unsustainable

Greening Halloween | Earth Wise

October 26, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween participation is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year. Spending on Halloween festivities by the 69% of Americans who celebrate is expected to add up to $10.6 billion in 2022 – or more than $100 per person – reaching a new record high.

Halloween generates a mind-boggling amount of waste. Picture all the flimsy single-use costumes, plastic candy wrappers, mass-produced decorations, and so on. Here are some tricks to treat you to a greener holiday.

Our first trick is to invest in quality costumes. Mass-produced (and often single use) costumes leave the largest carbon footprint from Halloween. They are often made from unsustainable materials, manufactured in countries with poor labor standards, and too many end up in landfills by mid-November. By renting, thrifting, swapping, or making your own costumes, many of the negative impacts of dressing up for the holiday can be avoided.

Our second trick is to invest in environmentally-friendly decorations and supplies. For example, carve local pumpkins and save the seeds and flesh to eat later. Make your own spooky decorations. If you do buy decorations, ensure that they are durable and reusable. And use a wicker basket, old bag, or pillowcase to trick-or-treat.

Our third trick is to pass out organic and fair trade candy. Some of the largest candy manufacturers are major drivers of deforestation and species extinction around the globe due to their demand for sugar, palm oil, and cocoa beans.

If you’ve already spent your $100 this year, consider these changes for next year. It’s never too late to become a superhero.

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Retail Holiday and Seasonal Trends: Halloween

Photo, posted October 14, 2007, courtesy of Brian via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Banning The Shark Fin Trade

July 4, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Shark fins are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, especially in China. Shark fin soup, for example, is often served at engagement parties and weddings. But the use of shark fins has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, especially since an estimated one-third of fins are harvested from species deemed at risk.

Many of the fins used in shark fin soup come from a practice known as “finning,” which is an inhumane and wasteful practice where the fins are hacked from live sharks and then the sharks are thrown back into the water and left to die. According to U.N. estimates, 73 million sharks are killed every year for their fins.

The possession, sale, and distribution of shark fins is banned in 12 U.S. states, as well as in all European Union member states.

In 1994, Canada banned the practice of finning in its own waters, but allowed the import of fins to continue. Canada has been one of the largest markets for shark fins outside Asia, importing nearly 300,000 pounds of shark fins last year. But in late June, Canada passed a bill that bans both the import and export of shark fins harvested by shark finning. They are the first G7 and the first G20 country to do so.

But shark fins taken from sharks sustainably harvested for their meat will continue to be allowed in Canada. While demand for shark fins is decreasing globally, demand for shark meat is rising.

Since sharks still face a myriad of environmental pressures, including illegal fishing and high bycatch rates, there are concerns that this Canadian ban oversimplifies the threats facing global shark populations.

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