Aside from sustaining a good relationship with locals and their economy, it’s always good to keep up with the latest sustainable cuisine and decor trends!

We will start with the ever-classic pumpkin. Whether you carve it, paint it, consume it or simply admire the stout orange guys there’s always a way to repurpose them after you’ve gotten your entertainment! Pumpkins take a lot of water to grow and the statistics that reflect incorrect disposal tactics are the real halloween monster to it’s important to come up with a plan of action for your pumpkin ahead of time!

Some of the best ways to repurpose your pumpkins are:

• roast the pumpkin’s seeds
• compost the skin
• find a local farm to donate the skin to (they make a great treat for a variety of different animals!)
• leave it in your yard if you have frequent critter visitors
• swap for a sugar pumpkin so it’s more consumable
• utilize them for as long as possible by purchasing later and leaving them uncarved, they’ll make for a great Thanksgiving center piece!

Another tidbit worth thinking about when it comes to sustainable seasonal decor is reusable vs compostable. I don’t have the right answer and I’m not sure if there is one but it’s worth some consideration– just like a fake Christmas tree, reusable (and likely plastic) decorations can be used year after year but will eventually end up in a landfill, whereas real Christmas trees, or in this case live pumpkins, can be disposed of by composting. Both are great options, just make sure you are thinking long term and purchasing thoughtfully when decorating!

In addition to reusing and composting your decor, have you considered repurposing or upcycling certain items to make new ones?? There are so many crafty, DIY tutorials out there to get yourself and others in the fall spirit while reducing waste! And because you’re upcycling your new decorations shouldn’t cost much if anything at all!

As for costumes, I’ve always found it’s way more entertaining and original if you make your own versus purchasing one from a halloween store. Maybe the best part of a halloween costume is assembling it– going on the hunt to find all the right pieces in your closet and thrift stores is so rewarding! If you’re not in the creative mood that’s okay too, because it seems the ideas for classic costumes never die out, so you can always be an outfit repeater or borrow one from a friend!

Some resources you can utilize when planning out your sustainable holiday (and not just Halloween) are Terracycle and Share Waste. I also put together a board on Pinterest with decor ideas, yummy recipes and more! Sustainability doesn’t have to be hard, it just involves an open mind and maybe some extra thought ahead of time!