10 Tips for a Green Halloween

Halloween can be a lot of fun. The truly scary part? It can also create a *heck* of a lot of waste. But there are ways to add a little green to your orange and black! 

We asked OhmConnect community members for their favorite sustainable Halloween tips. Check out some of these awesome ideas!

1. I recycle old paper bags to make these Halloween lanterns! You can reuse them every year because they fold down and take up very little space. And they are fun to make. All you need is a pencil and a hobby knife. Also it doesn't matter if the bags are a little dirty because you can't tell in the dark. - Ryder Diaz

2. Don't trash your pumpkins or gourds! Crack them apart and bring them into a forest or trail for our four legged wildlife to enjoy! 🎃 be sure to crack them open so that small animals don't get stuck! -Kim Upton

3. Donate your pumpkins to a local zoo, stable or farm. Pumpkins are super healthy and the animals love them. If you back an open forest you can also leave them out for the deer and other wildlife. Just be sure to pick up the seeds so you don't end up with a pumpkin patch of your own, lol. -Debbie Eppelheimer
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4. You can use your smart plugs to plug in your Halloween decorations and lights when handing out candy you could keep your lights off inside and when you trick-or-treat keep up all electricity to save. -Tiff Love Conant‍

5. Head to the thrift store or check your local buy nothing group if you’re looking for a costume, you can also upcycle items you have at home. -Candace Chumelia

6. Making Halloween decorations with the kids using egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, scratch paper, and Amazon boxes! - laojujudee‍

7. Host a costume exchange with your friends and neighbors so you can switch it up without buying more! ♻️ - @caitlin.tran

8. Try to buy candy that is not individually wrapped in paper or other recyclable materials! - @tocotoucanart

9. Decor: reuse instead of buying new e.g. turn cardboard boxes into tombstone. Costumes: make your own! Let your imagination run wild, turning old clothes into costumes. Pumpkins 🎃: if you can grow your own, that’s awesome or not buy locally. Treats: check labels to see if chocolate 🍫 and the likes are from sustainable sources. And lastly, reduce your carbon emissions by trick or treat 👻 locally instead of driving around. - @mrpea28

10. Bury your jack-o-lantern near your favorite plant and it's nutrients will decompose to feed new green life. Do it under the light of rechargeable solar lights to be a greener greening green. - @cflorer