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Halloween is a holiday full of all things disposable, artificial, and plastic. From the candy to the costumes, there is not much that is natural or Eco-friendly about this festivity.
how can we green Halloween?
Below you will learn simple tips for making your Halloween more Eco-friendly and I will share with you how my family celebrates a simple, no-fuss Halloween.
Costumes
Why
- Costumes are a huge waste of resources. Mostly made of synthetic materials, costumes are brought in by the truck load to local shops. Plastic masks and accessories line the shelves. All of the costumes bought and worn on Halloween are single use, only to be forgotten about after one night of wear.
How
- The best way to green your costume is to make your own using clothing you have around the house, or from pieces bought at a second-hand store.
- If you must buy something new, stick to wigs, hats or capes which can be reused for many different costumes.
- Consider organizing a costume swap for the week after Halloween, that way you will have your costume for next year. Many of us are too busy to make our own costumes, so this is an easy way to avoid buying new, while still being able to wear a pre-made costume.
- Save your costume or donate it to a local theater group. Do not throw it out!
Makeup
Why
- Most costume makeup contains lead and other heavy metals.
How
- Look for natural face paints (there are lots available on Amazon).
- Use makeup you already own.
Decorations
Why
- Single use decorations such as spider webbing are thrown out. Plastic decorations get broken. Pumpkins take resources to grow, only to be thrown in the trash.
How
- Make your own decorations out of recycled materials, there are many craft ideas online.
- Use natural materials to decorate. Cut down some branches and arrange them in a vase. Collect leaves, acorns or wildflowers. Pumpkins and other squashes can be used.
- Use a bed sheet as a table cloth. Or make your own reusable Halloween table runner.
- Paint some light bulbs red with acrylic craft paint, reuse them every year.
- Store your decorations to be reused again next year.
Pumpkins
WHY
- The majority of the pumpkins we use get carved and thrown away. The resources needed to grow these pumpkins are completely wasted when we don’t eat them, and pumpkins emit a lot of methane gas when they pile up in landfills.
HOW
- Grow your own pumpkin.
- Roast the pumpkin seeds for eating.
- Learn how to eat or save the pumpkin flesh (this article will tell you how to do it).
- Compost your pumpkin.
- Use tasty pumpkin varieties as decoration so that they can be eaten afterwards (don’t carve them).
- Stop carving pumpkins altogether and find a new tradition.
Party
Why
- Parties are a great way to celebrate and they can be as simple or extravagant as you like. You can make all your own treats and have a great excuse to not go trick-or-treating.
How
- Focus on having fun rather than stuff. Make memories by talking and visiting. You don’t need lots of games, activities and prizes. Just keep it simple. The kids can play, the adults can chat.
- Have everyone bring a snack to share.
- Have a Halloween photo shoot.
- Avoid disposable dishes. Get your guests to bring their own dishes, or arrange for a few people to help with clean-up. If you must use disposable, look for dishes that can be composted.
Trick-Or-Treating
Why
- Cars line the streets, everyone is driving and leaving their vehicles running, the air smells like gas, it is dangerous to walk. Kids are using plastic buckets to collect their candy.
How
- Throw your own party at home and avoid trick-or-treating all together. If you must go trick-or treating, only go where you can walk. If you live out of town and must drive, then park your car and walk up a street.
- Use a cotton bag or a pillowcase to collect your candy. Or make your own bag that you can use year after year.
- Arrange a Trick-or-Trunk. The guests at your party all bring treats to give out. Everyone stands at their car with their trunks open and the kids go from car to car to get their treats.
Handing Out Treats
Why
- Candy contains genetically-modified sugar, dyes, artificial flavors, and corn-syrup. They are individually wrapped in plastic and made by huge corporations.
How
- Instead of individually wrapped candy, give out pencils or erasers.
- If you want to give out candy, opt for organic lollipops or fair trade chocolate.
- Hand out: Stickers, tea bags, granola or breakfast bars. Natural items like rocks, crystals or shells. Try giving out coins, beads, temporary tattoos, crossword puzzles, jokes, bookmarks, colored shoelaces, or whistles.
How My Family Celebrates Halloween
I like to keep things simple. I find that is the most Eco-friendly way to be. I throw a Halloween party every year and invite my friends and their kids. It is a way for us to get together and visit becuase we all have busy lives.
I avoid having to buy things. I use what I have first. If there are activities, crafts, or decorations that I like but I have to buy supplies, I avoid them. I always look for ideas that use what I already own.
We keep it really basic, dress up if you want, don’t if you don’t. Most of the kids dress up, only some of the adults do.
We keep our decorations simple. The kids each carve a pumpkin (which gets composted). We have some red painted lights that we put in our chandelier, we use them on Halloween and then put them away for next year. We use natural decorations such as branches and leaves. The kids each do a Halloween painting that we hang up.
When we are planning the party, my kids decide on a couple games to play. Sometimes we play pin the fangs on the vampire, or we have a vote for best costume. Sometimes we will organize a craft table, but we try to use as much of what we already have as possible.
We hand out stickers, mini organic candies or colorful pencils to trick-or-treaters. We trick or treat within walking distance to a few houses. We bake our own treats for our party and guests also bring treats.
We always make our own costumes from clothes we already own or thrift shop buys, and if we do buy costumes, we use them for dress up year round. We stick to essential and repurposeful items like wigs or swords that can be reused.
Halloween has always been simple for us, we have always done it this way. We didn’t even celebrate Halloween for my first 5 years as a mother. My kids are used to a simple Halloween and look forward to it every year.
How do you celebrate a green Halloween? Tell us your stories in the comments below and share this article with a friend!
Yours Naturally,Andrea
This post was originally published on September 13, 2016.
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