Want to go green for Halloween but don’t know where to start? Then, you’ve reached the right place.
I’ve felt the same way for years, and opted to stop giving out candy laden with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and artificial dyes for non-candy items like pencils and mini notepads. I’ve even donated old costumes to friends or reused costumes between my three boys. But beyond that, I didn’t know there were other ways to go green for Halloween.
So I was excited to find Green Halloween - a non-profit organization founded by Corey Colwell-Lipson who wanted to find eco-friendly alternatives to sugary candy for trick-or-treaters. The first Green Halloween launched in 2007 in Washington, and by 2008 it grew to a few other major cities. Now Green Halloween can be started in any city or neighborhood by parents who want to host a Green Halloween party.
Now Green Halloween offers a lot of tips for parents, kids and schools – as well information on events in cities across the US. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Costumes – make an eco-friendly costume or attend a costume swap to save money and the environment.
- Treats – green alternatives to sugary candy, including eco snacks and non-food treats
- Energy conservation – opt for these energy-saving tips for Halloween instead of running lights or props all night long
- Candy swap – tips for swapping out your kids’ trick-or-treating booty for healthier alternatives
What’s your favorite way to go green for Halloween?
This post was written by
Tracey Black is the founder and editor-in-chief for Don't Mess with Mama, the sassy mom's guide to parenting, green living and travel. She is a regular contributor to Redbook's Mamarama blog, and a social media strategist working with eco-friendly brands such as Stonyfield, Juice Beauty and others. She has three boys and lives in San Diego, Calif.
I like the costume swap idea….there’s no need to buy this stuff just to toss it. Re-purposing is also great.
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I agree – repurposing is great. I wish I was more handy with a sewing machine. Thanks for visiting.
This is AWESOME!!! I love going GREEN ~ And for Halloween that’s great!!!
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Thanks for visiting. Halloween can be a time where we all create a lot of waste, so anything we can do to cut down on it is great. How do you like to go green for Halloween?
Wow.. I just love the idea of an eco-friendly costume!! Im going to try it this halloween!
Thanks for stopping by. Any ideas on an eco-friendly costume? I love the idea of using cardboard. Maybe a robot or something and then the kids can reuse it over and over again until we put it in the recycle bin.
What great tips! I will have to think more about what I in the candy I give out this year. A costume swap is just brilliant. I mean, what do we do with the old costumes anyway. Just a waste.
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Thanks for stopping by. I try to at least giveaway my costumes to other families but always feel a little guilty that I can’t think of a way to reuse them over and over again.
Another idea to look into is the Fair Trade Halloween project by Fair Trade International. They send you certified fair trade sourced chocolates and information to give out along with it about fair trade principles.
Great suggestion, Sarah. I’ll have to check out Fair Trade Halloween.
Last year my son sold his candy back to a dentist office for the troops. He ended up wining a raffle for an IPOD shuffle they were also having. I guess good things come in 2 sometimes.
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I love the idea of selling back candy. I might need to offer up Legos instead. Thanks for stopping by.
I really like all the suggestions on that website!
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You know I love everything green! I saw this great idea of taking mandarin orange cups, drawing a jack-o-lantern face on the top, and giving out little “pumpkins” instead of candy!