Have a Green Halloween - EcoHuddle Interviews Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell

So Halloween is right around the corner. It's time to start thinking about costumes, treats and decorations.

All next week (September 28 - October 2), we'll have Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson from Green Halloween available to take questions and share tips and tricks.

Keep checking back during these days leading up to the interview to find out more about Green Halloween and get great tips to make your Halloween more sustainable.

Here are a few spooky statistics from Green Halloween that might fuel your desire to help change the way you celebrate Halloween: 

 

• This generation of kids has a life expectancy that is shorter than their parents.
• One in three children born today will develop diabetes.
• One-third of America’s children are overweight; 17% are considered obese.
• The EPA considers that 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides found in non-organically grown foods are carcinogenic.
• Over 6,000 synthetic chemicals are used in the processed-food industry.
• A 2004 study found that children’s behavior measurably improved after a one week diet without preservatives and artificial colors and dramatically worsened on the weeks they were given preservatives and artificial colors.
• Coco beans used for chocolate that are grown in full sun (as opposed to shade) are susceptible to disease and therefore require heavy doses of toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
• The chocolate industry has engaged in the use of child slaves and other unethical treatments of growers.
• Store-bought costumes, makeup and accessories may contain phthalates, lead and other toxins.

That's very cool. Lynn and Corey are super nice and super knowledgeable about greening your Halloween and other holidays. FYI, if you stumble across this thread and you're interested in gearing up for an entire green season, I'd check out their book Celebrate Green.

I'll be looking forward to reading the Q&A next week.

Hi Jennifer!
I'm glad you brought up the book Celebrate Green. We'll be offering a 40%-off coupon code for the book after the interview - just one more reason to stay tuned!

 

Three Tips for Going Green this Halloween from Green Halloween:

Reduce – Instead of handing out handfuls of candy to each little ghost and goblin, consider giving just one of something. You’ll save money and your decision will likely be better for the health of the children who come to your door (since they’ll consume less) and for the planet since fewer resources will go into the making, packaging, transporting and/or disposal of the treat.

Reducing can be applied to all of your holiday choices. And if you have reason to be concerned that your guests, kids, neighbors or husband will get scary on you when you announce your new plan to cut back on behalf of kids and the planet, try reducing by just 25 percent. Chances are, no one will notice but you and your Mother Earth.

 

Reuse – Halloween could be the poster child for reusing. Nearly every aspect of the holiday can be celebrated in style without buying a single thing new. So don’t rush out to buy costumes, décor and party games. Instead, stop and think. What can be reused or repurposed to make this holiday a smash hit without costing the planet?

Rent, borrow or construct costumes from existing materials (making Halloween costumes from scratch can increase the fun factor, too), and keep your lawn ghouls and orange LED lights year after year. You might get tired of seeing them, but guaranteed, you’re building a tradition – one the kids in your home and neighborhood will remember. You wouldn’t want to mess with good memory making, now would you?

 

Recycle – The best way to utilize the third and final R is to first choose items that are made from recycled content instead of buying products made from raw or virgin materials. When the product you’ve bought or acquired can no longer be used, it should be recycled. Recycling can happen in many ways such as through your waste management company, your compost pile (yes, most food can be recycled) or through your own creativity. Breathe new life into your husband’s old flannel shirt and jeans, for example, by recycling them into a scarecrow for your front porch or a costume for your ten-year-old. And no matter what, always, always, compost made-by-nature Halloween décor such as wilting pumpkins and gourds instead of throwing them in the trash. Uneaten Halloween candy can also be “recycled” just be sure to remove the wrappers first.

Green Halloween tells us it's easy to celebrate green:

 

Busy parents need greening to be simple. Whatever the choice may be (goodies, costumes, décor, etc.), adding an eco-friendly twist shouldn’t increase stress and chaos to an already hectic holiday season. But making healthy and green choices is, in fact, easier than it seems. The key is thinking (and acting) outside the conventional candy box.

