Sustainability Tip of the Week
A simple wish for a better tomorrow
Eco-Friendly Halloween Costumes
In 2018, a quarter of Americans planned to use a Halloween costume, most of which are only used once. There are many environmental impacts associated with the production of costumes (and textiles in general), including a surprising amount of greenhouse gas emissions, excessive water consumption, and water pollution. Even worse, many store-bought costumes contain toxic chemicals that pollute the environment when they end up in landfills. To reduce your environmental impact this Halloween, consider up-cycling materials in your home to create your costume. Here are some of our favorite: jelly fish, robot, corn on the cob, bag of groceries, raining cats and dogs.
After Halloween…
Each year, 21 billion pounds of textile waste in the United States end up in landfills. This Halloween, we encourage you to consider alternatives to tossing out a costume when you’re through with it. Here are some options:
- Donate your old costumes to a children’s hospital or daycare
- Donate your old costumes to a local theater program
- Re-purpose parts of the costume for next year
- Keep the costume and wear it a few years down the line
Perhaps the most fun thing about Halloween is that you can choose to be anything you want for a day, and these ideas are really just the tip of the iceberg. Feel free to flex those creative muscles, and don’t be afraid to up-cycle old items!
Have a Happy (and safe) Halloween!
Faculty, staff and students please share your sustainable ideas for our weekly tip to j.coons@hvcc.edu.
Published: Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:03:52 +0000 by j.coons