'Green Halloween' Redux

Now here's my idea of a "green" Halloween! Let the kids have their candy. The question is: what do you do with SO much candy? (Whether your kids have collected it or you've overbought for trick-or-treaters.) Eating it all can get a bit nauseating and highly caloric.

Whatever you do, for Pete's sake, don't throw it out! (What a tragic waste that would be.)

Instead you might want to consider the 13 ways (I'm sure that number was chosen quite deliberately) to reuse, repurpose and recycle Halloween candy.

I say, if you're going to celebrate a "green" Halloween, this is the way to do it.

Does a "Green Halloween" Mean No Candy?

You know, I'm not against trying to make holidays healthier and more eco-friendly. For instance, we tend to eat way too much for Thanksgiving (not healthy) and buy way too much for Christmas (too consumerist). But a Halloween without candy seems bizarre to me.

According to this Web site, however, "Green Halloween is a non-profit, grassroots community initiative to create healthier and more Earth-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween." It goes on to say, "Although many people associate greenness with sustainability, we believe that no discussion of sustainability is complete without also discussing healthy people and healthy communities."

I kept reading this thing, and I realized they were talking about stopping the trick-or-treating part. Because, after all, "green" living means healthy living, making healthy choices, doing the right thing all the damn time, blah, blah, blah.

Further, the site notes that some children "may be upset, disappointed or angry at the idea of giving up what they have known and what they expect. [Gee, imagine that.] This is completely understandable and is one reason Green Halloween is placing a great deal of emphasis on children in the 1- 5 age ranges. Young children have less concretized expectations of holiday traditions [their minds are maleable] and will generally be open to creating new ones [they can be more easily brainwashed into health-conscious little geeks, who will get their asses kicked by bullies]."

Okay, okay--maybe I'm being a bit harsh. But the notion of telling a kid, "Happy Halloween! By the way, you ain't getting candy anymore"--well, that seems kind of harsh, too.

The site suggests that "a candy trade [so we're NOT averse to collecting candy now?] is one way for kids to enjoy trick-or-treating while earning 'pumpkin points' [huh?] towards something that he or she really wants such as a book, CD, or tickets for a favorite show or activity." [Candy for "pumpkin points"? What the hell kind of scam is this?]

I don't know who these people are, but I suggest they open up a package of M&Ms and chill out a bit.

Today is International Climate Action Day!

As reported in Grist and on Light Green Stairs (a great environmental blog, BTW), today is International Climate Action Day.

What can you do to observe it? For one thing, blog about various climate change issues, news, information--whatever. Try to cut back on your own emissions in some way. Ride a bike or walk instead of driving. (Though, frankly, for many people that's not feasible. Still, I have no plans to use my car today, so that's something, I guess.)

Think about what you can be doing to improve our climate situation. Planting trees or giving to organizations involved in forest preservation. (Deforestation reportedly has a significant effect on our climate.)

Consider using Climate Corps interns to find ways to "green" your business. (Assuming you're in a position to hire interns, of course.)

Think about energy issues and the hidden costs of using coal (which is supposed to be the cheap energy alternative).

And . . . wait, what's this? Flaws in the Energy Star program? So, some of these Energy Star labeled products might not actually qualify.

I wish I could say I was surprised.

Grist Calls Out Several Sources of Environmental Info

Grist, the nonprofit environmental news site, today cried foul over reported misinformation about various "green" issues.

First up, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, the authors of FREAKONOMICS have come out with a new book called SUPERFREAKONOMICS (how creative), in which they claim global warming can't be averted by cutting back on our carbon emissions. This article by Joseph Romm takes them to task for this and points to several errors in statements made about solar power.

Second, Amory Lovins disagrees with Stewart Brand, the author of a book called WHOLE EARTH DISCIPLINE (complete with greenie-style photo of blue marble Mother Earth on the cover), about the eco-friendliness of nuclear energy, claiming (as the headline states): "Stewart Brand's nuclear fever falls short on facts and logic."

And, finally, while not entirely calling out the whole idea of cap-and-trade and carbon offsets, Umbra clarifies her views on the matter and suggests some caveats about how such schemes can actually work.

Grist does come at these issues from a decidedly liberal (politically) point of view, but you know that up front. So . . . consider these articles food for thought, anyway.

A Plethora of Green Links

First up, some tips for packing waste-free lunches. Ditch those plastic bags in favor of reusable lunch containers, for one thing. You're eliminating the waste, but what goes into making those containers? Is manufacturing them doing harm to the environment? Don't know. Doesn't say. But it's waste-free, right? At least, at the consumer level. Okay, okay--enough. The intentions are good. 'Nuff said.

And here's an interesting story about the so-called "No Impact Man," who wants to have zero impact on the environment. (Is that even possible?) According to the article, he "gave up electricity, fossil fuels, un-local food, and buying stuff." Um, buying stuff except local foods right? I doubt he grew everything he ate, especially since he lives in New York City. And where the heck do you grow local food in NYC? Okay, maybe I need to see the movie. But it says he's flying now. To talk about his book. And I don't think he's using his arms. Ahem--he's starting a nonprofit called the No Impact Project. It's a Web portal. I think those use electricity, don't they? Yes, yes--picky, picky. Next!

This post tries to answer the question, "What the hell is a green job, anyway?" I'd sure like to know.

And who knew banana waste might be used to make plastic? Apparently, banana waste from processing plants is a real problem in itself. Where to dispose of it? But in this case, one person's trash could be another's treasure. Banana waste could help reduce the use of petroleum derivatives in plastic. It could lower the amount of polyethylene used in making it. A win-win scenario, if there ever was one.

Oh, but they're only developing the techniques to do this right now. So, not quite there yet, but we can only hope it works out. Yeah, let's hope. So . . . onward!

A big sustainability conference is coming up in April 2010 in the UK. Sustainabilitylive! (that's the name, as written) is (according to the site) "the home of five leading environment exhibitions, including BEX, ET, IWEX, NEMEX and SB - The Event." Yeah, I've got no idea what that means either. Maybe someone more sustainably-oriented than myself does. Someone in one of those green jobs, whatever they are. Sorry, doing it again. All right, well--let's wrap this up then.

Finally, this post from Twilight Earth is my definite favorite. And I think the title says it all. (Common sense. What a concept.)