Chemical-free candy. Fair-trade chocolate. Eco-friendly costumes. Non-toxic make-up. Having a green Halloween is easy, and safer for you, your family, and the environment. And LiveGreenTwinCities has all of your green tips, tricks, and treats.

Green candy

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in traditional candy? High-fructose corn syrup. Hydrogenated oils. Dyes and chemicals. Not only is it bad for kids, it's bad for the environment, too. The processing of all that candy--and the waste it creates--takes a serious toll on the planet. And at Halloween, Americans are purchasing more than 90 million pounds of it. Now that's super scary.

However, NaturalCandyStore.com (still promising delivery by Halloween) and your local co-ops sell candy that is fair-trade, corn-syrup free, and organic. Seward Co-Op currently has Yummy Earth assorted candies for $5.29 a pound. Yummy Earth makes organic lollipops, candy drops, and gummi bears that are free of chemical colors, artificial flavors, and corn syrup. You can also find assorted fair-trade chocolates at your local co-op or chocolatier. Kids, parents, and the planet are sure to be pleased.

Green costumes

Every year, millions of people buy Halloween costumes that wind up getting worn once and then tossed in the garbage during spring cleaning. It's a waste of money, and it's bad for the planet. Not only do these one-time costumes add to the landfills, they create serious CO2 emissions in the production, shipping, and packaging. That's a lot of waste for something that only gets worn once. So why not create DIY Halloween costumes this year from leftover materials or old clothes instead?

There's always the easy and fun one: An old sheet can me turned into a ghost. Plus, it's funny. Everyone loves a sheet ghost, especially one that howls. Or you could get super creative, turning an old dress into a zombie princess costume or dad's old work shirt into a lumberjack costume. You could tape leftover wrappers or trash to your body, make some antennas from cereal boxes, and go out as a litter bug for Halloween. Cute, funny, and eco-conscious, too!

And if you're fresh out of ideas or costumes of your own, buy recycled goods you can wear again from local stores like Savers or the Salvation Army. And if you don't wind up wearing them again, at the very least turn the old goods into cleaning rags or toys for the pooch.

Green face-paint

We're not talking about the color green. (Unless, of course, you got a hankering to go out as the Hulk.) We're talking about face-paint that is non-toxic. Like most cosmetics, face paint is loaded with parabens, dyes, phthlates, fragrances, and more that are known toxins and irritants. In fact, the FDA warned earlier this month that there have been "reports of adverse events and allergic reactions" from Halloween face paint.

So if you are going to use face paint, go for plant-based, all-natural face paints, which you can find online . You can also find non-toxic face paint at Wonderment stores in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Creative Kidstuff, and Peapods in St. Paul.

And while you're at it, remember to pick up some non-toxic, paraben-free cosmetics and lotions, too. It can be a year-round treat for you and your family.