Green all those ghouls and goblins with these eco-friendly tips for the scariest night of the year!

Whether your Halloween means a few trick-or-treaters or the biggest party on the block, green all those ghouls and goblins with these eco-friendly tips for the scariest night of the year!

1. Hand out fair-trade chocolate and/or organic candy. You should be able to find these options at a local health food store, like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. It may be cheaper and easier to find your standard Halloween candy fare at the supermarket but they’re filled with GMO sugars, high fructose corn syrup and artificial colorings, including yellow #5 which is made from coal!

2. Don’t hand out candy at all. Instead, get a few packs of non-toxic crayons and give each trick-or-treater a few of those, maybe with a little coloring book to boot.

3. Send your kids out with reusable canvas bags. And if your kids have their hearts set on those orange plastic pumpkins, check your local thrift store where you should find more than enough to choose from.

4. Green your costumes. Instead of buying something brand new, come up with your own costumes at home. Raid the closets of family members and friends if you have to. And check out your local thrift store, especially of the vintage variety. Most have a rack already set up with ready-made costumes assembled for you.

5. Make your own eco-friendly Halloween decorations. From odds and ends stashed away in storage closets, to piles of leaves in the backyard, you probably have the makings for quite the Halloween haunt without having to leave home. Of course, you can always supplement it with biodegradable, compostable store-bought items too, like ghords, pumpkins, dried corn and hay (organic, if you can find it). Pull out your oldest tattered clothes and you’ve got the makings for a scarecrow or two.

6. Green your Halloween party. From organic, locally-grown food to cloth tableloths and napkins instead of paper, choose eco-friendly party options. Send your invites via email. Use your regular plates, utensils and cups instead of buying plastic. Or, if you feel throwaway is a must, atleast invest in the biodegradable, compostable variety.

7. Recycle or compost your waste. If you’re throwing a party, you can make this easier on your guests (i.e., you), by having three bins set up, each one clearly marked – trash, recycle and compostable food.

Meredith Simonds Solar canvas bags, costumes, Eco-Friendly, fair-trade chocolate, green, Halloween, Halloween decorations, Halloween party, non-toxic crayons, organic candy, trick-or-treaters

The Mojave Desert in California will soon be the site of the Blythe Solar Power Project - the largest in the country and, in fact, the world!

From mainstream media to niche green news outlets, the internet is buzzing about the newly-approved solar power project in the Mojave Desert, and with good reason. Not only will it be the largest solar plant on U.S. public lands, but the Blythe Solar Power Project will be the largest in the world!

Located near Blythe, California – close to the Arizona border and 225 miles east of Los Angeles – the 1,000-megawatt solar power plant is one of six solar projects approved by the Interior Department this month. Once an expected seventh solar project is approved, they will collectively generate 3,000 megawatts of power, which is enough to power up to 2 million homes!

Beyond the obvious bragging rights of having the world’s largest solar power plant, the U.S. media seems especially proud to announce that the developer on the project – Solar Millenium – is an Oakland, California-based LLC. That may be, but it’s worth noting that the company is a German developer.

Seriously, is there not a single U.S.-owned developer we could have brought in to work on this project? I understand it’s creating U.S. jobs for the work done on the project here, but we’re still making a foreign company richer for it. And paid for with federal stimulus money – $1.9 billion to be exact! In fact, on news of the approval, stock in the company jumped 17 percent in German trading.

 And back to the happy place.

The Blythe Power Project will utilize mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy, as opposed to solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity. If all goes according to plan this project (as well as the other six referenced above) should start generating power by the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.

Meredith Simonds Solar Blythe Solar Power Project, German, Interior Department, Mojave Desert, Solar, Solar Millenium, solar power

As ideal as it sounds to drive a "zero emissions" electric vehicle, it's rather deceiving as the majority of our electricty comes from coal.

I’m as green as the next girl, but getting on board with electric vehicles is a tough sell when the majority of our electricty still comes from burning coal. Yet it’s rare to see this criticism included from those behind the electric car hype, and I’m not just talking about the manufacturers.

