Kindred Gifts' Blog

Top 5 Ways to Green Up Your Halloween

Once a Celtic celebration of the harvest and a new season, Halloween is now a lot less spiritual and a whole lot more commercial - these days it's an industry worth more than $6 billion a year! With that kind of consumption comes a hefty carbon footprint and an environmental impact that lasts long after you've see the last of those fun-size Snickers bars.

Luckily, there are plenty of simple and cost effective ways to go greener this Halloween, without causing tantrums from the kids. To help you on your way we've compiled our list of the top 5 tips to have a more eco friendly Halloween this year, and teach the kids a thing or two while you're at it.

1. Make your own costumes for the kids out of bits and pieces you have lying around at home.

With a little planning and creativity, even the least handy DIYers can put together a costume with items they have at home. Let's face it, with kids around, there are always extra odds and ends that you could make use of. Empty boxes and egg cartons; the kids' crayons and textas; old fabric remnants; pipecleaners... Be creative and avoid buying cheap plastic masks and other costume accessories because they cannot be recycled. You'll not only save money, but teach the kids a valuable lesson at the same time.

Not very crafty? What about getting together with a group of creative friends and putting your heads together to see what costume ideas you can create? Throw in a glass of wine and some tasty snacks, and we think you have a fun night (or day) ahead!

2. Green Your Treats

When the neighbourhood kids come knocking on your door for their candy stash, make sure you have more wholesome treats to offer. Try to avoid lollies full of sugar, flavours and preservative, and choose organic or natural treats when you can. Also, look for brands that donate part of their profits to environmental causes or use Fair Trade-sourced cocoa and other ingredients. Do your best to avoid individually wrapped candies, and consider making your own organic fudge, brownies or cupcakes  etc.

If you want the kids to skip the sweets altogether, try handing out small wooden toys, handmade barrettes & clips, or soy crayons. The other parents in the neighbourhood will love you for not adding to their child's sugar rollercoaster on the night too!

3. Decorate from nature - not plastic  

Spend some qualiy time with the kids on the weekend hunting around the garden or park for fallen leaves and feathers and other natural items you can use use for decoration, rather than the standard chemical laden plastic banners and signs that just end up in landfill.

Have fun choosing a pumpkin from a Farmer's Market or organic grocer, and let them express their creativity in helping you design the perfect Jack-o-Lantern.

4. Choose a kid-friendly bag or backpack to lug around the loot

When it comes to hauling all those treasures home, reusable hemp, bamboo, organic cotton or natural canvas bags easily win over standard toxic-laden plastic for both safety and environmental reasons. Choose kid- friendly sized backpacks or totes rather than large shopping bags (less room for a truckload of lollies that way!).

5. Choose your candles carefully

The soft flickering of candles and jack-o-lanterns certainly give Halloween its spooky feel, but the paraffin in wax candles releases toxic chemicals like toluene and benzene through smoke and soot. Not to mention that the palm oil used in most traditional candles is causing massive deforestation  in many areas around the world (80% of the world's palm oil production is in Indonesia and Malaysia, where irreplaceable rainforests that are home to wildlife such as the Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Borneo Orangutans, Asian Elephant and the Clouded Leopard are being destroyed).

Clean up your home and keep your lungs healthy with organic soy or beeswax candles, which last longer and don't have the same environmental costs.