One day after Halloween, this Carnival of Green Thinking is sharing blog posts from those who left a very little imprint from their spooky evening!  Keep these tips handy for next year, or maybe even if you aren’t done celebrating yet.

Have an interesting blog post you want to share?  Send it to us!

LEAD BASED FACE PAINT is SCARY!!!

Green Halloween shares how to make your own safe face paint for all your little goblins & witches!

…Last year, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a report stating that 10 of 10 face paints tested contained lead (a powerful neurotoxin) and other heavy metals. These findings fuel mounting concerns over the safety of numerous chemical fragrances, artificial colors, preservatives and other ingredients in body products (for children and adults).

But kids wear face paint, they don’t eat it, right?

Wrong. What’s applied to the skin is absorbed into the body. Think of body products (face paint, included) as “skin food”…

GREEN YOUR GRAVESITE

OrganicMania.com took a bite out of Halloween by sharing about how to green a vampire’s lair, or your very own grave!

…To spice things up a bit this year, Deanna of Crunchy Chicken – the one who puts the “mental” in EnvironMental – suggested we blog about death. Green death, green burials, the green hereafter: whatever…

 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GREEN YOUR HALLOWEEN?

Squidoo.com educates us what it means to actually make our Halloween fun eco-friendly too.

…Green Halloween is a growing trend being encouraged by people trying to Live Green to apply the ‘green’ concepts to Halloween. The main focus is of Greening Your Halloween is to be making eco-friendly, earth-friendly and healthier choices when it comes to the food, the costumes, the decorations and the activities people are choosing to celebrate the Halloween Holiday…

Trick or TREAT!!!!

What would Halloween be without the treats?   GreenGrapes Blog shares with us all about the good-stuff.  Candy.  But also what to do to make sure your Halloween doesn’t fully end in tummy aches & cavities.

…Halloween also happens to be the only time of year where eating obscene quantities of chocolate and candy is acceptable. Approximately 5% of all candy consumed for the year occurs on Halloween! That’s a lot of candy!

So—how to manage all that candy?…

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Hi Green Thinkers!  Remember our friends at Rapanui? Check out the press release below on their recently  received RSPCA Good Business Award.  For the American readers out there the RSPCA is comparable to our ASPCA to help prevent cruelty to animals, they are just located over the pond in England & Wales.

Rapanui Win Highly Commended Award at the RSPCA Good Business Awards

Rapanui has won a highly commended prize at the annual RSPCA good business awards for their contribution to sustainability, animal welfare policy and for fulfilling their ethos of ‘doing business the right way’.

 The brand, founded by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 aims to make eco fashion cool and to inspire people to make changes to their wider lifestyle by being open and honest about their supply chain. In response to the current state of the clothing industry they say that “It’s not that people don’t care, it’s just that they don’t know” and have designed an innovative Traceability tool and Eco-labelling initiative, aiming to inform and inspire people to go green by making it easy to find out where their clothing comes from and how it is made, “helping people shop quickly, with a conscience.”

The RSPCA chooses expert judges for their awards ceremony, including Wayne Hemmingway, co-founder of Red or Dead.

“…there is a real commitment within the industry to improve animal welfare, and it’s reassuring to see big brands at the forefront of this change.”  Mr. Hemmingway said.

The brothers have already won the 2010 Sustainable Business Awards, a finals place at Enterprise UK’s Enterprising Young Brits and a nomination for next year’s ISPO Brand New Award. They hope their recognition at the RSPCA Good Business Awards will inspire other young people to consider entrepreneurship. Now 25 and 23 respectively, Rob and Martin Drake-Knight founded their company with £200 of savings and are now listed on the Future 100 list of top young entrepreneurs.

“We hope our business can inspire other young people, even if they have no job and no money, that they can be a success too – whether you wear a suit or flip flops”

Find out more about traceability and Rapanui at: http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/eco

About Rapanui:

Rapanui is about making cool eco-fashion for young people; that means clothing that is eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable: Made from natural organic fabrics in a Fairwear Foundation audited, wind powered factory. Through surfing the brothers saw and experienced the changing environment and climate at their local beach and as inspired, unemployed graduates in a recession, they took a different path; if you can’t find a job, make one.

