clothing instead of buying new...cool!
• 14 Eco-Friendly Women's Boots to Kick Fall Into Gear - (Ecouterre) Lovin' the Cri de Coeur boots!
• 14 Eco-Friendly Men's Boots For Ushering Fall - (Ecouterre) ...and, the men's selection...

Tech & Science Stuff

• Virgin Atlantic Announces Plans to Fuel Airplanes With Waste Gas - (Inhabitat) "Airline mogul and billionaire Richard Branson just announced that in three years Virgin Atlantic airplanes will be fueled by waste gas from power plants, steel works, and aluminum plants."
• Macquariums: Iconic Candy-colored Apple iMacs Recycled into Aquariums - (Inhabitat) Kinda cool and nostalgic.

Nature & Environment Stuff

• Extraordinary Toroidal Vortices [VIDEO] - (Eco-Tube) This is a pretty cool video... especially of the dolphins and whales making and playing with bubble rings.

Arts, Entertainment & Travel Stuff

• Magic Mountain Lodge is a Hill-Like Hobbit Highrise - (Inhabitat) Gotta see the picture. How cool would it be to spend a few nights here?!!
• Tell Disney: Get the Lead Out of Disneyland! - (Center for Environmental Health) "For nine months, Disney has known about dozens of lead-tainted brass and stained glass items at Disneyland, yet the company has failed to act to protect children!"

Website Stuff

• How Many Slaves Work for You? New Online Tool Measures Your Impact - (Ecouterre) Almost scared to try this one out...

International Stuff

• Bosco Verticale in Milan Will Be the World's First Vertical Forest - (Inhabitat) Now if all high rise condos could be like that.

Other Random Cool Stuff

• WTC Complex Aiming for LEED Gold, Will Be The Largest Green Project in NYC - (Inhabitat) Nice!!
• HOW TO: Make Flying Ghosts from an Upcyvled Sheet for Halloween - (Inhabitots) Fun times!

Quote of the Week - 10.23.11

"Every new day is another chance to change your life."

~Unknown

"Every new day is another chance to have some Fair Trade chocolate."

~Coco-Zen

Skip conventional candy this Halloween...

If you're not already passing out Fair Trade chocolate this Halloween (hee, hee), here are some great alternatives to conventional candy from the ladies over at Celebrate Green. Bye, bye scary pesticide laden candy!

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Thinking outside the (conventional) candy box this Halloween

Halloween is supposed to be nothing but fun for kids.

Yet there are some scary statistics out there right now about our children.

For one, this is the first generation of American children whose life expectancy is now shorter than their parents.

And for another, if the current trend continues, one in every three children will develop diabetes in her lifetime.

"But Halloween is only one holiday. Why can't we let kids eat all the candy they want?" some might ask.

If candywere only doled out by the handful once a year, it might be all right. (Even then, some parents would prefer moderation and still, we would face the issues of the unhealthy chemicals in the candy.)
But the fact is that many of our holidays have turned into sweetfests-Valentine's Day and Easter, for example, to say nothing of kids' birthday parties and other celebrations throughout the year. Add to this the candy children receive if they accompany you to the bank (even thedoctor!), the dry cleaners or pet store. Some teachers even hand out candy as a reward for good behavior.

So it's not about once a year. It's about recognizing the impact of our national sweet tooth (and our reliance on artificially derived and modified ingredients), and how we can help our children to enjoy healthy and safe alternatives, even when celebrating.

What to give instead?

If you don't want to hand out conventional candy this year, what can you substitute? Lots of things.

You can choose from an assortment of organic candies, and/or those made without dyes and preservatives, and that use juice or fruit for sweetening.

Or consider honey sticks, a favorite among kids of all ages. (But do not give honey to children under the age of two.)

If you'd prefer to skip thecandyaltogether but still want to offer food-how about real fruit strips and rolls, dried organic fruit, whole food bars, raw or toasted nuts (check with parents of young children due to allergy concerns), natural gum, organic crispy rice bars, or pumpkin and other seeds. (For a longer list with specific brands, check out www.GreenHalloween.org)

Treasures instead of treats?

Another alternative is to substitute "treasures" for treats.

Think about it this way. When you empty your kids' pockets before doing the laundry, what do you find? These are things your children think of as precious even if you do not-bits of shiny paper, rock crystals, acorns, for example.

So when it comes to treasures, don't dismiss them just because you think kids will turn up their noses. Ask them! You might be surprised that they would be happy to receive stickers,friendship bracelets, coins (who doesn't love money?), polished rocks, sea shells, cookie cutters, or other small items. (Lots more treasure ideas at Green Halloween.)

Enter the bowl

To ensure you offer something children will like, fill a bowl with a variety of treats and treasures, then invite children to take their pick. You will no doubt be surprised at their choices.

