Happy “Hallowgreen”

Green Halloween:  A healthy, green & fun community movement

This Halloween, think treasures, instead of candy. Kids love little trinkets like spinning tops, stickers and collectable cards. Most children especially love gifts from nature like polished rocks, crystals and seashells. Think keepsakes, tokens and stocking-stuffer type gifts but don’t forget to think healthy and green. Although non-food items are generally healthier than food items, try to avoid non-recycled plastic toys.

Readers, Send Us Your Green Halloween Photos!

Did you pass out organic candies or fair trade treats? Design a fresh-from-the-farm jack-o-lantern? Throw an eco-fabulous Halloween party? Enjoy the bloodcurdling benefits of a DIY costume? Prove it! We want to see photos from your green Halloween for our next readers slideshow--if you're the last minute type, check out Planet Green's How to Go Green: Halloween . Click through for details and see the potential for your photo in this week's Readers' International Day of Climate Action Photos.

The Green Halloween Movement

A few years ago, while taking her then six- and two-year-olds out trick or treating, Colwell-Lipson was impressed and inspired by the houses that provided treats like bubbles and stickers as an alternative to candy. She thought it would be great if there was a way -- like a sign -- for parents to know which houses had healthy treats, so they could steer their children accordingly.

Green Home Business

Home Based Green Businesses Are Raking In The Green

All of us have been exposed to the green movement in one form or another, you can’t turn on the TV or radio, can’t open a newspaper or magazine without getting blasted with information about how we need to protect the environment.  I have personally seen the phrase “ Green is the new Black” used at least five hundred times over the past year and although I’m an environmentalist, I could certainly survive without having to hear that little quip once more.

Green Home Business Profitable Start-Ups

Fortunately, savvy entrepreneurs are using their ingenuity along with new technologies and renewable energy sources to recycle, reduce, and reuse waste materials to start profitable ventures. Here are fifteen green home business ideas for you to consider that are potentially-profitable and earth-friendly.

Green Budgets

55 Green Budget Tips to Show Nature You Love Her

I don’t care if you grew up in the city, and your only interaction with nature was through the birds on the phone lines, or the ants in your kitchen. Nature has been there for you your entire life, and now it’s time for you to open yourself up to nature’s message.

Permanent Link- 30 Green Ways to Stretch Your Family’s Budget

Money doesn’t seem to go as far as it did even a few years ago, and raising a family while being green can be expensive if we believe all of the hype about buying more green stuff.

Back to basics: Green budget living tips

The economy. Energy. Burgeoning carbon footprints vs shrinking portfolios. Not an appetizing picture. Still, we gotta eat. To alleviate some of the stress surrounding these complex and confusing issues, let’s look to the past for simple, green solutions. During the Great Depression, consumers had to differentiate between needs and wants, and you may have witnessed the legacy of that frugal time in the spending habits of your grandparents and their friends. It’s time we all started buying like that generation.

Green Living Made Easy - The Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Green Tech

A round-up of recent Green Tech stories from CNet:

Where the clean-tech jogs are
General unemployment may be on the rise, but the clean-tech sector should be a bright spot for job seekers, according to a report released Thursday by Clean Edge research.

Solar-charging backpacks set for hike to market
G24 Innovations has shipped its first flexible solar panels, which are destined for the outside of backpacks and other bags, the company said Wednesday.

Who will pay for the electric 'gas' stations?
With electric vehicles, you could probably do away with stopping at fueling stations entirely, as the majority of your fueling, or battery charging, will be done overnight while plugged in at home or during the day while parked at the office. But because it is conceivable that not every trip will be within the battery range of your vehicle, the mere presence of public charging stations for electric vehicles could help alleviate "range anxiety," or the concern that with an electric vehicle, you will be stranded when your battery dies.

Solar village begins to bloom on National Mall
WASHINGTON--After nearly two years of preparation, teams of architecture and engineering students will soon open the doors on a cluster of 20 solar-powered homes on the National Mall.

Green Redecorating

Green redecorating / remodel on a budget PART1
There is a time in the life of a house when remodeling, or at least redecorating is absolutely necessary: walls thirsty for paint, tired rooms begging to be rejuvenated. In our difficult economic times few people have the resources for such home improvements. However, it is not impossible to redecorate or remodel on a budget while still upholding green standards.

Green redecorating / remodel on a budget PART2
The initial stages of a remodel can be daunting for homeowners, decreasing energy consumption is one of the primary goals of green remodeling. This can be achieved in a myriad small ways begun quite simply by fostering environmentally sound habits: turning off appliances and lights, decreasing use of heating or air-conditioning, etc.

Green...And Spooky!

Green Costume Ideas for Halloween
Looking for a way to spread the message of environmentalism with a sense of humor? Why not consider a green-themed Halloween costume for this year's round of parties and trick-or-treating?

How to Have a Green Halloween
Back in the day, Halloween was different. It was a low-budget holiday. We spent more time and effort on Halloween than we did money and energy. Decorations and costumes were not bought. They were fabricated out of old sheets and cardboard boxes. Treats were often homemade and eaten on the spot. Trick-or-treating was done on foot with protective parents in tow. Kids carried old pillowcases as candy bags. Back then, Halloween was green and we didn't even know it. Unfortunate changes over time have made a green Halloween harder to achieve, but it can be done. With these suggestions and ideas, you can do your part to help the environment while you have a good, old-fashioned Halloween holiday.

Green Halloween costumes
Need some costumes ideas for Halloween? Store shelves are lined with costumes, but why spend your hard earned dollars on a pre-fab costume that your children will wear once and throw away when you can make your own costumes from old clothes and other items you already have around the house? As promised in my Green Halloween primer, here are some great ideas for simple, eco-friendly Halloween costumes for you and/or your kids. Got a few great ideas of your own? Post them here!

Green Halloween Party Ideas – Recycling Theme
If you have decided on hosting a party for Halloween, why not plan it around a green theme? And what could be greener than “recycling”? Here are some easy, cheap and fun ideas you can use for your Halloween entertainment.