Green Your Halloween

Tips for Having a Green Halloween 

1. Food
   Focus on Healthier Foods, Making Healthier Foods more fund to eat.
   For Treats consider Organic candies, Dark Chocolate and low fat foods like licorice.
2. Costumes
   Reuse your costume from before. Create a costume from Reused or Recyclable items or clothes.
3. Decorations
   Decorate with reusable items or recyclable ones like newspaper, leaves, sticks, branches, cornstalks, cardboard boxes.
   Use Fluorescent light bulbs and LED lights.
4. Activities
   Attend Local no cost Carnivals or Halloween Festivals. Focus on treating others rather than 'treats' or volunteering your time to fundraise for a good cause (like UNICEF).

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Green Your Halloween 

• Reduce - reduce or limit the amount of money spent on Halloween food, costumes and decorations.
• Reuse - find clothes, decorations or other items that can be reused for Halloween. If you have to purchase something, make sure it can be reused from year to year.
• Recycle - look for clothes and decorations that can be recycled, or use recycled items (boxes, leaves, clippings, branches, newspaper, packing supplies, fabric, yarn) to create costumes, decorations and activities.

Tips to Reduce Your Halloween 

1. Halloween Food
   Reduce the amount of money spent on candy and empty calorie foods.
   Focus on making healthier foods more spooky and fun to eat.
2. Costumes
   Reducing amount of money spent on costumes.
   Find ways to Reuse or Recycle costumes instead.
3. Halloween Treats
   Buy the healthier candy or treats such as chocolate covered nuts or raisins.
   Choose ones that use the least amount of packaging.
4. Decorations
   Reduce the amount of money spent on decorations.
   Find ways to Reuse or Recycle decorations or decorating items instead. Fill bags with leaves or newspaper, decorate with natural items such as pumpkins, cornstalks and branches.
   Use Fluorescent light bulbs to decorate the house and an LED tea light for the pumpkin.
5. Activities
   Reduce the amount of money spent on elaborate activities.
   Find ways to have fun that don't involve a lot of money or resources such as going to free carnivals, walking around and looking at Halloween decorations, bobbing for apples or Trick or Treating for UNICEF or Sight Night (and do a good deed in the process).
6. Transportation
   If possible walk, ride a bike or using public transportation to get to Halloween parties or if trick-or-treating.
   If you have to drive, carpool to help reduce traffic and air pollution.

Reduce Halloween Sweets by Passing out Healthier Treats 

1. 100% Fruit-Roll Ups or Fruit leather
2. Boxes of raisins
3. 100% Fruit juices
4. Small packages of nuts or sunflower seeds
5. Mini-bags of microwave popcorn
6. Small bags of pretzels
7. Organic Candy
   It's still sweet, but more environmentally friendly.
8. Mini granola bars
9. Snack-size graham crackers, animal crackers or goldfish
10. Mini dark-chocolate bars with nuts
11. 100 Calorie Packs
    Portion controlled packages it helps to keep kids from going hog wild.
12. Packages of Cheese and Crackers or Peanut Butter and Crackers
13. Pre-packaged apple slices or carrots sticks

How to Participate in Sight Night 

1. Step 1: Get Your Group Together!
   Sight Night is a great service project -- the perfect opportunity to give while you receive. So plan ahead to collect alone or get a group together. To organize your group, start by downloading the Collection Guide to share with friends, classmates, scout troops and others. This will help get your team excited about collecting used eyewear on Sight Night.
2. Step 2: Promote Eyewear Collection Through the Media (optional)
   Three or four weeks before Halloween, contact your local or community newspaper, radio or TV station to promote your used eyewear collection by asking the community to join in on Sight Night. The more people who know about your involvement in the program, the more used eyewear you'll collect! Spread the word by using a sample news release and Public Service Announcement (PSAs).
3. Step 3: Place Doorhangers Along Collection Route
   The week before Halloween, distribute doorhangers on your trick-or-treat route to give your neighbors time to find their used eyeglasses and sunglasses. Keep a list of addresses where you left doorhangers so you can return to them on Sight Night for pick up.
4. Step 4: Ghost Hunt for Used Eyewear on Sight Night!
   The big night is here, so put your official Sight Night volunteer sticker on your costume and get out to collect prescription eyeglasses and non-prescription sunglasses.
5. Step 5: Enter Your Results Online at the Sight Night Website
   Enter your results online, November 1-9 -- and don't forget to tell us about your experience.
6. Step 6: Turn In Collected Eyewear to:
   1) Your local LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical, Sunglass Hut store or participating optometrist. Find a store near you.