At a Halloween event a couple of years ago, we placed a bowl filled with feathers on a table in our booth. Adults passed by without a second glance. But as kids approached, their eyes grew wide and they asked, "Can I have one?" So many wanted a feather that we ran out in an hour. They blew them into the air, they tried to tickle themselves (or their siblings), or lightly brushed the feathers against their cheeks. Boys, girls, teens and tweens all had the same reaction.

Who would think that today's children who seem to be entertained only when they are plugged in, could enjoy something as simple as a feather?

So this Halloween, offer lots of choices, allow children to pick their favorite instead of taking a handful (which, no matter what is chosen, is not only better for kids' health, but also should cut down on your purchase costs) and feel great about providing the children who come to your door with a healthier Halloween.

Photos ©Holli Dunn

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Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net.

Quote of the Week - 10.16.11

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

~Oscar Wilde

"To love Fair Trade chocolate is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

~Coco-Zen

Stuff We Found Today - 10.06.11

Cute eco-friendly trick-or-treat bags

Family, Kids & Health Stuff

• Eco-Friendly Candy Monster Trick or Treat Bags Eat Kids Goodies - (Inhabitots) These are adorable!

Food Stuff

• Dr. Oz, apple juice, and arsenic: chicken may have 10 times more - (NutritionFacts.org) "Every year about two million pounds of arsenic-containing chemicals have been fed to chickens in the United States..."
• Recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits - (Peta.org) Yummy and super easy recipe...perfect to do with the kids (they'll have fun forming the biscuits with their hands!), and it's even vegan!
• Mars Commits to More Fairtrade While Hershey Loses Ethical Ground - (Change.org News)
• Climate Change Could Make Chocolate A Luxury Item, Report Finds - (Huffington Post) Just great...
• Recipe: Mujaddarah - This Middle Eastern comfort food of spiced rice and lentils sounds delish...gotta try!
• Monsanto's broccoli (and other business ventures) - (Mean Joe Green's Environmental Cartoons) Check out Monsanto's newest veggie...

Home Stuff

• 7 Amazing sun-Powered Homes in the 2011 Solar Decathalon! - (Inhabitat) Oooohhh...some of these are pretty nice!
• Stainless Steel Straws - (Ecobold) LOVE these straws... and this 4-pack comes with a cleaner!
• 24 things you can clean with lemon - (Mother Nature Network) Really like the tip on cleaning microwaves.

Beauty & Fashion Stuff

• 11 Hot Green Designers at the New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 - (Ecouterre) Always fun to look at...
• Human Hair Accessories - (Ecouterre) Hmmm...interesting or creepy??
• 14 Eco-Friendly Capes, Cloaks, Ponchos For Cozying Up to Fall - (Ecouterre) Love, love love!
• Uggs Made Using Dog Fur, Yep. - (GirlieGirl Army) BOOOOO!!!!!!

Tech & Science Stuff

• Who Will Spark the Future of U.S. Energy? - (Greenwala) Calling all U.S. billionaires... Check out what a wealthy man in Japan is doing!
• Coffee-Powered Car Breaks World Speed Record for Vehicle Powered by Organic Material - (Inhabitat)
• Could Bamboo Surfboards Inspire Bamboo Cars? - (GOOD) We'd want one of those...the new eco-version of the old surfer "woody" station wagon!

Nature & Environment Stuff

• Plastic found at the ends of the earth - (Surfrider.org) Plastic trash floating around in Antarctica...great!
• Video: Moving Planet - (350.org) For anyone who missed the Moving Planet celebration on Sep 24th, or who just want to relive it... here's a great little video they put together.
• Red Tide Causes Glow-In-The-Dark Blue Waves On San Diego Beaches (VIDEOS) - (Huffington Post) This is crazy looking... check out the videos.
• Mother Lion Makes a Daring Rescue to Save Her Cub Off a Cliff - (Greenwala) Don't mess with mama lion!!

Website Stuff

• Fair Trade Finder app crowd-sources product locations - (Mother Nature Network) "Fair Trade USA has just released an app that allows users to upload the location of fair trade products that they find for sale." Works for smartphones and Facebook.
• 10 Free iPhone Apps To Help You Go Green - (The Good Human) Gotta love an app!

Political, Social & Economy Stuff

• How your 'slow money' can make a difference - (Mother Nature Network) "Let's do with money what the slow food movement did with food. By investing in local businesses, you can turn a profit and change your community for the better."

Other Random Cool Stuff

• Infographic: America's report card - (Mother Nature Network) "Hundreds of U.S. residents in all 50 states grade their state on natural beauty, eco-friendliness, medical care and more."
• Guatemalan Schools Built from Bottles, Not Bricks - (Huffington Post) Pretty cool!

Quote of the Week - 10.02.11

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

~Confucius

"Chocolate is simple, just insist on Fair Trade."

~Coco-Zen