Rapanui has held Seminars and Lectures at UK and EU universities and multinational companies such as Centrica PLC on Sustainable Business and sit on the Panel at Plymouth University’s All our Future Conference.

Rapanui has made bespoke versions of its clothing for multinationals and charities including Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and the Marine Conservation Society.

Rapanui was set up by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 with £200 of savings and was listed in the Top 100 Startups of 2008. Rob and Martin are listed on the Future 100 List of Top young Entrepreneurs and were recently finalists in Enterprise UK’s Young Brits awards. Rapanui was the youngest company to win the Sustainable Business Awards in May 2010 and has recently been nominated for the internationally-recognised ISPO Brand New Award.

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Remember when Green Thinking Blog went to Bonnaroo in June?

Well, the stats just came in on how much of an environmental impact attendees made through their recycling efforts & Bonnaroo made overall with their full-on committment. Clean Vibes was on the campus to do the dirty work & tally it up!  The results were so great that Bonnaroo even won an award: The A Greener Festival Award, which rates festivals eco-friendliness all over the world!

Check out what was diverted from the landfills at this year’s Bonnaroo (stats provided by Bonnaroo follow up email to GreenThinkingGTB@gmail.com :

101 tons of commingled recycling
23 tons of cardboard
21 tons of scrap metal
45 tons compostable material
5 tons of cooking oil

All together 60% of all waste by volume was diverted from landfills!

This is so impressive, I wonder how Bonnaroo & Clean Vibes will top it next year?!

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Taking a little break from the Carnival of Green Thinking this week – we will pick it up again next week, so feel free to submit your favorite blog articles by the end of next Friday to share with the world!

I love musicals, I love singing & dancing, I love happy things that could be true, but are a little too quirky to believe fully. 

That being said, I do enjoy watching the fun television show, Glee, and since it is a new-ish television phenemenon, you probably know someone else who enjoys it too.

Since growing in popularity, everyone wants to jump on the Glee bandwagon & they are promoting a lot right now in some cute little snip-its…Britney S. Pierce is my favorite.

Right now they are working with American Express to do a promotion with the Members Project and are giving us an opportunity to do good with the actual characters of Glee!  Check out the quiz here and see if you are Sue or a Shue!

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Betcha didn’t know that the 2nd Sunday in October kicks off National School Lunch week!

In its honor, GTB has decided to share with you some great blogs on eating healthy, kids’ nutrition, and all around good foods.   Hungry yet?  Remember, you can always share what great blog posts you have read to be featured in a Carnival of Green Thinking blog carnival, simply contact us!

Not only is food one of my favorite subjects, but where it comes from, how it is grown & how it is prepared has significant impacts on the world around us. 

SCHOOL TASTES GOOD!

SeriousEats.com shared a venture of Alice Waters and her Edible Schoolyard Program, as well as the results of a recent study from the U.C. Berkeley student’s  School Lunch Initiative. …combines nutritional education with garden training, cooking, and other hands-on skills in the hopes of turning our nation’s youth into trim, vegetable-craving eaters. Her initiatives have been the subject of much debate, by foodies and educators alike, leading to vehement supporters as well as detractors….The study followed about 240 students who were in Waters’ program from 2006 to 2009. The goal of the study was to examine how participation in integrated garden-to-school curriculums affected students’ attitudes about food, their eating habits, and their general knowledge of nutrition….You really should check out the journal for ESP as well, they have some great tales of bringing their home grown goodness to the table in some delish eats!

THERE’S A BLOG IN MY LUNCH BOX!

What I loved about this post from LunchBox.org  is the focus on teaching kids what is good for them!  I remember having a conversation with my aunt, who is an elementary school Principal about the struggles her school district is facing in regards to lunches – most kids couldn’t even recognize a potato because it had only been given to them in the form of a french fry & called a veggie.  This post shows the struggle one school took to improve the knowledge of their kids, and their lunches. …For four years I was the Nutrition Services Director for Berkeley Unified School District.  The four years were a roller coaster ride of changing the food from a menu of highly processed chicken nuggets, corn dogs, Extremo burritos, pizza pockets and grilled cheese sandwiches, all of which came to us frozen and prepackaged, to fresh food made from scratch.  When I first started in Berkeley these pre-packaged items, which were served in the packaging, with sides of canned vegetables and canned fruit, with nary a serving of fresh produce in sight, were the mainstay of the menus….Please visit to read the very impressive statistics.  It is amazing how far a little education can take the world!

