Halloween is a time for ghouls, goblins, ghosts and monsters, but the most frightful part of the day is all the waste involved with the holiday! Those plastic pumpkins and candy wrappers really add up.
As a brand, we like to come up with creative ways to live more sustainably, but sometimes it’s best to shine a spotlight on all of the small actions our supporters take to make the world a greener place.
So we asked our brand ambassadors what they do to make Halloween a greener holiday. These are five of their ideas.
Say no to palm oil
Unsustainable palm oil is bad news. Approximately every hour, the equivalent to 300 football fields is cleared to make way for palm oil plantations and, in the last decade, orangutan populations decreased by 50% due to habitat loss due in part to the construction of palm oil plantations.
Palm oil is an increasingly popular ingredient but it comes at an enormous cost, not just to the environment but also to humans. The U.S. Department of Labor ranks the palm oil industry as one of the top four Palm oil sneaks its way into so many products and goes by so many different names that it’s difficult to avoid. But tentree ambassador Mariah Howard has the solution.
“I always double check that the candy I handout isn’t made with palm oil first and foremost,” Mariah said. And she’s right! The only way to make sure palm oil stays out of your candy jar is to check the label.
Use a reusable trick-or-treat ba
One of the easiest ways to keep your Halloween as green as possible is using some kind of reusable treat bag instead of a plastic or paper bag. One of our ambassadors had a great idea for a treat bag!
“It may sound simple, but we all had reusable trick-or-treat bags when I was growing up that my mom sewed,” writes tentree ambassador Abbey Dufoe. “She still has them and uses them as gift wrap/bags for family presents!”
Dispose of your jack-o’-lantern the eco friendly way!
There are lots of eco-conscious ways to dispose of an old jack-o’-lantern that’s begun to get mushy and gross. Steph Jansen-Toth, a tentree ambassador, leaves their pumpkin out for wildlife to enjoy.
“We always put our pumpkins out for the wildlife after; squirrels love pumpkins,” she writes. There are a lot of other ways to dispose of a pumpkin too. Check out our blog about eco friendly ways to dispose of a pumpkin!
Make a costume second-hand
“We usually make costumes out of clothes that can be worn again,” writes tentree ambassador Jenny Bell.
“My daughter’s favorite was when she was batgirl and we modified a hoodie—she wore it till she outgrew it. If the costume is bought then it goes in our children’s dress up box to be reused for play. Once they outgrow the costumes the costumes are donated to friends or our local thrift store.”
Trick-or-treating alternatives
One of our ambassadors, Ashley Tilbury, is avoiding trick-or-treating all together for the sake of the environment.
“Instead of trick or treating, we are having having a little party! Reading our Halloween themed books, games, baking our own spooky treats, and making healthy “spooky” snacks too! End the night with a movie!”