 

1. Plan ahead. Halloween is a fairly last minute holiday, resulting in a lot of knee-jerk choices that aren’t good for kids or the planet. But if you make a habit of thinking ahead, you can find exactly what you want while saving time, energy and reducing stress. One idea is to create a reoccurring appointment in your calendar for each October 1^st. Decide what you are going to give away this year and, if necessary, order it online or pick it up. If you have the bandwidth to coordinate with a few friends or co-workers, you can save money by buying online, splitting the quantities and dividing the shipping charges. If the recycled plastic tops or eco-themed temporary tattoos are a hit, make it easier on yourself by giving the same thing away next year. (Make your green goodies a tradition.)
2. Take a different road. Who said goodies have to be bought at grocery stores? Most of us run out to the grocery store the night before Halloween to pick up that 10 pound bag of candy (or two), but what if we realized that great, green goodies can be found elsewhere, too? What about picking up some seeds while you’re at the nursery? Or some cool glass beads when you drive by the art supply store? Playing cards with magic tricks, recipes and Halloween jokes can be found at bookstores and toy stores.
3. Include the kids. Going green is a family affair, so make it easier on yourself and include the kids by asking for their ideas. When they’re involved from the get-go, they’re more like to stay involved and to have positive attitudes.
4. Relax. Going green isn’t an all or nothing deal and busy moms have a lot on their minds and plates. So start with simple green steps that will work for your family this year. You can always add more the next time around. Holidays should be about the fun, not about the stress. Even green choices, if stressful, won’t be sustainable over the long haul.

Today marks the beginning of our Q&A session with the founders of Green Halloween. Let's start out with a little history.

Lynn, can you tell us the story behind Green Halloween?

Corey has always been health conscious, a committed environmentalist, is a vegetarian and rarely gave her kids candy. She didn't want her children to miss out on the fun of Halloween, but at the same time, she never relished the idea of them dragging home all the sweets.

So four Halloweens ago, when she took her two girls trick or treating at they were handed stickers and bubbles instead of candy (and were thrilled), a light bulb went off.

She wondered whether it might not be possible to make Halloween healthier for kids (she was very concerned about the obesity epidemic in children and its repercussions for their future), and at the same time, healthier for the planet.

Corey went to her local Whole Foods with a suggestion that they might do a better job of displaying alternatives to traditional Halloween sweets (organic lollipops and other candies as well as "bars," organic fruit leathers etc.) and help to get the word out that this holiday can be just as much fun even when parents make different choices. The marketing person loved the idea and said, "You go out and start spreading the word and I'll support you."

While Corey had originally had no intention of starting an initiative, the positive reaction she received set her on that path. Within five weeks, in addition to our local Whole Foods, she had lined up a hospital, parenting magazine and others as sponsors for the first Green Halloween.

The inaugural year, 2007, Green Halloween was strictly local, in the Seattle area where we live. The media got excited right away and as a result, we began getting calls and emails from people all over the country asking how they could be a part of it. By last year, there were a number of "official" locations and this year, more are joining including New York City, the Bay area and Phoenix.

Very cool. I had no idea that this started because of the whole health concern. Lately I've been thinking about how healthy eating and green are so interconnected. This was an interesting look back at the history of Green Halloween.

Thanks, Lynn. It's amazing to see how the movement has grown - and continues to grow.

Can you tell us a few ways a newbie can start making Halloween more eco-friendly this year? So often we have too much work, too little time and end up falling into the same habits as always: lots of candy, plastic costumes, and so on. How can a busy parent make it work?

There are so many ways to start down the path to greening Halloween, but for those who are new to the idea, here are three simple, easy-to-implement, no cost suggestions based on the well-known 3Rs--reduce, reuse, recycle as well as what we call the 3Gs--good for people, good for the planet and good for community. No one should worry about implementing all six out of the gate. Instead, use them for a springboard or guide in your planning.

1. Hand out less. We supersize everything in the U.S. When our kids were small, they were handed one or two candies. Nowadays, the average child hauls home about 10 pounds! When you plan to hand out less, you buy less (saving money) and there is less waste because very few kids (or families) will consume that ten pounds and most gets thrown out.

2. Avoid buying decor. Halloween is the second biggest holiday for the sale of decor after Christmas. It's a billion dollar bonanza. Why? It's so easy for kids to use their imagination (with adult help of course). Or scour the internet. You'll be shocked and delighted about the simple, free ideas. And if you can't resist buying, make it something handmade, made from recycled/recyclable materials or plan to keep it for a long time and turn it into a Halloween tradition.

