Make Your Halloween Sustaina-Boo

Whenever the weather turns cooler and the leaves start to fall, that creepy Halloween feeling fills the air. Its time to rent some scary movies and rot your teeth again. This year Frankenstein doesn't have to be the only thing green on Halloween.

There are a few things you can do to celebrate fright night with less waste and impact on the earth.

• Avoid Paraffin Candles: Nothing is scarier than the lead, petroleum and toxins present in paraffin candles. Instead, use beeswax, soy candles or flickering lights to make your pumpkins glow.
• Use Cloth Bags: At the store you'll see plastic bags for kids to use for their candy haul. Plastic bags are made of petroleum and decompose slower than a zombie. Instead, use a pillow case. They're stronger and bigger, so trick or treating can go on longer.
  
• Buy a Local Pumpkin: Some pumpkins are shipped here from Australia and Italy. The greatest pumpkin is the one grown in your own community. Use THIS pumpkin patch finder to find a local pumpkin grower so you know your orange friend didn't waste fuel getting here from abroad. If you can't find a local grower, buy one from a farmer's market.
  
• Make Your Own Costume: Sure, you can buy that cheap plastic costume with all the excess packaging at Target, but isn't that cheating? Recycle old clothes, make-up, papers, etc. to make a creative costume that is environmentally friendly.