Halloween is almost here! Have you been thinking of ways to make it more green? One of the biggest drawbacks to this spooky holiday is all the candy that gets passed out. Approximately, 10 pounds of it! That’s a lot of candy for one child.
If you’re lucky your children might come home with an all natural version of sweets without the high fructose corn syrup. More than likely, their pillowcases will be brimming with candy you don’t support!
Last year, my family focused on easy ways to put a little eco in your Halloween adventures but this year we’re going a little further. We plan to support Fair Trade and participate in Reverse Trick-Or-Treating this year- Learn how you can too!
Joyce Kushner of Coco-Zen Chocolate is a green mom with a small business -plain and simple- she’s passionate about chocolate and the planet! Since Joyce is committed to Fair Trade standards; she donated chocolate from her shop to this year’s Reverse Trick-Or-Treating. The annual event is headed by Global Exhange, a membership-based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world.
“hundreds of children will be handing back a fair-trade chocolate on Halloween made by the San Francisco owner of Coco-Zen during a national reverse trick-or-treating event”
AND let me tell you folks I’ve had the opportunity to taste test Coco-Zen Fair Trade chocolate and I can attest to how scrumptious her chocolate is. Mmm!
So what in the world is Reverse Trick-Or-Treating???
Reverse Trick-Or-Treating
On Halloween night, schoolchildren (and high school/college students and adults) across the US and Canada will untie to help:
END poverty among cocoa farmers
END abusive child labor in the cocoa industry
PROMOTE Fair Trade
PROTECT the environment
by giving Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate back to adults, while Trick-or-Treating door-to-door in their communities on Halloween. The chocolate is attached to a card with information about social and environmental justice issues in the cocoa industry and how buying Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate provides a solution.
Parents rave about how Reverse Trick-or-Treating transforms Halloween into a meaningful event when youth activists give back to their neighbors and help cocoa growing communities.
Reverse Trick-or-Treating is an initiative launched by the human rights organization Global Exchange in cooperation with Fair Trade company Equal Exchange and is a collaborative effort of countless children, youth, and adults supported by institutions including nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, Fair Trade companies, and schools. Visit www.reversetrickortreating.org for more information.
FREE Chocolates from Coco-Zen
This year, Coco-Zen is proud to be among the Fair Trade chocolate companies who are donating to this wonderful campaign. See our press release for details.
From now until Oct 27th, you can get your Reverse Trick-Or-Treat Kit directly from Coco-Zen while supplies last.
Reverse Trick-Or-Treat Kit Includes:
- 20 Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate disks (combination of milk chocolate & 65% bittersweet chocolate)
- 20 Reverse Trick-Or-Treating cards
- Glue dots
- Instructions for assembly*
*Assembling the cards and chocolates is a great craft project for the kids and gives parents the opportunity to talk to kids about Fair Trade, the cocoa industry, and how even the simple act of buying Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate can greatly benefit others halfway around the world. See our Planet & People: Cocoa Farming page to learn more.
The kits are FREE. Coco-Zen charges a $5 flat shipping fee for each kit (USPS Priority Mail).
Click here to get a Reverse Trick-Or-Treat Kit.
Why not go against the grain this year and make a statement. Make a difference. Make a statement against candy confections that are
A. made under child labor conditions &
B. made by companies who don’t support breastfeeding;
If you’d like follow through make sure you buycott all Nestle products! I’m planning to pass out fair trade chocolate in support of children, farmers and the environment.
Let’s forgo the sugary unhealthy treats AND send out a HUGE message instead by Reverse Trick-Or-Treating!
October just so happens to be Fair Trade month too..
I’m all for a high fructose corn syrup free Halloween and we’re looking forward to our Reverse Trick-Or-Treat experience.
Have a Happy, Green Halloween!
[This post was written by Leslie Quigley.]
Zen Halloween…? You’re confusing mixed metahphors if not histotical implications.
Zen is a division of Japanese Buddhisn and Hallow’en originaly based in paganism then Christian All Saints day.
It would be helpful for the ignorant to be given the opportunity of correct information dont you think?
Ed.?
Hi Howard,
You’re completely right! Did not mean to confuse anyone… added “Coco” to the title which I had inadvertently left out. thx! 🙂
Great idea! Who needs more junky candy and all the paper products that get wasted for Halloween parties?
Ah, I found out about this too late. I would have loved to order the kit for this year. I am disgusted by the junk that gets handed out at Halloween. Reverse-trick-Or-Treating is a great way to raise awareness while offering an alternative to high fructose corn syrup!