Eye-Catching Designs Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles
The company sells a range of eco-friendly items like leggings, rash guards, and board shorts that are made using recycled post-consumer plastic bottles. There are currently 16 causes represented by distinct marine-life patterns, from whale shark research and invasive lionfish removal to sockeye salmon monitoring and abalone restoration.
One such organization is Get Inspired, a nonprofit that specializes in ocean restoration and environmental education. Get Inspired founder, marine biologist Nancy Caruso, says supporting on-the-ground efforts is one thing that sets Waterlust apart, like their apparel line that supports Get Inspired abalone restoration programs.
"All of us [conservation partners] are doing something," Caruso said. "We're not putting up exhibits and talking about it — although that is important — we're in the field."
Waterlust not only helps its conservation partners financially so they can continue their important work. It also helps them get the word out about what they're doing, whether that's through social media spotlights, photo and video projects, or the informative note card that comes with each piece of apparel.
"They're doing their part for sure, pushing the information out across all of their channels, and I think that's what makes them so interesting," Caruso said.
And then there are the clothes, which speak for themselves.
Advocate Apparel to Start Conversations About Conservation
Waterlust's concept of "advocate apparel" encourages people to see getting dressed every day as an opportunity to not only express their individuality and style, but also to advance the conversation around marine science. By infusing science into clothing, people can visually represent species and ecosystems in need of advocacy — something that, more often than not, leads to a teaching moment.
"When people wear Waterlust gear, it's just a matter of time before somebody asks them about the bright, funky designs," said Waterlust's CEO, Patrick Rynne. "That moment is incredibly special, because it creates an intimate opportunity for the wearer to share what they've learned with another."
The idea for the company came to Rynne when he was a Ph.D. student in marine science.
"I was surrounded by incredible people that were discovering fascinating things but noticed that often their work wasn't reaching the general public in creative and engaging ways," he said. "That seemed like a missed opportunity with big implications."
Waterlust initially focused on conventional media, like film and photography, to promote ocean science, but the team quickly realized engagement on social media didn't translate to action or even knowledge sharing offscreen.
Rynne also saw the "in one ear, out the other" issue in the classroom — if students didn't repeatedly engage with the topics they learned, they'd quickly forget them.
"We decided that if we truly wanted to achieve our goal of bringing science into people's lives and have it stick, it would need to be through a process that is frequently repeated, fun, and functional," Rynne said. "That's when we thought about clothing."
Support Marine Research and Sustainability in Style
To date, Waterlust has sold tens of thousands of pieces of apparel in over 100 countries, and the interactions its products have sparked have had clear implications for furthering science communication.
For Caruso alone, it's led to opportunities to share her abalone restoration methods with communities far and wide.
"It moves my small little world of what I'm doing here in Orange County, California, across the entire globe," she said. "That's one of the beautiful things about our partnership."
Check out all of the different eco-conscious apparel options available from Waterlust to help promote ocean conservation.
Melissa Smith is an avid writer, scuba diver, backpacker, and all-around outdoor enthusiast. She graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in journalism and sustainable studies. Before joining EcoWatch, Melissa worked as the managing editor of Scuba Diving magazine and the communications manager of The Ocean Agency, a non-profit that's featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary Chasing Coral.
Or, alternatively, buying the convenient and cost-effective jumbo-size bags of candy and bars packaged and placed at aisle-end every October, adding to the overall crap-ton levels of sugar, GMO ingredients, pesticides, artificial colors and flavors consumed by the children in their neighborhood on Nov. 1.
And then there's the plastic and waste.
Guilt. Everywhere.
Most kids want to participate in the full Halloween experience of bright colors and sugar and gluttony and Butterfingers for breakfast. And most of us are going to let them do that—to a degree.
But, given our unique resources at the Environmental Working Group (EWG)—the Food Scores database, which rates thousands of food items based on nutrition, ingredient hazards and degree of processing; scientific expertise in GMOs, pesticides, food colors and flavors; and EWG nutritionist and mom Dawn Undurraga—we wanted to give you some ideas (beyond whole walnuts, pennies and dental floss) to help you shop a little smarter and a little healthier this year. And maybe stay out of the guilt vortex.
To help us solve this problem, EWG's database analyst, Sydney Swanson, scoured our Food Scores database for candy and snacks that are USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified; use natural flavors and colors; are allergen safe; and/or are relatively low in sugar.
EWG's Top 10 Healthy-ish Halloween Treats
Dawn's Pick in Order:
1. Skinny Dipped Almonds Mini Pack – or other chocolate-covered almonds
2. Skinny Pop Halloween Multipack
4. Organic appleapple Gogo squeeZ Applesauce Pouches
5. Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears
6. Wholesome Organic Skull & Ghost Lollipops
7. Annie's Organic Bunnies & Bats Fruit Snacks
8. Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Chips Ghosts & Bats
9. Snyder's Halloween Mini Pretzels
10. Surf Sweets: Organic Spooky Shapes
1. Skinny Dipped Almonds Mini Pack – or other chocolate-covered almonds
Chocolate-covered almonds have the greatest nutritional value on this list, with fiber and healthy fat to help kids feel full (and maybe eat less candy). However, they are by far the most expensive, and since it's a tree nut, almonds are obviously not allergy friendly.