SUSTAINABLE FOOD.

This blog post on on Change.org may singularly introduce the concept of healthy school lunches and all the initiatives out there.  It includes those mentioned above from Ann Cooper (aka Renegade Lunch Lady) to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, and even Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard project – but it also shares the insight into other great movements taking place.  If you want to get inspired about your lunch hour, look no further! …It’s been more than 30 years since Congress raised the federal reimbursement rate for lunches served in America’s public schools. Given the lack of funding, it’s easy to understand why the country’s cafeterias dish out gross, unhealthy meals like processed chicken nuggets, rubbery hot dogs, and tasteless pizza slices every day…

Read the outcome of the vote for the Child Nutrition Bill here.

PACK A BAG LUNCH!

Visit the SPARK blog for a few quick, but very tasty, natural school lunch options.  In my opinion – forget the school part, these are great for kids of all ages and are focused on the new food pyramid  of health!

Meal idea…

• Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts in Whole Grain Pita
• Banana
• Yogurt
• Natural Fruit Snacks
• Flavored Water

Be sure to remember you most handy dandy reusable lunch bag for your nutritious & delish midday eats!

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I hadn’t ever thought of this before, but does the Earth want us to conserve? compost? recycle?  Have I been butting my nose where it isn’t wanted?

According to Robert Laughlin, and featured in an article in Newsweek, (Newsweek, 9.12.10 by George Will) the Earth just may not care if we meddle.  Laughlin shares the idea that the geological timeframe of the Earth will happen regardless of what we do in the meantime. He argues that ‘Climate change over geologic time is, Laughlin says, something the earth has done “on its own without asking anyone’s permission or explaining itself.” People can cause climate change, but major glacial episodes have occurred “at regular intervals of 100,000 years,” always “a slow, steady cooling followed by abrupt warming back to conditions similar to today’s.”’ 

I must say, I see his point – and since he is a Nobel Prize winner in Physics, he has some ground to stand on.  Even so, I still think it is in the interest of human nature that we embrace conservation and show a respect for where we live. 

What are your thoughts?  Leave us a comment, a tweet, or an email.

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Free water Friday or any day!

1. Want to test your geography skills?
2. Want to donate water to countries who are in need of it?
3. Wanna do it all from the comfort of your own computer?

Visit Free Poverty and all of your wishes will come true – that is if all your wishes are #1-3.  Play an interactive geography game and for every answer you get right, 10 cups of water are donated someplace around the world.  I only played for about 3 seconds & donated 34 cups of water.

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Are you feeling a little wild?

Let out your ROAR with an Eco-Safari! Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida offer zipline tours through hundred year old cypress trees, horseback riding tours if you prefer to see the sites on the ground, and coach safaris if you prefer to ride it out.

Imagine floating through the skies to observe from above the lush landscape below and all that real Florida has to offer – exotic birds, alligators, plants.  It is a great way to remember exactly why us Green-Thinkers do what we do.

Forever Florida also offers team builidng activities for your next company retreat.  These trips can include anything from an actual meeting room, to working together to round up a team of cattle, and even an overnight safari campout on the grounds!

This is an excellent example of eco-tourism, 30% of revenues from the safaris are donated back directly to assist in the conservation of these lands.  I can’t wait to make this into a date-day!

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Today marks our fifth installment of the Carnival of Green Thinking.  I feel like it is a little birthday or something   Before we get down to business, I know you have been on the edge of your seat for the answer to yesterday’s GeoQuiz question - so here it is:

We asked:  True or False? 

The stability of the climate is related to the concentration of greenhouse gases.

The answer: TRUE!  The stability of our climate is related to the concentration of greenhouse gases.

Now, let’s get down to the good stuff. So many kids went back to school this last week, the theme of our posted blog articles is going to follow suit. Don’t forget, if you come across an eco-friendly blog post during the week – share it with us to share with the world!

