Green Options

Even if you have not really thought about it yet, going green this Halloween is an easy and sustainable exercise. To make it even easier for you, I have put together this cheat sheet of Top 10 Green Halloween posts that were created in the last month.

Halloween is almost upon us, then it’ll be over in a flash. But before Halloween goes into hiding until next year make one more fun, green Halloween craft to your collection. This time make it out of small yogurt containers and black craft foam. It’ll make you go batty, but it’ll be worth it.

In the short time since she has launched the haute green newsletter and site, EcoStiletto, which encourages all the ladies to stiletto-size their carbon footprint from an Ugg Boot to a tiny Manolo, Rachel Sarnoff has made a huge impact of her own.

I got a chance to get the scoop on her inspiration and objectives and couldn’t wait to share them with the FGS readers. Keep reading to hear about her Fashion Week eco-find and what gets her going to inspire other green fashion mavens.

Because I love encouraging my kids to be creative, Halloween becomes another excuse to get them to make some great artwork that I will invariably want to put on display for the rest of the year. Best of all, there is more than enough in the way of recycled materials to use as raw materials for their artwork.

I’m seeing a lot out there about greening your Halloween this year. One way to do that is to send your kids off trick-or-treating with a bag that they can use again and again and again. ChicoBag is selling these great little reusable Halloween shopping bags that would also make great bags for kids to collect their treats in.

I know there are a lot of green products out there to choose from, so why am I telling you about this one particular product. For two reasons.

First of all, I’m a big fan of the ChicoBag. Last April, I was contacted by the company and asked if I would like a couple of bags to check out and review. They sent me two bags, and I’ve been a ChicoBag user ever since.

I think my ChicoBag is fabulous. Why?

[photo by Becky Striepe]

Halloween is probably my very favorite holiday. I just love carving a pumpkin, putting on a costume, and playing make believe. Of course, this meant I was overjoyed to stumble upon Green Halloween, an organization aimed at promoting what they call “The Three G’s:

With childhood obesity rates and even scarier, type II diabetes rates in children under 10 years old sky rocketing, it’s time to take up the mantra of Green Halloween and start to “think outside the candy box.”

I learned about this program in the spring and am so impressed by what the founder, Corey Colwell-Lipson has accomplished after taking her idea to Whole Foods a year ago.

Not like you have to ask me twice to throw a party or give me much of an excuse, but Celebrate Green! ($19), the new book from mom and daughter team Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, makes me want to host events year round.

I love Pack O Fun Magazine, they always have great crafts for kids made from garbage and every day items you can find around the house.

The November edition, which features Halloween and Thanksgiving crafts is full of clever and cute crafts for kids of all ages (including my toilet paper roll treat boxes for Halloween on page 36) and many of them use items that would normally get tossed away. There’s a haunted house made from a milk carton, luminaries made from tin cans, jar lights made from assorted glass jars, a treat box made from a cereal box, candy holders made from Pringle’s cans, cute treat holders made from plastic jello cups and cheese boxes and more. I didn’t see any CD ideas though (mine keep piling up, haven’t found an idea that suits me yet).