The Green Year


Jodi Helmer, author of The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference was kind enough to share tips to help make your Halloween more Green then orange and black. Thank you Jodi for sharing.

Trick or treating has a frightening impact on the environment. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spend upwards of $5 billion on the spooky celebration annually – and that adds up to a lot of plastic masks, candy wrappers and fake tombstones. Jodi Helmer, author of The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference offers these tips for making the black and orange holiday a little more green.

Green the goodies: Think of all the candy wrappers that one little goblin throws in the trash – then multiply that number by the millions of trick-or-treaters who are happily gobbling up their

Two cousins, the boy dressed in military camou...Image via Wikipedia

stash. Offer organic apples from the farmers market or buy treats in bulk to minimize packaging waste.

Come up with a new costume: Skip the racks of colorful costumes at the mall (most of them are made of non-renewable materials like plastic) and come up with a creative idea for a homemade costume. Add a bandanna to a pair of jeans and a denim shirt for an instant cowboy costume or put on your wedding dress and go as the Bride of Frankenstein. Or, host a costume swap with the neighbors. The costumes their kids have outgrown might be the perfect fit for your little one.

Choose natural decorations: Bails of straw, colorful mums and a handful of gourds are great seasonal decorations that can be composted on November 1st. If scary witches hanging from the oak tree and plastic pumpkins on the front step are a must-have, scour secondhand stores.

The Green Year (December 2008, $14.95, ISBN: 9781592578290, Alpha Books), provides 365 simple and inexpensive eco-friendly ideas for each day of the year. Organized by date, the green living tips suggest small changes and environmentally friendly ideas that make a big green impact. The Green Year is more than a calendar. It offers practical, affordable and engaging activities that help make going green a blessing rather than a burden.


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4 comments:

  1. Great ideas! I take you up on them if i had little ones or ever had trick or treaters. No one comes this far out.

    What was the deal about the registry?

    Love ya!

    PJ

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Kiddo! Disregard that last question. I was having a senior moment. I did register.

    Thanks for the tip.

    Love ya!

    PJ

    ReplyDelete
  3. Is my e-mail linking up ok? I couldn'r remember if I was supposed to click on PJ Google...or just publish comment since the dot was already in the top choice. It's getting close to bedtime I can tell.

    PJ

    ReplyDelete

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