news-record.com

Is it possible to go green on Halloween without taking all of the fun out of it?

Actually, yes, because many Halloween traditions such as bobbing for apples, reading scary stories and carving pumpkins cost little and generate little or no waste.

The biggest environmental and health culprits are in the areas of food, decor and costume selection, and you can address them with a few tweaks in your shopping habits:

1. Choose better candy. If you can afford it, purchase candies made from natural, organic, dye-free and/or ethically sourced ingredients, such as Fair Trade-certified chocolates. Also, look for companies that use environmentally responsible packaging or donate some of their profits to worthy causes. Global Exchange is one company that sells Fair Trade chocolate kits online for Halloween. Or, you can....

2. Go candyless. Instead, give out healthier snacks, such as raisins, all-natural popcorn and trail mix, or nonfood items, such as homemade crafts, playing cards, vegetable seed packets and pencils.

3. Skip the plastic costumes and bags. Keep trash out of the landfill by making or purchasing costumes that can be used again, given away or resold in consignment stores. Also, collect candy in pillowcases, canvas totes or other cloth bags that can be reused.

4. Light efficiently. Use LED lights or soy or beeswax candles, which burn cleaner than more common paraffin candles, to light jack-o-lanterns and outdoor scenes.

5. Support local farmers and artisans by purchasing holiday crafts and serving snacks made from fresh, seasonal produce, such as apple cider and sweet potato pie.

Do what you can. And don't forget to compost and recycle party leftovers, if possible. Get other ideas at www.greenhalloween.org.

'Land Jam' tickets

Fans of Steep Canyon Rangers and Polecat Creek can enjoy a bluegrass concert while supporting local land conservation efforts on Friday .

The Piedmont Land Conservancy holds its first Land Jam at 8 p.m. at the Carolina Theatre in an effort to engage and build a donor base among young professionals.

The organization, which has protected nearly 16,000 acres in Guilford and eight other counties, hopes to raise $20,000 from the ticket sales, said Kevin Redding, executive director.

Event sponsors will cover the cost of the concert. Tickets are $20 plus a $1.50 restoration fee.

Call 691-0088 to purchase.

Other events

Visit gotriadscene.com/event/cat/green for details and a full listing.

* The Golden Flower Tai Chi Center in Winston-Salem will show the film "Crash Course," which previews the country's future economic and energy challenges, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday .

* Elsewhere Artist Collaborative will host a community gardening consortium at 5 p.m. Oct. 17. Call 549-5555 for more information.

* Weatherspoon Art Museum will show the film "Addicted to Plastic" as part of a UNCG sustainability film series at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22.

Morgan Josey Glover is content manager for goGreenTriad.com. Contact her at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com