Between deciding what they want to be, trick-or-treating for a night and having an endless amount of candy, it’s no wonder why Halloween is one of the most exciting holidays for kids. But keep in mind that your kid’s Halloween experience is just as important as making sure that we’re continuously helping to take care of the Earth. With all the extra waste that’s being created in the world, there are so many ways that our kids can have an amazing Halloween but also one that’s helping the Earth! Keep reading on to find out some ways that you and your family can enjoy a healthier, more eco-friendly version of Halloween.
4 Ways Your Family Can Celebrate Halloween in an Eco-friendly Way
1. Have Your Kids Carpool or Walk Around the Neighborhood
Depending on where your kids are planning to trick-or-treat, you’ll find that you and your little ones can either walk the whole night or may have to use a car for assistance. If the latter, use a carpool system for trick-or-treating. There’s no reason for every family to take separate cars if everyone is going to the same place! Designate a main meeting spot before the trick-or-treating begins and have everyone jump in as many of the same cars as possible. This will help lower your carbon footprint while also allowing your kids to socialize with each other as much as possible. However, if the houses are close together enough where walking is possible, avoid using gas emissions and walk around the neighborhood instead! Not only will this help get your extra steps in, but it will also help expend a lot of energy.
2. Apply Safe Personal Care Products
Depending on what your kids decide to be for Halloween this year, hair and makeup might be included. Because we all want our kids to be healthy, make sure they’re applying the safest kind of personal care products. The easiest way to do this is by using makeup and hair products labeled vegan and cruelty-free. This will ensure that they’re applying products with zero chemicals and only the most natural ingredients. If your kids need to change their hair color for their costume, skip out on the wig and go for a healthier alternative of hair dye instead. Using vegan, cruelty-free hair dye will help reduce extra waste and have your kids applying only the safest and healthiest ingredients to their hair.
The same can be applied in terms of makeup. If your child or children are in need of face paint for their costume, find a vegan face paint to use. Having your kids use vegan face paint will ensure that you’re only applying the best and safest kinds of ingredients to your children’s skin while also helping to possibly avoid any breakouts or rashes. If your kids need to apply regular makeup for their look, instead of going out and buying more products, make good use of what you already have at home as this will help stop the creation of extra waste and storage.
3. Repurpose for their Costume
What is Halloween if not for the purpose of dressing up? The first step is finding out what your kids want to be for Halloween, the second step is actually finding the costume. There are all kinds of eco-friendly ways that you can find your children’s costumes. You can shop for one the thrifty way by scouting out your local thrift stores. Or you can host a Halloween swap party where all your friends come over and exchange Halloween costumes that are no longer used. One other eco-friendly way is going the DIY route. You can use clothes that you or your children no longer wear and DIY them to what your children want to be for Halloween.
4. Donate Afterwards
If you decide to go the way of buying your kids a Halloween costume this year, make the effort in donating it after Halloween has passed. Since your child is more than likely to go through a growth spurt and less than likely to want to re-wear the same costume twice, you can donate his or her costume to other people in need! By no means does it need to be just their costume either. If you and your kids have been collecting extra items you’ve been meaning to donate, use this as the perfect excuse! Whether you decide to lend clothes to your local Salvation Army or possibly a theater group in need of extra costumes, having your kids help to donate will help make an eco-friendly footprint and have them feeling extra good about themselves.
