Four Fun Ways To Green Your Halloween
Halloween is just one week away! As you spend time selecting pumpkins for carving, choosing costumes for trick-or-treating, and purchasing candy for the kids, take some time to think about how you can add a little green to the typical orange and black.
By green, we mean a few ways to make this spooky holiday a little less spooky for the environment. While we won’t stop you and your family from consuming as much candy as possible, here are four ways that you can be mindful and moderate about your activities this Halloween:
- If carving a pumpkin, don’t just throw the insides away. Use this as a good opportunity to start composting, or even better, turn those insides into something yummy. You can make some delicious pumpkin treats such as pumpkin fudge, pumpkin chili, or even pumpkin waffles. Once Halloween is over, compost the outside shell.
- Instead of buying a brand new costume, try and create your own by using materials around the house or visiting thrift stores and garage sales for supplies and ideas. I remember in the second grade, another student made his own Fred Flintstone costume for the class costume contest. It was simply a paper bag with the design of Fred’s shirt on it. Creative and inexpensive. By getting your costume this way, you’re only limited by your imagination, instead of what the store has (and you’re wallet).
- Use reusable or recyclable bags for trick-or-treating. Old pillowcases and canvas shopping bags are good choices, since they’re also bigger and more durable than conventional carriers (Nothing saddens a child more than candy spilling all over the sidewalk). If pillowcases and shopping bags don’t sound cool, then find a bag or two that matches the costume. For example, if your daughter is going as a princess or fashion diva, have the candy bag be a purse. If your son is a cowboy, have the bag be a saddle bag or a money bag. You get the idea. Take an extra one to collect the wrappers of any candy eaten along the way, either by you or by the other kids.
- Kids love things from nature! Instead of handing out the typical Halloween treats, get creative by handing out trinkets instead. This can include things like polished rocks, acorns, crystals, and seashells. Candy can create more waste than you think, from the wrappers to the candy that gets thrown out because it wasn’t eaten.
Going green doesn’t mean wiping off the jack-o-lantern smile off your kids’ faces, or your own. Going green can be fun for the whole family, without changing much of the activities that kids love. Halloween is just around the corner, so let’s get the fun started right away!