Loading...
Browsing Tag

green halloween

Eco Friday: How to have a Last-Minute Costume Swap for Halloween

costume swap bellyitchblog.com

Costume Swaps are Eco-Friendly. National Costume Swap Day was last Saturday, but honestly, it’s not too late to host a last-minute Eco-Friendly Costume Swap for next Saturday, Halloween!

Costume swaps are a fun way to save money and reduce waste for Halloween. Here is how to organize one. These are our condensed version of tips we spotted over at Green Halloween.

Secure a location. If you are hosting a small swap, you can do it in your living room or a cleaned out garage. If you live in a cul-de-sac, you can organize all of the neighbors to get  involved.  Make sure there is room to organize the costumes.  Make sure there is ample parking for those coming from farther away. Decide what you will do with leftover costumes like donate them to Goodwill or some other charity.

Promote – Put up signs in the neighborhood, announce it on the town listserv or pin up notices at central places like the public library or a local coffee house to announce the Swap.

Plan and Set Up – Collect costumes costumes in advance so those who come early can have an assortment of options to choose from

Decide how you will set up the swap. Do swappers need to leave a costume to take a costume? (one for one) Or, will your swap operate on the “leave what you can, take what you need” principle? Either way, here are two ways to organize the event:

Option #1: Prior to the swap (days or hours – depending on how many people you expect), swappers bring the costumes they want to exchange. They receive a stamp on the hand or small token (to avoid using paper tickets) for each costume to use on the day of the event. Once costume(s) is selected, the participant shows the stamp or returns the token.

Option #2: When the swap starts, everyone enters with costumes they are exchanging. Costumes are immediately placed in areas by size and swappers can make one new selection.

costume swap at library

Get some help. An event like this is something one person can take on, but why not make it a group effort? The more the merrier as long as everyone is clear on expectations. Ask friends and family, neighbors, parents at your child’s school, members of your church, etc. Let them know this is a community effort, that the purpose is to save resources (and money) and that helping to host can be F-U-N!

Gather supplies:

  • racks or tables
  • signs for racks or tables (Recycled cardboard, markers and tape)
  • hangars if you are using racks
  • trash and recycling receptacles
  • Mirrors

Other activities

You may also want to incorporate others in your event. Vendors selling (or giving away) appropriate, eco-friendlier items, or local health/green-focused organizations may host a Halloween themed activity. Show parents how to make their own face paints or roll beeswax candles.

Swap! On the day of:

  • Costumes are laid out on tables or hung on hangars according to size with the table/rack clearly marked. Renting or borrowing a clothing rack can be very helpful toward keeping costume presentation organized and appealing to “shoppers.”
  • Kids can try on costumes, but have enough “staff” available to supervise to ensure things are hung back up or laid on the right table.
  • Owners can reclaim costumes that are not swapped, or donate leftovers to shelters or GoodWill type stores.
  • Have a photographer take photos (with parent’s written permission) or shoot some video of the event (ditto on the permission), and post them here or on our FB page.
  • Green halloween

Additional ideas:

  • Ask consignment shops and thrift stores if they want to get involved.

    Have a section for accessories; mismatched pieces of costumes that creative kids can use to put original get-ups together.
  • Stage a dressing-room area. Or, you may want to encourage parents to bring kids dressed in a leotard or swim suit to avoid having to undress.
  • Ask people to bring a shopping bag. Do not provide them.
  • State that costumes should be in good to excellent condition, no significant spots, holes etc. (unless they are supposed to be there!). You should note on written materials that you have the right to reject costumes based on whatever criteria you like.
  • You can limit items that are contributed, i.e. if you won’t want masks, plastic costumes, etc.
  • Request that people behave well. There should be no pushing etc. You might want to have a “security person” on site just in case. If you are concerned about this, you can always ask people to register in advance for the swap, assign a time and allow them to enter in small groups.
  • At the end of the event, how about staging a costume parade? A business might contribute some healthy treats or treasures to give each child.
  • Have a microphone available. You might want to do an introduction and let people know why you’re doing this, reinforce any rules (i.e. good behavior), point out the rest rooms, let people know about upcoming Green Halloween events in your community, encourage use of recycling containers and encourage everyone to have fun.
  • Be sure to have plenty of people assigned to “roaming” on hand to ensure your event goes smoothly.
  • If you have food at your swap, make it healthy and avoid paper wrappings, napkins etc. and/or provide compost bins.

HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!

photo courtesy: Lake Country Now/Scott Ash

Eco Friday: How to Plan a Green Halloween

 

Green Halloween is volunteer-run, grassroots initiative started by a Seattle-area mom who, back in 2007, approached Whole Foods with an idea to make Halloween a holiday that is better for the environment, but still fun.  Whole Foods loved the idea and it got picked up by local and then national press and since then has grown into a nationwide movement. In 2010, Green Halloween became an official program of EcoMom Alliance, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, and global network of green moms.

You can go to the website to get some tips and ideas on how to make this Halloween a green one.   Here are a few scrubbed from its Green Halloween website:

It’s really not about the candy. Kids have fun when their parents get involved and have fun themselves. Part of being green is focusing on people instead of things, so try to reduce the amount of ‘things’ you incorporate into your Halloween by increasing the focus on fun. Here are some ideas for making your Green Halloween fun for your kids and for you:

  • Make a big deal of your child’s costume – getting dressed, taking pictures, etc.
  • Have a neighborhood party and forgo trick-or-treating all together. Ask your child’s school to consider making their Halloween celebration green as well.
  • Have a charity-themed party. Instead of giving out prizes for games, allow children to pick from a list of charities and make a donation in their name.
  • Have a Halloween gratitude party. Deliver handmade cards to your local farmer and take a tour of his/her field. Arrange before hand for each child to bring a mini pumpkin home.
  • Talk to your neighbors about what they will be giving away in advance. One option is to trick-or-treat only at homes where you know Green Halloween items will be passed out.
  • Show your Green by displaying your own Green Halloween sign and ask your Green Halloween neighbors to do the same. Turn looking for the signs into a hunt for treasures. The Green Halloween sign on your own door will announce to trick-or-treaters that they’re in for a great surprise!
  • Give kids a full, healthy meal before they go out trick-or-treating so they are not hungry.
  • Talk to your kids about what is in candy and why it is not healthy. Ask them to come up with creative, kid and Earth-friendly alternatives that your own family can hand out and feel good about.
  • When trick-or-treaters come to your door, shout, “Happy Hallo-green!!!

Check out GREEN HALLOWEEN for more tips, ideas, games, printables, costume suggestions and more for kids, parents, teachers, schools and community organization! Good luck!

post signature

Share |

Batman138 Bro138 Dolar138 Gas138 Gudang138 Hoki99 Ligaciputra Panen77 Zeus138 Kilat77 Planet88 Gaspol168 Sikat88 Rupiah138 Garuda138 Gacor77 Roma77 Sensa138 Panen138 Slot138 Gaco88 Elanggame Candy99 Cair77 Max7 Best188 Space77 Sky77 Luxury777 Maxwin138 Bosswin168 Cocol88 Slot5000 Babe138 Luxury138 Jet77 Bonanza138 Bos88 Aquaslot Taktik88 Lord88 Indobet Slot69 Paus138 Tiktok88 Panengg Bingo4d Stars77 77dragon Warung168 Receh88 Online138 Tambang88 Asia77 Klik4d Bdslot88 Gajah138 Bigwin138 Markas138 Yuk69 Emas168 Key4d Harta138  Gopek178 Imbaslot Imbajp Deluna4d Luxury333 Pentaslot Luxury111 Cair77 Gboslot Pandora188 Olxtoto Slotvip Eslot Kuy138 Imbagacor Bimabet