Halloween is known for its spooky fun. But it also affects the environment in ways people may not think about. As many of us get more worried about our effect on the world, it is important to look at how Halloween impacts nature. A big part of this is the palm oil that is often found in Halloween treats. In this blog post, you will see numbers that show the carbon footprint from the usual Halloween activities. There are tips here so people and local groups can lower their environmental impact during the spooky season.
You will learn more about how your choices around Halloween treats, palm oil, and what you do on this day can help lessen harm to our planet. Find out how small changes can make a big difference for all of us at this time of year.
The Spooky Stats:
Halloween can look scary, but what it does to the environment is even worse. Think about the carved pumpkin, which is used by most people for Halloween. You will see the carved pumpkin almost everywhere at this time of year, but it adds a lot to food waste and fills up landfills. In the United States, people throw away 900,000 tonnes of pumpkins instead of using them for carving or for their Thanksgiving pies.
Sadly, most of the pumpkins people in the US pick at the patch will end up as waste. The USDA says pumpkin waste comes to about 1.3 billion pounds. What makes it worse is not just the waste at the end. A big part of the problem is how much water gets used when we grow pumpkins.
The good news is that growing pumpkins needs around 304 fluid ounces, or about 2.375 gallons, of water per hectare. This covers water for irrigation, planting, and the last harvest.
Some states create more pumpkin waste than others. Illinois is at the top of the list. In 2021, Illinois grew pumpkins on almost 16,000 acres. Using this info, people say the state used about 127,200 megaliters of water last year for growing pumpkins. Indiana, California, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia also make a lot of pumpkin waste.
We can try to make Halloween more earth-friendly, but still keep all the fun we like. For example, you could put together a new costume from recycled stuff.
Costumes with a Conscience:
Traditional Halloween costumes are often made from synthetic stuff. These materials come from oil and gas. When they get made and thrown away, they cause pollution and make tons of plastic waste. A huge part of the environmental impact is how the waste keeps growing.
You can go for eco-friendly fabrics for halloween costumes, like organic cotton, hemp, or bamboo. This choice is good for the planet, and can help cut down your carbon footprint. Try some DIY ideas. Making your own costume lets you use your creativity and feel unique.
Think about what happens to costumes after Halloween too. A lot of them get tossed out, making more plastic waste. You can reuse your costume or repurpose it for the next year. Join a costume swap, or put one together in your town. It’s a good way to help others and give costumes more life.
Treats and Eats:
The carbon footprint of the usual Halloween treats is not just about the sugar in them. The way these candies are wrapped makes a lot of waste. You can help with this by picking halloween treats that come from local sources or by making them at home. When you buy from local shops, you cut down on the gas used for moving candy over long distances, and you help the people in your area. Try making treat bags with less packaging. You can also go to stores that sell candy in bulk, so you can bring your own containers and pack the treats yourself.
Ghoulish Decor:
Halloween decorations are fun, but many disposable decorations end up in landfills. A lot of what people use cannot be recycled, and that adds even more waste. You can make a good choice for the planet by picking reusable items instead. Switch to energy-saving lights as well.
Get creative with DIY crafts. When you make your own, the decorations be special for you and they help the planet at the same time. Try to use things that you can recycle or put in a compost bin after the holiday is over.
For lighting, LED bulbs are good. They use less energy but still give your home that spooky feel. They help save power and add to your spooky Halloween look, without harming the earth.
Check out the Halloween decorations ideas for more.
Host an Eco-Friendly Halloween Party
Having a friendly Halloween party that is good for the planet can be fun and easy. To start, try sending your invites online. It helps cut down paper waste. This makes your gathering more eco-friendly from the start. Ask your guests to pick thrifted or their own costume made at home. That way, people get creative, and the clothes do not end up as fast fashion waste. You could also use cloth bags for snacks and treats at the party. That helps keep less plastic out of landfills.
You can ask your guests to make their own costume with the things they own. This idea adds to making your friendly halloween more sustainable and fun for all.
When planning your halloween party, use local and seasonal food. This helps to cut down on transportation emissions. Choose plant-based dishes. These can make your menu better and lower the carbon footprint of the event. Do not forget about leftovers. You can turn them into new meals, some tasty treats, or even compost them. That way, you make sure nothing ends up wasted. When you use these simple, eco-friendly ways, your halloween party will be good for the planet and feel full of life.
Community Engagement:
Lowering the carbon footprint at Halloween isn’t only up to one person. It takes the whole community. You can host events that focus on friendly Halloween ideas, like costume swaps, neighborhood clean-ups, or eco-themed contests. When people work together, their actions matter more. It also helps everyone feel responsible for the environment. Work with local businesses to sponsor friendly Halloween festivities or partner with schools to teach kids about eco-friendly habits. You can also start a neighborhood plan to cut waste during Halloween. This will make your area greener and bring people closer together.
As Halloween gets close, many people feel excited about the spooky season. It’s a good time to think about how we can help the environment. You and I can make good choices when picking costumes, treats, and decorations. If we do this together, we can help cut down the carbon footprint of Halloween. Even if your step feels small, each one means a lot. Let’s move away from single use items and try to reuse things instead. When you celebrate this year, keep being aware of the earth. So let’s help each other, and make Halloween better for your family and people everywhere, now and later.
Participate in Post-Halloween Cleanup Events
After Halloween, there can be a lot of waste left around. You see candy wrappers on the ground, old decorations, and even a lot of treats like Junior Mints that get tossed out. The amount of waste from this is a massive waste problem for everyone.
Joining cleanup events after Halloween is a good way to help with this. They be run by people in our area. When we work together, we can get all that litter up and keep our neighborhoods nice. These events also make people feel that we all have a job to protect the world.
When you work with local groups or start your own cleanup, you help deal with halloween waste. You can make a difference that stays for next year. Doing these activities not only makes the area look better, it also helps people see why keeping our places clean is good. Plus, you get to meet people who feel the same about taking care of the earth. You can also help others start thinking more about the waste they make.
Overconsumption & Halloween: The True Horror
Halloween is now more about buying and using a lot of stuff. Many single-use things fill the stores this time of year. The real problem is all the waste that comes from cheap costumes, plastic decorations, and too much candy wrapping. Making so much of these items puts stress on what we have and leads to plastic pollution. A lot of these things are made from plastics that we cannot recycle, so they stay in our world for years.
To fight this problem, it is important for people to think about what they buy. Picking decorations or costumes that can be used again, or buying ones that someone else has used before, can cut down on waste a lot. Also, when you tell others about what happens when we buy too much during Halloween, it can get more people to make better choices for the planet. If we stop using things just one time and start thinking before we buy, we can change Halloween. It will be more about caring for the earth and less about throwing things away.
