Change the World Wednesday 5th Oct

Artfully grotesque

Everything is happening today. Pay day, CTWW, day off, supermarket day, pay bills day so it’s going to be full on. All this takes a whole day, mainly because of the 45km (30 mile) trip to Barra and then back again. But I will console myself with a leisurely sushi lunch while there, so all is not lost.

It’s Hallowe’en month. Here in Brazil we don’t do Hallowe’en, neither did we in New Zealand when I was a kid. I actually had my first taste of this event in Peru when I lived there, the Peruvians have taken to it a little.

That’s what Change the World Wednesday is all about this week, Hallowe’en:

Halloween is coming up so … this week consider the environmental impact of the treats we give out and offer suggestions for better alternatives. Let’s expand on Jen’s idea and include parties, costumes, etc.

OR …
If you don’t celebrate Halloween, please offer us some ideas for Eco-friendly snacks and entertaining.

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Pumpkin guts

I am going to address the green bit and the purple bit, even though I don’t do Hallowe’en. Do you do a pumpkin for Hallowe’en? Is it as artfully grotesque as the one above or a little simpler? When your pumpkin has met its demise, you are left with ‘pumpkin guts’

So what do you do with pumpkin guts?

Don’t try to put them down the disposal, the fibres are strong and will clog it; you could throw them on the compost heap and be prepared for pumpkin vines growing everywhere, or you could do this:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

(Source: http://www.allrecipes.com)

Crunchy roast pumpkin seed

1. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. This is easiest just after you’ve removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.

2. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat.

3. Sprinkle with salt (or try cayenne pepper or garlic salt) and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until toasted, about 25 minutes. Check and stir after 10 minutes.

4. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

Think green!

Remember, pumpkins are food for us and animals. Try to limit your pumpkin to one Jack o’ Lantern per house. The aftermath of Hallowe’en sees millions of pumpkins thrown in the garbage or compost, while they rot and make nice compost, it is an incredible waste.

Green Trick or Treat!

Food colouring

Yes, no Hallowe’en is complete without it. But all that candy, all that colouring, you know that food colouring is one of the biggest enemies we have in our diets of our kids, right. Try to find eco or natural candy, it’s out there if you look. Or make your own, do some googling for some ideas and recipes. Make your own glacé (crystal) fruit pieces (candied fruit). Oh, sound too hard? Google it, you’ll be surprised at how simple it is.

Use recyclable bags (paper sacks), try to avoid individually wrapped candies.

Green Decorations

Going batty

Get some black card,  cut out various size bats, make little yellow eyes, stick them on the front of the house, windows, around the front door or make a mobile to hand from the ceiling. Get the kids to do it, sure theyll make a mess and have a ball.

Use autumn (fall) leaves as a base for other decorations and ideas.

There are so many simple ideas that you can use, even a dead branch can look spooky if places strategically.

Candy sacks

The imagination needs to work overtime. How long does it take to cut a few paper sacks to make things a little more presentable.

Bloody hand prints on the door, but make sure it’s washable, you don’t want the new neighbours to be wary the year round.

That’s it from me, have a great CTWW and a terrific Green Hallowe’en.

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