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The options for homemade and eco-friendly Thanksgiving table decor are endless. Here are a few suggestions to get you started...

• Candles: Set the tone by lighting eco-friendly candles. The majority of the 1 billion pounds of wax used in candles each year in the US are made of hydrocarbons, derived from non-renewable petroleum or animal fats. Soy, beeswax, and palm oil-based waxes are made from natural, renewable materials and won't release petro-carbon soot, a potential carcinogen, into the air.
• Centerpieces: Decorate with items found in nature. Once the meal is over, compost these decorations!  (or eat them :)
  • Use gourds, pumpkins, apples, and other edibles. If you can find a cone-shaped or cylindrical basket lying around the house or at a resale store, you can create a traditional Thanksgiving cornucopia. Or, use some extra supplies already in your kitchen to create a gourd turkey centerpiece.
  • Gather leaves and branches from the backyard to create a natural, seasonal centerpiece.
  • Pick fall flowers that you might have in your yard; dry them, and arrange them with the leaves for color
• Napkins: Make your own cloth napkins from old clothes or sheets, or buy fabric made from organic cotton or renewable materials like bamboo or hemp.
• Place cards: Use recycled construction paper to cut out Thanksgiving pilgrims or turkeys. Get the kids to help!
• Place card holders: Make name card holders out of pine cones
• Placemats: Create place mats by collecting fallen leaves and ironing them between two pieces of waxed paper; glue the leaves onto a piece of construction paper.  You can also add creative flare with markers and stick small objects such as seeds, around the edges.
• Table cloth: Create a holiday table cloth using a bed sheet and non-toxic paint. If you use washable paint, you can even convert the table cloth back to a sheet after the holiday.

Pumpkin seeds are high in fiber and vitamins B and E and taste pretty darn delicious roasted.

Here's all you need to know to make your own roasted pumpkin seeds:

1.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees farenheit

2.Clean off the strings and pulp from the seeds It's OK to leave some, but be sure to get the large chunks off. Do not wash with water, just pull the pulp away.

3.In a mixing bowl, toss cleaned pumpkin seeds with a little bit of melted butter or olive oil and salt to taste

4.Spread the pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet in a single layer

5.Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the seeds are golden brown

Try these taste variations on the original by substituting the seasoning:

* Italian style: Italian seasoning blend, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper

*Pumpkin pie: Cinnamon, ground ginger and a pinch of nutmeg, butter

* Greek style: Lemon pepper seasoning blend, oregano, salt, olive oil

* Buffalo wing: Butter, tabasco sauce, salt

* Mexican style: Chili powder and lime juice

* Savory: 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, and 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce

* Halloween style:  4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt,  and 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice.

* Spicy: 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Or customize your own spice blend using seasonings like:

* Garlic powder or garlic salt* Seasoning salt* Black pepper* Salt-free seasoning blend, such as Mrs. Dash brand* Cayenne pepper* Cajun seasoning blend* Grated hard cheeses

There’s been a lot written in the green circles about “vampire” energy or the concept that most electronic appliances when left plugged in even in the “off” position, continue to draw electricity.  We hear stats like 90% of the energy of a cell phone charger comes when the cell phone is not plugged in, hence the necessity of always unplugging it when not in use.

While we're not apposed to ANY action that cuts energy usage, what is important is not to be an eco- alarmist, to gives consumers the truth, and not to confuse small energy inefficiencies with the REAL environmental challenges we're facing. Messages such as the energy sucking powers of a charger get your attention, but they are somewhat misleading and don't tell the full story.

So the truth …. While it IS true that cell phone chargers do consume energy while not plugged in, the amount is tiny (about 3 watts which translates into less than one cent if left on all day or under $4 a year if you never unplugged it).  It is also true that that in an unplugged state the percentage of it’s total energy used is high (they consume about 60% as much energy even when inactive) this is because even in its active state (ie.when the phone is plugged in) a charger only consumes about 5 watts of energy. 

To put it in perspective, an active charger uses 20 times less electricity than a simple 100-watt incandescent bulb and 33 times less energy than the bulb when the charger is in an inactive state (plugged in, not charging.)   You could keep your charger plugged in for a month and still not use as much energy as you would if you forgot to turn your 100-watt light bulb off for a day.

Here are the costs of other devices if left plugged in but not “on” for an entire year:

DVD: $3

Stereo Receiver: $4

TV:  $5

Laptop: $7

(Energy cost used for calculations is the 2009 national avg of 12 cents/kwh)

So by all means make sure your devices are really "off" when they're off and get into the habit of conserving energy whenever you can, but at the same time, know the facts.  There are vampires sucking energy out of your devices– but they’re not getting as much blood as you may have been led to think.

What's in a claim?  Likely, not what you think.

Consider these 5 common claims often seen on food labels:

1) All natural:  there is no regulation around the use of this term.  It is used liberally and often in a misleading fashion.  Cookies made from 100% bleached white flour with little else in them but sugar are still "natural".

2) Trans-fat free: most food have eliminated trans-fat replacing it with other types of fat, so this claim is not a great distinguisher between healthy and non-healthy foods or even fat content.

3) Made with or contains:  for example "made with whole grains" is not the same as saying "100% whole grains".  The statement, "contains" only means that that ingredient is in the food but may be in such a small quantity to have limited nutritional value.

4) Contains omega-3 fatty acid:  the omega family are highly sought after "guests" in foods these days, but not all omegas are the same.  ALA comes from flax seeds and walnuts but to get DHA and EPA (the type of omega that is considered to be benefifical to brain functioning for example) you'll need to consume the knd that comes from salmon.  So be sure to know what kind of omega fatty acid is in the food.

5) No added sugars: this does NOT mean sugar- free, but simply that no pure sugar has been added.  The product may still contain high levels of sweet ingredients added to do nothing more than sweeten it (such as concentrated grape juice), so be sure to read the label closely and look at grams of sugar per serving if it's shown.