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No ingredients listed in EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives
- Gluten free
- Non-GMO Project Verified
Allergy info: According to ingredients on product page, contains dairy, soy and tree nuts
- 1 gram fiber
- 15 percent sugar
2. Skinny Pop Halloween Multipack
Popcorn helps kids feel full and eat less.
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No ingredients listed in EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives
- Gluten free
- Non-GMO Project Verified
Allergy info: According to Google Express, "Certified gluten-free … Dairy free. Peanut free. Tree nut free. Preservative free. No artificial flavors."
- Whole grain!
- 0 percent sugar
3. Organic OCHO Coconut Minis
If only candy will do, Dawn recommends these dark chocolate bars filled with coconut because of their relatively low sugar content – 34 percent. Note that these are not allergy friendly.
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No ingredients listed in EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives
- Gluten free
- Certified organic by USDA and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
- Certified non-GMO by CCOF
Allergy info: contains soy
Contains: According to Ocho coconut minis product page "Contains: Tree nuts. Made on shared equipment that processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk and eggs"
- 34 percent sugar
4. Organic appleapple Gogo squeeZ applesauce pouches
Why do kids love these so much? I don't know, but they do. My kids would suck down all 48 pouches in the bulk pack if I let them. So this non-candy, all-fruit option might be a huge win at your house. The non-recyclable plastic containers and high price are a con, however.
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No ingredients listed in EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives
- USDA Organic Certified
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- Gluten free
Allergy info, according to GoGo squeeZ FAQs: "All GoGo squeeZ applesauce products are free of the top 8 allergens: egg, dairy, wheat, tree nuts, seafood, shellfish, peanut, or soy. GoGo squeeZ applesauce products are made in a facility that is also free of these noted allergens."
- 100 percent fruit
- 14 percent sugar
5. Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears
These gummy bears might pass your kid's sniff test as "real" candy, but they're made with better ingredients than conventional brands. And as far as organic candy goes, they aren't crazy expensive.
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No ingredients listed in EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives
- USDA Organic Certified
- Gluten free
Allergy info according to Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears product page: "Some [products] are free from some or all of the "Big 8" allergens but others are not. So please refer to your product packaging, as it contains the most current ingredient and allergen statements."
- 47 percent sugar
6. Wholesome Organic Skull & Ghost Lollipops
These spooky lollipops are another Halloween candy option, as the trick-or-treaters will not gobble them down as quickly as other alternatives.
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- USDA Organic Certified
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- Gluten free
Allergy info according to Wholesome Candy FAQs: "Produced on dedicated nut-free, gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free equipment in a segregated area of a facility that also processes dairy, eggs, soy, and wheat."
- 57 percent sugar
7. Annie's Organic Bunnies & Bats Fruit Snacks
These aren't the most exciting thing to be found in a plastic pumpkin, but who doesn't love Annie's?
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- USDA Organic Certified
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- 48 percent sugar
8. Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Chips Ghosts & Bats
Ok, these might make your kids roll their eyes. But maybe they like to think outside the box! Maybe they love chips! These chips are shaped like ghosts and bats, for goodness' sake! Run this past your kids and see what they think. (However, note that, with zero fiber, these are still empty calories, just like any other chip.)
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No ingredients listed in EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives
- Gluten free
- Non-GMO (according to their website, though not verified)
Allergy info according to Sensible Portions FAQs: "While our products do not contain nut ingredients, we cannot guarantee that our facility is nut-free. Our manufacturing facilities follow rigid allergen control programs and good manufacturing practices to prevent products coming into contact with allergens."
- Less than 1 percent sugar
9. Snyder's Halloween Mini Pretzels
Another non-candy option, these pretzels have zero sugar and no artificial flavors or colors. But they don't have whole-grain fiber, either.
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- No ingredients listed in EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives
- Non-GMO Project Verified
Allergy info: According to product page on Target: "Contains: Wheat. Does not contain any of the 8 major allergens"
- 0 percent sugar
10. Surf Sweets: Organic Spooky Shapes
Surf Sweets (part of the Wholesome brand of foods) makes a gummy option perfectly packaged for Halloween
- No artificial flavors
- No artificial colors
- USDA Organic Certified
- Non-GMO Project Verified
Allergy info according to Surf Sweets FAQs: "Made and packaged in a facility free of the 10 most common food allergens, including dairy/casein, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, sesame and sulfites"
- 57 percent sugar