Important Notice About Candy

With Halloween coming up, many of us will be purchasing candy. Here's an article about some candies where Melamine has been found. This is the ingredient that's most recently been found in milk powder and milk products in China.

I called Hershey's and investigated their web site. They assured me that their Twizzlers, Mr. Goodbar, and Hershey's Miniatures are made in the U.S.A. and that they have not done business with any Chinese vendor of milk powder or milk products. Here's their press release.

I also checked out the info at Nestle's web site and gave them a call. The Butterfinger, Wonka Mix Ups, Crunch bars, Twix Minis Mix, and Halloween Peanut M&Ms are all made in the U.S. I found out that sometimes they have to ramp up their Canadian plant to help with the demand for the 3 Musketeers and Milky Way bars. But the customer service rep assured me that the candy is safe and they do not use the vendor that has been found to use the tainted milk powder.

In both instances, my packaging didn't say where the candy was manufactured. I was told that if it says, "Distibuted by x," with no mention of another country after it, then the product was manufactured in the U.S. If the candy is made in another country, that country would be listed after the distribution info.

Stay safe and check those packages.

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It's a Sunny Day!

It's that time again! The National Solar Tour will be October 4th and 5th. There are over 50 homes and businesses in our area participating in the tour. You can visit them and find out how people are using solar and wind power in their everyday lives. Many of the homeowners have implemented other eco products too like solar ovens, electric lawn mowers, and recycled denim insulation.

Visit http://www.solartour.org/for more information and to download the tour brochure for free. You can also purchase it for $5 at REI and at other locations listed on the site.

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Living Green Tour

Coming to the Dulles Expo Center this weekend (Sept. 26-28) is the Capital Home Show. They will have a Living Green Tour where experts will talk about eco-friendly design and products. It will also feature a 2500 square foot Living Green Home furnished with products that conserve energy while at the same time beautify your home.

Information on tickets, attractions and celebrity guests is available at:
http://www.capitalhomeshow.com

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Saving Water

Here's a great blog entry about saving water - it's so easy!

http://www.blueridgeecoshop.blogspot.com/

The Blue Ridge Eco Shop is located in Charlottesville, VA and makes a great day trip.
Visit their web site at http://www.blueridgeecoshop.com/.

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Report a Litterer

The Clean Fairfax Council has launched a program to allow citizens to report a litterer. For more information on the program, go to http://www.cleanfairfaxcouncil.org/times.htm.

Just a reminder: The gloves and litter grabbers we purchased last school year are available for you to use for picking up litter around our school. They are stored in the custodians' closet.

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