When the actual meal rolls around there are many ways to have a totally green Thanksgiving.
1.    Buy organic and buy local.
2.    Use biodegradable cups and plates. Whatever you do - don’t use paper or plastic!
3.    When you go to the store buy things that have the least amount of packaging and try to buy packaging that is environmentally friendly.
4.    Donate leftover food to a shelter or a food bank.

And most important SAY THANKS!

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While planning your Thanksgiving and organizing your dinner/party there are many ways to be green!

1. Send eco-friendly, paper-free invitations made of hemp, banana stalks, organic cotton, kenaf or bamboo. To reduce waste and cost, use postcards instead of envelopes. Or better yet, email all your friends invitations!
2. Suggest ride sharing! Include a list of other guests and where they live so people can organize rides.
3. Decorate with organic flowers, branches, dried flowers and (naturally) live poinsettias.
4. Reduce, reuse and recycle. While shopping use cloths bags instead of plastic or paper and use cloth napkins at your dinner.
5. Plant a tree. Winter season is a good time to plant trees and shrubs so take this time to plant a tree and keep the green growing. This could be a really fun activity while you’re waiting for dinner to be ready or in between the turkey and the pumpkin pie.
6. Buy local. Many local turkey farms and bakeries ask that you put your order in early…don’t forget!

Up next? Part 2. A Green Thanksgiving MEAL!

And don’t forget to check out and enter our HUGE CONTEST!!!

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Last Thursday 23 fourth and fifth grade students received a hands on lesson in habitat restoration. They helped James Tucker tackle his six acres of reed canary grass and improve the stream habitat for salmon, by planting about 90 trees in an hour.
Eventually the willow, Oregon ash, western red cedar, wild rose and other trees and shrubs will outcompete the grass and save the habitat.

Killing the invasive grass will also help the salmon population because the grasses block the streams and stop the salmon from migrating.

Every day kids like you can get involved to help the environment, ask your teachers and parents what you can do locally to help out! Better yet, ask local farmers and local green organizations!

Don’t forget to enter our HUGE CONTEST!

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Don’t forget about our awesome contest! Click Here for Details.

The Bonobo Conservation Initiave and the Kokolopori-Falls Church Sister City Partnership are participating in the 2008 Global Giving Project Challenge. Their project is to make college possible for 70 Congolese students. They have until November 20th to get donations of $10 or more from 75 different people in order to win a permanent spot on the Global Giving website that raises awareness about their cause and helps get them more donations.

These donations will support the Djolu Technical College of rural sciences in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the only college in a 40,000 square mile area. The school offers 70 bright, motivated young people in this impoverished area their only chance of getting a college degree.

• $10 pays a professor to teach a two-hour class for 30 students
• $20 buys enough textbooks for one student per year
• $35 covers one year of room and board for one student
• $100 pays one year’s tuition for one student

To donate visit the Global Giving website and make a difference for these 70 students today!

Thanks!

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So, here’s the deal: We would like YOU to give a friend, family member, school, etc. a copy of I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo, and in exchange for that gift/donation you’ll be entered into our raffle. A bonobo will be adopted in the raffle winner’s name - and you’ll get all of the goodies (certificates, pictures and a great feeling that you’ve done something really good!) The adoption benefits the incredible work of the Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI).

We wanted to make gift giving part of this contest because ’tis the season - and we know that this crowd is always looking for eco-friendly gifts or green gifts - gifts that really make a difference in the world. So…this is your opportunity! Give I’m Lucy this holiday season! (Hey, if you win the bonobo adoption, you can even give that as a gift!)

How to win this contest:

1. Buy the book and give, I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo - a wonderful story about a bonobo family with an inspirational afterword by Jane Goodall! Just click here (the book must be bought through our website to enter). Also, FYI, all profits from the book go to BCI and Jane Goodall’s youth organization, Roots & Shoots.

2. Come back to the Bonobo Challenge Blog and leave a comment on this post. (This is a must - so bookmark this page!!!)

3. In the comment, tell us who you gave the book to and we’ll verify your purchase. (You don’t need to name names - just tell us ‘friend’ or ’sister’…we’d love to hear your story!)

