Green Halloween

Ghosts, haunted houses, witches…want to know what really scares us about Halloween? The eco-damaging effects of the $5 billion industry. There are one-use costumes, candy wrappers, disposable decorations and a range of other creepy consumer items that can have a year-round impact on the earth. Still, dressing up, trick-or-treating and getting together with friends for food and festivities are things that shouldn’t have to be sacrificed to be green, and you can do both.

With a few small modifications to your usual October 31 routine, it can be a day of fall fun that doesn’t adversely affect the environment. As an extra bonus, most of the ways to green your Halloween can also save you money ($5 billion is an awful lot to spend on one day) and add to your celebration.

Top 5 Green Tips

1. Dress Up as an Earth Defender

Arguably the biggest part of Halloween hoopla, costumes are also a great way to eco-up your All Hallows’ Eve. In an environmentally-perfect world, costumes would be crafted at home from organic fabric clothing you already own (and can use again). However, an organic cotton t-shirt may only go so far toward a robot costume, so you have to broaden your search. Still, looking at home for costume elements is the best way to start; get creative and investigate the garage and kitchen along with the closet (cardboard boxes are a Halloween do-it-all). If you’re going to need more to create ghosts and ghouls, your first choice should be renting, which often means a better costume than you could have purchased, without any waste. If you’d rather purchase components, look for recyclable materials and used costumes. When outfitting multiple children, try and look for costumes that will interest younger siblings in future years or can be reworked into a variety of future costumes. With many store-bought costumes now selling for $40 and up, dressing up green can also be a big Halloween money saver.

2. Do Natural Decorations

There’s nothing like the lurking goblins, witches and other spooky-sights that grace front lawns on Halloween night. Unfortunately, a lot of these decorations are created from non-recycled plastic and made with earth-damaging chemicals. A great way to green your décor is to look outside; pumpkins, especially from an organic patch, will compost well and won’t impact the environment. Fall leaves, on the branch or on their own, instantly bring the autumn onto your porch or into your house and orange flowers are an easy extra touch. You can also look for everyday items that you have around the house, like soy candles, to involve in your decorating. It may not be a Styrofoam gravestone or a plastic skeleton (and the earth will thank you for that), but if you set up a range of candles, pumpkins and flora at the front of your house, it’ll be a festive and sophisticated stop on the trick-or-treating route.

3. Give out Greener Goodies

Even if you don’t hit the pavement with young ones in search of sweet treats, chances are children are headed your way, which makes the treat part of trick-or-treating a way for all of us to get greener with Halloween (and to help kids get healthier). Most candy packaging is not recyclable and with 36.1 million kids trick-or-treating in 2006, all those wrappers can really add up. Look for alternatives that won’t have to end up in the waste bin, like juice spritzers in aluminum cans (good for thirsty walkers), candy in small cardboard boxes, which can be recycled with other papers, or loose candy that you can package in recyclable paper bags—but know that there have long been safety concerns over Halloween candy, so it’s best to use that option when you’ll know the kid’s coming by and their parents will know you. For the sake of little ones everywhere, try to avoid purchasing candies with high fructose corn syrup or artificial ingredients and instead look for natural and organic options, like fruit leather or honey sticks. Finally, if you’re sending your kids out on candy hunts of their own; send them with reusable canvas bags or pillowcases to contain their confections.

4. Let LED Light the Way

There are a lot of flashlights lighting up the sidewalks on Halloween night…that means a lot of un-rechargeable batteries being drained and a lot of bulbs consuming energy. An easy solution, and one that’s popular for those with especially young pirates and princesses, is to head out early on your candy quest, when you won’t need a flashlight at all. But there’s a magical feel when going door-to-door after dark with the smell of pumpkin wafting through the air, and older kids are likely to want to trek later. If that’s the case, use an LED flashlight with rechargeable batteries, which can last up to twenty times longer than incandescent bulbs and consume less energy.

5. Do a Light-Impact/Big-Fun party

If you’re going to be throwing a Halloween party (for yourself or little ones), look for ways to up the environmentalism: Forgo paper and Styrofoam plates, cups and cutlery for biodegradable sugar cane, corn or bamboo options or recycled plastic varieties, and if you’re a big fan of the Fall holiday and have a party every year, consider investing in reusable Halloween-themed linens, cutlery and dishes. Serve a punch bowl of a spooky witch’s brew instead of juice boxes or canned sodas and pumpkin seeds from your pumpkin carving that you’ve seasoned and roasted (a pumpkin full of pumpkin soup is also a great way to take advantage of the seasonal vegetable and stick to your theme). Buy a box of organic apples and you can have hot apple cider to warm everyone up for a chilly night out, plus spares to entertain if you set up an apple bobbing bin. If you find yourself with excess non-perishable goods at the end of the evening, donate them to organizations like UNICEF or Meals on Wheels.