When it comes to the eco-friendliness of holidays, Halloween doesn’t rank very high. From toxins in costumes and makeup to the highly disposable nature of celebration products to the junk food, Halloween has been a scary time of the year for all the wrong reasons. Thankfully, with more consumer awareness, there are more options for conscious shoppers. Let’s looks at how we can give Halloween a green makeover!
Halloween Costumes and Makeup
Last year, news broke about toxic chemicals in Halloween costumes that are sold in big box stores, like Target and Walmart. According to SaferChemicals.org, “Dangerous chemicals like phthalates, flame retardants, vinyl (PVC) plastic, organotins, and even lead” were found in costumes. Not only the costumes are tainted, but much of the makeup is too! According to SafeCosmetics.org, these products “contained toxic heavy metals like lead, nickel, cobalt and chromium.” Let’s not make the same mistakes as in years past. This year, try making your own costume! There are so many resources for making something cute and creative so there is no reason to go as a bed sheet ghost! If DIY isn’t your style, then make sure you check the labels and look into reviews of the company so you are educated when you shop.
From Wasteful to Resourceful
You may want to throw the best Halloween party in the neighborhood, but its time we look at the cost- financial and environmental. Halloween decorations tend to be flimsy, break easily and are highly disposable. If you throw larger scale parties each year, consider going to a second-hand store and DIY your own decorations so you can find sturdier materials to decorate with. If you throw a smaller get-together, then try to limit which accents you buy. Maybe instead of purchasing plastic plates, cups, napkins, etc. you could just buy orange napkins or products that are easier to recycle. Try decorating more with natural materials. Go all out on your Jack-O-Lanterns and hay bale decorations!
Tricks or Treats?
The real trick of Halloween is all the candy wrappers you end up picking up in the following weeks! Halloween candy is individually wrapped, which makes a lot of waste. I would love to suggest that you make your own homemade treats and wrap them with eco-friendly wrappers, but for kids’ safety, Halloween candy should be individually wrapped and sealed. Instead of candy, maybe you could hand out pencils or bouncy balls. Check out theFresh20.com’s post about 25 Non-Food Alternatives to Halloween Candy and pick some green options. In addition to being healthier, non-food options may allow you to participate in The Teal Pumpkin Project(TM).
By making eco-friendliness a priority, there are many options to having a fun day, free of toxins and waste!
~ Suzanne
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