To continue the theme of “greening holidays” from my last post on St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would discuss a few ways you can make your Halloween more sustainable. Halloween is up there on my list of favorite holidays – who can resist some delicious candy and a good scare? – but all of those wrappers don’t just disappear. According to the EPA, over 30 percent of municipal solid waste in the U.S. comes in the form of packaging, which includes all of those candy wrappers for Halloween treats. Individual wrapping is used for health and safety reasons and is not something that is going to change anytime soon. However, there are plenty of other ways you can reduce your impact on this holiday.

Pumpkins

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), U. S. farmers produced more than one billion pounds of pumpkins last year to meet the demands of fall. Most of these pumpkins are used for carving and seasonal decoration, but are then tossed in the trash, destined for the landfill at the end of the holidays.

There are several ways you can reduce your impact. Instead of purchasing your pumpkin from a grocery store, visit the local farmer’s market to buy locally grown or organic pumpkins. This not only supports the local economy, but also reduces the shipping impact of pumpkins grown halfway across the country. In fact, 92% of pumpkins are grown in 5 states, none of which are South Carolina (IL, CA, OH, PA, and NY, in case you were wondering). While you are picking up your local pumpkin, you can also pick some apples to make a delicious treat, whether that treat is candied or caramelized.

Be sure to use the whole pumpkin rather than simply decorate it. Instead of throwing out those pumpkin innards, you can reuse them to make delicious snacks like pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, or even pumpkin soup. And you can always roast the seeds for a real treat. Check out this website for some great recipe ideas!

Lastly, rather than tossing the remains into the trash, use them to compost. If you are looking for a place to compost here at CofC, the Grounds Department, located at 45 Coming Street, accepts drop-offs every Friday from 9am-3pm!

Costumes

 While you could literally go green as the Jolly Green Giant, you could have another take on “green” and make a costume out things you already own. What better way to show off your creativity and your social consciousness at the same time? My personal favorite homemade look is Brooke Shield’s Citi Bike Costume, which also promotes a sustainable method of transportation. Maybe you can adapt this idea to the CofC Bike Share and blend in among our fleet at Stern Student Center!

If that isn’t your thing, you can also hold a costume swap. Rather than buying a new costume, hold a swap with your friends and trade them around. Not only is this practice “green” by reducing waste, but it can also save you some green. According to NRF, the average person will spend $77.52 this Halloween for a total of $7.4 billion spent nationwide. Instead of having to spend big bucks on something that is only worn once then tossed aside, join us at the upcoming Clothing Swap on November 17^th. This will be held in the Stern Ballroom from 4-6pm and will be a great opportunity to grab some new gear and plan ahead for next year!

With these tips in mind, you can continue your festivities without sacrificing any of the fun. In fact, by cutting down your costs and waste, you may have even more to celebrate! Happy Halloween!

-Morgan Larimer, Bike Share Intern