Halloween can be safe, economical and eco-friendly fun. Crusader costumes remain popular this year, but with a tutu twist. Avoid long skirts or capes that can trip up children and instead recycle a princess tulle skirt from a thrift shop into a shorter frock. T-shirt tops with a superhero logo plus a painted cardboard headpiece transforms kids into do-gooders. Homemade natural face paints are another alternative (see Tinyurl.com/Trick-Treat-Tips).

Treats should also be eco-friendly. Equal Exchange offers fair trade, organic and kosher low-fat chocolates from crops grown by small farmers in the Dominican Republic and Peru, shipped in a quantity big enough to split the cost with friends (Shop.EqualExchange.coop/chocolate.html). Nut-free, homemade trail mix, wrapped in eco-friendly tissue paper or a square of cloth tied shut, provides a welcome change from sweets.

In 2014, the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) organization launched the Teal Pumpkin Project. Place a downloadable sign in a window to announce that non-food, Earth-friendly treats are offered at the house for kids with allergies or food sensitivities (Tinyurl.com/TealHalloweenPumpkins).

This article appears in the October 2016 issue of Natural Awakenings.