In two recent blog posts, for example, Ecorazzi and Treehugger sing the praises of two new electric vehicles – the 2011 Chevy Volt and the 2012 plug-in electric Prius, respectively. These are “reviews” of the vehicles, yet only in the comments does anyone mention the implied hypocrisy of driving an electric vehicle that will probably be powered by the burning of dirty coal. And, honestly, I must admit I am guilty of skimming over this critical point in my previous posts about electric vehicles.

Granted, there are of places in the U.S. where wind, solar and hydroelectric power the grid. But that is the exception, and certainly not widespread enough to justify everyone switching over to electric cars. Before that happens, we need the scales to tip toward more renewable energy than fossil fuels.

Of course, the chances of everyone switching to electric is highly unlikely anytime soon. In most people’s eyes, they’re simply too expensive.

According to the results of a recent Nielsen poll, 51 percent of Americans will not pay more for an electric vehicle if it costs over $5,000 more than the average vehicle price (which they do). Nieslen also polled those in the UK, where 76 percent answered no to the same question.

You can count me among the “no” votes too. Just becasue the coal plant is out of my view does not fool me into believing an electric car has “”zero emissions.” And since burning coal emits more carbon than burning gas, for now I’ll stick to my fuel-efficient Toyota Corolla.

Meredith Simonds Carbon Footprint Chevy Volt, coal, Electric Vehicles, electric vehicles, green, hydroelectric, Plugin Electric Prius, Solar, Wind

Are you as green as you think you are? Ask yourself these 20 questions to find out, filled with links to the info you need to get the job done!

For the past few months, we’ve been putting together a Green Living Checklist – a comprehensive collection of articles on how to green every aspect of your life.

Wonder how you stack up on the list?

Ask yourself the following 20 questions to find out, filled with links to the info you need to get the job done!

1. Do you have a streamlined recycling system easy for your entire family to use, including a compost bin for your food?

2. Do you eat, buy and/or grow organic food?

3. Have you replaced ancient, energy-sucking appliances with Energy Star versions, particularly your clothes dryer and refrigerator?

4. Do you cook in Teflon-free, non-toxic pans?

5. Are your cabinets and countertops formaldehyde-free?

6. Do you light your home with energy-efficient CFL, standard fluorescent and LED light bulbs?

7. Do you have low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets?

8. Do you clean with non-toxic cleaning products or make your own natural solutions at home?

9. Do you decorate with natural, dye-free fabrics?

10. Are your walls covered in lead-free, non-toxic paint and/or eco-friendly wallpaper?

11. Do you wear eco-friendly clothing?

12. Have you replaced old carpet with sustainable flooring made from reclaimed wood, cork, bamboo, linoleum or recycled glass tile?

13. Do you use eco-friendly gardening and landscaping practices?

14. Do you use an eco-friendly pest control service, or make your own concoctions for repelling bugs naturally?

15. Is your home filled with air-purifying houseplants?

16. Do you buy or make your own natural, non-toxic beauty products?

17. Do you sleep on a natural, organic mattress?

18. Are you watching your pet’s carbon pawprint?

19. Does your eco-conscious living extend to your behavior beyond the home – on vacation, at work and at school?

20. Do you buy carbon credits to offset the footprint that’s left over?

Meredith Simonds Green Living, Recycling carbon credits, Eco-Friendly, Energy Star, green living, Green Living Checklist, natural, non-toxic, organic, Recycling, sustainable

As Britain runs out of landfills, one UK company is launching a landfill mining project to free up space and create energy in the process. But will it do more harm than good?

What happens when we run out of landfill space? Though it’s a question every country may face sooner than later, Britain is having to deal with it now. At the rate they’re producing waste, they’re on track to run out of landfill space by 2018! One UK company thinks they have a solution though – mining landfills and turning said waste into fuel and recyclables.

In what is projected to be a 30-year project, UK company Advanced Power Plasma (APP) will dig through a landfill in Belgium where trash has been dumped since the 1960s. They expect about half the trash to be recyclable, and the other half to be converted into fuel.

The APP landfill mining project is set to be operational by 2014. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, though other companies throughout Europe are exploring similar endeavors.