More Ways to Reduce at Halloween 

1. Reduce on Costumes
   * Reduce the amount of money spent on costumes by
   Reusing something that is already hanging in your closet.
   Reusing clothes that are in storage.
   Reusing someone else's clothes. Check with family members, friends or thrift stores.
2. Trick or Treating
   * If Trick or Treating, let the kids use a pillow case. It doesn't cost anything and holds a lot.
   * Reduce the amount of candy children eat by letting them pick their favorites and toss the ones they don't like.
3. Reduce Energy
   Halloween is a great time to reduce energy usage from lights, by turning them out!
   You can also use Fluorescent light bulbs. Look for ones in Halloween colors.

Tips to Reuse at Halloween 

1. Costumes
   Create your costume reusing your own clothes, thrift store clothes or clothes that have been stored by other family members. (The attic or storage is a great place to find Halloween costumes)
   If buying clothes for a costume pick or create costumes with items that can be reused.
2. Trick or Treating Bags
   This Halloween Trick or Treating Bags are being made that can be reused as shopping bags. (Or shopping bags are being made that can double as trick or treating bags.)
3. Decorations
   If buying decorations, look for energy efficient lights and decorations that can be reused for several years.
   Reuse Halloween decorations the same way that Christmas ornaments are reused from year-to-year.
4. Party Supplies
   Use reusable utensils, plates, napkins and tablecloths instead of disposable ones.
   Use reusable anatomical or candy molds year to year to create scary looking foods.

13 Ideas for Reusable Halloween Costumes 

1. Zombie Kid, Zombie Cheerleader, Zombie Prom Queen, Zombie Slayer
   * Takes old clothes, old cheerleader outfit or an old dress.
   * Cut with scissors.
   * Add scary dark makeup.
2. Secret Agent
   * Wear a suit and be Agent 86 (Maxwell Smart).
   * Wear a stunning dress and be Agent 99.
3. Professional(s)
   * Wear a set of Scrubs go as a nurse or a doctor.
   * Wear a lab coat and go as a doctor, lab assistant, chemist, make-up artist.
4. Sports Star
   * For those who play sports wear your favorite sport clothes - soccer, hockey, basketball, football.
5. Teacher
   * Grab a stack of textbooks.
   * Add an apple.
   * Carry a ruler and a calculator.
6. Sports Fan
   * Wear your favorite sport clothes - soccer, hockey, basketball, football.
   * Decorate your face as a fan.
7. Armed Forces
   * Raid the closet, borrow some fatigues or go to a thrift store and go as your favorite armed forces.
8. Hawaiian Traveler or Tourist
   * Dig out the old Hawaiian shirts, shorts, flip flops and beach wear.
   * You could even become a Zombie Tourist.
9. Camper or Hiker
   * Wear camping gear or Hiking Gear.
   * You could even become a Zombie Camper.
10. A Giant Marshmallow
    * Create holes in the bottom and sides of a white trash bag.
    * Stuff with newspaper or old packing materials into the shape of a Marshmallow.
    * Bring or add a stick, you can be a roasting marshmallow.
11. Arachnid (Spider) or other Bug
    * Create holes in the bottom and sides of a black garbage bag.
    * Stuff with newspaper, old packing materials.
    * Cut more black garbage bags length wise to create legs.
    * Roll up garbage bag length wise and stuff.
    * Create eyes, black widow hour glass out of paper and add.
12. Giant Q-Tip
    * Start with white clothes or sweats.
    * Add a hat covered with quilt stuffing or batting.
    * Wear with white face make up.
13. Ladybug
    * Start with red top or sweats and black pants.
    * Add black spots on the back cut from paper, fabric or felt. Tack into place with a few removable stitches.
    * Add black to stomach.
    * Wear a red hat with more spots.

Tips for Recycling at Halloween 

1. Food
   Recycling the Halloween Pumpkin by cooking the seeds and making pumpkin pie.
2. Costumes
   Find costumes that can be recycled. Share or swap old costumes with other parents.
   Make costumes about recycling.
   If you have to buy a costume, buy regular clothes that can be recycled as costumes.
3. Decorations
   Pick decorations from existing items (cardboard boxes, packing materials, sheets) and items that do not create any new waste using natural items such as pumpkins, leaves, branches, newspaper.
   Decorate with something that you'd use anyway, like trash bags. Fill them with leaves or newspaper.
   Use biodegradable lawn bags, draw scary faces on the bags and use them as outside decorations.
4. Activities
   Find ways of raising awareness about recycling as part of your Halloween or Fall Festival activities.

