Photo Credit: Pedro J. Ferreira, Creative Commons/Flickr

Happy Halloween! While today is a fun time to dress up and indulge in candy (no matter how old you are), there are still ways we make a difference in our communities.  Check out the resources below for ideas on how you get involved.

Attend a haunted house for charity

Many nonprofits put together haunted houses that give kids a chance to have fun while raising money for the organization. What Gives? and the Nonprofit Quarterly have put together a list of haunted houses taking place around the country. Don’t see one near you? Start thinking about your year-end plan to donate to an organization you love.

Volunteer

Many communities are using today to come together and help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. We’ve listed a few ways to get involved. If you live in New York City, check out the Brooklyn Community Foundation, NYC Service, and Time Out New York for ongoing opportunities. There are also a variety of Halloween focused volunteer opportunities on our website.

Dig into to smart candy

This Halloween, try making your own candy for homemade and healthy treats. Or purchase organic chocolate that’s earth-friendly and delicious. The Daily Green and Green Halloween have ideas and resource to explore to help you get started.

How else can we give back on Halloween? Feel free to share your ideas, resources, and tips in the comments!

Photo of melting pumpkin witch by Flickr user istolethetv (Creative Commons)

When I was a kid, Halloween was my favorite holiday. Going to my aunt’s house for her annual Halloween party—witch included a makeshift haunted house in the damp basement—was always the highlight of my year. There was nothing more exciting, or scary, than dipping my hands into a bowl of cold spaghetti brains or grabbing peeled grapes I imagined were eyeballs.

As an adult, Halloween is still my favorite. I love how imaginative, silly, and creative people get. I also love that increasingly, people are thinking about how to make Halloween less wasteful and more mindful.

There are a lot of ideas and resources out there; here are a few to spook some inspiration:

Conscious costumes

• Costume yourself for a cause. Make a statement by dressing up to reflect an issue you’re passionate about and spark conversation over the punch bowl.
• Reuse your costume from last year, or refashion one from materials lying around in your house. Tree Hugger has some creative suggestions for DIY duds.
• Plan a charitable contest. This could mean hosting a competition for the greenest costume, and/or donating proceeds to a charity of the winner’s choice.

Green your party

• Go batty with eco-friendly decor. Browse Etsy for handmade creations, or try making your own from found materials.
• Support healthy, local food. Green Halloween has lots of ideas to make your party a delicious, gh’oul time.

Thoughtful trick-or-treating

• Use reusable or recycled bags. And then save them for next year.
• Walk or bike instead of driving. Besides saving your car from messy pranks, you’ll be helping reduce pollution.
• Collect coins for UNICEF. Bring the little orange box along, and be part of a tradition that has been ongoing for 60+ years.
• If you’re staying home, hand out fair trade and organic candy. The Daily Green has suggestions for candy alternatives.

Carve out time to volunteer

• Consider joining your local crime watch. While it’s not as exciting as ghostbusting, you’ll be doing the neighborhood a favor by helping keep kids safe.
• Squash litter bugs. Carry an extra bag, and pick up garbage in between collecting goodies.
• Treat others kindly. Check Idealist.org for local volunteer opportunities and events.

Have more ideas? Leave a comment below!

[This blog entry appeared on an older version of Idealist; any broken links are a result of having re-launched our site in Fall 2010.]