Will you leave the car at home to go trick or treating or organize a costume swap? (Credit: Brittany Randolph via Flickr)
Greening your Halloween doesn't need to be scary. Whether it's finding the perfect costume for yourself or the kids, you've got options.
Costumes
Repurpose something you already own, visit a local thrift store for inspiration, swap or trade with friends and family, or rent. Consider yourself crafty? Check out Instructables, an excellent how-to website with scads of costume ideas, and more.
Make-up
Use non-toxic make-up and hair dye, especially on your children! Choose non-toxic options without the Dirty Dozen. Create safe Hallowe'en make-up with a recipe from E-How. You'll need simple ingredients like vegetable glycerin (found at health food stores), cornstarch, and food coloring.
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Sweets and treats
Buy bulk to cut down on excess packaging, or look for fair trade chocolate and organic candy. But if you're rolling your eyes about organic candy, maybe bobbing for organic apples is more realistic.
Pumpkins
If you're feeling extra crafty, make a non-toxic soy candle to light the Jack-o-lantern. Or, roast the seeds from your jack-o-lantern! Need a new recipe? Try this one from Vegetarian Times magazine, called Halloween Party Mix. If you have pie pumpkins on hand, bake David Suzuki's Pumpkin Pie recipe (PDF file), just because.
What will you do this Halloween — leave the car at home to go trick or treating on foot or organize a costume swap — to add a shade of green to the traditional orange and black?
Sincerely,
Lindsay Coulter, Queen of Green
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2 Comments
11:16 AM
Don't forget to compost that pumpkin once you're done with it (if you don't use it in a recipe). Pumpkins contain a LOT of organic material.
11:05 AM
I collected mini cereal boxes and used an old tee shirt. With some old cardboard I made a butcher knife. The cereal boxes were sewn to my shirt and I went as a "cereal killer". I purchased nothing special for this costume. I only used things I already had around my house and would have gone into the recycling bin. It was fun and will recycle my halloween again next year.
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