Ideas for Recyclable Halloween Costumes 

1. Recycle a Box into...
   An old box can be turned into many different items. Let your imagination run wild.
   
   A Television set
   A Computer screen
   A Box of Cereal or Crackers
   A special delivery package
   A Dice
   A "Jack or Jill" in the box
   A Squid in the box
2. Recycle Sheets into...
   Old sheets and shirts can be painted, marked or torn and used to create different costumes.
   
   A Ghost or Spirit
   * Cover your head in a recycled sheet.
   * Remember to add eyes.
   
   A Mummy
   * Find an old sheet or old white shirts.
   * Tear the sheet and shirts into pieces.
   * Attach the torn sheets to top and pants.
   * Wrap some of the sheets around your arms, legs and head.
   
   An injured person
   * Tear an old shirt.
   * Add some red stains.
3. Recycle old Clothes into...
   The closet, attic or storage place is just filled with old clothes waiting to be made into Halloween Costumes.
   
   A Retro look from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's
   A Secret Agent
   A Zombie Kid, Zombie Cheerleader, Zombie Prom Queen, Zombie Slayer
   A Professional - Doctor, Lawyer, Teacher, Nurse, Veterinarian
4. Recycle Leaves and Nature items into...
   Old leaves, branches, cornstalks and clippings are great items to use to create costumes.
   
   A Tree or Bush
   * Find a brown top and pants.
   * Attach recycled leaves branches and twigs (preferably those that have already dropped.)
   
   A Camouflaged Soldier
   * Start with fatigues, helmet or other field wear.
   * Attach leaves branches and twigs
   
   A Trash Bag Decoration
   * Fill a White Trash Bag with leaves and clippings.
   * Decorate with Black Marking Pens.
   * Turn it into...A Spider and spider web, a ghost, a spirit or a Jack Skeleton Head.
   
   A scarecrow
   * Put on a plaid shirt, jeans and boots.
   * Stuff old cornstalks into the top of the pants, the shirt sleeves and boots.
   * Add a straw hat.
5. Recycle Old Packing Materials into...
   Packing materials like peanuts, bubble wrap, newspaper or packing paper can be turned into different costumes.
   
   A Special Delivery Package
   * Put on Clothes
   * Wrap Yourself in Bubble Wrap
   * Mark with "Special Delivery"
   
   Fragile Handle with Care
   * Put on Clothes
   * Wrap Yourself in Bubble Wrap
   * Mark with "Fragile Handle with Care"
   
   All the News Fit to Print
   * Put on Clothes
   * Wrap Yourself in Newpapers
   * Mark with "All the News Fit to Print"
   
   A Giant Marshmallow
   * Create holes in the bottom and sides of a white trash bag.
   * Stuff with newspaper or old packing materials into the shape of a Marshmallow.
   * Bring or add a stick, you can be a roasting marshmallow.
   
   Arachnid (Spider) or other Bug
   * Create holes in the bottom and sides of a black garbage bag.
   * Stuff with newspaper, old packing materials.
   * Cut more black garbage bags length wise to create legs.
   * Roll up garbage bag length wise and stuff.
   * Create eyes, black widow hour glass out of paper and add.

More Ideas for Green Halloween Costumes 

• See if there is anything that can be modified and mixed up to be used as a costume.
• Left over 1980's clothes or an old sport coat can be the beginning of a retro-theme costume.
• Overalls and a plaid shirt can be the basis for a farm or scarecrow costume.
• A common theme for teens is dead anything - from a dead prom queen to a dead baseball player. All it takes is an old dress or uniform and some scissors and makeup.
• If your closets aren't serving up any costume ideas, visit a local consignment or thrift shop.

Ways to Green Your Skull or Your Skeleton 

1. Green Your Skull
   Change your outlook and perspective and be on the look out for ways you can "Go Green" at home and at work.
   Make "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" part of your everyday lifestyle.
   Teach your family how to "Go Green."
2. Green Your Skeleton
   Look out for ways you can "Live Green" at home and at work.
   Wear 'Green' clothes.
   Use 'Green' cleansing and cleaning products.
   Drive a 'Green' car.