4. Then, we’ll add your name to the raffle.

5. On Monday, December 15th, we’ll do a random drawing and announce the winner of the adopted bonobo!

6. Yes! You can enter several times, just buy and donate several books! Each book counts as a name in the raffle bucket!!! Please leave one comment per book so that each donation is counted!

Good luck!!!

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I know that kids can’t vote…but I’d like you all to know something: the youth vote (voters 18-29 years old) made a huge difference in this election - coming out to vote in record numbers and voting for change. This proves to us that our children are our future - and President-elect Barack Obama is urging you to be active in this role.

President Obama has asked us all to participate in the change we seek for our country and our world. Here are some important things he’s asking us to help with:

1. The environment. Basically this encompasses everything that we talk about on this blog: turning off lights, recycling, using eco-friendly products, reducing waste, conserving energy and working towards alternative energy solutions.

2. Community service. This piece is so important to Obama that he is offering help with college tuition in exchange. There are always many opportunities for community volunteering - check with your school, church, temple or with any cause-based non-profit organization for suggestions.

3. Being a good person. President Obama led by example throughout his historic campaign. In the face of lies and insulting attacks, he stayed positive, he presented the facts, but did not also become negative and he stayed on message. At the end of the day, he ran a respectful campaign and earned magnificent respect - and the top job in the United States. How can you follow his lead in your own life?

Many of you followed this election in school…is there another request from President Obama that we didn’t mention but that really got your attention? How will you join our country in making the world a better place?

Can’t wait to hear from you!

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Just a reminder to all of our United States of America readers…

Please vote tomorrow! And if you aren’t old enough, encourage your family, friends and teachers to vote!

Here’s to democracy at work…and the future of our lovely planet!

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Halloween is here and everyone is psyched, this year it can be fun and environmentally conscious. Here are some tips to go green this Halloween!

On Halloween
1.    For a green Halloween costume, get your costume from the thrift store or trade last year’s costumes with a friend.
2.    Walk instead of drive! If the neighborhood you are trick-or-treating in is close enough to your house ask your parents to walk you there instead of drive.
3.    Use a cloth or recyclable/reusable bag for your candy instead of plastic.
4.    If your handing out candy at your house ask your parents to buy organic chocolates and lollipops that can usually be found at your local grocery store or Whole Foods.
5.    Buy candy that uses less packaging! Less plastic=better for the environment.
6.    Keep Halloween clean! Make sure to hang on to all your wrappers and trash until you get home and can throw them out!

After Halloween
1.    Save your costumes! You can swap with friends or siblings, or even make it into something else next year!
2.    Get rid of all trash properly, recycle and reuse what you can.
3.    Compost your jack-o-lanterns! (or donate them to a farm to feed the pigs!)
Remember these tips and have fun on your spooky, silly, green Halloween!

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Halloween is just a few days away and there’s a way to make this Halloween the best ever! What could be better than crazy costumes, tons of candy and trick-or-treating…? Doing all those things and staying safe! Halloween is the time of ghosts and monsters, not to mention walking around in the dark, so here are a few tips to stay safe and have fun!
1.    Stay with an adult! Even though you might think your parents are boring, you’ll be surprised how fun they get on Halloween. Ask them to dress up with you and tell you stories about Halloween when they were a kid.
2.    Carry a flashlight or a couple glow sticks. It’s dark and everyone is wearing strange costumes, make sure you have a flashlight in your candy bag.
3.    Make sure your costume fits! If its too big or your mask covers your eyes, ask for some help! When your costume doesn’t fit, its more likely you could trip and fall.
4.    Only knock on doors of houses that have all the lights on! If the house is dark it means they don’t have any candy and shouldn’t be bothered.
5.    Wear comfy shoes! You are most likely going to be walking a lot, so wear good walking shoes!

Keep these things in mind and have a great Halloween!

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Great Seneca Creek Elementary School is a lot like any other school, with one major difference: it was the first school in Maryland to be certified eco-friendly. Right now a lot of schools around the country are taking steps towards being eco-friendly schools.

It was said best by fifth grader Eddie Graves, “It doesn’t use as much water.” They have waterless urinals, motion activated faucets, cabinets made of wheat board and bathroom stalls made from recycled bottles.

The U.S. Green Building Council has certified or is considering certification for more than 1000 schools across the country.

So find out what you can do to get your school green! Visit the USGBC website today and tell your teachers and principals that you’re ready to help!

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