Create a Spooktacularly “FAIR” Halloween Tradition

October is Fair Trade Month and Pure Natural Diva will be involved. It’s going to be fun. We’ve planned a few giveaways featuring Fair Trade products and hopefully we’ll learn more about an issue that impacts the lives of many.

I know, I know… it’s not October yet, so why am I pestering you! Well, there is something you can do right now to ensure that your own Fair Trade Month ends in Spooktacular fashion! IF I wait until October share, you’ll miss out.

The Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Cocoa Campaign is organizing it’s 3rd reverse-trick-treating extravaganza. Sign up today to be one of 250,000 families distributing fair trade chocolate door to door. Have your little ones reverse the Halloween tradition!

The Chocolate will be accompanied by a card informing recipients of poverty and child labor problems in the cocoa industry, affecting mainstream candy enjoyed at Halloween and around the year, and how Fair Trade certified chocolate provides a solution.

The Goal of the program is to:

• END poverty among cocoa farmers
• END forced/abusive child labor in the cocoa industry
• PROMOTE Fair Trade
• PROTECT the environment

It is easy to see how having our children participate in an activity like this could transform the meaning of Halloween just a little bit for many families and spread the word.

The chocolate and cards are FREE!
Thanks to generous donations of Fair Trade chocolate companies.
Recipients are charged shipping and packing supplies only, which is $5.50.

If you aren’t planning on trick or treating they do have handout that you can distribute to other parents this halloween.

Request your kit TODAY – they always run out long before the deadline – October 13! Available the US & Canada.

Create a Spooktacularly “FAIR” Halloween Tradition

Have an EEK-O-friendly Halloween

I found this on a recent internet prowl from Focus Organic ~ some great ideas for the upcoming Halloween season. Now that the kids are back in school, Halloween is just around the corner!

By Stephanie
I love Halloween, so it’s never too early to start getting ready to me! The following is an article by Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net

Halloween should be fun, but every year it gets scarier–for parents and the planet. From the discovery of lead in fake teeth and candy, to chemicals in costumes, to the garbage left in the holiday’s wake, it’s a wonder more of us haven’t given up the festivities and spent October 31 watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

The good news is, there are loads of child- and earth-friendly alternatives to the usual Halloween fare.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL THE GREAT IDEAS.

Have an EEK-O-friendly Halloween

Reusable Drinking Straws – Review of the Glass Dharma Glass Straw

By Tania Reuben

I have to confess – I love straws. Children love drinking through straws. Smoothies, milk, juice, water. A straw seems to make everything taste better.

When using a straws involves traditional plastic this green mama was constantly saying no. Now I can say yes and not worry about the waste!

Think waste from one little straw is insignificant – think about this tidbit I found on the Dharma site ” As of March 2008, McDonald’s serves an average of 52 million meals PER DAY! (Per their website) How many of those served do you think were given a plastic straw?” And this is just from McDonalds!! All the little straws add up.

When our Glass Dharma Straws arrived and the response was priceless. See for yourself!

The Glass straws come in a variety of length’s and styles. If you have young children you’ll want the shorty – it’s just their size. My 2 year old did manage to break his shorty after it collided with his glass exuberantly. My suggestion for the very young is to use the glass straw with a reusable plastic cup. This would have prevented our breakage. If they happen to breakGlass Dharma will replace broken straws, with their replacement guarantee. They ask that you send them the broken straw.

Drinking from a glass straw – at first it feels a little bit different. The feel of the glass on your lips is not the same as a plastic straw. It took one or two drinks to become accustomed to the new feel, now that I’m used to it, I really like it and enjoy the texture of the glass on my lips.

Care and cleaning – the straws are dishwasher safe. You can use a pipe cleaner or order a special straw cleaner from Glass Dharma for a more thorough cleaning.

Glass Dharma straws are handmade in California!

Now that you know they exist – you want one right?

Good news – Glass Dharma is giving a $30 gift certificate to one lucky PND reader!

HOW TO ENTER:

There are a few ways you can enter, leave separate comments for each entry.

Mandatory:

Become a Confirmed Email Subscriber to PND.
- After subscribing you will receive an email – check your junk mail – you must confirm your subscription in this email to win!
- Already a confirmed Subscriber. Leave a comment letting me know you’re subscriber and would like to enter.

Additional Entries

1. Go to www.glassdharma.com – tell PND what you’d buy with your gift certificate.

2. Stumble your favorite Pure Natural Diva post. Leave a comment with your name and the article you stumbled.

3. Follow @purenaturaldiva and @glassdharma on twitter (use link on the sidebar). Leave your twittername in a separate comment.

4. Become a Fan of Pure Natural Diva on Facebook, already a fan – post this giveaway as an update, leave your FB Name or Name with a copy of your update in a separate comment.

5. Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – “@PureNaturalDiva – Little Diva Glass Straw Review & Giveaway $30 Gift Certificate – http://bit.ly/1kPFJp – This will make you smile”. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.

6. Write a post on your blog linking to PND and to The Glass Dharma website – Good for two entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!

This giveaway will run through midnight on Sept 9, 2009 PDT, with winner being announced the morning of Sept 11, 2009. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen.

Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.

McLinky Blog Hop

Reusable Drinking Straws – Review of the Glass Dharma Glass Straw

Skip the Paper Plates

By Tania Reuben

For your next big gathering skip buying the paper plates – instead take that money over to ikea, .99 store or look online for plain white plates (9″-10″) and buy a bunch.

One year we were throwing really a big superbowl party, for the price of the caterer’s paper quote I was able to buy 80 plates, 50 wine glasses and 48 small glasses. Now we have them every time we entertain, we use them for birthdays, bbq’s, I share them with my neighbors and a friend used them for her wedding.

I know what you’re thinking – you don’t want to wash them. Two full rows fit in my dishwasher. I really don’t feel like it’s much effort at all. Just rinse and stack them until the party is over and throw them in the machine.

They get used over and over and it’s so much nicer eating on a real plate.

Skip the Paper Plates