Happy Halloween!

Bowl of candy? Check. Costume on? Check. Pumpkins carved? Check. Today is All Hallow’s Eve and what better day is there to dress up, go out, and overindulge on sugary sweets?

However, take a few precautions before venturing out:

    *If you have kids, don’t let them trick-or-treat without supervision.

    *Don’t let your child eat candy that doesn’t come in a wrapper.

    *Hold a flashlight when outside so drivers can see you.

But Halloween doesn’t have to be all  about the sugar rush and crazy costumes. It can also be a very charitable day:

    *Make cards of kindness.

    *Some children are too ill to go out trick or treating. Make homemade Halloween cards for hospitalized     children with life-threatening illnesses and mail to either Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness             (loveletterscares.org) or Hugs and Hope (hugsandhope.org).

    *Many dentists’ officers participate in post-Halloween candy buybacks. Donated sweets are sent to             organizations such as Operation Gratitude (operationgratitude.com) or Operation Shoebox                          (operationshoebox.com). Both organizations include the candy in care packages for US soldiers in             harm’s way. Find a participating dental office near you at halloweencandybuyback.com.

Saving the Planet One Paper Towel at a Time

Do you really need to use so many paper towels? One roll will last me at least one month at

home. I have a whole shelf of well-used dish rags that started out their life as a nicely

embroidered fabric and now are much more useful to me and the planet! Ditch the paper towels

and facial tissues. Tea towels and dishcloths work pretty much everywhere you’d use a paper

towel, and you can employ newspaper for the truly gnarly messes. As for facial tissue, toilet

tissue works just as well at a fraction of the cost and without separate packaging. Why buy

something twice?

George Washington Liked Hemp, So Why Shouldn’t You?

Some eco-smart Canadians created a completely cool substitute for plastic wrap called Abeego.

This hemp and cotton fabric is infused with a blend of beeswax, resion, and jojoba oil. It’s

flexible and able to stick to itself, and can seal bowls and wrap cheese, sandwiches, and

snacks. It even looks good! Check it out for yourself at abeego.com.

Rescued Treasure

At the El Cerrito Recycling Center, they have a lively reuse center where you can donate things that are still viable for others. I have seen amazing donations like washers and dryers being hauled away by a family who could not otherwise afforded a set. My favorite moment there was the time a donated sitar’s new owner gave a free concert to all us recyclers.

Recycling Saves the Rainforest

Here are some other things you can do to save the rainforest.

    *Don’t keep tropical birds or reptiles as pets. Let them live in nature.

    *Buy items made of sustainable wood. Hardwood teak and rosewood encourage logging and                         deforestation.

    *Recycle all your cans. Bauxite is mined from the ground in tropical countries and is the source for               aluminum.

    *Buy local, organic food whenever possible. Conventional agriculture is exhausting our forest’s                    resources.

    *Support any organization that is legitimately working to protect the environment in developing                   countries and in precious rainforests.

More Beef= Fewer Trees

The next time you consider grabbing a burger at a fast food place, remember this: over the past few decades, the rainforests have been disappearing to satisfy our hunger for cheap beef. Rainforests are home to over a thousand indigenous tribal groups, thousands of species of birds and butterflies and exotic animals-all of which are now endangered. Rainforests also affect rainfall and wind all around the world by absorbing solar energy for the circulation of our atmosphere. The trees provide buffers against wind damage and soil erosion, which then help prevent flooding along our coastlines. They are a precious part of our ecosystem. Let’s all do something to protect them.

Over five million acres of South and Central American rainforests are cleared each year for cattle to graze on. The local people don’t eat this much meat-it is exported to make the one dollar hamburger and a cheap barbeque meal.

Go the Extra Mile

We have all needed help now and again, and maybe somebody spent time they didn’t have in order to help us out. Return the favor and be that person who is prepared to walk an extra mile (maybe in Toms shoes!).