Green Up Your Halloween

Halloween!  The kids love it, but it can be a seriously "trashy" holiday.  Gazillions of teeny wrappers of plastic, one-time use costumes that people toss after their evening of fun, and "disposable" Halloween Decor translates into a lot of waste.  I'm here to help you green up your Halloween.

First, let's talk costumes.  This is a perfect time of the year to let your inner artist and creative spirit run free... by making your costume.   That's right - make your costume!  You don't need expensive materials. This year my kid wants to be something from MineCraft - the base for his costume?  Cardboard boxes... it doesn't get any easier than that.   Do you need some creative inspiration?  Check our my Pinterest page for Handmade Halloween Ideas - a sneak peek is at the bottom of this blog post.  ReCreate is even offering a Costume Workshop for people who may have the desire, but might want a bit of help putting their costume together.

Next, Let's talk decor.  We make it easy at our house. - we have a bin of nice decoration we pull out each year - and we mix them with the latest handmade decoration.  My kids love to create - so this is always really easy.   Buying and tossing each year is a colossal waste of money and resources.  If you like pumpkins - buy real ones - not plastic ones - because at least they decompose easily.  Remember, every single thing we buy, eat, wear or use was made from a natural resource.    It is not great for the environment to decorate for a couple weeks, and then toss it. 

Finally - candy.  I am not going to try and tell you not to give or collect a treat.  Here is what I'm suggesting:  Go old school for your candy collection bag - use a pillow case like when I was a kid.  No need to go buy a candy container for one day!  If you are handing out candy,   opt for one slightly large candy - instead of 5 little ones.  This translates into fewer little pieces of plastic littering our community or filling up our landfill.    Please only collect an amount that your child will actually consume.  The idea of collecting it, and then tossing it, makes me a little crazy!

Also you can donate your candy wrappers to Terracycle!  Terra Who?  Terracycle.

TerraCycle is on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. [They] do this by creating waste collection programs (each one is called a “Brigade”) for previously non-recyclable, or difficult-to-recycle, waste. The collected waste is then converted into new products, ranging from recycled park benches to upcycled backpacks.

I hope you have an awesome Halloween.  If you make your costume - please post a link in a comment below!