Molly LeBlanc

What's Next for Mr. Jack-o-Lantern?

by Raquel Fagan

Every year, one billion pounds of pumpkins are produced in the U.S., including at least 100 million pounds in every state. Unlike many other aspects of your Halloween experience, pumpkins don't come in difficult-to-recycle packaging, which should make proper disposal easy as (pumpkin) pie.

Pumpkins are a unique holiday decoration because they are entirely natural, yet a majority of the "nature" gets thrown out once they're carved and Halloween is over. So, how can you make sure that the entire pumpkin is used and not put into a landfill? There are few simple solutions:

Pumpkin Seeds

A favorite fall snack, pumpkin seeds are almost always removed from pumpkins whether you are carving or cooking. To remove the seeds, cut the top of the pumpkin off and scoop out the insides. Then wash the seeds in a colander, to remove the flesh of the pumpkin that also got scooped out.

To bake: Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and lay the pumpkin seeds out in one layer. Sprinkle with any seasoning you might want (salt, cayenne pepper or garlic salt are quite tasty). Bake in a 350º oven for 10 to 20 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie or Soup

From soup to seed to compost pile, pumpkins offer more then just decor.

If your pumpkin or jack-o-lantern is still in good (ie: "fresh") condition, making it into soup or pie is a great way to finish off your holiday with some additional treats! Either way you approach it, you will need to cook the pumpkin so the flesh gets soft and workable. You will also need to remove the peel. For more detailed instructions, visit RecipeTips.com.

Composting

If cooking isn't your coup of tea (or soup), the best way to dispose of your pumpkin is by composting. To provide a quick definition, "composting" is the decomposition of organic materials to produce nutrient-rich soil enhancer.

Both the pumpkin, as well as its seeds, can be composted. In fact, pumpkin seeds themselves are a strong source of nutrients, including zinc, iron and phosphorus. Compost piles rely on a mix of nitrogen-rich greens (which will include pumpkin components) and browns (leaves, paper and other carbon-rich materials). So, Halloween is the perfect time to compost, because you'll not only have leaves falling before winter, but your pumpkin to also add to the mix.

Next Year

Now that you've got your pumpkin breaking down in the compost, what's next? How about a pumpkin patch of your very own? Lots of communities have pumpkin growing contests in October. Use the nutrient rich compost you get over the next few months to grow your own garden, and come next summer, get your own pumpkin seeds in the ground and ready to grow.

Trey Granger contributed to this story.

Raquel Fagan

Raquel Fagan is Executive Editor of Earth911.com.

More articles by Raquel

Other Ideas from Readers!

1. i took the carved pumpkins and gave them to my chickens and rooster.they loved it.the smaller ones make wonderful pumpkin butter.ummuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmm

2. We leave our pumpkins & gourds out in the backyard for the squirrels to eat throughout the winter.

3. We also leave our pumpkins in our backyard for the wildlife. The deer love them. It's quite a sight to look out and see five does and a buck having dinner in the yard.

4. Pumpkin is great food for your dogs

Recycling Gets Spooky

by Lauren Hasler

Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Samhain - whatever you may call the 31st day of October, the traditions of both tricks (and treats) enchant imaginations around the world on this haunted evening.

To add to the array of creepy costumes, ominous decor and an unearthly consumption of sweet treats, we think it only fitting to provide some spine-chilling facts and tips about the wicked fun of going green on All Hallow's Eve... and beyond.

A Harrowing Halloween

Ghosts and goblins won't be the only things giving you nightmares:

Historians date the modern take on Halloween back to the mid-1800s, when Irish immigrants brought the tradition to the U.S. during the Great Famine. Photo: Flickr/stevechasmar

• 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins were produced in 2008 by major pumpkin-producing states such as Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York. Many are used each fall for jack-o'-lanterns and pumpkin pies. Once Halloween is over, you can reuse or recycle your pumpkin.
• A 2008 National Retail Foundation survey found that 64.5 percent of people celebrate Halloween in some way. That's a higher number than the individual recycling rates of aluminum, glass, paper and plastic bottles.
• Each Halloween, an estimated $40 per capita is spent on candy, decorations and greeting cards, all of which produce large amounts of waste.
• Leaves can account for 75 percent of the solid waste stream in the fall.
• Americans consumed 23.8 pounds of candy per capita in 2008. Most of the wrappers are made of mixed materials, making it difficult to recycle them.
• An estimated 80,000,000 Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day, using enough aluminum foil to cover more than 50 acres of space, the equivalent of almost 40 football fields.
• The U.S. spends almost $4 billion annually on electricity lost to "vampire power," according to the International Energy Agency. Vampire power, also known as "phantom load," is the electricity that electronics and appliances use while they are turned off or in standby mode.

(See more about this video and experience augmented reality at VampirePowerSucks)

Frightening Recycling

The results from skipping out on this simple step are simply spine-tingling:

• Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. This represents a 64 percent energy savings, a 58 percent water savings and 60 pounds less of air pollution.
• In 2007, we generated 3.01 million tons of e‐waste in the U.S. Of this amount, only 410,000 tons (or 13.6 percent) was recycled, according to the EPA. The rest was sent to landfills or incinerators.
• To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down. Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees. If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year.
• Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour. Most of them are thrown away.
• Recycling just one ton of aluminum cans conserves the equivalent of 36 barrels of oil, or 1,665 gallons of gasoline.
• The EPA estimates that 75 percent of our waste is recyclable. However, the current national is about 33 percent. The difference? Scary.

