San Diego isn’t one of the cities listed in the national Green Halloween Costume Swap registry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do Halloween green. You could host your own Halloween costume swap. Register your swap at the site, or keep it among friends — no matter, you’re still going green.

Ideas:
Approach your neighbors and offer to host a swap party several weeks before Halloween. Ask them to organize their children’s (or adult) costumes by size, and bring them to a specific location (your front yard or living room perhaps) on a certain day/date.

Then swap. Your toddler has grown out of that skunk costume, hasn’t he? Trade up for a costume that’s bigger  – - Sponge Bob maybe, or another he recognizes and loves.

Make some rules, i.e., if you bring a costume, you can get a costume; unused costumes left at the swap will remain at the swap location till next year, or will go to charity. Decide parameters ahead of time and put them on a flyer so every participant knows the scoop.

A swap doesn’t need to be a big organized event either. Gather two or three friends and see what costumes you can swap among you.

Don’t want to do a swap? Other ways to go green for Halloween follow the reuse and recycle tenets.

* Buy at a thrift store so you’re reusing, and your purchase often benefits a charity (think Goodwill, Salvation Army,or a church).

* Search your own closet for cast offs that can make good costumes. An old graduation robe in shiny black fabric transforms into a vampire or witch costume, for instance. Use permanent marker on a footed zip pajama, add ears, and you’ve got a puppy costume.

* Scour through your makeup bag for seldom used eye shadow, liner pencils and lipstick then paint on a hobo beard, scars, or rosy cheeks.

With a little creativity, Halloween can be green, and in San Diego on-the-cheap!

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