We get a TON of trick-or-treaters on our block where we live. (I’m talking probably upwards of 500). Buying treats is not cheap, but I don’t mind doing it. I remember how much I loved going door-to-door when I was a kid, pouring out my bag of candy when I got home, sorting my loot, and just…eating it. In the last few years, I started getting uneasy about buying so much…plastic. Believe me, I like my almond joys and peanut butter cups as much as the next person. But have you stopped to think about all the plastic the wrappers involve? How can we do better?

In the past, we have purchased traditional candy such as mini Hershey’s bars, Reese’s products, etc. The last few years, I started to buy packaged savory snacks too (in part because I would go to the grocery store on…October 30th…to get treats, and that was the only option). We also started including a handful of potatoes and onions among the candy (kids and parents think it’s hilarious [not my idea—something I saw on the internet]). But this still involves a lot of non-recyclable or difficult to recycle plastic. As you probably know, new plastic is made using fossil fuels, which are contributing to global warming and are not good for you…plastic is everywhere and in every waterway. You can read some statistics here and here.

So what’s an angsty treat-giver to do?

Here are a number of slightly greener ideas, sourced from other people and the web, as to what you can distribute on Halloween.

1) Books! Especially used books!

2) Candy that is packaged in paper (think Dots, Nerds, Raisinets, fancy chocolate bars, etc.). But, even though the item you give to a kid is in cardboard, those cardboard packages may have come in plastic packaging too.

3) Native plant seeds! I found a non-profit that purports to sell milkweed seeds in packets decorated with Halloween designs. But, I emailed to ask a question, and I have not heard back.

4) Cash! Just kidding. lol. But it is green in more ways than one. Ba-dum, ching.

I’m not sure yet what we’ll do this year. But it’s worth thinking about making a change, even if you still offer the traditional mini candy treat. If the kiddos don’t like it, they can always skip our house next year.

Additional notes.

Climate change keeping you awake at night? Yeah, me too. I told Tyler (half jokingly) I wanted to decorate our yard with scary climate change-related facts or statistics. I was vetoed. But check out how a woman named Julie Twichell did this in CA a few years ago.

Concerned about how climate change can affect storms and rainfall in New Jersey, particularly after seeing what Helene did to the South? Monday night (tomorrow) at 7pm, consider attending “After Hurricane Helene: How New Jersey Can Prepare For Future Threats,” an online event organized by the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (LCV). This event is co-sponsored by the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), New Jersey Highlands Coalition, New Jersey Sustainable Business Council, Pinelands Preservation Alliance, and NJ Future. You’ll learn from Dr. David Robinson, New Jersey’s State Climatologist; Jen Coffey, the Executive Director of ANJEC; Allison McLeod, Senior Director of Public Policy at New Jersey LCV, and others.

I think I complained about idling in another Nature Note. Well, I woke up one morning and realized I was hearing a vehicle idling nearby. It turned out to be a box truck parked one building over from our house. In New Jersey, excessive idling (more than three minutes) is illegal. (Obviously, we’re not talking about EVs). There are exceptions to the rule. As you can imagine, it’s terrible for the environment and bad for your health. If you are in NJ, your local police department can help with enforcement. Or, you can call the Department of Environmental Protection. I was really pleased that my local police got the truck in question to move along within just a few minutes of my calling them in. Thank you.

Call me naive, but I didn’t realize how much big banks invest in fossil fuels. The first step I’m taking to try to get away from this is to transfer my business banking to a more eco-friendly financial institution. There are a number of resources that provide names of banks you can investigate. Start with bank green.

I recently learned about an artist named Duke Riley who is known for, among other things, creating scrimshaw-inspired artwork using salvaged plastic (trash) to draw attention to the injustices and horrors of climate-related sins. Check out his work.