This Hallo
ween, what if the scariest costume wasn’t a ghost or goblin? On Halloween we’re supposed to be frightened by haunted houses and jack-o-lanterns (or annoyed by our friends who find a way to cleverly dress up as the Government Shutdown); but what if we were frightened by one of the really truly scary things out there, like climate change? What scary environmental problem could you be for Halloween this year?
I’ve been trying to think of a Halloween costume since June and I still have yet to come up with one. Halloween is not my strong suit. So what I’ve been doing is thinking of how to operationalize things I hear/see or do into a Halloween costume. For the Halloween inept, it’s an excellent exercise, though I can’t say it works. However, it did lead me to think there’s nothing scarier than where our planet is heading, so maybe there’s a way to be “sustainable” for Halloween.
Possible sustainability themed costumes, because, like it or not, our impending doom is not a rogue zombie wandering around on All Hallows Eve:
- Flash Flood: Wear all blue, bring a light that flashes and intermittently throw water on people
- Adaptation: Bring lots of different costumes with you, and every time you move to a new party or bar, change your costume. Adapt to you new surroundings.
- Compost Bring fruit peels around with you in a green bucket and pass out soil instead of candy to trick-or-treaters.
- Wind energy: Dress up as a windmill and bring a mini-fan with you; when you point the fan on people, expect them to become more energetic.
- Nuclear Waste: Cover yourself with glow sticks and then wander around the neighborhood as if you have nowhere to go.
- Drought: Drinks your friends’ drinks and eat their candy . Sorry, but this is what happens when we don’t take care of the planet.
- Melting ice cap: Wear a hat shaped like an ice cub that “leaks” water.
- Climate change denier: Put a bucket over your head (this is the only way to actually miss the reality happening right before our eyes), but carve out holes for your eyes. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.
- Climate Change: Constantly take on and off your layers.
- Homeless Polar Bear: Sad, but true.
- Glacier in 2050: Carry glass of water
The scariest story out there really is where our planet is heading if we don’t start getting serious about climate change. The climate situation is real and Halloween is as good as a time as any to start a conversation about it. But feel free to eat some candy too.
