Eco-Green Halloween Party Ideas

Halloween is such a fun time - except for hauling out bags of garbage after your party. As hungry as your trash cans may be, save it. Here are a few ways to host a "going green" Halloween party for the environmentally conscious.

1) Send out invitations through email to save paper. For those who do not own a computer, use recycled paper and hand write the invitations. Make sure you mention that the party's theme is Halloween Going Green. Invite the people to wear green on their costumes. Can you imagine the Swamp Monsters that might walk around your yard? Make it fun. Incorporate your goal into the party itself.

2) Have guests bring a green food. Purchasing organic is best, but can be expensive. Check your budget, and try to buy local. Provide plenty of fruits (caramel dip is always good) and a large "veggie tray". Have bowls of nuts, crackers, and olives on the table. Roast pumpkin seeds. Leave room for the dishes that arrive. Casseroles and finger foods are easiest and the most enjoyable for snacking. Meatballs (eyeballs) and party sausages (pinkie fingers) are fun as well. Again, check your ingredients. Give each dish as disgusting a name as you can. Dry ice on the table can make these dishes look downright eerie. Try using as many of your own plates as possible, and purchase biodegradable when needed. You can find plates, napkins, cups, and cutlery online or in your local Whole Foods store. Have a means of discarding waste for a compost pile.

3) Use as much outside influence as you can for decorating. Don't bring live spiders into the house, obviously, but refrain from sweeping down those webs that appear in the corners of your room. Pick fall leaves and make a centerpiece, or place them on your mantle. Find fabric decorations that can be used yearly, rather than cheap plastic decorations designed for one use only. Scatter pine cones around the house. Put twigs in the corners. Pull out that old white sheet or table cloth, and make a ghost. Stuff your clothes with towels and make a scary man sitting in a chair. Use biodegradable paper and string your house with good old-fashioned paper chains. You can even hold a contest for the best eco-friendly decoration brought in by a guest, or leave the paper out and have them create their own. Light candles around the house, and put in then in safe places.

4) Bobbing for apples is a classic, healthy game. Have a pumpkin decorating contest with miniature pumpkins. Go for the classic costume contest. Tell scary stories. Watch a scary movie. Play scary music. There are many fun things to do that don't necessarily involve prizes. If you do give out a prize, let it be something unique, like a special slice of a "prize" cake.

5) Use a brown paper bags for goodie bags. Fill with homemade snacks that were not used in the party. For kids, add fun school or art supplies.

Enlist help. Ask what each person can contribute to make the party as eco-friendly as possible. It might get them thinking on the right path! Check these links for supplies and more ideas.

http://www.greenpartygoods.com/
http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/healthy_halloween_party_food
http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/3150.asp