If you live in the United States, you’ve most likely celebrated Halloween – you’ve gone trick or treating, you’ve carved a pumpkin, you’ve dressed up in costumes – you’ve done it all. While this holiday can be fun and add some excitement to our lives, it also comes at a cost.    For example, did you know in the United States, most of the 900,000 tons of pumpkin produced annually will be trashed, rather than used as food or composted? This enormous waste adds to the already critical global food waste crisis. Overall, around 1.3 billion tons of global waste are created each year. (World Economic  Forum, 2019)    This is just a small glimpse into the amount of waste created from this holiday, let alone the impact it can have on your health. From pumpkins and candy to costumes, decorations, and more, we need to look at the global impact of this holiday from every angle.   That’s why in this episode of Fatal Conveniences™, we’re going to explore the holiday Halloween and how we can start to celebrate in a more sustainable and health-conscious way.    What I discuss: 02:10 - Evaluating the Ecological Footprint of Halloween  07:21 - Exploring the Intersections of Halloween, Environmental Sustainability, and Public Health 23:75 - How Can We Move Towards an Eco-friendly and Health-conscious Halloween Celebration   Thank you to our sponsors:   Bite: Go to trybite.com/DARIN20 or use code DARIN20 for 20% off your first order.   Therasage: Go to www.therasage.com  and use code DARIN at checkout for 15% off.   Don’t forget…   You can order now by heading to darinolien.com/fatal-conveniences-book or order now on Amazon   Find more from Darin: Website: https://darinolien.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Darinolien/ Book: https://darinolien.com/fatal-conveniences-book/ Down to Earth: https://darinolien.com/down-to-earth/   Reliable Sources where you can learn more: Halloween can have spooky environmental consequences  Why Halloween is terrible for the environment  The Environmental impact of Halloween: What the jack-o’-lantern story says  about food waste in our society  Halloween candy comes with hidden environmental costs  13 Sustainable Halloween Tips That Are Anything But Boo-Ring 4 Ways To Make Your Halloween As Sustainable As It Is Stylish