Guest Post by Jonathan Collins. Jonathan is the grown-ups community manager for www.minimonos.com, a virtual world for kids, focused on sustainability, generosity, community and fun!
We love Green Halloween®. Love the engagement. Love putting the eek! into being eco-friendly. And love building healthier, planet-friendly communities by mainstreaming green thinking.
Our connection with Green Halloween came about after one of the kids on MiniMonos (a virtual world for kids) wrote a blog telling us about making a recycled costume as part of a school wearable art project.
Using discarded felt-tip pens and other found objects she created a truly fantastic costume and learned a lot in the process.
Then another of our MiniMonos kids posted a photo of a robot he’d made from recycled materials. Very cool stuff.
These kids showed such initiative, and got great feedback from other kids on MiniMonos we were inspired! We wanted to follow up and build on the idea. So this Halloween we’re holding a huge Green Halloween costume competition on MiniMonos. There’s already a buzz of excitement about it.
In our Green Halloween® costume competition kids are encouraged to get creative, use swapped costumes or create their own recycled masterpieces. They can then post photos of their Green Halloween costumes online and there are some wicked prizes up for grabs for the best of them.
Makes good sense on so many levels. Once we’d tuned in to GreenHalloween.org and discovered that $6 billion is spent on Halloween costumes, candy & accessories each year (most of which is either unhealthy or made from unsustainable materials and winds up in landfills afterwards) we wanted to do our bit to help green up the spooky season.
Not only is it better for the planet, it’s loads more fun making your own costumes anyway! We’re using Halloween as an opportunity to think again, and to get creative.
I can’t wait to see the photos that come in. Go Go Green Halloween!
Last year, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a report stating that 10 of 10 face paints tested contained lead (a powerful neurotoxin) and other heavy metals. These findings fuel mounting concerns over the safety of numerous chemical fragrances, artificial colors, preservatives and other ingredients in body products (for children and adults).
But kids wear face paint, they don’t eat it, right?
Wrong. What’s applied to the skin is absorbed into the body. Think of body products (face paint, included) as skin food.
(Not sure if you do trust the products you own like diaper rash cream, or lotion, the base ingredient in our face paint recipe? Be sure to check out www.CosmeticDataBase.com).
Get the {eco} Look: Corey’s dress from Issaquah-based sustainable-designer, Lizzie Parker. Lynn’s artisan-designed, reclaimed felt necklace from Digs.com.
National Costume Swap Day was featured on Q13 (FOX) in Seattle!
Thanks so much to Macaroni Kid (Snoqualamie Valley) and friends for helping us to get up this “mock swap” for the shoot. Watch the video above, and click here for the whole story.
How adorable are these Halloween crafts from Felt Playground?! I love the look and feel of felt and these are perfect additions to any Halloween goodie bags or during playtime and festivities on Hallow’s Eve. Be sure to check out Felt Playground for an array of finger puppets and play foods for all occassions!
The great thing is that most of these costumes (at least in the children’s and adult’s lists) can be made quite easily. If you don’t have already have the components to make the costume you seek, you may find the (gently used) materials you’re looking for at thrift store near you.
Find easy Halloween costumes (for people and pets) toDIY for at www.Instructables.com
Creative juices not flowing? Pick up a new-to-you costume at a costume swap near you.
November 21st, 2011 at 2:46 pm
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