Have a "Green" Halloween: Celebrate in an Environmentally Concerned Way

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Green Halloween
How to Celebrate an Environmentally Friendly October Holiday

© Mary McCarthy

Sep 24, 2008
Organic Pumpkin Patch, Mary McCarthy
It’s easy being green, which is a nice Halloween color anyway. Here are some tips for celebrating an eco-friendly Halloween.

All those paper candy wrappers, wasted pumpkin innards, and cardboard costume shipping containers really add up. What can you do to celebrate an environmentally friendly green Halloween this year?
Use Candlelight

Save electricity by using candlelight at your Halloween party or on Halloween night. It creates a more eerie glow anyway and will cut down your electrical usage. You can also use battery powered tea lights, strobe lights, or other non-electrical effects for your Halloween decorating.

Reuse old shower curtains to make window silhouettes, and old sheets can be used to create hanging ghosts, or for making tattered curtains.
Green Trick or Treating

Everyone gives candy. Think about all the millions of paper candy wrappers that end up in the dump every year. So what are some other things eco-friendly neighbors can do to help the environment without turning off the porch light and ignoring the trick-or-treaters completely (environmentally friendly, but gets your house egged, which wastes eggs)?

Look for organic or free trade candy or small toys that can be played with again and again. Other things you can consider include recycled crayons, finger puppets made from organic materials, or Halloween books that will be treasured forever.
Recycled Costumes

Instead of buying costumes and paying for shipping cardboard, why not have a neighborhood costume trade party? Bring all the moms together one night for a ladies night out, and have everyone bring one or two costumes and have fun trading. Or, look for Halloween costumes in consignment or Goodwill stores.
Green Halloween

There is an absolutely fantastic organization called Green Halloween which offers literally hundreds of ideas on recycling, reducing and reusing Halloween decorations and other Halloween items. Check out their website for tons of easy, clever ideas for an eco-friendly green Halloween. Their motto is “Think outside the candy box!” The company was founded two years ago by a mom who thought it was great when her girls received non-candy items in their trick-or-treat buckets.

Even if you choose one element of your Halloween routine to change this year, reducing your carbon footprint is a frighteningly good Halloween practice!

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