Be GrEEn on HallowEEn

To me Halloween and choosing a costume is a time to use your imagination and explore a side of yourself that you ordinarily might not reveal.

For this holiday you get the chance to be someone or something else that brings alive a new energy. Halloween gives you permission to pretend. Young, old and in between creating a costume and then taking a few hours to act out a different personality can be very cathartic.  

So I'm offering the encouragement to take some time to be creative and build some fun and entertainment into your lives the old-fashioned way.  Instead of buying a costume, build from what's already there.

Dig into your old clothes, or scavenge at second hand stores and Good Will shops to find something that will spur your imagination.  A funky pair of shoes or a hat might be the very catalyst that will begin your mission.

Avoid those plastic and vinyl masks that 1. make it hard to breath and see; 2. contain harmful chemicals that you probably don't want you or your child getting into your system; and 3. are expensive.

Not so creative yourself, or have to have that certain costume?  

Consider a costume swap (before and after Halloween), or call a friend who has that talent of making something new out of something old.  Search the internet for great ideas to repurpose items.

Keep in mind the hundreds of creative ways to simply use a cardboard box, sports equipment, left over paint, make up and fabric.  Get your mind rolling by looking at ordinary things differently.

A pair of black sweatpants can become a surfing or scuba diving suit.  Some glitter can transform an old pair of shoes into princess slippers, and all at the same time you can create memories to last by making something together.  

Share with us the ways you make HallowEEn GrEEn.  Though Halloween is spooky by nature, it doesn't have to be scary for the environment.

At this link http://www.mcdef.org/green_halloween.htm find some ideas from the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, and the please feel free to add more to encourage a healthy, safe and memorable fall holiday that has become a tradition of fun and imagination.