From disposable plastic costumes and decorations to toxic face paint, Halloween can be an ecological nightmare. But with some simple tricks, families can make their festivities a little greener.
A good first step is to buy your pumpkins from a local farmer. After they’ve served their decorative purpose, cook or compost them if you can – pumpkins added to landfills produce harmful methane gas.
When it comes to costumes, skip store-bought options, many of which contain carcinogens like PVC. Instead, comb the racks of local thrift stores and get creative. Not only are you recycling, but it’s often cheaper than buying new. For face paint, choose non-toxic products – some popular brands have been found to contain lead.
Most Halloween candy is chock full of dyes and high fructose corn syrup. Chocolate treats are easier on the teeth and less likely to be tossed. Endangered Species Chocolate receives high marks for being organic, sources ethically grown cocoa beans, and uses renewable energy in its production. Among mainstream brands, Cadbury is committed to getting 50% of its cocoa beans sustainably and has pledged to halve its climate impact by 2020.
If your household winds up accumulating a lot of plastic candy wrappers, consider sending them to the Terracycle Candy Wrapper Brigade. They’ll be recycled into products like tote bags, picture frames, and even benches.
By implementing small changes, we can all enjoy Halloween in a more responsible way.
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Web Links
http://wilderness.org/blog/green-halloween-ideas-ten-tips-eco-friendly-halloween
Black and Orange and Green
Ten tips to green your Halloween
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/ten-tips-to-green-your-halloween-2113495.html
Seven Tricks to Green Halloween
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2012/10/22/seven-tricks-to-green-halloween/
Candy Wrapper Brigade®
http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/candy-wrapper-brigade-r.html
Photo, taken on October 13, 2007, courtesy of Richard Bowen via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.