The Office of Sustainability helped students find an eco-friendly and budget-friendly approaches to picking Halloween costumes.
With Halloween less than a month away, Ohio University students were able to give and receive costumes Tuesday in Baker Center.
Costumes of all sorts were available in the Baker Center Bobcat Student Lounge as part of a costume exchange hosted by the Office of Sustainability.
If a student didn’t have any old costumes to give away, it was not a problem.
“We brought extras just in case so everyone could get a costume,” Elizabeth Rose, a master's student studying recreation studies and the coordinator of the event, said.
Aside from some Goodwill buys, the costumes and decorations at the event were made out of recycled material. Milk jugs were turned into pumpkins and toilet paper rolls became trees. The costumes were created by everyday items.
Most of the costumes available were head pieces along with props. This was done to make the costumes “one size fits all.”
Different kinds of monkey costumes were available, all including ears and a tail. A witch’s costume was also available, featuring a hat and a rustic broom made from parts of a lilac bush.
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“I just like that you can use ordinary things and create unique pieces,” Rose said. “It’s such a fun process.”
Rose said she hoped to use this event as another means to advocate for being environmentally friendly.
“First, I want people to recycle old costumes, and I also want to inspire them to use household materials when making decorations,” she said.
Hallie Zarbakhsh, the grant writer at the Office of Sustainability, said the drive is not only eco-friendly, but budget friendly, as well.
"Costumes are expensive. I spent $75 once,” she said.
Annie Laurie Cadmus, director of sustainability at OU, echoed those sentiments.
“Costumes are expensive and it gets stressful trying to come up with an idea on what to be,” Cadmus said. “This is an easier solution.”
Students stopped by to donate costumes, such as a Cinderella gown, as well, which fit into the spirit of event, Rose said.
"The coolest part is you can share with others who may not have a costume for this year,” Rose said.
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