A fellow food allergy mom recently shared my Teal Pumpkin Project post on her Front Porch Forum. First, amazing! Second, one of the responses really got me thinking. This kind-hearted person replied back in support but with her own spin, an eco-friendly Teal Pumpkin Project. She spoke of all the plastic and waste that is involved in Halloween in general and challenged people to find ways to combat this while supporting the Teal Pumpkin Project. She shared a very creative list of her own.
The unfortunate truth of being a parent in today’s world, food allergies or not, is that you may not be the most trusting of homemade items. For me, that eliminated a number of options. Even so, I really liked the idea and kept thinking about it. We are by no means an incredibly low waste family, but I try to go with non-plastic and eco-friendly options when I can. Reusableble bags, Ollie’s PlanetBox, and Hydroflask waterbottles are staples in our house. Ollie is even getting a new bag for Halloween this year!
I decided to challenge myself to make an eco-friendly Teal Pumpkin Project ollergy post. My criteria were low-waste, non-plastic, and not too cost prohibitive. For this post, I consulted the amazing Meredith of Meredith Tested. I met Meredith through Burlington VT Moms Blog and have been following her low waste journey ever since. She’s actually the one that introduced me to the stasher bag we’re giving Ollie for Halloween. If low waste is a topic that interests you, make sure you’re following her, trust me!
here’s the eco-friendly teal pumpkin project list:
washi tape
Meredith gets all the credit for this one. She said she’s found huge boxes on discount at craft stores. I’m for sure stealing this idea for Ollie’s stocking this year. What kid doesn’t love tape? Our house is currently out of Scotch tape as he got ahold of the roll and went to town on a “project,” as he calls it. Fun patterned washi tape would appeal to so many ages and offers tons of creative possibilities (that are far less wasteful than your toddler covering paper with an entire roll of tape). I was also surprised about how affordable multipacks are.
erasers
For this, I picture the larger and more durable pink erasers. This one could definitely get a little costly though. I think a great alternative is a pencil topper eraser. You can go with a more fun option and it’s hopefully much less likely to be lost in a backpack (as compared to the tiny, little-shaped ones). If you can find a great deal, maybe you can even put each on top of a regular pencil. Teachers everywhere will love you!
wooden shapes
Go to your local craft store and wander through the unfinished wooden section. There is always a section with little shapes that I think are around .25 each. You could get a variety of shapes so children can pick one that interests them. At home, these can then be decorated with just about anything (paint, markers, even colored pencils or crayons). In trying to find a good link for this, I also came across this set. It’s a gift tag set but could make a really fun Halloween offering for a Fall craft. Perhaps you even pair one of these with a colored pencil. See below…
colored pencils
Art supplies are a great eco-friendly Teal Pumpkin Project option. Wooden colored pencils top the list. Online I found a 100 pack for $13.99, but this is really the perfect option to pick up from a craft store. Use a coupon from a place like Michaels or AC Moore to get a great deal and not have to deal with shipping.
deck of cards
I should be specific, a mini deck of cards. I struggled a bit with this one as my guess is the packaging for multi-packs of mini decks of cards might be more wasteful, but then I found some pretty big bulk packs online. My guess is local party stores also offer these in their favor section (picture the giant wall of bins filled with trinkets). This idea actually inspired me to look for a deck of cards like this soon to keep in our med bag. Ollie doesn’t know how to play cards, but we could match colors, numbers, or shapes. Perfect for entertainment at the inevitable sick visits coming up this winter.
what do you think?
Did any of the eco-friendly teal pumpkin project ideas above catch your eye? Again, I’m by no means a low waste expert, but the reply really got me thinking and I’m always up for a good challenge. Tons of people follow along and support my passion for spreading food allergy awareness, so it was cool to be able to combine it with someone else’s.
We had already purchased glow stick bracelets to giveaway, so this is something I’m going to keep in mind for future years. It’s by no means meant to make anyone feel bad for whatever Teal Pumpkin Project offering they have. If you’re participating, you’re already thinking of others and that’s really awesome! If you have any ideas to add to the list, let me know!