Green Halloween

Every year I like to do a list of things you can do to help make your Halloween a bit greener for everyone. Here are some trends I noticed last year that I thought would be great to make traditions! I also did some research on other green articles that had excellent tips for this years green Halloween attempts.

1. Make your own costumes! You know you have most of the supplies at home so get on with it. Yes, it can be time consuming and maybe it won’t always look as amazing as a store bought one but DIY will save you money and probably force you to be more creative if you lack sewing skills. I know I have said it before but do you want to spend a ton of money on something you might get one use out of?

2. Buy only organic or vegan candy. Make sure you know where your candy is coming from and what is in it. You might inspire someone else to go green as well. Generally kids don’t know or care as long as they see candy. On holiday’s like this it is about quantity for them not quality so sneak in some good stuff and who knows it might become their new favorite kind.

3. Yeah I’m going to say it…REUSABLE BAGS! I know the pumpkins are traditional but they are crap! Places like Nubius Organics have reusable Halloween bags or make your own! You need things to keep your children occupied in the colder months right! Have them do some work and get creative. You can again save some money.

4. Have a neighborhood Halloween party. Help keep your children save and coordinate with other neighbors on food, costumes and activities. This way you can make sure everyone does their part and most importantly trick or treaters can stay safe. I have notice around me many of the schools host the parties or parents will have one to keep children off of the streets. This cuts down on litter and destruction that generally happens on Halloween not to mention on transportation.

5. Make your own decorations. You know you have ones that you are considering throwing out or some creepy things you have in your attic or basement. Get to using them! You can save money (see a theme here) and reuse stuff you were probably going to throw away. If you have kids you know you have stuff around the house that is “crafty”. Make it a game for your children and get a little cleaning done at the same time. Take time to fix up old or broken decorations.

6. Go local when you need your pumpkins, gourds and produce. This is a great time of year to go to farm stands and local stores. They have amazing produce now! I know in some areas the weather hit pretty hard but you can get your corn stalks and hay from a farm near you. You know a house with real decorations opposed to fake plastic ones is way creepier! Plus you are helping out your local community.

These are all simple and possibly repetitive ways to keep it green. If you follow these simple steps for the years to come you can really impact your children, home and neighborhood! You know that will make you feel down right special so do it!