Green Halloween is More than Being "In Style"

Halloween is a magical time of the year for my children.  Not as cool as Christmas but I think it's their second favorite holiday.  Every year, I actually do worry about all the candy they are receiving in their trick or treat bags.  I want them to have fun but I also want it to be something of a healthier and safer event for them to participate in.  Candy is fun and a wonderful treat for kids but when you have a bag over flowing with enough candy to last months, it's perhaps too much.  Thanks to Corey Colwell-Lipson in 2006, she realized how kids needed an alternative to all the sugary foods and that there was a better way to provide treats to kids in the form of items that were non-candy and earth friendly.  


This is where Green Halloween came about.  Since then, it has formed many alliances to get the word out and to inspire other parents and cities to jump on board to make Halloween healthier.  There are many ways you can join the movement:

• Bring Green Halloween to your city by being a volunteer coordinator
• Host a costume exchange - what better way recycling those costumes without the exchange of money?
• Talk to your children's school about Green Halloween
• Purchase Green Halloween products

There are many other ways to join and you can click on Green Halloween to find out more.

Some other easy ways to make Halloween healthier:

• Reuse decorations - I always put mine away for the following year and what I don't want, I give away.
• Walk from house to house - in our old neighborhood, I couldn't tell you how many parents were actually driving their kids around the neighborhood.  
• Give healthier snacks like Stretch Island Fruit Co. Fruit Strips.  Real fruit snacks beats snacks high in high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar.
• Compost pumpkins to save landfill space
• Instead of sweets, try stickers and other small treasures.

Those are just a few ideas and there are many more.  Just check out Green Halloween for more information and Stretch Island Fruit Co. for great alternatives to candy this year.

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*Disclosure:  I participated in a conference call about Green Halloween and received a Halloween bag of Stretch Island Fruit Co. samples.  I was not financially compensated for this post.