Halloween was no ‘holiday’ for prairie kids. I grew up in Winnipeg and every October 31, it never failed; Halloween was the coldest day of the fall.

We’d be sitting in class in the afternoon, and all of a sudden the sky would turn grey, the wind would pick up and sure enough it would be ice-cold come time for trick-or-treating. Us kids were forced to wear our Halloween costumes over our snowsuits!

Now when I think about Halloween, I think less about the meteorological aspects of the day and more about the socio-environmental. I think about the mass consumption of artificially sweetened candies, chocolates, pumpkins, one-use costumes, and toxic makeup products. I also can’t reconcile the offensive costumes that are still a staple each year (the ‘Indian brave’, the evil witch, and the offensive to good taste french maid outfit).

Of course, I still look forward to a good party, fun costumes, and loads of sweets. And it’s actually pretty easy to bring an environmental ethic to Halloween…

Top 5 Ways to Green Your Halloween

1. Look for better candy alternatives to give out at your door at the health food store.
2. Go natural. While you’re at the health food store, check out the line of natural cosmetics. These products are pricier, but you (or a friend) can use them again. Or make your own blood, bruises, and dyed hair with kitchen ingredients like flour, corn starch, syrup, and food coloring.
3. ‘Concept’ costumes are cool. A friend of mine made her own Miss Universe costume but instead of the dress, tiara and sash, she built a solar system out of Styrofoam balls and attached it to an old pointed hat.
4. Say no to vinyl masks and fake teeth. These plastics may contain lead and phthalates. Now that’s scary!
5. Lazy? Re-use a costume from Halloween past, pay a visit to a second-hand store or rent a costume.

Happy green Halloween everyone!

I’m attending a taping of The Hour tomorrow. You know, CBC’s late night talk show hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos? (Hint: the guy who always wears black and loves mugging for the camera.)

I’ve been to The Hour once before, and George made a lasting impression. While us audience members were waiting to enter the studio, Strombo made a beeline towards me and we chatted like old friends. Believe me, that can’t-sit-still energy he has on TV is the same when he’s off camera. He could charm any grouch!

Well he better be on his game tomorrow, because on deck is the biggest grouch of all: O-S-C-A-R.

Oscar’s been through a transformation of sorts lately. No longer is he the plain old curmudgeon who lives in a garbage can, now he’s also a waste reduction crusader! Believe it or not, the hyper-friendly George and cranky Oscar have something in common. Oscar is the poster boy for Waste Reduction Week in Canada (October 19-25), and George is definitely the poster boy for CBC these days…

Tomorrow, George will announce CBC’s new environmental campaign One Million Acts of Green (OMAoG) and interview David Suzuki, Alanis Morrisette, and Oscar the Grouch. This campaign is going to be huge and everywhere, and we at Earth Day Canada are happy to be a part of it. We were asked to participate on CBC’s advisory committee as one of six environmental partners including the David Suzuki Foundation.

I personally want to see the OMAoG campaign take off. OMAoG and Earth Day Canada’s EcoAction Teams program believe in the same thing: simple actions = BIG IMPACT.

Don’t forget to tune in to The Hour Tuesday night…

Today is World Food Day.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations designated this day to bring worldwide attention to the issue of food security.

Climate change and bioenergy are the focus of this year’s World Food Day activities, with events taking place all over the world. World food security affects everyone no matter where you live, but the poor feel it most. Food security and climate change are linked as changing weather patterns affect the rise in food prices, and climate change mitigation strategies (from developed countries) have increased the demand for the production of biofuels.

There’s a lot to uncover about these issues, but it’s worth the time to digest. Check out the FAO site for more information on the topic and for ways to get involved.

Out sick with a nasty bout of the flu last week, I had plenty of time to catch up on daytime TV and the news. Not surprisingly, the top story this past week was the election. What was surprising to me, however, was the number of news segments on the topic of political apathy and the expected low voter turnout for today.

I, as much as anybody else, am suffering from a mild case of ‘voter fatigue’ (three federal elections in four years!) but I still feel the urge to vote and have my opinion count. This election, an environmental action plan from my federal government is on my wish list. If the environment is on your mind too, you may want to check out the website: www.voteforenvironment.ca. The site has been generating a buzz over the past two weeks because it promotes voting strategically (and not voting for one major political party).

I know which party I’m voting for, but if you don’t, why not take some time today to check out the party platforms.

Major Canadian Political Parties (in alphabetical order):

Bloc Québécois: http://www.bloc.org/
Conservative: http://www.conservative.ca/
Green Party: http://www.greenparty.ca/
Liberal: http://www.liberal.ca/
NDP http://www.ndp.ca/

Elections Canada http://www.elections.ca/home.asp

Good luck with your decision today…

Holy moly you won’t believe the Archetype Sustainable House. Only the greenest and most innovative in heating & cooling, windows, appliances, lighting, insulation, flooring, wood, concrete, plumbing, water collection, landscaping and..paving?

I just learned that there is such a thing as permeable pavement, which allows for more water absorption into the ground.

So does this house actually exist? You bet it does. Other cool features include bamboo flooring, solar power, and radiant floor heating.

There are two sustainable housing models residing at The Living City Campus at Kortright, a sustainability education centre located just north of Toronto in the City of Vaughan. If you live in the vicinity, check it out and let me know what you think!