A Scream for a More Green Halloween

Submitted by Mackenzie Howe on October 22, 2018 - 11:47am

Halloween can be an environmental headache, full of non-recyclable candy wrappers, plastic decorations, and polyester costumes that are often worn once. Check out these simple and effective tips to have a more sustainable Halloween.

Costumes: Make, Borrow, or Upcycle

Finding this year’s “green” halloween costume may be a bit easier than you’d expect. Instead of heading to your local halloween superstore, make your own costume this year with old clothes and extra fabric that you may have laying around the house. By not purchasing the the typical store-bought plastic halloween costumes, you are doing your part to contribute to a more green halloween.

Consider participating in a local halloween costume swap event, or host one of your own!

Sustainably Produced and Minimimally-Packaged Candies

It’s easy to buy large quantities of fun sized candies for your trick-or-treaters, but with just a bit of creativity and thought, you may learn that there are many eco-friendly treats that you can replace your go-to Kit Kat bars with.

When shopping for Halloween night, keep an eye out for organic lollipops, vegan gummies and fair trade chocolates. If you aren’t able to find these items in your local grocery story, The Natural Candy Store has a wide assortment of organic, fair trade, vegan, corn syrup-free and made-in-the-U.S.A candies. All of their items are free of artificial flavors, sweeteners and colorants.

Eco-Decor

Decorations are another aspect of Halloween that you may not need to go to the Halloween store for this year. Candles are a great way to decorate your home for Halloween in a classic way. Inside jack-o-lanterns, along walkways and even as decor inside, candles bring a warm, fall feel to the home. When choosing which candles to use this year, look for 100% beeswax or soy candles since paraffin candles are petroleum based and are less clean burning.

LED lights are another great way to decorate during Halloween time. Since they last about 133 times longer than incandescents, they’re another great eco-friendly choice to make this Halloween. Check out these LED spider lights to use as spooky décor!

Websites like Etsy are fantastic for finding handmade halloween decorations, and many options are made from recycled or sustainable materials! If you’re feeling crafty this coming halloween, try finding things in your own home that you can upcycle into creepy decorations.

Don’t let those Jack-O-Lanterns go to Waste!

Pick your pumpkins this year from a local pumpkin patch and be sure to compost them after!

If you’re unsure on how to compost them, bring your old pumpkins to Let it Grow Produce on Country Club Road. They will give them to their farmers who use them as a natural dewormer for their pigs and chickens!

Mackenzie Howe is a senior at Wake Forest University and is a fall intern for PEA. She is passionate about all environmental issues, and is majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise.