It seems like there are two kinds of people: Those that love halloween, and those that don’t. My sister-in-law and her husband love Halloween. They throw an annual Halloween party and the two of them spend months thinking about and preparing costumes for themselves and their two boys, ages 6 and 4. And I must admit they pull off some pretty creative, hilarious and scary costumes.
As for me, in a good year I fill a bowl with candy and stingily hand out one piece to every kid that comes to the door. In a bad year, I hide at the back of the house with all the lights off…pretending I’m not home.
But here’s what I really want to say: Halloween is the second most wasteful holiday next to Christmas. Decorations that turn Main Street into Mockingbird Lane, trillions of wrappers from indivdually wrapped treats; and cheap, disposable costumes purchased from WalMart are among the reasons. So here are some ideas for a less wasteful Halloween:
- Trade last year’s costumes for something different at Swapthing.com or Zwaggle.com.
- Make a costume with what you have. Adults should try to come up with a creative costume that doesn’t require tearing open a plastic bag. Here’s your chance to show your friends how brilliant and creative you are using clothing and objects found around the house.
- Support a local farm and take your kids to a local pumpkin patch–if you can find one nearby. Use as much of the pumpkin as possible. Toast the seeds and try out some pumpkin recipes. And remember to compost your pumpkins. If you don’t have a compost bin, none is required. Just find an out-of-the way 3′ x 3′ section of your yard and get started.
- Resist buying special plastic or paper bags for trick-or-treating. Remember when everyone used a pillow case? Still works.
-Take along an LED flashlight when trick-or-treating. LED lights are more energy efficient and last longer than incandescent bulbs.
- Walk, don’t drive around the neighborhood. Idling your car at each house wastes fuel and emits harmful pollutants–pollutants which disproportionately impact children who breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults. If you want to go to another area of town to trick-or-treat, car pool or take public transit.
- Kids get enough candy during Halloween, so when trick-or-treaters come to your door, be ready to wow them with a trick in lieu of passing out a treat. Whether or not they will be disappointed will depend on your trick!
These are great tips. And I will add, a lot of the secondhand stores around LA have some pretty mean costumes!