October 2011 – Surf Sweets®, the country’s leading brand of organically sweetened, fruitfully delicious and naturally good candy gummy candies and jelly beans, has teamed up with Green Halloween®, a non-profit grassroots initiative that strives to create healthier more Earth-friendly holidays, to spread the word on the importance of celebrating an eco-friendly Halloween that’s good for us and good for our planet.

The best way to be green this Halloween is by hosting your own party. It’s not only safer for the kids; it allows you and your family to make a smaller eco-footprint when you celebrate this year.

Green Shopping
Thinking green is just as much about what you don’t buy as what you do buy. Every little thing counts when it comes to making green choices:

• Always bring your own cloth or recycled plastic bags with you when shopping for your Halloween celebration
• If you drive, get your shopping done all at once rather than taking short outings. You’ll save on gas and money while reducing your contribution to pollution and global warming
• Instead of buying treat bags, make them from old pillowcases, fabric or gallon-size ice cream buckets. Decorate them with reflective tape, fabric paint, glitter or felt cutout shapes. These can be reused and redecorated for years to come

Green Treats
Surf Sweets Snack Pack multi-packs of Gummy Bears and Sour Berry Bears are the perfect addition to a Green Halloween celebration because they’re made from organic and natural ingredients without any artificial colors, flavors or GMOs. Also, Surf Sweets organic ingredients are free of harsh chemicals and pesticides and are grown in an earth-friendly, sustainable manner.
 
Green Costumes
When it comes to choosing your Halloween persona, think outside of the “costume box.” 

• Look in your very own closet for costume inspiration
• Host a costume exchange for National Costume Swap DayTM (second Saturday of October)
• Utilize makeup and face paint in place of overpriced plastic and rubber masks
• Go to a local thrift store and see if anything jumps out at you
• Use a friend's "costume." If you have a friend who has a job with a very recognizable uniform such as fast food cashier or delivery person, ask to borrow their uniform

Decorations
Having a Green Halloween does not mean your party has be decoration-free.

• Gourds, pumpkins, apples and other items from nature look great as accents on front porches and table tops while also reducing the use of paper and plastics
• Decorations such as fair trade skeleton streamers and colorful recycled and recyclable dinnerware  may add a touch of festivity
• Being green also means eliminating as much waste as you can, so if you are going to purchase items that will end up in the trash, try to find items that can later be reused or recycled, or composted

And don’t forget to let your neighbors know you’re a proud Green Halloween® home. Make or purchase a door, window or lawn sign. Use or buy only recycled and remember to reuse year after year

Surf Sweets snack pack multi-packs consist of five 0.9-ounce Gummy Bears or Sour Berry Bears snack-size packs.  They can be found at mainstream grocery and natural foods stores, online and at specialty retailers for a suggested retail price of $4.49.  
 
For more great planning tips and fun party activities, check out the Surf Sweets Green Halloween party guide. Surf Sweets also offers three Surf Sweets Halloween treat recipes -- Popcorn Candy Worm Cake, Mummy Gummy’s and Witch’s Cauldrons – with photos, videos and step-by-step instructions for preparing each treat.
 
In addition to its snack pack multi-packs, Surf Sweets offers seven unique varieties of its mouth-watering organic and natural gummy candies and jelly beans in 2.75-oz packages:  Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms, Organic Jelly Beans, Sour Worms, Organic Fruity Bears, Gummy Swirls and Sour Berry Bears.
 
Unlike some other candy brands, Surf Sweets proudly makes its products in the USA, and all Surf Sweets candies are produced and packaged in a dedicated nut-free facility. Most Surf Sweets candies are currently available in mainstream grocery and natural foods stores, online and at specialty retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information on store locations, visit http://www.surfsweets.com/buy.php.
 
Green Halloween®
 
Green Halloween® is a non-profit, grassroots initiative striving to create healthier, eco-friendlier holidays – starting with Halloween.  Launched in Seattle in 2007 by a mother of two, the nationwide movement is all about educating and inspiring communities by showing how easy, affordable, and fun it can be to factor our earth and our health into our daily choices. To learn more about Green Halloween® and find fun events near you, visit www.GreenHalloween.org or www.celebrategreen.net.
 
About Surf Sweets®
 
Surf Sweets® is the country’s leading brand of organically sweetened, fruitfully delicious and naturally good gummy candies and jelly beans made with organic and natural ingredients and without any artificial colors and flavors. Surf Sweets is owned and operated by Wheeling, IL-based TruSweets, LLC, a socially responsible company dedicated to building delicious sweet snack brands that are better for our families and our planet. The company was founded in 2008 by Bert Cohen, an entrepreneur with a successful track record of building businesses in the natural foods industry. Surf Sweets currently offers seven unique varieties of mouth-watering gummy candies and jelly beans that are available at mainstream grocery and natural foods stores, online and at specialty retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.surfsweets.com.