Treehugger’s Lloyd Alter explains:

“APP has developed a four stage process of converting waste into ‘a clean hydrogen-rich syngas and a vitrified recyclate called Plasmarok® that can be used as a building material or replacement aggregate.’ They claim it produces little or no emissions and “almost nothing is left – around 2% of input volumes – for landfill.’ They also claim that it has a negative carbon footprint.”

But as Alter points out, critics of the project say it’s impossible to burn something without producing some sort of air pollutants. And that APP technology is nothing more than an incinerator in disguise.

Then take into account the health risks associated with landfill mining and maybe it’s not such a great idea after all. After decades of dumping, who knows what’s down there? Asbestos for sure, and other toxic substances, not to mention the possibility of trapped methane gas igniting once the digging begins.

On second thought, instead of clearing out old landfills to make room for new ones, how about we step up our household and business recycling and composting efforts instead?

Meredith Simonds Landfills, Recycling Advanced Power Plasma, Belgium, fuel, landfill mining, Landfills, recyclables, trash, Treehugger, UK, waste

On Sunday, 10/10/10, 350.org led the world in a "Global Work Party" to inspire climate action - the most widespread day of civic action in history!

Pair a notable date with a notable cause and you get notable action, provided, of course, there is an organization like 350.org behind it.  On Sunday, 10/10/10, Bill McKibben’s 350.org led the world in a “Global Work Party” to inspire climate action – what will now be known as the most widespread day of civic action in history!

At more than 7,000 events in 188 countries, millions of people gathered to take the kind of proactive stance against climate change that we must demand of lawmakers, including the more agressive pursuit of renewable energy like solar and wind.

“It makes sense that this would be the most widespread day of civic action ever,” says 350 founder Bill McKibben. ”In climate change we face the first truly worldwide problem.

“They don’t call it global warming for nothing.”

The 350.org website goes on to note:

“Each of the thousands of work parties represents an action that lives on long past 10/10/10 – trees will grow, fixed bikes will be ridden, solar panels will power homes. And all of these actions will help us continue building a broad and strong climate movement.”

350 refers to the parts per million of CO2 that scientists say is safe for humans to have in our atmosphere. Currently we are over the limit at 388. With that in mind, the mission of 350.org is this:

To inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis – to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

And this isn’t the first time 350 has organized the most widespread civic action in history. Its Step-It-Up campaign earned the same distinction in 2007.

Of course, 350 recognizes that one day of organized action every couple of years won’t get the job done, which is why they urge sustained action from all of us on a daily basis, including calls to our politicians.

Plus, we have another exciting 350 event to look forward to real soon. EARTH: A Week of Climate Art, is November 20-28 – on the eve of the next round of International U.N. Climate talks. Artists at 20 locations across the globe will create art so big it can be seen and photographed from outer space! Find out how you can participate in one of these art installments, or create your own.

Meredith Simonds Climate Change 10/10/10, 350, 350.org, A Week of Climate Art, Bill McKibben, civic action, Climate change, Renewable Energy, Solar, U.N. Climate Talks, Wind

After nearly two years of living there and months of requests from environmentalists, the Obama's are finally going to install solar panels on the White House Roof.

It’s been nearly two years since the Obama’s moved into the White House, and months since I first remember hearing pleas from environmentalists urging them to reinstall solar panels on the White House roof. Finally, this week, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced they are going to do just that!

Last month environmentalist Bill McKibben and students from Unity College made a dramatic pilgrimage to the White House in the name of solar panels. McKibben, founder of 350.org, brought with him one of the solar panels that had previously been installed on the roof during Jimmy Carter’s Administration.

Carter had the panels installed in 1979. But seven years later, when they needed repairs, Ronald Reagan had the solar panels removed from the White House roof rather than have them fixed.

Though McKibben’s recent visit certainly suggests it played a role in the Obama’s decision to have them reinstalled, the more interesting question is, why did the White House need convincing at all?

The Obama administration has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus money for the development of solar to power and heat American homes. Doesn’t it seem the most logical first-step to start with the nation’s single most important home.

