8 Ways to Green Your Halloween
by Trey Granger
Published on October 27th, 2008
8 Comments
This story is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.
Halloween means many things to many people. It can be a day to live as someone else or get scared out of your shorts. It marks a change of seasons, or just more leaves on your front lawn. Read these eight tips, and you may rename it “Hallow-green:”
1. Reuse Your Pumpkin Seeds
What would Halloween be without turning pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns? Part of this process involves scooping out the inside of the pumpkin, and there’s some good stuff inside that shouldn’t be thrown away. You can toast pumpkin seeds for a snack, or even make oil out of them. They also make a great addition to your compost pile if you don’t want to eat them.
2. Sweep Your Drive
Depending on your location, Halloween may be a time of year where foliage drops all over your driveway and walkways. If you’re expecting trick-or-treaters, it’s probably a smart idea to clear away this debris. Instead of using a hose, save countless gallons of water by sweeping them with a broom. If you’re wondering what to do with the remains, leaves can also be added to your compost pile.
3. Use Sustainable Decorations
You may live in a neighborhood where the most decorated house is the most popular. That doesn’t mean you have to decorate with store-bought items. Create your own decorations and generate just as many screams.
4. Recycle Party Waste
A 2007 National Retail Foundation survey found that 60 percent of people celebrate Halloween in some way. That’s a higher number than the individual recycling rates of aluminum, glass, paper and plastic bottles.
If you’re holding a Halloween party, put out bins for your guests to recycle drink containers. You can use Earth911 to find out where to recycle beverage containers, and even earn some money to offset the cost of your party.
5. Check Out Organic Apples
Two Halloween favorites, apple bobbing and candied apples, seem pretty green due to their lack of packaging and artificial flavors. A way to make your Halloween apple treats even greener is by searching for apples in the organic aisle at your grocery store, which are grown without the use of pesticides. You can also find organic nuts or sweets to sprinkle on your candied apples.
6. Lower Energy Use for Scary Movies
Another Halloween staple is the scary movie, which is why there are nine chapters of the Halloween film series alone. But scary movies cater themselves to low-energy use, so hopefully you are complying.
- A newer TV will provide a better picture, and is generally more energy-efficient than an older model.
- Turning off the lights provides a scary atmosphere.
- Bundling up in a blanket instead of cranking up the heat is a great way to shield your eyes at scary parts, without making your electric bill scarier.
7. Dress for Multiple Hallow-brations
The older you get, you may notice that Halloween turns into a multi-night celebration. You may go out with friends to a bar one night, a Halloween party over the weekend and trick-or-treating with the kids on Halloween night.
Instead of three different costumes, decide on one for all of your celebrations and wait to wash it until the calendar hits November. Less washing will save water and help your costume last longer.
8. Practice Green Trick-or-Treating
This topic is extensive, but here are some favorite tips:
- Reduce candy packaging by using bulk candy.
- Pick a green costume by reusing what you have around the house.
- Set a spooky mood by turning off your lights and lowering energy use.
- Walk your neighborhood rather than drive.
- Donate leftover candy to a charity in your area.
Ciara
posted on October 27th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Do u have any MORE ideas that u acn post?
Ciara
posted on October 27th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Are there any recycled costumes?
Jennifer Almeida
posted on October 28th, 2008 at 6:54 am
What I’d really like the residents of my town to know about a green holiday is that they should compost – rather than trash – their pumkin guts, the newspapers used to line the surface while carving, and the old jack-o-lantern after the holida. Those things are HEAVY. Assuming half the town carves one jack-o-lantern, and that the average weight is 10 lbs (both conservative estimates, I believe) we’d keep 63,000 pounds out of the incinerator and avoid tip fees on those pumpkins, which would instead get reused as compost!
Jennifer Berry
posted on October 28th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Hi Ciara,
Although we were unable to locate recycled costumes available in the mainstream market, there are a number of options for you to make creative costumes out of recycled materials, whether it’s an old cardboard box or a dress you don’t wear that often. Our Costume Crunch article gives some helpful tips on that thread.
Also, here is another tip article, 8 Ways to Green Your Trick-Or-Treating, which could provide some more insight as well. Happy Halloween!
Madelyn Mateo
posted on October 30th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
For Clothing and Costumes:
You can go to
Rag Trade Happy Clothing Company
http://www.myspace.com/ragtradeco
NE 2nd Avenue and 46 Street
I am sure you will find something creative
and you will be contributing to recycling of
clothes with fashion and local Green Businesses
Sovanny
posted on November 7th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Actually, I get all my son’s costumes from goodwill. When we’re done, we donate it back! The easiest way to find “recycled” costumes!
Daily Sustainable: Wednesday ~ Green Halloween | Sostane Blog
posted on February 25th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
[...] 8 Ways to Green Your Halloween, Earth 911 Simple items that I know I need to do! Going to go after those leaves in the driveway today. [...]
DenzelWNaf
posted on November 1st, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Good afternoon, Did you have a happy Halowen? !!