Halloween can be a massive waste of resources. Costumes are bought and then worn for only a few short hours, makeup is worn that is full of cancer causing toxins, candy that is full of sugar and GMO crops are handed out. Halloween is also an easy holiday to make green. Here are 5 Tricks for a Green Halloween that we follow to ensure that our fun is sustainable.
Hand out fair trade and organic candy. Cadbury fair trade button chocolate is probably the easiest to find and won't cost you an arm and a leg. For a non-chocolate option look for Yummy Earth suckers. This is what we handed out last year and they are delicious. For the young trick or treaters consider skipping the candy and giving them cool stickers instead.
Don't buy new costumes. Rent a costume, buy used from a consignment shop, borrow or trade with someone you know, participate in national costume swap day, or as a throw back to simpler times when we were kids...make a costume! When you are done with your costume don't throw it away, either sell or donate it so it gets more life out of it.
Trick or Treat on your feet not in your car. Yes, people do this, we see it every year. Stay in your neighbourhood and walk from house to house. Driving your car wastes gas and created unnecessary emissions. It toughens kids up to have to walk in the snow and freezing cold temperatures to get their candy!
Go Nestle free. That means with what you hand out and what you take from others. The latter is obviously harder to have any control over but if your kids are older you could educate them about the No Nestle campaign and ask them to take an alternative if available at a house that is handing out Nestle products.
Say NO to plastic decorations. Make an eco-friendly ghost, use old sheets and leaves from your yard. Think about ways you can use your Christmas lights if you want to use lighting. We don't decorate at all but instead just put our 3 pumpkins on the steps with candles inside of them.
What tricks do you follow to ensure your Halloween is green?
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