lifelong treats

I love Halloween. Not only does it happen during my favorite season, it involves presenting yourself to the world as creatively as possible. And I have to admit a mom perk is enjoying candy I normally don’t have in my house. Unfortunately, the way we celebrate Halloween can be a nightmare for people and the planet.
Think about it. Yearly, about 35 million kids go trick or treating. That means a lot of candy individually encapsulated in non-recyclable petroleum based plastic that’s been manufactured and shipped via fossil fuels to your grocery store. More than likely, that candy is made with high fructose corn syrup, which threatens your health as well as the planet’s and palm oil, which threatens rainforests and the creatures that live in them. And if it contains chocolate, it’s likely to be a product of child labor. I know. Scares the Twix bar right out of my hand.

Halloween also means dressing up. Most store-bought costumes are made from non-recyclable petro-chemical based plastic and synthetic fibers. These Halloween costumes can include the horrific polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a soft plastic and known carcinogen that releases harmful toxins in its creation and breakdown. And if that doesn’t spook you, many face paints contain the neurotoxin lead and other ingredients that aren’t tested for general human safety, let alone specifically for how they’ll impact a developing body. I know. Makes me want to put a white sheet over my head and call it good.
And I haven’t even touched on trick-or-treat bags, decorations or pumpkins.

The good news is you can celebrate Halloween without terrorizing the planet and its inhabitants. Here are 12 tips to green your Halloween.

1. Start by picking one category for this year: costumes, decorations or treats. Then next year pick another. Or select another category for another holiday.

COSTUMES

2. Start at the thrifty. You will be amazed at the plethora of costumes available. You know what’s even better? Taking your kids to the thrifty and having them rummage through the costumes, especially the odds and ends. They use their imaginations to create one-of-a-kind, unique ensembles and identities for Halloween. Thrift stores are a great resource for Halloween decorations too.
3. Host a costume swap: http://www.ecomomalliance.org/NationalCostumeSwapDay. If that’s more than you want to take on then use FB or other social media to share what you have and what you’re looking for.

4. Go the old fashioned route and make costumes. Better yet, host a costume making party. Everything is less daunting with friends and wine.

5. Consider making your own face paint: http://greenhalloween.org/blog/?p=235.

DECORATIONS
6. If you and your kids like crafts, make decorations from recycled products: http://www.pinterest.com/donttrashaz/diy-halloween/.  Just like with costumes, a lot of natural resources were used and fossil fuels burned in manufacturing and shipping all that cute stuff. Increasingly I feel uneasy buying something without knowing the working conditions of those on the factory floor. Besides, each American generates about 5 pounds of trash a day. Surely we could divert some of that into decorations.

7. Take a family hike and collect natural decorations-pinecones, pine needles, acorns, fallen branches, leaves. Let your kids take charge. It may not look like BH&G when they’re done but it will look like a home with kids. The great thing about natural decorations is they can be composted or returned to nature rather than landfilled.
8. If you’re going to decorate or carve pumpkins, please buy from a local farmer. You’ll be helping the local economy and again, reducing your carbon footprint. Then make sure you roast the seeds and cook something yummy with the pumpkin; seeds and pumpkins are super healthy antidotes for all that Halloween candy. Again, you can also compost pumpkin rather than trash it.
TREATS
9. Pass out candy that comes in paper or paperboard packaging that can be recycled rather than plastic wrappers that can’t.

10. Reuse candy wrappers to make crafts: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/kidscraftsactivitiesblog/2012/03/how-to-make-paper-strip-belts-and-bracelets/.
11. Consider buying these rainforest friendly candy choices: http://www.cmzoo.org/docs/palmOilShoppingGuide.pdf and child labor free choices: http://grist.org/food/2011-10-25-scare-trade/.
12. Maybe don’t pass out candy but give other treats kids will enjoy like seashells, dragon tears, mini duct tape rolls or temporary tattoos. Again, enlist your littles in coming up with alternatives.

When I started making the connection between my choices and their environmental impact it felt like I couldn’t do anything fun anymore. But nothing could be further from the truth. Involving my family in the changes, engaging everyone’s creativity, resourcefulness and intentionality is how we do life. Mindfulness is a practice that deepens fun. It’s the best treat I can give my children.