Go Green This Halloween
Fall is a season full of decorating and connecting to nature. What better way to celebrate the holidays than in a sustainable, zero waste fashion! Here’s just a few suggestions of how you can go green this season while enjoying your favorite Halloween festivities.
Natural and Recycled Decorations
This season, use pumpkins to decorate your home naturally - with the environment in mind. Try finding a local pumpkin patch at a farm that practices sustainable harvesting. You can decorate or carve your pumpkins, but if you leave them outside, don’t use any paint or oils. These can be toxic to wildlife. When the holiday is over, compost your pumpkin instead of throwing it in the trash. You can even save the seeds from your carved pumpkins and bake them for a tasty treat!
Halloween is also a huge fall tradition full of spooky decorations! Skip the store and make the decorations yourself with recycled materials. You can create light-up ghosts from old plastic jugs or creepy eyes with toilet paper rolls and glow sticks. Not only do these activities help the planet, but they help your wallet too!
Low Waste and Environmentally Friendly Treats
According to the Ocean Conservancy’s 2020 Report, Food and candy wrappers were the number one trash item collected during the International Coastal Cleanup. When buying treats to hand out, look for cardboard packaging over plastic. Candy like Milk Duds and Dots typically come in these containers, which can be recycled! You can also go for natural sugars, like fruits or fruit leathers, which tend to come in less packaging. Keep in mind, not everyone consumes animal products, which are commonly found in gummies and candies. Consider giving out vegan treats this year so everyone is included.
For the Trick or Treaters, opt for reusable treat bags to help reduce single-use plastic bag waste. Plastic bags take years to break down and can harm wildlife. Go for cloth or hemp bags as a reusable alternative!
Make Your Own Halloween Costume
Dressing up for Halloween can sometimes be the highlight of Fall! Try creating your own costume this year, rather than buying one from a store. Sometimes you can find items in your closet and put together fun character costumes you didn’t even know you had. You can also repurpose old fabrics and clothing that no longer fits by sewing a costume together. Maybe even try handing down an old costume to a friend or younger family member, rather than tossing it after one year!
Why Celebrate Sustainably?
Holidays are always fun traditions, but tons of waste can come along with those celebrations. Waste items, such as candy wrappers and clothing, take up landfills and create microplastic pollution that’s hard to get rid of. If we all put in an effort to create less waste each year, those efforts will add up to something bigger. If you’d like to get even more involved in the fight against pollution, join a cleanup near you by visiting our Upcoming Events page.
Happy Halloween!