How to "Green" Your Halloween
Written by Ellen Van Velsor > October 18, 2022
Like many of our holidays, Halloween can be a time when we forget about the environmental impacts of our celebrations and traditions. But it is also an opportunity to practice creation care while having lots of fun!
According to one source (https://www.honestlymodern.com/eco-friendly-halloween-with-kids/), Americans spend around $3.2 billion on Halloween costumes that mostly end up in the trash a day or two later. So first, costumes. DIY is best and also most creative. While it may be easy to buy a ready-made witch, ghost, or monster costume from the store, these are also easily made from readily available materials at home. Making DIY costumes also provide an opportunity for fun and creativity that the whole family can enjoy. Here are some other cool ideas that are also pretty easy to make from what you already have in your clothes and craft closets or can find at local thrift stores. Do you have styrofoam take-out containers awaiting recycling? Clean them up and use them to make masks! Or use face paint instead of store bought plastic masks. And, as a bonus, many DIY costumes can be taken apart after Halloween and the supplies reused or recycled.
Halloween decorations are another part of the holiday that can benefit from some creation care thinking. Pumpkins, artistically turned into Jack-O-Lantrns, are the favorite “must-haves” for porches and front yards. One idea I heard about recently was to smash your pumpkin before it rots and put it at a location where you’ve seen deer or other wildlife. As the weather turns colder, it becomes more challenging for animals to find food and pumpkins are a treat for many critters, large and small. Other ideas are composting your pumpkins once they have passed their prime. And remember to save and roast those pumpkin seeds for a delicious snack!
For other Halloween decorations, think twice before buying items that will just end up in the landfill in November or are otherwise environmentally unfriendly or nonrecyclable. If candles are part of your Halloween decor, choose beeswax or soy candles instead of paraffin. Paraffin is a byproduct of petroleum and emits carcinogens into the air when burned. Or, opt for simple and limit yourself to multiple happy or scary pumpkins, supplemented with natural fall items like corn stalks and gourds. Highlighting the beauty of nature is a great way to celebrate God’s creation at any time of year!
And ask a child – it’s all about the candy, anyway, isn’t it? Any kid who wants to collect a “motherlode” will be excited to carry an old pillowcase or canvas tote rather than a store bought plastic pumpkin.
Happy Halloween!