Well we are getting close to Halloween, and the time is coming when everyone needs to start buying treats for the kids. At the ranch, we do get kids from the area coming by on occasion for treats, and unless we want tricks, we better have something for them.Naturally, since we are smack in the middle of Our Green Year, we figure that this year we should go with green Halloween treats, rather than the typical Halloween treats that are given away in the past. These treats can range from organic chocolate to organic lollipops, and they are a great way to help the Earth and to educate the kids during the Halloween season.
You can also choose treats that have little or no packaging, since packaging produces fossil fuels and not all packaging can be recycled. It is also very important to buy treats that are made locally, so you can support the local economy and reduce the CO2 used.
If you do not want to give any candy away, you can give away things that can be used like pencils, crayons and more.
At the ranch, we will be giving away some treats that we make here. This may not work in the city where many people do not know, nor trust those in their neighborhood, but many people in this area know those we live with and have known them for many years. Their kids know them too and there is no worry about the treats being tainted.
If you want, you can give away healthy treats like fruit, but again these may be thrown away by parents and therefore wasted, or they may not be appreciated by the kids and you could find yourself cleaning eggs off your house the next day. All in good fun on Halloween! :)
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Recently, I saw an article that said Africa could solve its food crisis if it did not use the Western way of agriculture with pesticides and herbicides, and instead began growing their agriculture organically. In a study by the United Nations, through an analysis of 114 projects in 24 African countries, they found that yields doubled when organic methods were used. In East Africa, that jump was as much as 128 percent.
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If you are doing things green this Halloween, why not let us know by sending us some pictures of your kids dressed in recycled clothing or costumes, or you making Halloween treats out of organic products. You can send your pictures to craigbaird@wildmail.com
