10 Ways to Have a Healthier, Inexpensive, Eco-Friendlier Halloween

Halloween is an easy and fun way for parents and children to come together and celebrate the scary, the gruesome, the funny and the fall, but it doesn't have to cost us our health, our environment or our pocket book celebrating it. Below are some easy tips on how to make this Halloween a little bit healthier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Trust me, these tips wont make Halloween any less fun.

1. Walk with your kids from house to house. Driving around and idling while they knock on doors uses up your gas and doesn't help you improve your health. Walk in a neighborhood nearby. If your neighborhood isn't the safest place in the world consider trick-or-treating at places like the mall.

2. If it is traditional in your family to bake Halloween treats and make Halloween meals bake cookies and other such goodies with organic sugars and/or fair trade ingredients. Cook organic foods, if possible, bought from farmers markets.

3. If you are well acquainted with your neighbors and friends ask them to hand out healthier and/or more environmentally friendly treats. Tell them you will do the same. Treats don't necessarily mean candy. How about treating them with fruit chips or single serving sizes of popcorn. The little kids love colors and craft supplies too. For a list of healthy Halloween treats visit SparkPeople at (http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1218).

4. Visit a thrift store or resale shop for used, but in good condition and inexpensive Halloween decorations. Many of these second hand stores donate some of their profits to organizations that assist people in need. Goodwill is good place to start.

5. Set a limit to the amount of candy your child can have each day for the next several days. Please don't let them throw their candy wrappers or any other trash on the streets.

6. For Halloween costumes repeat number 4. Also consider posting a Halloween costume want ad on Freecycle or Craigslists. There is also the option of asking friends and family members for the costumes their children have outgrown or making you children's costumes out of recycled material from around your home. If you think you have some good homemade ideas enter the Halloween contest at Inhabitots at http://www.inhabitots.com/2008/10/13/inhabitots-green-halloween-contest/.

Remember: when Halloween is over donate your child's Halloween costume to a Children's hospital, give it to a family member that could use it next year or Freecycle it.

7. If you must carve a pumpkin carve an organic pumpkin. Eat the seeds, save a few to grow next year's pumpkin, and put the rest of the pumpkin inside your compost bin. Take a look at th pumpkin recipes here (http://ecowomen.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/eco-halloween-pumpkins/.)

When Halloween is over you can fill your pumpkin with birdseed and let the birds take a stab at it or you can place it in the compost bin. The choice is yours. For free pumpkin carving patterns go online. There are many free patterns to choose from.

8. Use leaves from your yard to stuff your scarecrow this year. Stay away from the plastic Halloween decorated garbage bags. Have your kids help you gather the leaves with a rake not a leaf blower. They will get some exercise and so will you. If your scarecrow is full make another one. If after making another one you still have a pile of unused fall leaves, put them in a compost pile/bin.

9. Don't buy your kid a new Halloween basket. Do it the old fashion way and grab a pillowcase. Let your kid decorate the pillowcase with Halloween colors and other Halloween decorations. If your older kids think this is too tacky (try to sway them by telling them how big the pillow case- more candy will fit) you can reuse the baskets you used last year, find one at Freecycle or buy one at a thift store/resale shop. Halloween totes are popular these days too. Buying a new one will cost you a pretty penny but it is an option you can consider.

10. Buy a solar powered porch light to light up your porch this Halloween. The power is free and you can use it again and again every year. Depending on the decorative look of the solar light you may be able to use it all year.