Boo! Happy Halloween…muah hahahaha!
Did we scare you??? Happy Halloween to all you eco-fashionistas out there. It’s Friday night, which means that the festivities have begun for us adults. How are you greening your Halloween this year? Organic pumpkin? Organic candy? We don’t expect your Halloween to be perfectly green, but here are a few of our favorite ways to make our Halloween environmental impact as small as possible.
1. Don’t drive to another neighborhood to trick or treat with your kids. I know the tricks…I did them too. No matter what your child says; please trick or treat in your own neighborhood. Kids always want to go to where the best candy is, but they will get candy no matter where they trick or treat. One of the great things about Halloween is that it can be a completely walkable holiday!
2. Don’t waste your pumpkin. Just because a pumpkin has been carved doesn’t mean it can’t be used. Roast the seeds, make some pumpkin pie, etc etc. Some of my favorite foods are made from pumpkin! Don’t forget to make sure your pumpkin is free of pesticides…buy organic.
3. Pass out organic candy. One of the great things about organic candy is not only that it says organic on the wrapper, but only natural sweeteners and colorings are used, and many times the plastic wrappers are biodegradable.
4. Don’t buy your kids a plastic trick or treat bucket. I know they are fun because they look like pumpkins, but they are only used once a year and are made out of one of the most horrible materials EVER…new plastic! My suggestion is to use a pillow case. I thought I was the coolest trick or treater around when I emerged with a pillow case full of candy instead of a little bucket full. For the little ones who absolutely need a halloween themed trick or treat bag you can do one of two things. Buy a blank organic cotton canvas tote and decorate it, or do the same to a solid colored organic cotton pillow case. You can decorate them as pumpkins, ghosts, or anything else Halloween themed and use them other times during the year.
5. Make decorations out of things you already have, and make them easy to take apart. These decorations only need to last for one night, so it is the perfect time to pull out the double stick tape. Everyone has their craft box with scraps that they just can’t throw away. Put them to use this year! Pull out anything that is white and make it into a ghost. Use anything orange to make a pumpkin, and anything green or black to make a witch. Double stick tape is perfect for temporary decorations since it can be easily removed. This allows the materials to be easily pulled apart and reused for other projects. A friend of mine cut pumpkin shapes out of a piece of orange felt that their child had left over from a school project, and hung them all over the house. Super festive, super cute, and super budget & earth friendly!
Do you have any other festive, fun, and easy ways to go green this Halloween? Please share with us!
Ecoutrement 