While we were putting out the trash tonight, we noticed something: we don't have that much. For a family of four, we only put out a standard 13 gallon bag along with a mini one from the bathroom. We have managed to cut down our waste greatly over the past year with increased recycling and composting. Now, I am setting my sights on a greener Halloween.
Green Halloween promotes and celebrates eco friendly holiday ideas. The Costume Swap is by far one of their largest ventures helping more than 24 states (RI not included yet) host National Costume Swaps on October 8th. Besides saving money, costume swaps help prevent tons of wasted fabrics, plastics and other assorted nasties from entering the rubbage receptacles. Like a yard sale, hosting sites may have various items, styles and sizes from which to pick, trade, or purchase depending on the site. If you think you might be interested in checking out a swap, click
here for registered sites. If you are interested in hosting one, Green Halloween has great tips on how to get started.
Want some other tips?
- Paper towel holders can be painted and decorated to become accessories for pirates, scientists, rock stars, and more.
- Non toxic Piggy Paint can let your child coordinate his/her nail polish without the harsh chemicals
- If you want to not use a mask, but are concerned about face painting, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics provides natural home made do-it-yourself recipes for face paint
- Decorate your own goodie bag from a used paper or plastic store bag, or even better, the reusable ones probably in the back of your car.
- Make decorative scarecrows and ghosts with old tee shirts, pants, and stuff the kids and you may have outgrown
- Instead of decorating windows with paper goods, there are many brands of window crayons, like Crayola
Great ideas for celebrating a Green Halloween and congratulations for cutting down on the trash. It's amazing how easy it is once you start to get in the habit!
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