According to tradition, pumpkins are carved to ward off evil spirits. Photo: Flickr/WxMom

Creepy Crawly Conservation

The eerie effects of waste:

• A modern glass bottle would take 4,000 years or more to decompose. That number is even higher if it's in a landfill.
• Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that can be composted.
• Since 1990, the total amount of municipal solid waste going to landfills dropped by about 5 million tons from 142.3 million to 137.2 million tons in 2007.
• Every year, Americans produce enough polystyrene cups to circle the earth 436 times.
• Americans throw away enough disposable plates and cups to give the world a picnic six times a year.
• If the U.S. cut office paper use by just 10 percent, it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases - the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.
• Americans' total yearly waste would fill a convoy of garbage trucks long enough to wrap around the earth six times or reach halfway to the moon.

So what's the take-home message? When you're roaming the dark streets on Halloween, don't forget your garlic, flashlight and your eco-smarts. Even though the ghoulish evening is cause for celebration the world over, there's nothing more bone-chilling than leaving your green out of the festivities on this day and throughout the rest of the year.

Jennifer Berry contributed to this article.

Lauren Hasler

Lauren is a journalism major at the University of Missouri with an interest in environmental sustainability education.

More articles by Lauren

Good Housing News Predicted

All the leading indicators say housing is definitely on the mend, economists reported in advance of the official release of several pieces of good news expected this week.

Bloomberg News surveyed 53 economists and asked them where they expected the numbers to fall. Here are their predictions:

• Construction starts in September are expected to hit a 610,000 annual rate, the most since last November.
• Sales of existing homes likely rose to a two-year high.
• Because of fear of a relapse, the Federal Reserve is predicted to leave interest rates low for a few more months.
• Building permits, a sign of future growth, probably rose to a 590,000 annual pace, also the highest level since November, the Commerce Department is likely to announce.
• The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index is expected to rise to 20 from 19, the economists say.

Google Inc. plans to resume hiring and acquisitions after its third-quarter sales beat analysts' estimates. CFO Patrick Pichette says: "We weathered what is an incredible recession. If you have all this behind you, the only outcome you should have as management is: ‘OK, let's build now.'"

Source: Bloomberg, Courtney Schlisserman (10/18/2009)

RISMEDIA, October 24, 2009-The good news: in the middle of a really tough economy, you land a job offer. The bad news: you have to explain to your 14-year-old that it means moving out of state. Whether it's for a new career opportunity or to move when a current employer relocates its business, people who may not otherwise have considered relocating are facing the potential of moving boxes in their future.

There are, however, steps you can take to make the transition more manageable:

Do your homework as a family: Like most homework, this research will start with the Internet. City and state official websites are a good starting point to get a sense of the school system, recreation and services. Look to local bloggers to get the "voice" of a neighborhood, including city, or even neighborhood focused real estate blogs. Divide up the research among the family so everyone gets to be an expert.

Take time to talk about the unknown: With everything that goes into relocation, it is easy to turn family life into a never-ending series of "to do" lists. Find time to let your family talk out loud about the move. Some days it will seem like a great adventure, other days it'll be daunting. Let your kids know that's okay.

Find where your hobbies live: If a family member has a special hobby or sport, locate the best ways to connect with that passion as soon as you get to the new location- it'll feel more like home when everyone is doing what they love.

Start gathering medical and school records: We'd like to think we live in a paperless world- that is, until we roll into the emergency room in a new town and can't access key information. Start gathering data from your physician, dentist and school administrators earlier rather than later.

Tap into the professionals: Finding the right real estate agent and a good mover can make the difference between a straightforward- or a nightmare-relocation experience. Whether you're looking to purchase a new home right away or are opting to rent an apartment or home while you familiarize yourself with the area, these professionals can provide both guidance and support during your relocation. Take time to check out reviews, get references from people you trust and then narrow down options to a short list. It's worth the work to get these relationships right.

"Having professionals on your side makes every difference during a move," says Sharon Asher, chairman and founder, Relocation.com. "It's understandable to want to do it all yourself, but people who are able to rely on strong professional services throughout the process come out of the experience saying the move was much more straightforward than if they had tried to handle it all on their own."

Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-10-24/relocating-in-your-future-5-tips-you-need-to-know/#ixzz0VA8MW3NG

By Amy Hoak

RISMEDIA, October 5, 2009-(MarketWatch/MCT)-Buying a foreclosure often is appealing to buyers trying to stretch their dollars. It's finding a good one can that can be a challenge.

"The vast majority of the banks don't want us to advertise them as ‘bank-owned' because it comes with a negative connotation," said Ryan Melvin, co-owner of More Realty Group in Las Vegas.

