A Green Look for Halloween: Six Ideas for Eco-Themed Costumes

Looking to make an environmental statement as well as a fashion statement this Halloween? Why not consider creating one of these eco-oriented and easy-to-make costumes for your Oct. 31 party-going?

Frankenfood. This is the name some green activists apply to genetically modified foods -- crops whose genes have been spliced with other plant or animal genes. It also makes for a great Halloween costume: Drape yourself with a few garlands of fake fruits and vegetables strung together, or wrap yourself in a tunic made from a couple of yards of food-print material from a fabric store.

Then paint your face green, stick a couple of fake bolts to your next and -- if you can find one -- plop on a square-topped Frankenstein head mask, and you're set. You've become a walking, talking, trick-or-treating version of an organic farmer's worst nightmare.

Al Gore. Here's a costume that's guaranteed to set off some animated discussions with any conservative-minded party-goers. It's simple, too: Dress in a sharp, dark suit (add a little extra padding underneath to complete the effect) and tie, stick a "Live Earth" concert sticker or "Hello, I'm Al" name-tag to your lapel and tuck a copy of "An Inconvenient Truth" under your arm.

Willie Nelson. He's a legendary musician, an outspoken green activist, a leading proponent of biofuel (his tour vehicles run on biodiesel) and an easy look to duplicate: Just dress in plenty of denim or casual wear, put on a long gray wig tied up in a ponytail or braid, stick on a little fake facial hair and grab a guitar (or, if you prefer, a plastic bottle of vegetable oil).

Green Party. There will probably be plenty of Halloween party-goers this year dressed as one of the year's headline-grabbing (usually in the not-so-good-sense) Republicans or Democrats. Why not do something different by promoting a third-party option, and see if fellow partiers can figure out what you're supposed to be? Just throw on all the green-colored party gear you can -- hat, leis, banners, balloons, buttons, noise-makers, etc. -- and let the guessing begin.

Melting polar ice cap. Here's one that's quick and simple: Find or buy a white cap, write the words "polar ice" on the front, put it on and dress all in white. Then string a chain of empty water bottles around your neck. Voila: you're the embodiment of a melting polar ice cap.

T-shirt costumes. You can find a huge number of t-shirt costume ideas at CafePress but here are a couple of green-themed, science-geeky ideas to get your brainstorming started: "C Neutral" (for carbon-neutral; you can also replace the word "neutral" with the automotive neutral symbol, an "N" in a circle); an upward-rising line of letter "Cs" (for rising sea levels -- get it?); or a "100 Percent Organic" label.