Eco-friendly Halloween Party Ideas

Let's stick to calling our October 31 shindig an eco-friendly Halloween party, rather than a green Halloween party. The terms eco-friendly and green most often are interchangeable, but when I think of a green Halloween party, somehow "The Exorcist" comes to mind. You know the part I'm talking about ....

(1) Our eco-friendly Halloween party starts with the kids and the candy, of course. Can we name a food product on which more paper is wasted than on small pieces of candy? In one warehouse food outlet, I've seen giant bags of 600 teeny-tiny Tootsie Rolls priced at less than $6. Perhaps this signals with nostalgia that even nowadays, penny candy still is with us, and virtually any kid would be delighted to get a handful in their Halloween trick or treat bag. Try to imagine the factory where they make these! But still, the wrappers can be recycled. They're just a necessary evil, unless we want to opt for one of those strict no-candy Halloween parties.

(2) A true eco-friendly Halloween party purist may insist on organic candy. Author/blogger "Tiffany" on naturemon.com seems to have explored every available variety, so check her out, but her truly original Halloween idea involves the truly little tykes. Tiffany doesn't want to deny them the preschool/early elementary thrill of collecting goodies door-to-door from the neighbors, but when they bring the bags home, she pulls what she calls a "switcheroo." In other words, she takes the bags aside, removes the most undesirable candy items, and replaces them with organic favorites. That's clever, Ms. Tiffany! Plus she notes, organic apples and pumpkins also should be fairly easy to find. (My opinion: If the kids are old enough to catch the switcheroo in the act, they're becoming either old enough to give up trick or treating, or to understand why their parents don't want them eating some of that junk.)

(3) Speaking of those Halloween trick or treat bags: Why do we have such an abundance of paper, throw-away bags? In addition to representing anything but an eco-friendly Halloween, these bags are going to get wet and break if there is any sort of fall moisture outdoors. Why not opt for eco-friendly canvas Halloween trick or treat bags (or gift bags) that can be used year after year, even passed down from generation to generation. Many kids keep their Christmas stockings in storage, and we can do the same with Halloween trick or treat bags.

(4) Joining Tiffany in commitment to the environment is "Liz" on superecolog.blogspot.com, who cleverly states: "While Halloween is by tradition a day of spooky festivities, one of the scariest things about it is the amount of resources spent on cheap plastic costumes and decorations." Spot-on, Liz, plus they're a ripoff in terms of cold hard cash. She offers some alternatives to "petroleum-based junk," even for making our own face paint and/or blood. Eco-friendly Halloween costumes not only can be made out of reusuable or recyclable materials, but the environmental movement has been so strong that characters can be created that reflect care and concern for our planet. If we see a trick or treater arrive at our door with flowers or twigs woven into the hair, rather than sporting a plastic or rubber mask, we just might find inspiration that we would not discover in a monster or a pirate.

(5) At Kiwi Magazine, author Sheryl Morales shows how to use recyclable food containers to construct, for example, egg carton bats and egg carton spiders. When the kids (or adults) are done, we can still recycle! Sheryl's eco-friendly Halloween party ideas offer great alternatives for families who aim to eschew the trick or treat option.

SOURCES

http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/10/02/eco-friendly-halloween/

http://superecolog.blogspot.com/2008/10/eco-friendly-halloween.html

http://www.kiwimagonline.com/ecocrafts/eco-crafts_ecohalloween.php