Halloween is only a few short days away! Before I get my fingers full of sticky candy, I want to introduce you to Green Youth Movement (GYM), founded by 17 year old Ally Maize, LA’s resident “green” teen. They are urging communities to reduce their environmental impact this Halloween with some simple, easy-to-do tips. Here are a few things that Ally, along with the help of GreenHalloween.org, is doing to ensure every step of her Halloween  preparations are “eek-o” friendly:

Tips for a Green Halloween:

1. Shop your friends’ closets. Costumes are half the fun in Halloween. Instead of heading to the mall to find new costumes, get creative and reduce your environmental impact by hosting a fun costume swap meet with your friends to trade and borrow threads from Halloweens past.

2. DIY (Do It Yourself). Give your Halloween festivities a personal spin and make your own decorations and treats. Acorns, pumpkins, and apples are great for “Hallogreen®”-friendly embellishments and make less of an environmental impact than store-bought decorations. You can even make your own natural face paint from corn starch, water, and organic food coloring!

3. Offer environmentally and socially responsible treats. Make a true green statement this year by handing out environmentally and socially responsible treats, like fair trade certified chocolate, raw honey and/or agave sticks, and organic fruit roll-ups. Better for the planet, better for the community, and better for you.

4. Recycle. Before you head to the store to buy Halloween supplies, take stock of what you already have. Everyday household items can be cleverly recycled into spook-worthy decorations. For example, pillow cases, table cloths, brooms and cans lying around the house are great for turning into Halloween ornaments. If you don’t have the items you’re looking for, head to a local thrift store – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

5. Use reusable bags for trick-or-treating. When you head out the door to trick-or-treat, opt for reusable grocery bags or pillow cases as an environmentally-conscious alternative to wasteful plastic/paper bags. They’re also likely to hold more candy!

I love these tips, even though they’re so simple, they can actually make an enviromental difference. As a kid I used to reuse costumes or make my own. My mom would make decorations from hay, corn chucks, and pumpkins. Oh, and I always used a pillow case for candy because it holds way more loot and is much more durable than any bag. If you’re not sure about how your DIY projects will turn out, don’t be scared. If something doesn’t look that great just make yourself some paint out of food coloring and smear “blood” all over it!
For more information on how to reduce your environmental impact beyond Halloween, go to www.greenyouthmovement.org.

Photos courtesy Green Youth Movement

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