3. Get your kids on board. Your approach to the celebration is the most important thing in determining whether or not a green Halloween will be a success for your family. If you approach your kids and say, "This year, we're having a green Halloween. That means no more candy." Guess how they'll respond. Instead, talk with them about the link between the health of people and the planet, about how of the three little princesses who come to your door, one will develop diabetes (a great opportunity also to talk about this illness that is increasingly damaging to our children), and reinforce what they are probably already learning in school about the environment. Then ask them, "So, what ideas do you have?" or offer alternatives such as those we offer on www.GreenHalloween.org, and they are much more likely to enthusiastically embrace moving in the more EEK-o-friendly direction.

Those are great tips for all of us to get started on the green path - and to better explain it to our kids.

I'm sure many of us would prefer not to hand out candy on Halloween - or junk toys for that matter. What are some alternatives to candy and plastics that neighborhood kids can get excited about?

Any thoughts on greening your costumes?  Every year, the Spirit Halloween store opens up in San Francisco for about a month and a half.  Seeing the costumes in the window makes me wonder how much end up in the trash on November 1st.

Regarding alternative treats and treasures to conventional candy, if you check out your kids' laundry, you'll get some great ideas! Seriously. When we check kids' pockets before we dump their jeans in the wash, what do we find? Little rocks, bits of string, seashells, acorns. Why are they collecting these? Because they're "treasures."

Adults think the only thing that will please kids at Halloween is conventional candy! Over the last three years, since we started Green Halloween, we've talked to thousands and thousands of kids. We present a big board with alternative treats (healthier candy like organic lollipops and other snacks like LaraBars) and treasures--feathers, crayon rocks, cookie cutters, "natural" playdough, bubbles, stickers, beads, fun pencils like those made from recycled money. Once they've seen the alternatives, we've not had a single child from toddlers to teens say they would not want some of these items in their treat bag. For a long list of items, be sure to check out the treats and treasures page at www.GreenHalloween.org.

Before Halloween, take the time to talk with your kids about alternatives to conventional candy. Look through the items at the Green Halloween site. See which ones interest them, then purchase a few and test them out.

On Halloween, make choosing ONE treat, special. When children come to the door, let them know they have come to a special house, where they can choose one very special treat or treasure. Put everything into a bowl and allow them to choose. Compliment them on their choice. Don't rush them. So what if there's a line? Give each child some attention--that's something that will make the choice all the more meaningful. Try it and see what happens and be sure to let us know.

Eli, you are so right about costumes. They are a tremendous source of waste, not only after purchasing when, as you say, many end up in landfills, but since many children's costumes are made from plastic, they are certainly not sustainable.

We believe costume making is an opportunity to "put the meaning in the greening," as we like to say. It can be a fun, family activity. There are lots of approaches, but most important is parents' positive attitudes. Saying, "We can't afford to buy you a costume this year, so we'll just have to make one," is guaranteed to result in a sad kid. But enthusiastically embracing the idea of creativity, will empower children. Let them know how exciting it is to create. There are many different approaches. You can set a timer for 10 minutes, then have everyone run through the house collecting a variety of items that can be made into costumes. You can have a costume creating party when guests bring items that can be used to create one-of-a-kind costumes. You can choose to start off with a theme, say "animals," then have everyone make paper masks (recycled paper of course). The web, of course, is an incredible source of inspriation and for earth-inspired costumes, check out Green Halloween.

If you feel craft-impaired or just don't have time to make a costume, check out thrift stores, ask friends whose children may have outgrown their costumes or take part in a costume swap. Green Halloween now has message boards where you can advertise your costumes or pick up one used.

And if you are planning to buy, look for costumes or parts that are made from sustainable materials and that will last. If your child outgrows the costume, it can be saved or passed on. Among our favorites are the silk costumes from Magic Cabin. They aren't cheap, but children can use them all year around for play, so they are packed with value.

If anyone has other ideas, we're open to them, please let us know!

Thanks so much for talking with us, Lynn. I hope we all have some new ideas to help us celebrate a green Halloween.

Green Halloween is packed with info, resources and loads of creative ideas to make Halloween more fun and more sustainable.

Thanks again and have a happy Halloween!