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pumpkins
This Halloween, skip the disposable plastic decorations and heavily packaged candy. Celebrating Halloween can be more fun, cheaper, and healthier for you and the environment if you follow these simple tips:

1. Reuse costumes. Tap into the treasures hidden in your closet or attic to pull together a fun, no- cost costume (it won't take any longer than going to the mall, and will be a lot cheaper). Trade costumes with friends and family if you don't want to wear last year's get-up. Shop for accessories at yard sales or resale stores. Use your imagination but don't obsess. The point is to have fun, not be fashionable!

2. Trick and treat. In lieu of junk food, hand out pencils made from recycled paper, erasers, nickels or dimes - be creative!. My neighbor started doling out small cups of apple cider when she realized how much kids love a drink of something when they're running around like banshees. NatureMoms offers lots of great links to organic lollipops and other fun and healthy treats.

3. Light up the night. If you string lights (especially to keep walkways safe for kids), use strands of LEDs like these fun spider lights. They use much less energy than conventional holiday twinklers. Illuminate carved pumpkins with candles made from beeswax or soy. Decorate windows and glass door panes with these beautiful non-toxic window paints from Hearthsong. If kids need flashlights to get around in the dark, try the BOGO light recharged with solar energy.

Want more ideas? Get the top ten tips at BigGreenPurse.com.
gardening
The cool days of autumn offer the perfect time to take stock of your landscape and plan your spring garden.

What to do:

* Divide perennials. Before you buy new plants, split existing flowers and bushes to fill in empty spaces or change your landscape design. You can also swap plants with your neighbors and friends to add more variety to your own yard. Keep transplants well watered until the ground freezes so they survive the winter.

* Take stock of your lawn. Replace turf with hardy g roundcover to minimize maintenance next spring. If you're reseeding instead, try a lawn mix that contains not only grass seed but flowers and herbs, too.

* Plant native plants and bulbs now in anticipation of beautiful April and May blooms.
This list links you to native plant societies in every state if you need help determining which species to plant.

* Choose organic compost. Dig organic matter into the garden and flower beds after you've cleaned them out to give your soil a boost heading into winter and then spring. Check the Eco-Options at Home Depot or online at Dirtwork s.com.

* Add to your One in a Million balance sheet. Whether you shift your spending to more eco- friendly choices or save money by dividing and swapping your garden's bounty, don't forget to add the calculations to your One in a Million balance sheet.

Here are more organic gardening ideas that make sense in any season.
In honor of its upcoming 70th anniversary, Glamour magazine is featuring 70 women whom they consider to be environmental leaders. I was honored to be included in the group, along with Laurie David, who produced "An Inconvenient Truth" for Al Gore, renowned organic chef Alice Waters, film star Alicia Silverstone, and top model Christie Brinkley. We all met for portrait photos at Tavern on the Green in Manhattan, then massed in Central Park for a photo shoot that gathered a small crowd of tourists and even a few papparazzi. Christie Brinkley in particular couldn't have been nicer. She knows a lot about nuclear power and wanted to talk energy policy. Anna Aurillio of Environment America and I (pictured, with Christie) happily obliged.

Look for the story in the April 2009 issue of Glamour.

Back to One in a Million for a minute. Don't forget to send your balance sheet showing how you've shifted your spending to greener goods. We'd love to brag about your good deeds on the Big Green Purse website. You can e-mail it directly to me, at Diane@biggreenpurse.com.

By the way, if you want to pass this information along to a friend, just click on the Forward button right below my signature.

Talk to you again soon,

 Diane's Photo
Diane MacEachern
Big Green Purse

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