(1888PressRelease)
October 28, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA – Here’s a spooky Halloween fact: consumers spent $1.4 billion on Halloween decorations in 2007, including everything from plastic ornaments to throw-away utensils. As the 2nd biggest holiday for decorating after Christmas, Halloween negatively impacts the environment by generating a lot of waste. 17 year-old Ally Maize, LA’s resident “green” teen and founder of local nonprofit, the Green Youth Movement, is urging communities to reduce their environmental impact this Halloween. To set a good example to fellow trick-or-treaters, Ally and her Green Youth Movement members are ensuring that every step of their Halloween preparations are “eek-o” friendly.
With the help of GreenHalloween.org, an organization that helps consumers create eco-savvy holidays, Ally and her Green Youth Movement members offer the following five simple, easy-to-do tips for the environmentally conscious trick-or-treater:
• Shop your friends’ closets. Costumes are half the fun in Halloween. Instead of heading to the mall to find new costumes, get creative and host a fun costume swap meet with friends to trade and borrow threads from Halloweens past.
• DIY (Do It Yourself). Give Halloween festivities a personal spin by making decorations and treats from home. Acorns, pumpkins, and apples are great for “Hallogreen®”-friendly embellishments and make less of an environmental impact than store-bought decorations.
• Offer environmentally and socially responsible treats. Make a true green statement this year by handing out environmentally and socially responsible treats, like fair trade certified chocolate, raw honey and/or agave sticks, and organic fruit roll-ups. People can also opt to hand out Trick-Or-Treat for Trees coupons, which are inexpensive coupons that plant a tree for every coupon purchased. As a Green Youth Movement favorite, these coupons are great for generating a conversation between younger trick-or-treaters and their parents about the environment.
• Recycle. Before heading to the store to buy Halloween supplies, take stock of what is already available at home. Everyday household items can be cleverly recycled into spook-worthy decorations. For example, pillow cases, table cloths, brooms and cans lying around the house are great for turning into Halloween ornaments. If items need to be bought, head to a local thrift store – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
• Use reusable bags for trick-or-treating. When heading out the door to trick-or-treat, opt for reusable grocery bags or pillow cases as an environmentally-conscious alternative to wasteful plastic or paper bags. They’re also likely to hold more candy!
For more information on easy ways to living green, please visit to www.greenyouthmovement.org.
About Green Youth Movement
The Green Youth Movement (GYM) is comprised of students who are concerned about the environment. As an Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization founded by Ally Maize at the young age of 15, GYM aims to educate kids and teens about environmental awareness, green living and sustainability. Collectively, this age group can make a big difference in reducing environmental impacts for a brighter, greener future. For more information and/or to get involved, please visit greenyouthmovement.org.
For media inquiries and/or to arrange an interview, please contact Jessica Lieu at 323.937.1951 or Jessica ( @ ) tylerbarnettpr dot com.
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