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| Tips for supporting a green Halloween |
Buy a local pumpkin. Go
to a local pumpkin patch, Farmer’s Market, or Fall Bazaar to buy your
pumpkin. After carving it, save the seeds, bake them and eat them or
feed them to the birds. There’s no problem putting pumpkin seeds out
for birds, wet or dry. Make use of all pumpkin parts. If possible, bury
or compost the carcass.
Recycle your old costumes.
Take old costumes and donate them to the Goodwill and pick up other
used costumes. It’s inexpensive, and a great way to make your Halloween
eco-friendly.
Have fun with an eco-friendly theme. Dress
up as a tree hugger, Al Gore, a trendy cloth bag, a compact fluorescent
light bulb, or Mother Earth. But don’t buy anything new - that doesn’t
make for an eco-friendly Halloween - instead, look in your recycling
bin, second-hand stores, friends’ and relatives’ closets, and your
basement or attic for costume ideas. For green ideas visit http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycled-halloween-costumes-470708.
Explore vintage shops for recycled jewelry and accessories. Or, ask elderly family members if they want to recycle their classic treasures to help you have an eco-friendly Halloween.
Walk with your trick-or-treaters. Instead of driving your kids to other
neighborhoods, walk with them. It will cut down on the number of houses
they hit and reduce the amount of processed sugar they’ll be eating.
Instead of using plastic bags to collect treats, use a bag made out of
recycled material, a straw basket, a bucket or an old metal pot with a
handle and if you really want volume, use an old pillow case. Teach
your children not to litter.
Tips for eco-friendly Halloween parties:
Forget about plastic party bags, processed junk food and supermarket
chocolate bars. Instead, go for ethically sourced party bags,
biodegradable balloons and eco-friendly paints and recycled paper for
party crafts. Include yogurt-covered raisins, trail mix and roasted
pumpkin seeds in your green menu.
Send eco-friendly invitations. Invitations can be made of rice paper, hemp, banana stalks, organic cotton, or bamboo or use http://www.EVITE.com—the most eco-friendly Halloween party invitation is e-mail.
Burn soy candles in your Jack O’Lanterns.
Wax candles are made from petroleum that unleash the equivalent of
diesel exhaust. Instead use a natural soy or beeswax candles without
polluting the air. Or try http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Solar-Powered-Jack-o-Lantern!-yay.
Scare up some healthy treats. Find
individually wrapped miniature muffins, dried fruit, raisin boxes,
trail mix and reduced-sugar granola bars for kid-friendly treats.
Rummage through your treasures for key rings, stickers and other fun
items to hand out as treats instead of candy.
Quench thirst with green libations.
Serve organic juices and substitute tap water for bottled water by
adding squeezed lemon, lime or orange or a sprig of mint to it. Use
reusable cups or ones made of recycled paper.
Use eco-plates, napkins and recyclable flatware or even better, rent plates and cutlery. Avoid paper or plastic dishware; even the paper ones aren’t eco-friendly if they’re coated in petroleum-based wax.
Spooky decorations. Making
your Halloween eco-friendly includes using natural decorations such as
driftwood, squash or large fall leaves. Bring out last year’s
decorations or make more with some recycled goods: Egg cartons make
great bats and spiders, go to http://www.allfreecrafts.com/halloween/lightbulb-witch.shtml for more ideas.
In recognition of sustainability awareness week, the Environment and
Community Sustainability committee will be available to answer
questions on sustainability from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 24 in the
Horsehoe.
For information on MUSC recycling program, visit http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/vpfa/eandf/sustainability.htm.
Friday, Oct. 24, 2008
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