Halloween the Living Lightly Way

Don’t get me wrong. I love my kids in costumes. I mean, how could I not? Check these cuties out:

However, Halloween overall can be pretty wasteful. Costumes that are worn once and made mostly of plastic, small candies individually wrapped in plastic, and chocolate made in unethical ways… Plus I’m kind of weird on the idea of walking around asking my neighbors to spend their money on junk food I don’t really want my kids eating that much of anyway.

So, bah humbug! (Kidding. Mostly.) There just has to be a way to do this a little better, right?

1. Candy option 1: Better wrappers. Look for candy that is wrapped in paper boxes or foil. It’s still not perfect, as the state of recycling in the world isn’t great right now, but at least you can try, and it’s better than plastic. There are lots of yummy options that the kids (and grown ups) will still like to eat.

2. Candy option 2: Non-Candy treats: Or just skip the candy all-together and go for a better treat item. Some of the older kids might not be excited about Halloween themed pencils or erasers, but my kids go crazy for them, and at least it’s something useful.

3. Candy option 3: Fruit. I know, I know. You don’t want to be that house that all the kids skip by. But what about giving out clementine oranges with a jack-o-lantern face drawn on? It’s cute, on theme, and the parents will probably be glad for their kids to eat something that’s not full of food dyes and added sugars.

4. Candy option 4: Eco-Friendly/Fair Trade chocolates. This is a slightly pricier option, but not by much. There are companies like Alter Eco that offer fair trade chocolates (in compostable wrappers, to boot). Their truffles are fair trade, vegan, carbon neutral, and come wrapped in compostable plant-based wrappers. Plus, they’re delicious! (And right now they have a sale going on!)

5. A word about costumes. Please don’t go out and buy a brand new costume that your child will wear once. Borrow from a friend, make your own from things you already have at home, dig through your dress-up box, hit up a thrift or consignment store, look at Facebook marketplace… There are so many better ways than buying a new costume. And I promise your kids will look just as adorable and get just as much candy.

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