October 7th, 2009

By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

As you sort through which Disney character your child will be and find the candy of choice for the trick-or-treaters, think green this Halloween. From candy to pumpkins, there are many ways to make this holiday eco-friendly.

Here’s an idea for an organic treat, Yummy Earth lollipops or drops.

Invented by two dads who simply wanted a healthier alternative to candy, Yummy Earth is now the number one seller of organic candy in the United States. Available in 21 flavors, Yummy Earth offers gummy bears, gummy worms, lollipops, and candy drops. Yummy Earth is 100% USDA and EU certified organic. With no artificial coloring or high fructose corn syrup, these candies also are gluten-free, peanut-free, and tree nut-free.

So what do they put in there to still make it taste fabulous? The company uses raw organic brown sugar instead of processed sugar or artificial sweeteners. Other ingredients include, “citric acid made from Israeli sugar beets instead of genetically modified corn; bright red coloring from Japanese purple carrots instead of artificial red dye; real pomegranate extract for our Pomegranate Pucker lollipops and candy drops. Organic pumpkin and black currant also is used to create the vibrant colors,” stated Rob Wunder, Yummy Earth co-founder.

Yummy Earth is widely available at Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Whole Foods, Marriott Hotels, Amazon.com, Harry and David, Smoothie King, Sprouts, Borders Books, and other health food stores.

The Natural Candy Store also offers healthy candy alternatives. Each item is marked by symbols indicating which dietary categories it fits in with, such as vegan, organic, gluten-free, allergen-free, kosher, and the Feingold diet. This candy store also features jelly beans, sprinkles, cotton candy, and chocolate!

Their gummy worms aren’t as scary as some Halloween goodies, but they’re vegan or vegetarian; made with pectin instead of the gelatin (which comes from animal hooves and hides) used in so many gummy candies.

Fair Trade "Action Kit"

If it’s chocolate you seek to give, make it Fair Trade. In fact, send that chocolate with a message to buy Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit composed of candy, an info card and a Mexican streamer.

It may make your house the most political on the block, but the grassroots message will be sugar-coated; the kit includes 40 dark chocolate treats.

(By the way, be sure to practice green hygiene on H-Day. Make sure those candy wrappers do not end up on the sidewalk or in any yards.)

Earth-friendly costumes are a little harder to come by. Harrisons Halloween Costumes for infants are not organic, but they are 100% cotton, so they are a great alternative to synthetic costumes.

There are multiple free patterns located online for children’s costumes, for example if they want to be animals, fairies, or even a chocolate chip cookie.

As far as completely organic, there are not many options, so this year choose to reuse and recycle. Go through your closets to see what you can turn into a costume. If you are blessed with the ability to sew, make your own costume. Either way, minimize your carbon footprint by using materials you already have.

Several websites can provide guidance, such as Mahalo, which publishes a list of easy throw-together  costume suggestions.

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