Tips for a Green Halloween – Suit up with some new eco-stripes

Now that the leaves have turned from green to many shades of red, yellow and orange it must mean, Halloween is not far behind. This year to help you add some “green” back into this Fall season we have some great tips for making eco-friendly choices this Halloween.

1. When it comes to costumes, like this Zebra suit - you may find that a friend or neighbor has one that their kids have outgrown. You can always do a little stitching repair or a retrofit if necessary and “Reuse” is right always right there in the mix with other Rs “Reduce” and “Recycle”. Instead of buying one of those expensive (yet cheaply made) plastic/nylon Halloween costumes that have to be thrown away, let your child use his/her imagination to create a costume from old clothes or items you already have around the house. After Halloween, you can either wash and store your homemade costumes for use next year, trade with friends, or donate the clothing from which they were made to the Goodwill.

2. Make sure to use reusable bags or containers that do not need to be thrown out after they are used. Canvas shopping bags or pillowcases make great eco-friendly alternatives to using paper or plastic bags or those molded plastic jack-o-lanterns that are widely used by some many children. Not only will these reusable bags conserve resource they are more durable so you do not have to worry about tearing while carrying all that candy.

3. Consider passing out a variety of eco-friendly candy such as organic chocolate and lollipops or skip the candy all together and hand out apples from a local orchard.

4. Instead of driving to other neighborhoods for trick-or-treating, stick close to home this Halloween and walk from house to house to reduce fuel consumption and air pollution. To reduce littering do not let your children open and eat their candy until they are home

5. When hosting this year’s Halloween party try featuring organic, locally grown pumpkins for carving, apples for bobbing, and other pesticide-free, locally grown foods from the harvest season. After the jack-o-lanterns have been carved you can use the pumpkin seeds as a treat for guests by roasting them. Avoid using disposable plastic and paper tableware.

6. 6. If you don’t already compost, Halloween is a great time to start. You can add post-Halloween jack-o-lanterns to your compost bin, along with fallen leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps. Composting creates excellent soil for your garden and is something that you can do all year-round.

“Green” Halloween continued…

Whether you host a Halloween party, take your children treat or treating, or simply wait for The Great Pumpkin, there are several options for “greening” up the holiday. Let’s make sure that we give the environment a healthy “treat” and avoid any “tricks” that may harm Mother Nature in the long run.

After Halloween – you can Stop the Chills...!

As you enjoy Halloween this fall, you may get the CHILLS just thinking about the rising costs of heating your home this winter. For great GREENandSAVE ways to Save Money and the Environment, click here: Home Energy Audit