Consumers are expected to spend $3.12 billion on candy, costumes and other Halloween goodies this year. That's a big pile of candy corn. It's also a lot of crumpled candy wrappers, paper party props and plastic political masks in the trash the very next day. So this Halloween, why not think green?
Here are Ten Tips to get you started:
1. E-mail party invites rather than snail-mail them. Free e-mail greetings abound online.
2. Serve healthy and seasonal foods. The options are endless. Remember pumpkins are not just decorative items. The tender meat of the seasonal gourd can be pureed for soups, mashed for pies or spiced up for a main entrée, such as an Indian curry. Apples also are at their best this time of year. So make use of the crunchy fruit.
3. Buy pumpkins, apples and other seasonal items from a farmer's market. Produce bought at farmers' market will not only taste better but saves energy. Most foods in the United States travel an average of 1,300 miles before reaching us, burning large amounts of fossil fuels.
4. Make use of all pumpkin parts. After carving a pumpkin, make sure to save the seeds. Bake them and serve them to party guests or feed them to our fine feathered friends, the birds. If possible, bury or compost the carcass.
5. Use re-usable plates, cups, utensils, napkins and tablecloths. Paper party goods can be expensive and just add more clutter to our nation's landfills.
6. Make your own costume or buy one at a second-hand shop. An old sheet still makes a great ghost. Many boomers also have some hippie clothes stashed somewhere, or hit up your nearby Goodwill.
7. Give out healthy treats like individual microwave popcorn packs. Newman's Own Organic has three varieties. How about honey sticks or fruit leather?
8. Instead of using paper or plastic disposable bags to collect treats, use or buy a recyclable bag. Old straw baskets or an old metal pot with a handle will work, too.
9. Teach your children well. Teach them not to litter. Tell them pumpkin jokes.
What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter? Pumpkin Pi
How do you mend a broken Jack-O-Lantern? With a pumpkin patch
What is a pumpkin's favorite sport? Squash.
10. Experience nature. Visit a pumpkin farm. Pick fresh apples. Talk a long walk outside. Look up at the sky. Notice the moon. Remember, it's Halloween.
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