When “06880” last covered Erika Miller and Jennifer Boyd, they were taking on the Westport school system over candy in classrooms, and processed food in cafeterias.
Now they’ve got bigger fish to fry:
Halloween.
The Westport residents — calling themselves “Two Angry Moms,” after the healthy food movement of the same name — say that every kids’ favorite holiday is way too sugary, gluttonous, wasteful, and consumerist.
No way!
From 4-6 p.m. on Halloween Day — Sunday, Oct. 31 — the Westport Historical Society will host free entertainment and educational activities, for kids and adults.
There’s an interactive break dancer; “touch tanks” featuring Halloween-ish things like gross eyeballs, and an “Eco-Graveyard” (waste by-products of Halloween, like candy wrappers and bottles, will be “buried”).
It’s not all fun and games, of course. Green Halloween-goers will learn that chocolate production is one of the world’s worst sources of child slave labor (who knew?).
Staples students are volunteering, and the response so far has been good, the Two Angry Moms say.
“06880” — no fan of either child obesity or gluttony — applauds the Green Halloween idea. But the cynic in us asks: What’s to prevent kids from going to the event from 4-6 p.m., then rushing home (or Gault, the beach or other densely populated neighborhoods) to trick-or-treat for, um, chocolate?
“That’s fine,” Miller says. “We know that’s a deep tradition. We just want to show everyone there’s an alternative.
“Maybe they’ll realize that getting 20 pounds of candy isn’t necessary — 5 or 6 pounds is enough.
“Maybe they’ll decide that at every 2nd house, they’ll collect money for UNICEF.
“And we’ll have healthy snacks at Green Halloween. So maybe they’ll have some good food before they go out trick or treating.”
Green Halloween: It’s the 2010 thing to do.
But I hope kids never lose the thrill of scooping out a gloopy, smelly, seed-filled pumpkin.
(For more information, email erikahornmiller@yahoo.com or jbdm1@yahoo.com)