By: Sandra Stoner
In celebration of Halloween, I carved a pumpkin last week. I used one of those witch outlines flying through the air and I must admit that the final product turned out looking pretty decent. I was proud enough of “my witch” to put the pumpkin in our window for everyone to see. All was going well (I was getting a sufficient amount of compliments on my carving skills) until I accidentally left a candle burning in it overnight. Yikes. There could be no delay, my pumpkin needed to be gotten rid of. As I was going to throw it out in the garbage, my inner voice shouted “It’s a pumpkin! It doesn’t belong in a landfill!” I debated what to do, but I live in a city and I concluded that my fellow apartment dwellers would not appreciate a rotting pumpkin on their front sidewalk, so I tossed it.
Afterwards though, I decided to look up and see just what I, and so many others who are facing the imminent ruin of their jack-o-lanterns in a few short days, should do with these pumpkins who are over-appreciated in the weeks following up to Halloween and then sadly forgotten the rest of the year. Here is what I found.
First off, those pumpkins are pretty amazing things, or I should say, squash-like fruits. A 2004 study found that pumpkins have the ability to clean up toxic substances such as DDT and PCBs from soil. DDT and PCBs were banned in the 1970s in the United States because they are dangerous to mammals (including us!). They accumulate in our bodies and cause all kinds of diseases. There are still hundreds of sites in the United States contaminated by DDT and/or PCBs; even more frightening is the fact that neither toxin is completely banned throughout the rest of the world. Many countries continue to use both.
Pumpkins are also an excellent source of Vitamin A, something that we in the United States may take for granted but which people in other countries are literally dying for. The lack of this vitamin in areas of Africa, Southeast Asia, and South/Central America has been linked with blindness and infant deaths. Pumpkins can be shipped to these people in colder months of the year when other Vitamin A rich fruit such as mangoes are out of season.
So, pumpkins could really help out with the clean-up of toxic sites or saving people’s lives around the world. Perhaps my witch would have been more useful if I had sent it to the EPA or to Africa? Yes, but I don’t think my carved pumpkin would have survived the trip, so what is my next best alternative?
With my research I found that the most environmentally friendly thing to do with your jack-o-lantern’s remains is to throw it into a compost pile outside where it can decompose and add to the nutrients of your yard. Of course, if you live in a city like me you have to do a bit more digging around. I found that Chicago (where I live), accepts pumpkins at all of our recycling centers. So if you live in a city check with your local recycling center to see if you can deposit your pumpkin there.
Some other tips I picked up:
Remember to bake those pumpkin seeds (they can be tasty if you sprinkle them with salt!) so that they are not wasted. If you don’t like the taste (I don’t), let the birds have them. They can be a tasty fall treat for lots of wildlife.
Try to buy organic if you can. Pumpkins that have been sprayed with chemicals are not as healthy for you or for the environment. These UNnatural pumpkin farms hurt the environment just to make a quick and easy buck at Halloween. Google “organic pumpkin farms” to find local stores where you may purchase healthy safer alternatives.
Overall- Try to remember that your jack-o-lantern serves a higher purpose and should not be wasted after you are finished with it. Follow my advice, not my actions, and recycle that pumpkin!
Afterwards though, I decided to look up and see just what I, and so many others who are facing the imminent ruin of their jack-o-lanterns in a few short days, should do with these pumpkins who are over-appreciated in the weeks following up to Halloween and then sadly forgotten the rest of the year. Here is what I found.
First off, those pumpkins are pretty amazing things, or I should say, squash-like fruits. A 2004 study found that pumpkins have the ability to clean up toxic substances such as DDT and PCBs from soil. DDT and PCBs were banned in the 1970s in the United States because they are dangerous to mammals (including us!). They accumulate in our bodies and cause all kinds of diseases. There are still hundreds of sites in the United States contaminated by DDT and/or PCBs; even more frightening is the fact that neither toxin is completely banned throughout the rest of the world. Many countries continue to use both.
Pumpkins are also an excellent source of Vitamin A, something that we in the United States may take for granted but which people in other countries are literally dying for. The lack of this vitamin in areas of Africa, Southeast Asia, and South/Central America has been linked with blindness and infant deaths. Pumpkins can be shipped to these people in colder months of the year when other Vitamin A rich fruit such as mangoes are out of season.
So, pumpkins could really help out with the clean-up of toxic sites or saving people’s lives around the world. Perhaps my witch would have been more useful if I had sent it to the EPA or to Africa? Yes, but I don’t think my carved pumpkin would have survived the trip, so what is my next best alternative?
With my research I found that the most environmentally friendly thing to do with your jack-o-lantern’s remains is to throw it into a compost pile outside where it can decompose and add to the nutrients of your yard. Of course, if you live in a city like me you have to do a bit more digging around. I found that Chicago (where I live), accepts pumpkins at all of our recycling centers. So if you live in a city check with your local recycling center to see if you can deposit your pumpkin there.
Some other tips I picked up:
Remember to bake those pumpkin seeds (they can be tasty if you sprinkle them with salt!) so that they are not wasted. If you don’t like the taste (I don’t), let the birds have them. They can be a tasty fall treat for lots of wildlife.
Try to buy organic if you can. Pumpkins that have been sprayed with chemicals are not as healthy for you or for the environment. These UNnatural pumpkin farms hurt the environment just to make a quick and easy buck at Halloween. Google “organic pumpkin farms” to find local stores where you may purchase healthy safer alternatives.
Overall- Try to remember that your jack-o-lantern serves a higher purpose and should not be wasted after you are finished with it. Follow my advice, not my actions, and recycle that pumpkin!
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