Great Suggestions toward a Green Halloween

Here, we cover your bases to get your little goblins on the road to a greener Halloween this year. Keep in mind that the first rule of going green is always reduce. What you don’t buy is just as important as what you do buy. These tips come from greenhalloween.org and Kerry Kaufman of Green Plan-It.

Treats
. Collect treats in a reusable bag. The good old go-to would be a heavy-duty pillow case.
. Don’t go overboard by giving oodles of treats.
. Cut back on candy by giving out some “treasures,” such as polished rocks, stickers, soy or beeswax crayons, glass beads, seeds or Play-Doh (you could make your own).
. To ease your fears of getting egged, make a basket with a mix of candy and non-candy treats and let kids pick what they want.
. Keep your eyes open for healthier treats from responsible companies (companies that make healthy food are often thoughtful about their packaging). Both Planet Organic and Community Natural Foods have healthy Salba snack crisps and organic lollipops on offer this Halloween. Community Natural Foods also has Denman Island chocolate pumpkins, Green & Blacks organic chocolate bites and Kettle Valley fruit leathers.

Costumes
The key to a green costume is recycling and reusing. Add a dash of creativity and you just may have the best costume yet.
. Kaufman suggests hosting a costume swapping get-together and letting kids pick out their favourites.
. Dig through the dress-up bin and see what exactly is in there and check out children’s consignment shops for previously partied-in costumes.
. Let your child’s imagination lead the way. Look through old clothing for inspiration. Dad’s dress shirt circa 1970 just might inspire a mad scientist outfit, while Mom’s leftover ’80s gear could inspire a mini-Madonna.
. Familyeducation.com offers up all sorts of hilarious and affordable costumes, from static cling (wear all black and pin lighter coloured socks, underwear, ties and bibs all over yourself) to grandma (roll knee-highs down to your child’s ankles, put rollers in hair, carry a big purse and wear bright lipstick, slippers and glasses).

Here are some other ideas from care2.com:
. Mother Earth: Wear brown, green and blue clothing and attach stuffed animals to your body. Weave flowers in your hair.
. Be a globe by cutting a large piece of cardboard into a circle and making a hole in the middle, big enough to fit around your waist. Add fabric or suspenders to hold it around your middle, and paint it with non-toxic paint. Make your body black with stars on it and paint your face like the moon. (Or adjust to make it daytime.)
. Take it up a notch by being global warming. Keep with the globe base, then add a thermometer in your mouth, lots of blush to your cheeks and carry around a spray bottle to keep “sweaty.”
. For some eco-funny, dress up like David Suzuki or Al Gore. For Suzuki, just visit davidsuzuki.org, where you can download a Suzuki mask and print it out on recycled or reused paper. Wear a Suzuki-esque outfit, add the mask and hand out leaflets from the David Suzuki Foundation.

Decorations
. It can’t be said enough: Less is more.
. If you do decorate your house, make sure you save the decorations from year to year, so there isn’t as much waste.
. Involve your kids in picking a pumpkin by making a family trip to a farmers’ market. “Make sure to roast the pumpkin seeds and send them to school as a healthy snack,” Kaufman says.
. Make sure you compost your pumpkins, along with your fall leaves.
. Help your neighbours out by collecting their pumpkins too, or letting them drop them off in your yard or in the back of your truck.