Hollywood's Happy Halloween Green

Drive down Pacific Coast Highway at this time of year and you’ll pass the landmark Malibu Feed Bin, where perhaps Courteney and Coco, Brooke and Greer, Heidi, Seal and their brood, and maybe even Britney, Sean Preston and Jayden James (and, um, a supervisor) will stop in to get their picks of the crop. They may be celebs to the core, but pumpkin-patching is one of the many activities suggested by the Green Halloween Organization – a Washington State–based, mom-led movement that’s looking to promote healthy Halloweens and create “affordable and accessible ways to bridge commerce and environmentalism during traditionally un-eco-friendly holidays.”

Naturally, here in Los Angeles, Halloween is just another excuse for the glitterati to preen and prance in their “costumes” (in some cases indistinguishable from their everyday wear—hello, Paris Hilton’s naughty nurse). But since the holiday can be a giant trash generator—think of all those candy wrappers, disposable decorations and wear-’em-once costumes—it’s important that we not get blinded by tradition and the glitz, and instead stop to examine our options.

With their 10 great tips to an eco-friendly Halloween (like e-mailing your party invites and handing out healthy treats), the savvy folks at “Today” got the message out early. For a look at their full list, click here

Of course, there’s more to Halloween than pumpkins and preening, and nothing screams celeb scene more than the handful of must-attend bashes.

On the East Coast, the invite to secure is Bette Midler’s annual Hulaween Ball, which benefits the New York Restoration Project. Held in Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, look for Mayor Bloomberg, Sheryl Crow and other notables to attend. Last year, celeb auctioneer Joy Behar, dressed as Queen Elizabeth, sold trees to help greenify Manhattan island. And, while Midler wasn’t clothed as a rose, she was decked out as the Goddess of the Garden, donning a big ol’ hose on her head.

Also in the Big Apple last Halloween was Carrie Bradshaw herself, Sarah Jessica Parker, who hosted hundreds of kids at the UNICEF Halloween Party. No word yet on whether James Wilke’s mom -- who just wrapped months of filming the “Sex and The City” movie with her three fab co-stars -- will be back for a return engagement.

Out West the hot ticket is Hugh Hefner’s fabled Playboy Mansion Halloween bash, which last year boasted three spooky cemeteries, a haunted house and fire-breathing rooftop gargoyles -- and Courtney Love. The fact that the pajamaed host doesn’t throw it every year makes this one even more highly anticipated. If it does happen, revelers should raise a glass to the Main Man for being eco-minded, as servers typically don nothing but painted-on getups, thereby eliminating costume waste. (Although, truth be told, we’re not sure that being green is the intention here.)

It comes as no surprise that rocker-folk like to get in on the frightening fun. Down South Beach way, activist Ben Harper will play a Halloween gig at Miami’s Gusman Center for Performing Arts. (No word as to whether Ellery and Jaya, his kids with actress Laura Dern, will be allowed to check it out.) And The Pogues will wail at The Wiltern in L.A. Before his death in 2002, former Pogue frontman Joe Strummer was named “one of the top 100 people who have done the most to save the planet” by the British government’s Environment Agency, and was also memorialized by CarbonNeutral.com for his valiant earth-saving efforts. We think it’d be cool if The Pogues pitched in for a green Halloween.

One thing’s for sure: When it comes to playing and partying, Hollywood’s elite are a tough crowd to beat. So be sure to tread back to TGC in the coming weeks, as we’ll report on what went down on the green scene on All Hallow’s Eve.

THE “G” LIST
Green thumbs up to...
Al Gore, for remaining humble and true to his cause in the face of his Nobel Prize win. The former V.P. had this to say: “I will be doing everything I can to try to understand how to best use the honor and recognition of this award as a way of speeding up the change in awareness and the change in urgency. I’m going back to work right now. This is just the beginning.”

Brown thumbs down to...
The city of Santa Monica -- home to loads of eco-minded stars -- for wanting to uproot 54 aging ficus trees in order to expand its popular Third Street Promenade shopping center. Protesters, led by legendary activist Jerry Rubin, have threatened to stage a hunger strike or to chain themselves to the tree trunks in an effort to stop the senseless destruction.