 | By Amy PietiIntern |
If you’re like me the start of fall also means time to prep for Halloween! But as someone always looking to lessen their impact on the environment I thought how can we make small changes to celebrate the orange holiday a little greener?
1) Homemade face paint
In a 2009 study done by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics it was found many face paints contain low levels of lead and allergens like nickel. Making your own face paint not only avoids the waste from production and transportation of new face paint, but also safer for your skin. It’s actually pretty easy- just mix your favorite skin lotion, cornstarch, and food coloring.
2) Use the whole pumpkin
When your carving jack-o-lanterns this year, you can opt for a locally grown pumpkin, but don’t stop there! You can also reduce waste by saving the seeds to bake, season, and eat. Try them with a little butter and salt! You can even go the extra mile and compost the pumpkin at the end of the holiday.
3) Set your halloween lights on a timer
I love driving around and seeing homes spookily decorated for Halloween. If you decorate the outside of your home with lights, try putting those lights on a timer to turn off late at night after everyone is asleep. This will reduce your energy consumption as well as personal cost.
4) Use reusable bags to trick or treat!
When its time head out trick or treating one essential is the candy bag. A great option is to use a cloth or canvass shopping bags that can be reused later as opposed to a plastic, paper, or novelty bag that will just be used for one day. Paper and plastic bags also tear easily, and no one wants their hard earned candy spilling on the sidewalk. (Ed. note: Never forget the classic ‘spare pillowcase’ trick or treat bag!)
5) Recycled costumes
No one wants to spend a lot of money on a costume that will only be worn once. Save your money and the environment by reusing and recycling clothes and items you already have to create a costume. There have been tons of great costumes made with old clothes and secondhand items from thrift stores.
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