On holidays more people are concerned with having a good time and decorating the house than they are with the environment.  That doesn't have to be the case! There are ways to still have fun and be environmentally concious this Halloween.  Here are a few tips to make this holiday about candy, costumes, AND conservation.

• Make a fun, recycled costume.  Check out the retro fashion you know is hiding in the back of your closet or at the local thrift stores.  Not only will the costume help reduce, reuse, and recycle, but it’ll also be one-of-a-kind.  You’re only limited by your imagination!  For example, our friends at treehugger.com suggest stringing together old ping pong balls for a realistic Wilma Flinstone necklace.
• Skip the plastic bag.  To haul home all the great candy your kids will receive, use a reusable bag.  You can create your own out of an old pillowcase, or buy a plain canvas bag that the kids can decorate.  It’s a great way to cut down on non-reusable materials and it will be something they will use and treasure for years to come.
• Go natural.  Look for a local farmer’s market from which to buy your pumpkin – keep it local.  Also, try using soy candles to illuminate those jack ‘o lanterns.  Soy candles burn longer and are made from renewable soy bean crops.
• Be crazy.  Instead of candy, go way out of the box and give away seed packets or organic dried fruit. The kids probably won’t appreciate it too much, but the Earth will, and maybe the parents, too.

Do you have any other tips?

Our technology changes almost as often as we change our shoes.  So what do we do with old computers, televisions, cell phones, and printers?  Simply throwing them in the garbage is dangerous to the environment because our old technologies contain mercury and lead.  Some businesses have bins to collect old ewaste and re-use it.  For example, some places take discarded cell phones and send them overseas to the troops or give them to battered women.  For other electronic garbage, there are more specific ways you need to dispose of it.  eHow has some great tips. 

1. Categorize your outdated and unused electronic junk. Store all electronic items separately.
2. Look on the Internet to learn more on how to send your CRTs to the nearest recycling center. Companies such as Dell and HP now offer discounts on new equipment when you bring in your old PC and monitor to their recycling outlet.
3. Dispose of other small items such as cell phones and palm organizers carefully. Visit the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation Web site. Drop off your batteries at their collection centers. Choose from over 30,000 locations in the U.S. Perform a zip code search to find the nearest outlet.
4. Look out for recycling events regularly conducted by big retailers such as Best Buys and Staples. You can drop all your outdated electronics from TVs to hairdryers at these outlets for recycling.
5. Have a professional recycling and disposal company pick up your electronic items. You may have to pay a nominal fee depending on the weight and size of the items for pick-up and transport. Mail in a shipment as a cheaper option.
6. Visit Web sites of organizations in the recycling industry. The Environmental Protection Agency site has a state-by-state waste management program. At the Earth 911 site, choose electronic items for a list of places, by city and states, where you can recycle or donate. Search the detailed database on organizations that offer low-cost refurbished products along with key disposal info on TechSoup Web site. Use the zip code feature.
7. Learn more about the Wireless Foundation to dispose of cell phones and other wireless devices. All items are refurbished for reuse or are donated to the victims of domestic violence and to people with disability to make emergency calls. Visit the Dell partner National Recycling Coalition which accepts used computers in cities across the U.S.
8. Find from the state guide of the Electronics Industries Alliance detailed listings of recycling programs across the U.S.
9. Ask your local municipal body about their recycling programs. Many accept electronics waste through their disposal programs at their drop-off centers.

How else would you dispose of eWaste? 

The world famous airplane group is now half run with fuel from plants.  The military jets recently had their maiden flight using a half petrol half biofuel mix, instead of their typical jet fuel.  The military is switching to using more eco-friendly fuels not just to benefit the environment, but to benefit their wallets.  Every time the cost of gas raises $1 a gallon, the US military spends an extra $30 million a year. 

According to one site, "the Pentagon is the nation’s largest energy consumer with eighty percent of the military’s energy provided by oil. Using renewable energy like biofuels, and solar can reduce their enormous energy costs, and will continue to do so as alternative energy becomes more cost competitive.  The military has aggressive clean energy goals. By 2015 they want to cut their fossil fuel use in non-combat vehicles by fifty percent."

What do you think of this conservation milestone?