Green Chocolate for Halloween!

If you're want a more "green" Halloween, try out chocolates that do not include processed sugars, hydrogenated fats, and chemicals, like pesticides. Look for sweets that are made with all natural or organic ingredients. Two companies specializing in natural-ingredient candies are NaturalCandyStore.com and Endangered Species Chocolates. I liked that both of these companies are custom-wrapping mini chocolates and other sweets for Halloween. Another plus, if you buy any of the Endangered Species Chocolates, 10% of the net profits are donated to support species, habitat and humanity.
image at http://www.chocolatebar.com/index.asp

Recycle Your Plastic Gift Cards

Now this is true re-gifting! What better a way to give back to the environment than by recycling your plastic gift card after using it? Did you know that 75 million pounds of polyvinyl chloride (PVC, a toxic substance) material from plastic cards enters America’s waste stream every year? Several companies, such as Target, REI, Borders, and Wal-Mart are helping to keep all that PVC out of landfills by providing bioplastic gift cards made with a corn-based material. The bioplastic material will biodegrade in a regular compost bin after 40 days. So, what if your gift card is not biodegradable? Keep your used card, instead of letting the company throw it out. Your family can save up your used cards (gift cards, driver's license cards, bank cards) and mail them to Earthworks, where they create huge PVC sheets to make new cards. That way, if you are not biodegrading, you are at least recyling! The next time we receive a gift card, let's re-gift it back to the environment. It's a little thing we can do, and the little things we do add up to make our world a better, safer place.
source article provided by ecologue

Companies or Individuals Mail Used Cards To:
Earthworks System, LLC * 33200 Bainbridge Road, Suite E * Solon, OH 44139

How Green Is Your School?

Wherever we turn, it seems we are seeing, hearing, or reading about going green. The Tennessean featured an article on the front page today about schools focusing more and more on being environment-friendly, or "green." Some schools are focusing more on recycling, some are constructing energy-saving buildings. A high school student from St. Cecilia Academy recommends schools go green by having more kids ride bikes, by recycling being a way of life, and by saving energy by having more outdoor classes. Not all schools can build huge new energy-efficient buildings, but even the small stuff matters, like our attitude and our effort to pick up trash, recycle, or turn off lights when we leave the classroom. And then, all that small stuff adds up and becomes a BIG change for the better. What kinds of things would you like to see our school do to be more green? Post your reply here. We can make a difference!
source: The Tennessean, August 19, 2008, staff writers Vivi Hoang and Colby Sledge

Save Gas- Ride a Bike

HEY MRS SCHULZ! I HAVE A NEW IDEA FOR THE BLOG. MY FAMILY AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT GAS PRISES AND WE THOUGHT THAT MAYBE IN THE LONG RUN, IT IS GOOD THAT THEY ARE GOING UP. IF THEY ARE HIGHER, MAYBE PEOPLE WOULD BUY FUEL EFFICIENT CARS AND WALK AND USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MORE OFTEN! IT DOESNT MATTER WHEN YOU GET THIS OR IF YOU RESPOND, I WAS JUST THROWING OUT AN IDEA! [posted by EW, 4th grade]
photo by tandemracer

Reviving the Florida Everglades

A reservoir is being built to help revive the ecosystem of the once famous River of Grass in the Florida Everglades. The reservoir will be contained within earth and concrete walls, similar to an aboveground swimming pool- bigger than the size of Manhattan! The wetlands used to cover over 6,250 square miles, but that has shrunk by half, due to the building of homes and farms and drainage canals. Animals are at risk. The Everglades has lost 90% of its wading birds. In addition, 68 other species are considered threatened or endangered. The reservoir will help protect animals and restore natural water flow to the wetlands, near sugar cane fields, where turtles grow the size of basketballs!
photo of purple gallinule: Savannah Grandfather;
source: Associated Press staff Brian Skoloff

BIG FREE Event! Recycle Your Electronics!

Vanderbilt University, University of Memphis, and East TN State University are hosting a statewide FREE electronics recycling event May 14-17! The event will be held at the LP Field (Titans Stadium) from 9 am to 3 pm each day. Any type of computer system, printers, copiers, fax machines, TVs, cell phones, iPods and other mp3 players, game consoles, and other types of consumer and office electronics will be accepted for recycling.

• On May 14-16, the event if open to school, government institutions, and no-profit organizations (click here to register your institution)

• On May 17, the event is open to the public

More information
(photo by D'Arcy Norman)

Comics Celebrate Earth Day

On Earth Day, King Features Syndicate encouraged cartoonists to feature "green" cartoons on Earth Day. Kind Features runs comics and other features in about 5,000 newspapers around the world! Many cartoonists participated by submitting a cartoon for Earth Day last Tuesday. A few cartoonists are "green" all the time, like Alex Hallatt, whose comics are about endangered penguins and polar bears (b/w comic above.) To view these and other Earth Day cartoons: Kleefeld's blog on Comics To read more: USA Today article by David Colton