How To Green Your Halloween

Born out of folklore and ancient celebration, Halloween has evolved into an event of dressing up and requests for tricks or treats. Not usually synonymous with health and eco-friendliness, Halloween encourages the influx of sugary confectioneries and decorations of the unsustainable kind. However, there are 5 simple ways to keep the allure and appeal of Halloween intact while also being eco conscious.

1. DIY Décor

Streamers, decals and other such Halloween accents are often made with polluting plastics and harsh chemicals; instead of using those, you can tap into your creativity and make your own eco-friendly Halloween décor that is just as frightful and ghoulish as their conventional counterparts.

Check this out on all things DIY halloween crafts, recipes and decor.

2. Give Out Sustainable Trinkets:

Instead of giving out trinkets such as stickers and whistles that are made with hard to recycle plastics, give out sustainable knickknacks such as inexpensive solar powered toys.

3. Don’t Waste the Pumpkin

Yes, the carving of pumpkins is a staple for Halloween festivities; however the tradition is quite wasteful. Spare the pumpkin and save the money by purchasing a few fun faced reusable jack-o-lanterns. There are varieties available that are made from sustainable woods and toxic free paints, they are weatherproofed and will last for years.

4. Participate in a Costume Swap

Online costume swaps have grown in popularity over the last few years. Such swaps were born out of the idea of trading and selling costumes instead of buying one at full price that your kids will only wear once. Doing this will not only save you money, it will also lengthen the lifespan of the costume, thus keeping it out of the landfill. Find a swap in your community at the following sites:

www.rehashclothes.com
www.swapmamas.com
www.swapstyle.com
www.thredup.com/halloween_costume_swap

Read this if you want to create your own costume swap community event.

5. Give Out Sugar Free Candy

Chances are that if you decide to give out apples and oranges instead of the confectionaries, your efforts will be wasted. Instead of going the obviously route, give out candies that are free from sugar and unnatural preservatives.

Yummy earth’s lollipops are extremely kid friendly; they are naturally sweetened with fruit juices and are free from unnatural dyes, flavors and preservatives, your kids won’t know the difference.

There are more eco-friendly ways to celebrate almost every occasion that we enjoy and that includes Halloween. It just takes some thought, creativity and research to make it happen.