GREEN DAYS

October 2010 PUTTING THE GREEN IN YOUR HALLOWEEN

An important part of SWALCO's mission is to help educate the community about the 4Rs and to share information and ideas that will help support them.  So today, with Halloween just around the corner, I'd like to share some fun ways to turn your Halloween a little greener this year.  There are loads of ways to celebrate the holiday in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion and we hope you will be able to try some of these enjoyable and inventive ways to celebrate. 

1. Think about ways to Reduce waste this Halloween.
2. Use found items or items you can Reuseand swap, like costumes, decorations and trick-or-treat "bags".
3.  Recycle at your parties and events. 
4. Whenever possible Buy eco-friendly (recycled content, sustainable, local & fair trade) treats and products.  

COSTUMES

• Create costumes from things found at home or purchase from a thrift store.  You might find a variety of costumes and decorations on sites like Freecycle.org or SWAP.com.  Check them out.
•  Use non-toxic cosmetics.  Host a costume swap at your school, at work or in your neighborhood.
• Use items like reusable totes, pillowcases or other reusable bags to collect candy and other  Halloween treats and goodies.

PARTIES & DECORATIONS

• Reuse Halloween decorations from year to year.  Or buy from a resale/thrift store like GoodWill or others.
• Consider decorating with materials found in nature.
• Make a Halloween Scarecrow using materials you have at home or in the recycling bin.
• Throw a Green Halloween Party.  Use soy or natural beeswax candles to light your pumpkins and spooky areas or try one of the newer flickering lights and use rechargeable batteries. Don't forget the reusable  silverware, plates and glasses.  Serve sustainable treats.
• Visit craft sites like allfreecrafts.com and caboose.com for recycled Halloween crafts like egg carton  spiders and bats, steel can luminaries and recycled milk carton pumpkins.
• Serve roasted pumpkin seeds:  Take 1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds 2 teaspoons melted butter  or olive/vegetable oil, and 1 pinch salt.  Spread seeds out on cookie sheet and bake at 300 for 45  minutes until golden brown.  Add your favorite seasonings like garlic powder or nutmeg and cinnamon, or try grated hard cheeses like parmesan.  Make them savory or sweet, if you dare!
• LED lights are a great option in addition to or instead of candles. They last as much as 133 times longer than incandescents and cost about 80% less to use. They're also safer around children than candles or regular bulbs.  Visit HolidayLEDs.com and other LED shopping sites.

    MORE GREEN HALLOWEEN TIPS