The leaves are changing and the weather’s cooling down, which means it’s time for fall! From decorations to pumpkins to candy and more, it’s easy to create a lot of waste during the fall season. However, fall is so much better when celebrated sustainably! Read on for a few tips to celebrate Fall a bit more sustainably.

Decorations

Who doesn’t love celebrating a new season with decorations? This year, instead of buying plastic decorations from the store, turn to nature instead. Create a colorful fall garland with leaves you find outside, gather pine cones for a natural centerpiece, or opt to decorate with real pumpkins. The best part? Natural decorations can be composted once the season is over! If you don’t have access to these natural options, try shopping at thrift stores instead. You never know what fall-tastic items you’ll find!

Outdoor Activities

Fall is the perfect time to spend time outside, so one of our favorite fall activities is hiking. Enjoy the beautiful changing colors while taking in the fresh air. You can even pick up trash along the way to make the trail more beautiful for the next hikers!

You can’t celebrate fall without a visit to a pumpkin patch! To make pumpkin-hunting more sustainable, visit your local pumpkin patch instead of big-box grocery stores. Bonus points if they are grown organically!

Self-Care

Fall is a great time to slow down and practice some self-care. For some people, that means hot bubble baths or indulging in luxurious products. We suggest running a bath with our plastic-free conditioner and body wash, and following it up with our super moisturizing body lotion!

For others, cooking and baking can be a form of self-care. This fall, treat yourself to your favorite treats by cooking them at home. Try making your own apple cider or apple pie instead of buying it pre-packaged at the store, and try to shop local whenever you can!

Halloween

Halloween is one of the best parts of fall, but it’s also the most wasteful. From costumes to candy, Halloween creates a huge amount of waste. Here’s how you can celebrate Halloween more sustainably:

• Reuse old costumes or buy them second hand.
• Don’t waste your pumpkin seeds! Collect your seeds while carving. Season them with spices of your choice and roast them in the oven for a tasty fall treat. 
• Once you’re done with your jack-o-lantern, set it outside for local wildlife (as long as it hasn’t been treated with chemicals) or add it to your compost bin.
• Hand out plastic-free Halloween treats. Stock up on candy at the bulk section of the grocery store, and hand out the treats in paper bags instead of plastic.

Thanksgiving

It’s the time of year when we gather around the table with family and close friends to enjoy a large, scrumptious meal and think about what we are grateful for in our lives. Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest and different people coming together to share a joyful moment together. Yet, Thanksgiving can also get a bit out of control with all the decorations and trimmings. Here are some tips to make your Thanksgiving holiday a bit more sustainable without having to sacrifice tradition.

For even more ideas for a sustainable, environmentally-friendly holiday season, be sure to check out this blog post!

Indulging in your favorite fall traditions doesn’t have to be wasteful. How will you make your fall season more sustainable? Send us your pictures or tag us on social media at @PlaineProducts!