Here at Energy.gov, we take Halloween seriously — very seriously. Maybe it has something to do with all the flickering lights (should’ve used LEDs), drafty haunted houses (terrible insulation) and broom-riding witches (very sustainable!).
Whatever the reason, we thought we’d share the spirit of Energyween — or is it Halloweenergy? — with these five easy-to-make, energy-themed costumes. Combine them with one of ourenergy jack-o-lantern designs for a festive finale to National Energy Action Month!
SOLAR PANEL
Halloween may be dark and spooky, but you can bring some (renewable) energy to the party as a sleek, shiny photovoltaic solar panel. Just cover the cardboard with cellophane, secure the edges with duct tape, draw on a grid of silver contacts, and presto! You’re a critical piece ofAmerica’s clean energy future and the fight against climate change. Wear your sunglasses at night for added sustainable swagger, but please, resist the urge to climb onto any rooftops.
BONUS: Have a friend dress up as the Sun and spend the night basking in his or her glow.
INGREDIENTS:
- Cardboard
- Dark blue or black cellophane
- Silver permanent marker
- Duct tape
- String
ERNEST MONIZ (FAUX-NIZ?)
Show everyone how big a fan you are of our nuclear physics-loving, Iran Deal-explaining, classically coiffed Secretary of Energy by dressing up as Ernest Moniz, Ph.D., this Halloween. The hair is key here — but don’t forget your copy of the Quadrennial Energy Review, the nation’s roadmap to a smarter, more secure and more competitive energy future.
INGREDIENTS:
- Suit & tie
- Stylish “Founding Father” wig
- Quadrennial Energy Review (get it here — only 348 pages!)
ENERGY VAMPIRE
You are a creature of the night. You lurk in the shadows, draining the power of the unwary. No energy bill is safe! Far scarier than the stuff of Dracula or Twilight, energy vampires are home appliances and electronic devices that suck electricity even when they aren’t in use. This Halloween, unplug all the unused phone chargers in your house and attach them to yourself for a costume that will fill your friends with terror while saving you money.
INGREDIENTS:
- Black cape
- Plastic fangs
- Lots and lots of charging cords
- Tape
PARTICLE ACCELERATOR
You’ll be a smashing success at your next Halloweenergy party with this atomic outfit! Run blinking LED piping along a hula-hoop and attach some suspenders, decorate your black turtleneck with quarks, bosons and neutrinos, and BAM! You’re a particle accelerator! Light up the dance floor as your moves simulate the chaos of the universe moments after the Big Bang — much like Energy Department scientists are doing at Fermilab, Brookhaven Lab andSLAC.
INGREDIENTS:
- Hula-hoop
- LED light strips
- Suspenders
- Black turtleneck
- Construction paper “particles”
WIND TURBINE
Afraid to wear white after Labor Day? Don’t worry — clean energy never goes out of style. For this majestic costume, cut out three “blades” from a piece of foam poster board and attach one to each of your arms. Cut a hole for your face in the third, and wear white clothes or an old sheet to complete the look. You won’t produce electricity, but at least you’ll generate conversations wherever you go, so why not impress your friends with the fact that U.S. wind energy prices reached all-time lows in 2014, or that wind could provide up to 35% of the nation’s power by 2050?
BONUS: Add inflatable ankle floats or an inner tube to take your turbine offshore!
INGREDIENTS:
- Foam poster board
- White clothes/sheet
- Scissors/knife
- Tape
