In North America, Halloween is traditionally an important time in the life of many families, not to mention one of our kids’ favorite occasions. Celebrations like Halloween are great opportunities for having some fun as a family and for sharing the principles behind our green lifestyles and principles with young children.

But if your extended families and friends aren’t as environmentally or socially aware as you are, the commercial hype can be troublesome. For many, Halloween is just another commercial opportunity, benefiting greeting card and candy manufacturers, and often becomes an orgy of excess packaging (all those little candies in separate wrappers); expensive, plastic single-use costumes; and unhealthy eating. It’s enough to spook a green thinker into ignoring the occasion altogether.

But there are ways to enjoy Halloween with our children without forsaking our eco-ethics. And we’ve put some ideas together in this article. We hope your little green ghosts and ghoulies have a healthy, green, and safe Halloween.