HOW MUCH PAPER DO YOU USE IN SCHOOL?!

ClimateProgress.org reports on plenty of green options to choose from when going back to school – including starting your own paper recycling program…Paper will probably be one of the first items on most back-to-school shopping lists, and it’s usually one of the biggest sources of preventable waste in school supplies. Schools throw out an average of 38 tons of paper every year. That’s 8 million sheets per school—enough to save 646 trees if recycled…

 YOU’RE GONNA WEAR THAT ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?!

Low Impact Living has some great perspective on the back-to-school fashion trends this year for the eco-happy student…First, the most important category to many kids: clothes. Of course, the greenest thing to do is to wear last-year’s clothes. Exaggerated eye roll. Hand-me-downs? Irritated stare. Thrift stores? “Gah-ross!” (Hint: try calling it “vintage”–much cooler.) And so the challenge begins…

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF SCHOOL: LUNCH.

Nature Moms have the firsthand scoop on eco-friendly things for kids to get their learn-on, you gotta eat right & you gotta do it in style!…The Laptop Lunchbox- This is my all time favorite lunchbox. It is an American style bento box and I LOVE bentos. They also promotes waste free lunches because each compartment eliminates the need for plastic baggies. They also come with real flatware and a cloth napkin can be put inside it too. This lunchbox helps me pack healthy and environmentally friendly meals for my kids. You can see some of the lunches I made here and you can read a more detailed review here…

JUST FOR FUN!

As you know I love my little puppy Rigby so so so so much!  This week we are celebrating her getting her stitches out from her spay surgery last week – YAY!  So, just for fun, I thought I would share this great video that combines things I love: Puppies & Yoga.

Thanks to Care2 Green Living for sharing! 

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Ahhh, it is July. 

The stores are overflowing with goods for back to school and items to adorn a college room.  I gotta say, I am pretty jealous too – I never had this cute of gear when I went to school.

A lot of high school seniors are coming to the reality that they are really close to freedom – so where will the eco-friendly minded brainiacs choose to go this fall should their SAT scores (and tuition budget) allow?

The four years a person spends in college can be a very defining time for the way they will live the rest of their lives.  Creating strong practices directly when they are set free from the parental nest is essential, so why not focus on a sustainable way of life.

Info provided by  The College Sustainability Report Card to evaluate the most important elements to look for when looking for a like-minded educational facility with a focus on green.

Did you know:

• That nearly 2 out of 3 schools evaluated on the report card (a total of over 300) have a community garden or farm on campus?!  What a great way to meet a new friend, or lunch and avoid the “Freshman 15″ or in my case the “Freshman 35″!
• Nearly 1/2 compost food waste. Man, do I remember the food waste from the on-campus meal plan.  Gross me out the door, THANK GOODNESS someone can convert that stuff!
• More than 90% of schools are getting the word of sustainable practices out through a website dedicated to the cause.  You can’t be successful if you can’t spread the wealth.

Here are some of my favorite categories that were evaluated, and the top-contending school in each:

Food & Recycling.

Survey says, Arizona State University.

ASU has contracted their food services from 50 different local growers, is completely trayless in their dining room, us the on-campus farm for various produce options and has an on-campus restaurant to represent these practices even more!

Green Building. 

While there were several great schools listed in this category, including ASU that was mentioned above;  I have to give it to Grand Valley State University for my friends back in Michigan. 

This university features 8 LEED certified buildings, another 6 on the way, and a committment to all new construction and renovation to meet these environmentally friendly standards (the buildings look pretty cool too).  If that weren’t enough, 80% of all construction waste is recycled to bring the circle full stop.

Student Involvement.

Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania takes the highlighting here: The BMC Greens group has implemented several programs to spread the word for students to practice sustainability.  The effort has been pretty successful according to the proven results.

This group has successfully implemented the Energy Diet where students compete to conserve energy – resulting in an overall savings of 2.5% of the college’s electric bill for the month! But that isn’t all, the group has also helped eliminated bottled water from departmental budgets, and convinced the school to install motion sensor lighting.

Education with more education.

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