That means no sign on the front lawn indicating the home is anything other than a traditional sale. A buyer probably won't find a property advertised as a foreclosure on marketing materials, said Melvin, who specializes in real-estate owned properties, or REOs, those that have been reclaimed by a bank, typically after an unsuccessful foreclosure auction.

Plus, in some markets, including Las Vegas, foreclosure inventory is actually down compared with last year as government programs attempt to keep owners in their homes and banks aren't putting as many homes on the market, Melvin said. That's making it harder for buyers to snag a foreclosure, and those paying with cash often win a bid over someone who needs financing.

If you're considering the purchase of a home that is now owned by a bank, it's also important to know at the outset just how much work you're in for - and how much it is going to cost you. Many foreclosures are in various states of disrepair; some of the fixes are cosmetic, but some can be extensive.

Those looking for the best deal probably shouldn't rule out non-foreclosure properties, either, said Mark Goldman, a mortgage broker with Cobalt Financial Corp., and a real estate lecturer at San Diego State University. Sometimes, people set their sights on bank-owned properties "like the word ‘foreclosure' equals ‘good deal,'" he said.

And that's not always true.

One option for finding foreclosure listings: Go straight to the bank.

Lender Web sites, such as those operated by Bank of America, Chase and Citibank, will list the properties the financial institution has reclaimed when borrowers defaulted. To find a list, simply do a Web search for REOs and the name of the lender. Contact information for the property's listing agents is usually provided for each entry.

For a fee, other sites will hunt down properties for you. RealtyTrac.com, which helps people find foreclosure and pre-foreclosure properties, charges $49.95 a month, after a free seven-day trial. The company also recently launched BankHomesDirect.com, which charges $19.95 per month and lets people search just for REOs.

Foreclosures.com charges $49.95 per month, after a free seven-day trial.

Otherwise, you might want to enlist the help of a realty agent. Someone who works regularly with REOs might be able to track down the properties more easily than a traditional agent. Melvin is a member of the National REO Brokers Association, nrba.com, which has a searchable database of brokers on its site. There's also the REO Network, reonetwork.com, which connects buyers with those who specialize in selling REOs.

Lenders aren't held to the same disclosure requirements as sellers who have lived in the home, mainly because the lender hasn't occupied the home to notice leaks or other problems. For that reason, an inspection is crucial.

"If there are lessons out of the last couple of years, it's certainly buyer beware," said Dan Steward, president of the home inspection firm Pillar to Post, which has a U.S. headquarters in Tampa, Fla.

"We have all heard the stories of people ripping the copper pipe and wiring out ... people have literally gone to the light switch, disconnected the wire from the switch box and have pulled the wire through the drywall," Steward said. Some have ripped out toilets and kicked in walls or left water faucets running before they left the house, often out of anger.

You don't need to be told the toilet is gone, but an inspector can tell if there is damage 20 feet down the water line because of the way that toilet was ripped out, he said.

Other issues could pop up due to the property being vacant. Large banks will often hire a field service to cut the grass, shovel the snow and winterize a home, yet when homes aren't occupied it's harder to catch small problems before they become big ones.

"When we live at home or drive the car, if something is off we notice it. We notice it and we deal with it," Steward said. When a place is unoccupied, pests could become an issue. If you were living in a home, a nest of raccoons probably wouldn't be able to find a home in your crawlspace-not for long, anyway.

A neighborhood environmental report might also be worthwhile, he said, which could reveal if the property was the site of a drug lab, for example. When a meth lab is operating in a home, air quality issues can arise; when a home was used for growing marijuana, there is a tendency for mold problems from the high humidity, Steward said.

The time it takes to complete the sale can vary from lender to lender. In some cases, the process goes smoothly, Goldman said. Other lenders are disorganized.

"It really depends on who you're doing business with," Goldman said.

But for your best chance at having an offer accepted and for a quick closing process, have everything in order before making the offer, said Duane Andrews, CEO of Clear Capital, a company that provides valuation products for the mortgage and lending industries. That includes having the financing firmed up and writing a clean offer - for example, asking for new oven racks as part of the deal could peg you as a demanding buyer who will be annoying to deal with, he said.

"What this tells the seller is this guy is going to be a pain and they don't have time for this pain," Andrews said.

In fact, most bank-owned properties are sold "as is," so if there is something you want fixed, it's best to just factor that into the price you're offering, Melvin said.

But don't expect to bargain the listing price way down, Melvin added.

Banks typically price their properties at a 20 percent to 30 percent discount anyway, he said. If the property has been on the market for a week or two, don't expect the bank to drop the price; if the listing is older, you might have more power, he said.

Also, don't be surprised if the bank that is selling the property asks you to get an approval from its mortgage operation; you often don't have to take the loan from their company, but they may want to get a closer look at your finances to make sure you're a solid buyer, Melvin said.

Above all, make sure to follow directions when submitting the offer, he said. That likely includes having an approval letter from the bank and the correct amount of earnest money.

"Most listing agents will have instructions how we want buyers agents to submit the offer," he said. Delays can occur when instructions aren't followed exactly.

(c) 2009, MarketWatch.com Inc.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-10-04/finding-your-dream-foreclosure-what-to-know-when-youre-buying-an-reo-property/#ixzz0VA78v9Wz