I never think of Halloween until the last possible moment and then I end up with no costume, no plans, and no food ideas. I think it’s my form of rebellion after living in San Francisco for so many years (many of them in the Castro).

I don’t want EcoSalon readers to suffer the same fate so I scoured the web for ideas that involve good food without artificial colors, flavors, or other food additives. You’ll find plenty of tasty treats, a fun cocktail idea, and some general green party tips.

Enjoy a safe, healthy, and green Halloween!

Heidi at 101 Cookbooks helpfully compiled links to all of her Halloween inspired recipes last fall. And there are some good ones here. Caramel apples with all-natural ingredients, toasted pumpkin seeds with creative flavor profiles, and a roasted pumpkin salad that sounds fantastic. Heidi’s recipes are always vegetarian and use all natural, healthy whole foods, so you can’t go wrong.

Because wasting anything edible (including pumpkin seeds) is not green, you’ll definitely want to use this recipe for all-natural Pumpkin Seed Brittle from Alton Brown via The Daily Green.

Martha can always be counted on for the most creative ideas. Here’s a “bleeding heart” martini that uses pickled beets in place of olives. Try some Fair Trade Vodka instead of gin, if you’re so inclined. Or check out Peak Spirits. A small, artisan distillery that produces organic vodka and gin.

Finally, for general green party tips for Halloween or anytime, have a look at these tips from Danny Seo via Epicurious.

Image: Ack Ook

The post Halloween Harvest: Tips, Ideas and Recipes appeared first on EcoSalon.

The key to a green lifestyle? Variety. Every day there’s something new you could be doing, keeping your enthusiasm fresh and raring to go. But…what? How do you find those all-important new ways to make a difference? You’ll need green living tips, designed to read in a glance. Here are ten sites that brim with them. Get clicking!

1. Green Living Tips

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

Brainchild of green businessman Michael Bloch, Green Living Tips is highly focused. Get past the somewhat unprepossessing homepage and you’re in for a lots of great information: hidden behind the categories in the left sidebar is tons of useful info, from the environmental difference between brown and white rice to ways to recycle or upcycle styrofoam. You could spend days here. We warned you!

2. The Green Guide (National Geographic)

(On Twitter)

While National Geographic needs no introduction, you might not know about its Green Guide. If that’s the case, you’re missing out on stunning presentation and, in the main site or the accompanying blog, the kind of content you’d expect from one of the most reliably excellent magazines in the world.

3. National Resources Defense Council Green Tips

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

New to the NRDC? It’s a grassroots environmental action group (founded in 1970) with over 1.3 million members – and their resident experts have set up a page loaded with good, green advice.

4. Green Living Ideas

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

Helmed by Sean Daily (GreenTalk Radio Podcasts) and part of the Simple Earth Media Network, Green Living Ideas (and its close neighbor Blue Living Ideas) is a green tips resource that doesn’t quit. Click on “topics” on the homepage and go exploring the 200+ categories of archived posts – as long as your next few hours are free, of course.

5. Organic Authority

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

A specific tips site, this one. For all you foodies, a site featured on Oprah Magazine that’s a wealth of vegetarian and healthy food tips laid out thusly. It even has its own web TV show. Tuck in!

6. The Daily Green

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

Does The Daily Green need any introduction? Nope, but here’s one anyway. Often featured in mainstream media (the Today show, for example), this green consumer darling is built around a core of tips and advice not only from staff members but also from its readers.

7. GreenUPGRADER

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

Longtime friends of EcoSalon, the team at GreenUPGRADER is here to spread the word about nifty improvements around the home, whether in the form of new innovations or natty tricks you can apply yourself. Warning: Reading this website may result in recurring attacks of DIY.

8. Mother Nature Network

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

The tips over at the brilliant Mother Nature Network aren’t neatly categorized as at the other sites listed here. In other words, a game of “hunt the tip” beckons. But when the writing is this good, that’s far from burdensome – there are some truly terrific articles to discover. For example, were you aware of all of these uses for salt?

9. Planet Green (Discovery)

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

Like MNN, Planet Green – backed by Discovery, like its sister site Treehugger – is a place that surrenders its tips a little reluctantly (read: prepare for some reading). But what tips they are! From ways to teach kids the value of real food to growing Gandhi’s favorite food … and don’t forget each section’s “How To Go Green” roundup (here’s the Home & Garden one).

10. Treehugger (Discovery)

(On Twitter)

(On Facebook)

No self-respecting green tips list would be complete without mentioning Treehugger – they’ve earned their spot with years of good quality (but rather loosely categorized) green tips. Yes, they have a “How To Go Green” section – but it links to the one at their sister site, Planet Green. You’ll have to go explore through the archives, but if you’re willing to invest the time, Treehugger has the goods!

Photo credits: Arria Belli, pacomexico, Ed.ward, Mickey.!, *clairity*, Stephen Korecky, Lauren Manning, Niffty.., Bruce Tuten, alexbartok and miyukiutada. All photos from Flickr, licensed for commercial use under Creative Commons.

The post 10 Green Living Tips Websites We Love appeared first on EcoSalon.

Anyone interested in exploring the environmental causes of illness might want to check out the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, a new website created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Integrating health, exposure and hazard information and data from the CDC, the U.S. Geological Survey and local hospitals, the site aims to become a one-stop shop to bridge the “fundamental gap in knowing how environmental contaminants affect people’s health.”

But according to The Daily Green, the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network has a long way to go to fulfill this ambition.

Currently, only six conditions – asthma, cancer, carbon monoxide poisoning, childhood cancers, childhood lead poisoning and heart attack, and four environmental conditions – air quality, community water, homes and well water – are covered.

But as Dr. Michael McGeehin, director of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects at the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, says, this is just the first phase of growth and we can expect more data to appear on the site in the coming months.

Sounds like the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is a site to bookmark for future reference. We’ll keep you updated.

Image: EclecticBlogs

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