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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.

Source: Greenhalloween.org