Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Austin, TX

"Green Halloween" is the rage this year.  There's a website and a blog.  There's an entire page of Google News results on the term.  Martha Stewart is on board (though really she always has been, even since before it was a trend). The concept of Green Halloween has even made it to Newsday. 

Some of the ideas are obvious, and many are cost-saving.  Take costumes.  What's greener than recycling your costume?  I don't mean throwing it in your new, awesome, giant, single-stream recycling bin.  No, I mean consider renting or buying used.  Last week I picked up an adorable one-piece tiger costume (like this one) for $10 at Rock-a-bye Baby Kids.  So I shopped Austin, I saved money, and I went green all at the same time.

One notion I've read in several places is, "Walk, don't drive!"  Does anyone drive for Halloween?  Really  From house to house?  How sad.  Then again, there was a time when the Trail of Lights was driven (something that always blew my mind), so I shouldn't be surprised.  If it needs to be said, I'll say it.  Please, walk from door to door for Halloween.  For your kids, skulking (at least in their own minds) through people's yards is half the fun.

The greening of Halloween has to do with more than being eco-friendly.  One part of the movement is to "think outside the candy box."  Here's a very lengthy list of what to give out instead of candy.  But, okay, look....when I was a kid, Halloween was all about candy.  We came home with huge sacks that Mom let us store if not in our beds, certainly in our rooms and within easy reach.  I'll tell you, though, I'm a natural nibbler.  As a matter of fact, my stepkids like to say that I eat "only the protective layer of frost" from the Ben & Jerry's I keep stashed in the freezer.  It takes me longer than a week to work through one pint.  My daughter seems to follow suit -- more than once I've seen her cut herself off from her favorite treats.  So, hm.  I'm reluctant to buy into the idea of a candy-free Halloween.

One issue for me is that a lot of "green" Halloween treats are homemade.  I was five and growing up in Houston when the infamous Candy Man struck in a neighboring suburb, killing his son with a poison Pixie Stix for life insurance monkey.  It changed Halloween forever.  Even though sweet little old ladies were still passing out impossibly delicious looking caramel apples and popcorn balls, into the trash they went.  We were only allowed to eat hermetically sealed candy. 

Nevertheless, I won't look askance if Johanna gets trinkets instead of tasty treats in her Halloween sack -- which brings us to another green idea: using a reusable tote instead of a plastic bucket or bag. As kids we always took old pillowcases decorated with magic markers.   Another notion is to attend a fall festival, thereby supporting local farmers and vendors.  Three in the area come highly recommended: Elgin Christmas Tree Farm's Pumpkin Fest, Sweet Berry Farm's Harvest Fest (Marble Falls), and Crowe's Nest Farm's Fall Family Fun Fest (Oct 25 only).

There are scores of ideas for making Halloween safer, saner, and greener.  Being eco-thoughtful about how your ghouls and goblins celebrate is always a good idea!