The healthy treats and treasures you are giving away this Halloween deserve to look good! What better way to showcase how special they are than with some snazzy goodie bags? Perfect for your next party. Feel free to improvise with recycled materials.

For goodie ideas, check out our list of treat alternative, Candy Cheat Sheet, and twitter party tips.

Pumpkin Pouch Party Favors

• Orange crepe paper
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Greenfloral tape
• Treasures to wrap up

For each pouch, cut two 10-inch diameter circles from the paper. Stack two circles and put the goodies in the center. Gather the outer edges of the circle to form a pouch. Twist the paper above the treats. Wrap the “stem” with floral tape. You may need to trim excess paper before binding. Twist a piece of tape around a pencil to make vine tendrils.

Full-moon Flavor Bags

• Brown paper lunch bags
• Stamps + ink pad
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Hole punch
• Black ribbon or seam binding

Stamps the bags with fun words or pictures and fill with goodies. Fold corners back. Fold top of bag 1 1/2 inches down. Make a 2 inch paper moon. Glue moon to front of bag in top right corner. Punch two small holes through moon and bag 1/4 inch apart. Repeat in another spot in the moon. Cut two 5-inch pieces of seam binding and thread through the holes; knot to form bats (they will also secure the bag). Trim wings with scissors. To watch a visual demonstration, check out this video (just avoid all the candy she has in that bowl!).

Hand them out to your guests, and watch as they marvel at these precious bags and their delicious contents.

These crafts are from the book Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Crafts.

For more party ideas follow us at facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

We held recently a twitter party to share healthy Halloween tips. In case you missed it (don’t worry, there were quite a few folks who had to put their little goblins to bed!)  we’ve compiled a list of the best #greenhalloween tricks and treats. Thanks to all our wonderful party-goers for their great suggestions!

What to do on Halloween Day / Night

• Have your child eat a full meal before going out.
• Make sure your child eats two rainbows of produce two weeks before and after Halloween. Learn more at Today I Ate a Rainbow.
• Trade candy for Legos or other toys.
• Bring candy to work the next day (the office my suffer from a sugar high, but the candy is bound to disappear quickly).
• Pack your own healthy treats for your child to have while walking from house to house. Later, donate the candy s/he acquired.
• Try reverse Trick or Treating. Instead of taking junky candy, go to your neighbors and give them a fair trade gift. Help empower workers.

Tips for Parties/ Decorations / Costumes

• Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 10 out of 10 Halloween makeup kits tested contain lead! Stay safe and make your own face paint.
• Who says piñatas have to be full of candy? Fill that baby up with little prizes!
• Grow your own pumpkins! Can you get it to be this big?
• “Disposable?” More like reusable! Wash your plastic cutlery to use for all your parties. Or, try bamboo picnic ware.
• Need some fun, eco-party inspiration? Try a Healthy Child Party Kit.

• Bare Apple Chips
• Boo! Chocolate Banana ghosts are so good it’s scary.
• Glee Gum
• Unreal Candy
• Plum Organics
• Stickers
• Nature’s Path Toaster Pasteries
• Yummy Earth Candy
• Fair Trade Your Halloween Kit! It comes with Equal Exchange mini chocolates and informational cards!
• Surf Sweets
• LÄRABARs
• Hair bows and hair bands. Extra points of you make these yourself.
• Honest Tea - stay hydrated while going around the neighborhood.
• Annie’s snacks – one party-goer came prepared with all her favorites!
• And of course, the tried and true CutterWelderMaestro

For more healthy tips follow us on Facebook facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

Mondays are tough. But, just because it is the start of the workweek, doesn’t mean you can’t pamper yourself! And what better way to do it than with natural ingredients free of harmful parabans? Plus, you can use the Green Halloween team favorite gourd, pumpkin! Rich in Vitamin A, these homemade beauty treatments will help you relax and let you concentrate on what an awesome eco-friendly Halloween you are going to have!

Pumpkin Mask

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canned pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
• I recommend to use under eye masks

Directions

Mix all ingredients and apply to face. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse. Voila! Smooth beautiful skin.