As they say, better late than never. But after 2 years in office and months of requests from environmentalists, something tells me Obama’s decision to finally install the panels is less a result of his genuine interest in personally utilizing renewable energy, and more an attempt to get some good press at a time when he desperately needs it.

At any rate, the White House solar panels are expected to be installed by the spring of next year.

Meredith Simonds Solar 350.org, Bill McKibben, Jimmy Carter, Obama, Ronald Reagan, Solar, Solar Panels, Steven Chu, Unity College, White House, White House roof

Point-by-point, Treehugger shines light on a new anti-global warming TV ad running in California for the oil and coal-supported Proposition 23.

I’m taking a break from cable so I haven’t been treated to the new TV ad singing the praises of California’s Proposition 23. If passed on November 2, it will essentially nullify the state’s global warming law (AB 32) passed four years ago – a law that encourages companies and utilities to get more of their power from renewable energy sources. Thank you, Treehugger, for sharing video of the ad and, more importantly, picking it apart point-by-point to prove it’s all a big fat lie!

The global warming law (AB 32) …

… is not “new” and it’s not a tax. It was passed in 2006 and it makes businesses pay for their emissions pollution.

… will not result in a 60 percent increase in utility bills. Yet the ad suggests it is a certainty. On the contrary, it is estimated the any eventual increase would be very nominal – as little as the cost of a postage stamp each month.

And Proposition 23 …

… will not save a million jobs. In fact, multiple studies show that the global warming law Prop 23 is seeking to suppress will actually create jobs - as many as 100,000 by the most conservative estimates, up to as many as a million!

… will not postpone the global warming law for a short time, just until people can get back to work. If passed, unemployment must fall from its current 12.4 percent to under 5.5 percent for 12 consecutive months. That has only happened three times in the past 30 years.

Now if only the mainstream media would pick up on the story. That seems doubtful though. As reported by Grist, mainstream media seems only interested in stories that bring global warming into question, ignoring news, for example, that scientists have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the ”Climategate” scandal.

Fortunately, there is strong opposition to Prop 23 – enough to raise $5 million in recent days, in sharp contrast to the $10,000 raised in the same timeframe by Prop 23 supporters. That’s not to say Prop 23 supporters aren’t chipping in. No doubt that slick TV ad of theirs cost millions. Now with the election 30 days a way, it will be a race to the finish to see who can make the most of their millions – renewable energy supporters or big oil and coal.

Meredith Simonds Solar AB 32, California, Climategate, global warming law, Grist, mainstream media, Proposition 23, Renewable Energy, Treehugger, unemployment

Despite cutting energy use in half for major household appliances, we're still using just as much electricity as we did in the 1970's.

In our Green Checklist, we stress the importance of buying eco-friendly apppliances. But according to an article in yesterday’s Wasington Post, a new report shows that even with all the energy efficient appliances we own, we’re still consuming just as much electricity as we did more than 30 years ago! That’s 70 million British thermal units per capita, per year (a number that does factor in loss of current from carrying electricity longer distances these days).

This is not to suggest energy-efficient appliances are not doing their job. On the contrary, since the 1970′s, the energy efficiency of dishwashers has increased by 45 percent and refrigerators by 51 percent. The culprits are all the other electrical appliances we buy to fill homes far bigger than those we lived in four decades ago.

Then there’s the “vampire loss” that accounts for 5 to 10 percent of home electricity use – the cell phone chargers, computers and other household appliances that continue to suck energy even when in off mode. It may sound like a negligible amount, but consider this.

A digital cable box with a video recorder uses just as much electricity when in off mode as a 40-watt light bulb that’s turned on!

In other words, there is a lot to be said for following through on your good intentions and unplugging appliances when not in use.

But one of the most insightful points made in the article involves the behavior of consumers after they have saved money on electricity. After taking steps to conserve energy every month, the savings add up. So we do as any good economy-conscious American should – buy more stuff, particuarly of the electrical variety.

So that’s the real take-away from the Post piece. Yes, conserving energy is critical, but how about buying fewer items that need to be powered in the first place?

Meredith Simonds Conservation Electricity, energy efficient appliances, Energy star appliances, vampire loss, Washington Post