Halloween is around the corner! Have you taken steps to make sure that this holiday is an eco-friendly one? If you didn’t know this already, fun holidays like Halloween are some of the most wasteful times of the year – think of the amount of new costumes, decorations, candy, and pumpkins consumed…..then the waste that comes afterwards? Fear not, your family can still have a terrific Halloween while still caring for Mother Earth. Plus, you can save money too. That’s another great reason to go green- it’s definitely good for the budget!

Read on for my very easy, tried-and-tested tips:

1. Decorations
First off, the most obvious and easiest thing you can do is RECYCLE!! Your old decorations, I mean (this goes for costumes too, but more on that below). Last year, I had this in mind, so I made that extra effort to carefully store all my decorations to minimize breakages and maximize use for years to come in spite of 3 children under 9 and their rowdy Halloween parties. I purchased a few of those large plastic, airtight boxes, which may not seem so green an idea at first, but when you think of the durability and protection against the elements, it made sense. In the past I used old cartons, and lost a lot of things because of bugs, damp and rain.

If you need new decorations, do make them yourself, and this doubles up as a great weekend, playgroup or after-school activity you can do with the kids. Use items like old cereal boxes, milk jugs and so on. Look in thrift shops for extra supplies. There are loads of things at home that we no longer need and can use. Kids love it when one thing transforms into another- especially when they do it themselves!

2. Costumes
Apparently, every year, millions of Americans, young and old, spend a whopping $5.77 BILLION on new costumes which will rarely get used again. Great for the retailers, not so great for the environment. This year, do your bit by NOT buying.

This is easy for parents with same-gender kids like me. For instance, my younger son now has all his older brother’s costumes to use (long may this last). My daughter, on the other hand does not have any hand-me-downs so we’ve been looking for some DIY ideas form stuff we already have at home. Good for your kids imagination, creativity, and for the environment! Homemade costumes are more interesting anyway, and it enriches the experience for both parent and child. If you aren’t a parent, don’t let it stop you from getting creative too. Non crafty nor good with your hands? Enlist help from a friend who is!

3. Trick or Treating and Parties
Before heading out to the warehouse shopping club and stocking up on huge bags of candy, think about greener alternatives for the trick-or-treaters. Like healthy snacks or fruit? Last year, one house in our neighborhood doled out small cups of juice instead of candy, while another gave out biscuits- a welcome respite for tired trick-or-treaters!

If you’re planning a Halloween party, the aptly named Green Halloween has some terrific tips on how easy it is to be eco-friendly and still have all the fun. I do wonder though how organic tea and agave sticks will go down with my kids……

For more inspiration and instructions, the Internet is brimming with great ideas on how to make this year an eco-friendly Halloween.

Here are some of my favourites, worth checking out:

Eco Friendly Crafts from Kiwi Magazine- The Kiwis show you a great way to spend an afternoon with the kids, using things from the rubbish bin at home. Easy and with good photos.

4 East Tips From Planet Green – Simple things we can all remember and do to make it this Green Halloween.

365 Green Halloween – The folks who enjoy Halloween all year round also have some cool ideas on how to go green this 31st. Ideas for treat bags, costumes and more abound.

4 Ways To A Green Halloween Costume- The most fun thing about Halloween has got to be the costumes, right? This article has 4 of the best ideas I’ve seen around. Sure to inspire, and will definitely get your kids to stop whining about buying that pricey costume from the web.

Buy Green This Halloween - If you must shop this Halloween, then forgo the cheap plastic stuff and buy something made from sustainable material, of good quality and made through Fair Trade. Not only are they good on party tips, but the non-profit Green Halloween also rounds up some great things like that, like this very cool Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit and adorable Alpaca Animal Mask and Tail Sets.

Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to help kids understand and get involved with saving the earth. Making Earth Day a fun event to look forward too, with projects that they see through the year, will hopefully instill values of being environmentally caring – something they can bring into adulthood.

Here are some places you can start:

1. i Go Green at Every Age – The folks here at iVillage have great tips on how you can get kids to go green. For example, preschool kids can wash their hands using a thin “pencil” stream of water, while a grade schooler can unplug the tv or computer at night or using reusable containers for school packed lunches.

2. Make Some Crafts - Kids love crafts, so getting creative is a great way of teaching them about Earth Day while having fun. Kaboose has some super craft ideas which uses recycled products to make useful things like a pet food scoop made out of an old laundry detergent bottle or herb planters from empty cans.

3. Do Activities Online – For kids who enjoy learning online, there are many kid- friendly websites you can visit with them. A good one is Roofus’ Home, which shows how a golden retriever’s home can be energy efficient.

4. Host an Earthday Party! – Why not get your kids together with some friends for an Earth Day party? Its a fun way to learn about Earth Day by playing games, eating sustainable foods, and doing a project like recycling or planting a tree. You can can then revisit what you’ve done at next year’s Earth Day and the children will be thrilled to see the results.

If you still haven’t gotten your little ones the “big” Christmas present from the man in the big red suit, or from you and Dad, here a wonderful one I wish I did get this year (unfortunately I’m an early shopper when it comes to Christmas – but this will definitely be on my list next year). Not like your ordinary doll’s house, this Eco House is probably one of the best ways you can teach your kids, through play – about having a sustainable home.

Dolls and kids can add the rewards of saving energy to pretend-play fun when they set up housekeeping in this ecologically friendly home that includes a windmill, rain barrel, solar panels, recycling bins, shower, and motor bike.

A great way to introduce an awareness of “green” living, the house includes handsome energy- and resource-saving furnishings, too. Made of renewable rubber wood and recycled wood, natch.

Measuring approx. 22″ x 16-1/2″ x 19-3/4″, you’ll have to purchase the family and pets separately, which are on sale now at HearthSong, one of my favourite online toy shops which sell not only quality, but safe toys.

Welcome to Yurto, the blog about eco-friendly living in the home. Inspired by the yurt, an ancient circular dwelling place built in tune with nature, we hope to explore the ways we can all make a change for the better in the world that we live in – beginning from our homes.

Why is it so important to go green? Al Gore, who woke up the world with his now-famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, puts it succinctly:

“…Some of the leading scientists are now saying we may have as little as 10 years before we cross a kind of point of no return, beyond which it’s much more difficult to save the habitability of the planet in the future…”

10 years??? Now that’s a scary thought.  If you have children like me, that’s enough reason to stop procrastinating and do something about NOW.

So from plastic to canvas, wasting to conserving,  lets find ways to care for the earth while we can and live healthier, happier lives.