Chocolate vs. Pumpkin Seeds: Which Halloween snack has the lowest carbon footprint?

Halloween is the time to dress up and stuff ourselves full of candy, but it’s also a holiday that can encourage poor nutritional choices and generate a lot of waste. We took a look at two Halloween snack options—already knowing which one is better for our waistlines—and we found out that a healthier snack can be better for the environment, too. The carbon footprint of pumpkin seeds is less than a third of the average chocolate bar. So grab a handful and read on for a few tips to try this Halloween:

• Find a costume swap at GreenHalloween.org
• Toast the pumpkin seeds from your jack-o-lantern and try these different flavors from Food Network
• Look for a local candy swap or use the Switch Witch as an alternative to having your kids eat all their candy
• Rent a costume or make your own using supplies you already have at home, like these ideas from Real Simple.

Another Chance To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint. Learn More

Assumptions: We assume an average weight of a chocolate bar at 49 grams and the average weight of a pumpkin to be 12 lbs or 5.5 kgs with an average of 500 seeds.

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Sources: Style Caster: Are Your Halloween Candy Wrappers Killing the Environment?Wikipedia • Visual News: How Many Pumpkin Seeds? Halloween by the Numbers • National Retail Federation: Record Number of Americans to Buy Halloween Costumes • Green Conduct: Scary Halloween Consumer Statistics

*Statistic credit Bob Lilienfeld www.Use-Less-Stuff.com based ondata from U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Transportation.