A Green Halloween

Photo courtesy Dreamstime.com

Fall is finally in the air and we are  ready for it.  It’s time for brilliantly colored leaves, the smell of hot apple cider and fresh pumpkin pie, and . . . pvc halloween costumes?

Halloween is a major industry, with consumer spending reaching almost $6 billion US dollars.  What was once a Celtic tradition known as Samhain is now one of our largest consumer holidays.  But what impact does that have on our environment?  The carbon footprint alone is tremendous.

Did you know that most Halloween costumes and masks are petroleum based?  Store bought costumes are, on average, used once and discarded.  Since they’re not recyclable they end up in the landfill, along with all the plastic wrappers on the gobs of packaged candy given out to trick-or-treaters.  Same with most of the bags and plastic pails that kids use to collect the candy. 

Want to make this Halloween a little greener?  Skip the store-bought costumes and get creative with materials you have at home.   That carved pumpkin that is sitting on your front porch is great for the compost pile, as opposed to the landfill where they take up valuable space and release greenhouse gases as they decompose.  And what about all that individually wrapped candy?  Sure we have to be concerned about safety, but there are so many products available that are made with organic ingredients and come in recyclable packaging — many of which are actually nutritious as well.   Kids love candy, but they also love treasures like soy crayons, polished stones, playing cards, craft items, trinkets, recycled pencils, etc.  And don’t forget the candy bags.  There’s  always the tried and true pillowcase, or if you’re feeling a little more creative you can make bags and appliques from old clothes, sheets, towels, even old Halloween costumes.  With a little imagination you can create some Halloween magic that won’t hurt Mother Earth.   Green Halloween.org is a great source for environmentally friendly costume ideas and other green tips.