Set the Stage for a Spooky and Sustainable Halloween

The season of ghosts and goblins is here again, and if you’re one of the many people who love to decorate for Halloween, you may be in full planning mode. Creating your own upcycled holiday décor is a great way to put a personal touch on your display and keep your carbon footprint a lot less scary.

Feeling crafty? Here are ideas to get you started, and you may already have the supplies you need:

• Egg-carton bats. Before you recycle that egg carton, grab some nontoxic paint, scissors and ribbon to create these flying bats. (This is an especially good project for kids!)
• Floating candles. Paper towel or toilet tissue rolls, some LED tea lights, and nontoxic paint give you a great start to a display that will delight fans of all things witchy and wizard-y.
• A giant spider web. Yarn and scissors are all you need to create a Halloween classic in any size you want.
• A giant spider. You can’t let that web go unoccupied! Plus, you can reuse the trash bags after the holiday.

While upcycled and homemade decorations are the greenest of all, reusable decorations are the next best thing — especially if you can find them secondhand.

Visiting a local pumpkin patch to find the perfect pick for your jack-o-lantern minimizes carbon emissions, since the pumpkins don’t have to be transported to a store, and it can be a good outing to share with family and friends. When carving your pumpkin, save the seeds to roast (so much tastier than store-bought!) and the flesh for yummy seasonal recipes. You can also compost your pumpkin after Halloween is over.

Check out these other tricks for treating yourself to a sustainable Halloween:

• Get creative with your costumes — instead of limiting your options to what’s in the party store, see if you can upcycle items from around your house. And we have costume inspiration to help!
• If you’re hosting ghouls and goblins to eat, drink and be scary, reusable or recyclable/compostable dishware and utensils. Also, keep those recycle bins available for your guests!
• Avoid adding plastic to the waste stream; opt for reusable buckets or pillowcases instead of plastic bags.