Support Loyola Students’ Sustainable Halloween Costume Contest

 

Spooky season is upon us here at Loyola, and while most of us are preparing for the fun and excitement of Halloween, Loyola undergraduates Paul Schnell and Zach Neybert are calling attention to one of the scariest parts about the holiday: its environmental impact. Each year, single-use Halloween costumes generate thousands of tons of waste, only a small percentage of which finds its way to recycling centers.

To combat this issue, Schnell and Neybert were motivated to encourage their fellow students to thrift or reuse their Halloween costumes this year. Born out of a research project for an environmental science course taught by Dr. Martin Montoya, they created the Sustainable Halloween Costume Contest as a means of “educating the Loyola student body on the negative effects of the fast fashion industry and how they can fight for sustainable justice.”

The challenge is available to all Loyola students willing to take the pledge to thrift or repurpose part or all of their Halloween costumes. By joining the fun, contestants not only help reduce waste generated by single-use costumes but also get the chance to win a $20 Raising Cane’s gift card and a Loyola hoodie!

For more information about the dangers of fast fashion, Halloween’s environmental impact, and details about the challenge, visit the challenge Instagram page, @sustainablehalloweenluc.