 

Pumpkin Exfoliant 

Ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup organic coconut oil (other oils can be used, but coconut oil is thicker than others at room temperature)
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spices (I combined cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger)

Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (but save them to roast!). Roast pumpkin for 30 minutes or until tender. Canned pumpkin puree can also be used, but I prefer fresh. Scoop the pumpkin puree into a bowl and add the sugar, oil and spices. Mix well and jar. Yum! An exfoliant that smells like pie.

To learn more about pumpkins, check out this post and this post

These natural beauty ideas come from Mother Nature Network and Green Global Travel

For more natural remedies  follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenhalloween or Twitter @greenhalloween

Green Halloween® Twitter Party!

Hashtag: #GreenHalloween

October 22, from 9 to 10 pm EST

Where: Twitter!

Who: Follow the featured Twitter handles @GreenHalloween and @GreenAmerica

Register: Win prizes from @HonestTea @ESC_Chocolate, @CascadianFarm, @BrainardsNatRem, @PlumOrganics and @GreenAmerica. RSVP below to be eligible.*

What to Expect:

• Treats & “treasures” that are healthy for kids & the planet
• DIY costumes, make your own face paints, recycled decor & more
• Seasonal, Earth-inspired activities
• Ideas for a waste-less, spend-less holiday that keeps all the fun
• Finding Green Halloween® events near you
• Interact with others
• Win great, green gifts & goodies*

Please, help support Green Halloween and Green America and spread the Green this Halloween! Share this event with your social media network! The more individuals and groups we have involved, the better our great ideas will spread!

What you can to do to participate:

1. RSVP with us by adding your Twitter handle in the comments below to be eligible for prizes*
2. Check out the  Green America and Green Halloween websites for guides and tips for living your life in more green, healthy, and socially just ways
3. Follow our featured hosts: @GreenHalloween and @GreenAmerica
4. Log into Twitter through Tweetchat.com on October 22^nd a little before 9pm EST and put #GreenHalloween as the hashtag to follow
5. During the party, make sure every comment you submit has the hashtag #GreenHalloween (if you use Tweetchat, this will be done automatically) in it
6. Share your ideas, support each other, and participate. Also, come win some prizes from our great sponsors:

*(One entry per handle. Most prizes will ship only to the continental U.S.; some may ship to Canada. If you cannot accept a prize, prize will be offered to another event participant.)

Green Halloween is a non-profit, grassroots community initiative to create healthier and more Earth-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween. It began in the Seattle area in 2007 with backers such as Whole Foods Market and was such a huge success that in 2008, the initiative expanded nation-wide. In cities across the country, volunteer coordinators are turning their city’s Halloween holiday healthy and eco-friendly, but many are also raising money for their own, local nonprofit beneficiaries via the initiative. Green Halloween, as of 2012, is a program of Green America.

Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. Our mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. We work for a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the bounty of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come.

For Questions about the party or about another event. Send a tweet to @GreenHalloween, post in the comments below, or send an email to GreenHalloween@GreenAmerica.Org

by Wendy

Father’s Day is a day where we celebrate dads for all they do for us. This year, show dad how much you love him while being environmentally friendly at the same time with these Father’s Day gifts made from recycled, upclycled and repurposed materials:

1- Bamboo Grilling Tool Set $39.95 – Made from sustainable bamboo with rust-free stainless steel heads, the grilling tool set includes a spatula, grill brush and grill tongs to make grilling a snap for dad.

2- Recycled Record Coasters $20 – A music lover will appreciate these repurposed black vinyl records to make great coasters. Records vary from different genres.

3- Upcycled Wine Bottle Glass Tumblers $20 – Recycled wine bottles were used to make these unique ecofriendly green glass tumblers.

4- Reclaimed Ballpark Cuff Links $179.95 and up – Great for baseball fans, these cuff links are crafted from salvaged stadium seats from Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and more.

5- Upclycled Wetsuit iPad Sleeve $28 – Keep dad’s ipad protected with this cushy ipad sleeve made from upclycled and repurposed wetsuit material.

6- Bottles Up Glass Water Bottle $29.95 – Reusable glass water bottles made from 75% post consumer recycled glass and food grade silicone rings and cap. They are also naturally BPA and PVC free.

7- Turnigy 9x drone $60- A flying RC aircraft. You will get a 9 channel transmitter, a receiver, and a bind plug; the battery is not included.

What eco-friendly gift will you be buying for dad this year?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.