Green Halloween with C.O. Kids’ Costume Swap

Every child’s favorite holiday just got a little more parent- and planet-friendly thanks to the 2 nd Annual Central Oregon Children’s Costume Swap.

Part of a national movement encouraging Americans to go green during Halloween, the swap allows kids to get new-to-them costumes while parents get to save a little money and the planet by recycling princess gowns, witch’s hats and superhero capes from years past.

The Central Oregon swap will take place during the Bank of the Cascades Bend Fall Festival presented by The Source Weekly on October 6 and 7, 11am-3pm in the Mt. Bachelor Family Harvest Area on Minnesota Street. The swap will benefit local nonprofit Healthy Beginnings.

Founded locally in 2011 by Shannon Hinderberger, the swap idea came from a simple idea.

“In an effort to bring community together around green ideas and coupled with the work I was doing on my blog Working Mom Goes Green, a friend and myself found out about the national organization Green Halloween that helps communities organize costume swaps. We thought, what a great idea to bring to Bend,” said Hinderberger.

For every costume donated, parents get a $5 voucher towards a new-to-them costume. Swapped costumes cost $10 apiece. Costumes can be purchased with our without a voucher, and it is not required to donate a costume in order to purchase a costume.

All proceeds from the swap go to Healthy Beginnings, a nonprofit that provides accessible physical, developmental and behavioral screenings to children from birth through age five to foster healthy, educated, nurtured children, families and communities.

“We are so excited and honored to be involved in this year’s Central Oregon Children’s Costume Swap. We are all about kids growing up healthy and happy and this event reflects that beautifully,” said Holly Remer, Healthy Beginnings executive director.

Parents can now drop off gently used costumes in advance at:

Healthy Beginnings, 1029 Northwest 14 th Street weekdays 10am-3pm
Deschutes Public Library both downtown and eastside locations during normal library hours
Or at the event on Sat. Oct. 6 at 10am sharp

Considering the amount of packaging and waste consumed during Halloween, swapping costumes proves to be an important lesson for children and families in recycling and caring for the earth. According to the website www.greenhalloween.org, swapping the costumes of only half of the children who celebrate Halloween would reduce annual landfill waste by 6,250 tons, equivalent to the weight of 2500 midsize cars.

There are currently more than 100 registered costume swaps taking place this year across the country, according to the website www.greenhalloween.org, including other Oregon state events in Salem and Clackamas.

The swap fits perfectly with C3 Events dedication to Zero Waste Events, a new component of their public events in 2012. During Bank of the Cascades Bend Fall Festival presented by The Source Weekly, the C3 Zero Waste program is attempting to capture more than three tons of recycling and food waste. The team will be running a recycling craft booth in the Mt. Bachelor Family Harvest area as well, with fun and creative projects to teach kids about the importance of recycling and reusing. C3 Zero Waste recycling stations can be found throughout the festival space.

A Central Oregon celebration of the harvest season, the Bank of the Cascades Bend Fall Festival presented by The Source Weekly returns to Downtown Bend for its 12 th year October 5, 6 and 7. A much-loved tradition, the festival will bring two stages of free music, family activities, fine art, a conscious living space, food and beverages, fall-themed contests and more.

For more information on the Central Oregon Children’s Costume Swap, visit www.facebook.com/cocostumeswap