Pine Island Earth Friends urge islanders to go green for Halloween
Halloween is fun for kids of all ages. Pine Island Earth Friends have a few suggestions that can enhance the fun and ensure good healthy choices for young and old alike:
Choose your candy treats wisely; avoid Hershey, Nestle and Cadbury products, many of which are made by child forced-labor and all received an F grade on Green America’s chocolate scorecard. Divine Chocolates, Equal Exchange and other companies received A grades (see GreenAmerica.org). Also you may want to avoid candy filled with high-fructose corn syrup which is linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more.
Choose inexpensive non-candy treats like stickers, friendship bracelets, juice boxes, non-toxic glitter pens or temporary tattoos. I suggest Crayon Rocks (crayonrocks.net) or pencils made from recycled money (greenlinepaper.com) would be fun to give and receive.
Consider hosting a costume exchange. Cut down on waste by inviting others who would like to swap last year’s costumes rather than throwing them away. Most face paint contain at least trace amounts of lead. Etsy.com features safe vegan face paint. Or learn how to make your own face paint at safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=223/. Include this as a fun Halloween party activity!
Purchase reusable treat collecting bags or make your own from an old purse or briefcase or other cloth bag. Cut off and decorate the legs from worn-out jeans or shorts, sew across the bottom, string old shoelaces through holes in the top and, voila!, you’ll be “tricked” out with your own unique bag.
Halloween is a $6 billion a year business. Make green choices by supporting green businesses, making your own fun, and ensuring social justice for all workers.