Celebrate eco- friendly Halloween with these green ideas

Millions of people around the world celebrate Halloween eve on 31^st October by wearing spooky costumes and filling their stomachs with candies. Most of such candy wrappers remain intact in the landfill sites for long and leach out the wasteful and poisons by- products in the soil where our food is grown or into the water bodies from where we drink water. Few years back the environment was not a big concern. But time has changed and it is now possible to celebrate eco- friendly Halloween with these tips:

5 tips that help you celebrate eco- friendly Halloween

1. Carry reusable bags:

   Canvas and shopping bags are becoming common these days but this is not a brain replacement for paper or plastic bags. Avoid those molded plastic jack- o- lanterns this year. Though they are reusable, yet are made of 100% plastic. Most of the trash we see floating in the oceans is made of plastics which are then eaten by birds, fish and other marine creatures.

2. Re- use costumes:

   Rent your costumes to celebrate eco- friendly Halloween from a typical costume store or theatre instead of buying it. Opt for sustainable costumes. Halloween comes once in a year and most of the chunks are spent over costumes. Renting the costumes is definitely cheaper then purchasing as this allows you and your kids to wear different costumes every year instead of purchasing a new costume every time which will hang forever in the closet getting dust or get trashed. The better is to return it so that it can be rented by some others.

3. Get environmental friendly by your candies:

   Though expensive, organic candies are a better option over chocolates and other treats. Organic foods are healthy as well as better for the environment. They are made of such products which are free from chemicals and pesticides. One may get organic candies either online or in the organic section of grocery stores, farmers markets or health food stores. Also consider how candies came in. Avoid buying such candies which come in abundance of packaging which can promote landfills.

4. Encourage an environmentally friendly travel:

   Indulge in organising car pool activities which will reduce the number of people driving to the Halloween party. Or a better option is to eliminate the cars and provide special door to door prizes to those which show a proof of the environmentally friendly method used by them to get to their place like a bicycle, transit transfer or a bus pass.

People will do it just to get free gifts. Take your kids to a treat in the local neighbourhoods where you can walk. This sounds to be environmental friendly rather than driving to some other communities. This will get the children to meet and play with the children of neighbourhood and also you will get a chance to meet with the local parents too. This will promote a close knit community where the people could look after each other.

5. Plan a green Halloween party:

   To celebrate eco – friendly Halloween, it is better to make some green celebration ideas right from the beginning. Invite people to come dressed up in green coloured home- made dresses or in the one which are rented. Serve only the organic food in dishes and cutlery instead of using disposable plates and plastic knives and forks. Reward and encourage the green celebration ideas and the environmental ways of partying and ensure that people get to home through green ways. Halloween party is a night for Zoombies, Goblins and Ghosts, but with some little efforts, it can be made an environmental friendly event.

6. LED lights:

   Consider using solar powered lamps or LED lights to light up your path of front door. Also an investment made in solar green lights can save your money for long term as it provides a return on investment for 47% in 10 years.

7. Party like an environmental star:

   
   If you are the host of the Halloween party, set out some recycling bins to dispose of the soda cans and beer bottles. And if the gat together is a smaller one, use the cups and plated which are already there in your closet. But if the party this year is a throw down for more than 50 members, use the dinnerware made of compostable or recyclable materials.

8. Sweep away the side walk:

   If you are planning to celebrate eco- friendly Halloween, it is better to clear off the area covered with fallen leaves. Rather than using a hose and wasting gallons of water in washing, sweep the area using a broom. Also those leaves can be added to the compost pile.

9. Make yourself to be a Craftster:

   DIY decorations and costumes are easier to plan and think and can save a lot of money. Also the kids will have great time in creating crafts for Halloween like an egg carton pumpkin or a light bulb witch.

10. Decorate for the whole year:

    Instead of buying one-time cheap Halloween decorations, it is better to display something which goes throughout the season. By doing this, you will get let money to spend on the decor and also you are going to skip those window stickers which will not stick the next year and are a total wastage.

11. Don’t waste pumpkins:

    Don’t throw away the pumpkins once you are done with pumpkin carvings and games. If you are throwing this away, you are probably wasting the best food ever. Use every part of it like roasting the seeds, or using pumpkin for compost instead of ending up into trash. If you have chickens at the backyard, feed that leftover pumpkin to them. They love pumpkin because of its seeds as they have deworming properties in it.

12. Donate your costumes:

    Instead of spending your costume in dump aster the Halloween, it is better to donate it. Contact some local preschools or schools to know if they need costumes for school plays or dramas. Or gently donate your sustainable costumes into a non- profit organisation.