Fall is officially here, and the Albatross Designs team is eager to partake in all things autumn! This is the perfect time of year to get out of the house and soak in the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. And while you’re doing so, why not participate in some activities that are local, good for the planet, and budget-friendly? Here are our 6 favorite sustainable and fun ways to celebrate fall!
- Bake a Pumpkin Dessert
- Now that we’re on Pinterest, we’re realizing how many amazing pumpkin recipes are out there! From the traditional pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie to pumpkin cheesecake and muffins, there are plenty of delectable recipes to fill your home (and bellies) with the sweet taste of fall. And based on what’s available in your area, you may be able to purchase most of your baking necessities package free. A lot of bulk stores carry baking items that you can refill in your own jars, such as flour, sugar, baking soda/powder, cocoa powder, and sometimes even vanilla extract! If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can also make your own pumpkin puree from scratch using actual pumpkins. Pro tip: minimize the amount of food waste by baking the pumpkin seeds into a salty snack!
- Shop for Secondhand Decorations
- While you can typically find a few holiday decorations year round at thrift stores, most stores like Goodwill will put out their full stock of Halloween, fall and holiday decor around this time of year. This is a great opportunity to snag some quality decorating supplies that are both planet-friendly and low cost. We’ve also scored some cool holiday decorations at garage, yard, and estate sales. Bonus points for holding onto any decorations you purchase and reusing them year after year!
- Or Make Your Own Decorations
- Making your own fall decorations is a fun activity for both kids and adults! Notice any big, beautiful leaves in your front yard? Scoop them up and turn them into a garland to hang on your fireplace or bannister. You can also use leaves to make compostable confetti. Take a single hole punch and cut out as many circles of leaves as you like! Leaf confetti has multiple uses, including fall decor, pizzaz for envelopes sent via snail mail, or a substitute for throwing rice at a wedding!
- DIY Some Halloween Costumes
- If you’ve ever purchased a Halloween costume from a big box store, you know how awkward and ill-fitting they can be! Not to mention that they’re typically pricey and unsustainably made. This year, why not skip all the fuss and try making a DIY costume from items you already have at home? There are a ton of options for this, depending on what sort of supplies you have and how crafty you’d like to be. Some simple homemade costume ideas include: a hippie (long shirt or dress over bell bottom jeans + flowery jewelry and/or a headband), a sports fan (t-shirt and cap with your favorite team’s logo on it), a chef (apron + poofy hat that you can craft out of paper), and a rainy day (make and cut out some large water droplets from paper or cardboard, use string to tape them to a umbrella, wear a raincoat and boots and hold the umbrella, voila!). We’ve also found that the outfits of TV and movie characters are pretty easy to replicate using items from your closet. And if you need any additional accessories to fill out your DIY costume, look for them at a secondhand store while you’re perusing the holiday decor!
- Attend Some Local Activities
- Depending on where you live, your community may have some special events that take place in the fall. You won’t want to miss out on these events, especially if they’re only available once a year! Common festivities to look out for are things like fairs, farmers markets, and if you’re 21+, an Oktoberfest festival near you may be serving up some craft beers. But our personal favorite seasonal activities are apple orchards and pumpkin patches. Both apple orchards and pumpkin patches are family friendly, and a lot of pumpkin patches are even free - you just have to pay for any gourds you’d like to bring home with you. Like experience gifts, these activities are great to participate in because even if you’re spending money, you’re paying for an experience (versus material items), and hopefully the money will be funneled back into your community. Just make sure to avoid any single-use plastics while out and about. Having a set of our Take Back Ware on hand can help you significantly cut back on plastic waste!
- Have a Fall Photoshoot
- Colorful leaves, cozy sweaters, the smell of holiday cheer in the air. Autumn is a great time to take advantage of our natural scenery and have a photoshoot with friends and loved ones. Perhaps there is a particularly beautiful tree near you that always dazzles with its colorful leaves? If that’s the case, you could make a tradition of taking some pictures with it every year! Or, maybe even more fun, make a big pile of leaves and take some photos of friends and family jumping into it!
