Find an alternate use for plastic pumpkins & candy pails. The best way to keep the plastic pumpkins and other plastic treat pails out of landfills is to not buy them in the first place.  But if you already own plastic pumpkins, don’t throw them away.  If your kids are not using them anymore for trick-or-treating, find an alternate use for them instead.  Below are a few ideas of other things you can do with your plastic pumpkin or treat pail.

• Use it as a candy dish or snack bowl for a Halloween party
• Turn it into a planter or vase
• Use it as your candy container to distribute candy when trick-or-treaters come to your door
• Turn it into a decoration for your home or child’s room
• Try to donate it to a children’s home or a women’s shelter
• Make your own scare crow and use the pumpkin as the head
• If you have a treat pail that is not a pumpkin (perhaps it’s your child’s favorite cartoon character) use the pail to store small toys or art supplies

Use a reusable canvas bag or pillow case as a trick-or-treat bag. If you’ve already made the switch to canvas shopping bags, you can have your kids use those or a pillow case when they go trick-or-treating. Both of these options hold way more candy than a traditional Halloween pail anyway, so it’s a win for your kids and a win for the environment. Another option would be to purchase decorative reusable Halloween bags, which store nicely and will last for years to come.  Want to design your own?  Try sites like CafePress, Zazzle or Spreadshirt and make a personalized reusable Halloween bag.

Green your Halloween party treat bags. If you’re hosting a Halloween party for kids and need to provide treat bags, there are a few things you can to do make them more eco-friendly.

• Try to avoid or at least limit the amount of plastic party favors you purchase.  Although many of these items are cute and fun for kids, most of them will be in the trash in just a few short weeks.  Try to opt for things that can be recycled, like Halloween note pads or coloring books or items that will last longer, like a mini Halloween story book.
• Opt for paper treat bags instead of plastic bags.  Although paper bags use more energy to produce than plastic, it is more likely that the bags you send home with other kids will get recycled if they are paper.  If you buy plain bags, you can decorate them yourself for a personal touch, and include a note on the bag to “please recycle.”  If possible, try to find bags that were made from recycled material.
• Purchase candy and other treats from organic or natural stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes.  Although these products may not have less plastic packaging than regular candy, they are a healthier alternative with less chemicals and additives.

Don’t buy real pumpkins solely for decoration. If you’re planning to decorate your front porch with pumpkins and then dump them in the trash on November 1st, think twice.  Millions of pounds of pumpkin waste are dumped in landfills each year but pumpkins don’t break down properly in landfills because of a lack of oxygen. It’s much better to compost your pumpkin after Halloween. If composting isn’t for you, look for a pumpkin drop off program in your area.  Also, be sure to use as much of your pumpkin as possible.  The insides are great for pie and roasted pumpkin seeds are a nutritious and tasty snack.  The sites below offer some great information about composting your Halloween pumpkin.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1030196/how_to_compost_a_halloween_pumpkin.html?cat=32

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/433561/smashing_pumpkins_how_to_compost_a.html?cat=32

http://earth911.com/blog/2007/10/26/compost-your-pumpkin-this-year/

Have a Happy & Greener Halloween!

With reducing our consumption (“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”) being such an important part in living greener it is frustrating to see how many companies want you to buy their stuff or drive to their stores just because it’s Earth Day. Buying extra stuff you don’t need or driving to a store to get something for free, are clearly not things Gaylord Nelson envisioned when Earth Day began 41 years ago. I was in a store a few days ago and saw a cashier giving every single customer a free reusable shopping bag in “honor” of Earth Day. She didn’t ask if they wanted it and didn’t check first to see if the customers had their own bags. It seems to me a large percentage of shoppers might already have their own reusable shopping bags and not be in need of another. Unfortunately there are probably other shoppers who don’t care about the earth and put that reusable bag right in the trash. I was in another store recently where I was told I’d get a free product if I brought in recycling on Earth Day but I need to get there as soon as they open, as the free samples go fast. Sounds to me like they’re just trying to get customers in the door, so they can try to sell to them on Earth Day.

I’ve heard of schools “going green” on Earth Day by using “earth friendly” trays at lunch instead of styrofoam trays. But it’s just for that one day and because there’s no way to recycle or compost these trays, they’re going to end up in the landfill just like the styrofoam trays. So the schools end up spending all of that time and extra money for no reason.

When schools and companies think about Earth Day, wouldn’t it be better to encourage actions that effect change on a daily basis? For instance, schools could organize a zero-waste lunch event, encouraging each child to bring a lunch with nothing disposable in it on Earth Day. And maybe that could grow into a Zero-Waste Lunch Week. If a store wants do something in “honor” of Earth Day, instead of selling products specifically for Earth Day or giving something away for free on a single day, I’d rather see them offer a month-long promotion where they donate money to charity for every customer that remembers to bring in their own bag or contributes to the company’s recycling efforts. The businesses would still get their good “earth friendly” PR, without giving out stuff no one needs and by making it a month-long promotion, people wouldn’t need to drive unnecessarily to a store on a Earth Day.

This is not to say I’m against earth-friendly products, many of which are advertised here on this site. But encouraging people to buy stuff unnecessarily or drive out of their way to get something for free, clearly sends the wrong message. We need to limit what we buy, buy locally as much as possible, and make conscious decisions about where we buy products. Many of the companies offering these promotions could care less about the earth 11 months out of the year.

If you feel compelled to do something in honor of Earth Day, consider making a change in your daily life to help you live greener. Maybe you’ve dropped single-use water bottles and plastic bags long ago but haven’t yet ditched other disposables in your house. You could start a vegetable garden, sign up for a beach or park clean up, take a composting class or organize a recycling event at your church, school or office. There are so many great ways to celebrate Earth Day but one of the best ways is to NOT participate in green washing activities. What are some truly green ways you plan to celebrate Earth Day?

Participation in the program is free and schools can choose to participate in just one activity, for just one day or for a whole week.  The program includes school recycling programs, waste free lunches, green energy challenge and a green thumb challenge.  Up to $5,000 in eco-prizes will be given away and on Earth Day the Green Education Foundation will announce the results of the combined effort of all participants.

To register your school or group for National Green Week, visit:  www.nationalgreenweek.com.  For more information on National Green Week and the Green Education Foundation, watch the video below.

According to the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, about 1.7 billion plastic bags – or an average of 500 bags per person – are used in San Diego County each year. Nationally, fewer than 5 percent of plastic shopping bags are recycled.  Using reusable shopping bags is truly one of the simplest changes you can make to living greener.  I made the switch to reusable bags a few years ago and am so glad I did.  If you haven’t yet made the switch, maybe December 16th would be a great day to start.  For more information about “A Day Without A Bag” including a map of retailers giving away the free bags and a list of local retailers who offer incentives for reusable bag use, visit: www.NoBagDaySD.org.

How it works:

Choose from environmental categories you are passionate about: Ocean, Endangered Species, Fresh Water or Exploration, then visit the Planet Inspired web site to upload your video and / or photos and to remix your video. The deadline for submission is midnight, November 15th.

For complete contest details or to enter the contest, visit: youtube.com/user/PlanetInspired