The Ghoulish Impact of Halloween

Christmas likely comes to mind first when thinking about holidays and sustainability issues. But as Halloween's popularity grows, the planet faces an increasingly ghoulish threat.

Episode 18

10/31/2024

Halloween has grown into a multi-billion-dollar holiday. Along with all that spending comes a lot of sustainability issues. From candy and costume choices to what to do with all those leftover decorations and candy wrappers, Jorden and Kimberly hope to save the planet while keeping Halloween fun.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Which tops U.S. Halloween spending: Candy, costumes, or decorations?

  • Why strategically mapping out the best candy-score route isn’t necessarily the best for the planet

  • How costumes became a single-use, disposable commodity

  • That just how much Americans spend on Halloween decorations is scarily surprising

  • Why ‘Summerween’ became a thing

  • Why The Great Pumpkin does not recommend handing out raisins for Trick-or-Treat, but what candy he would recommend

  • What to do with all those pumpkins, gourds, and straw when the Halloween decorations come down

Recommended Resources

Jorden's gotten pretty good with a knife, so beware!