10 Ways to Green Your Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a fantastic time to stop and give thanks for all that we have, but it can also be a great time to establish some new green traditions into your holiday! Author Lynn Colwell shares her top ten ways to go green for Thanksgiving!

1. Shop local and organic. It’s been said that each ingredient in the average Thanksgiving dinner travels 1500 miles to get to our table. Not only is this a carbon footprint issue, but think about this: Your turkey has been frozen possibly for months. The vegetables and fruits you’re eating have been developed for travel, not for taste. Why not pay your local farmer a visit? See what crops are available now and build your feast around them. If you’ve got questions about what to fix and how, we guarantee Farmer Jane or Joe will have the answers. If you’re concerned about the cost, be sure to gather a group and buy in quantity. Or see whether you might be able to work off the price of some of your thanksgiving ingredients (before or after the fact) by helping out around the farm.

2. Decorate with nature. No need to spend a penny on Thanksgiving decorations when nature is right outside your door. Grab your kids and go on a treasure hunt for natural materials you can use to bring the harvest feeling inside. Branches, berries, rose hips, leaves, gourds and straw are just a few ideas. Of course, ask first if you’re on private or state-owned property, but often neighbors are willing to open their fall yards for the picking.

3. Create new traditions. Just because you’ve always done Thanksgiving a certain way doesn’t mean you can’t add something new. Prior to the holiday, gather your family and discuss ideas. Ask friends and neighbors about their holiday traditions or research some on the internet. One we love is to ask each person coming for the meal, to bring a small item that represents something they are thankful for. Provide a glass bowl or platter in the center of the table where everyone can add their items. During dinner, go around the table and ask guests to explain why they chose the item they brought. Regardless of how many years you do this, you will always enjoy a different conversation as well as a unique centerpiece.

4. Involve everyone. Being eco-aware is not the job of any one person. When the entire family is involved, they are more likely to buy into the concept. Children, especially, are full of imaginative ideas once you explain what you’re seeking. Whether you want to visit an organic farm to find out what’s in season and available, research the difference among free range, organic and kosher turkeys, or come up with decorating ideas that involve making, not buying, a family approach can create good eco-habits and be a lot of fun too.

5. Buy nothing but food. Waste is one problem we can all do something about. Reusing and repurposing items instead of buying new means less stuff destined for the landfill. Be aware of how marketers attempt to entice us the moment we walk into stores. Remember to take a list with you when you shop, then stick to it. If you’re expecting a crowd for Thanksgiving, avoid buying paper plates, cups and plastic utensils. Instead, use what you already own, or ask guests to bring their own, which was how it was done before paper. (Here’s another opportunity for tradition building. At dinner, have guests talk about the place settings they choose to bring, explaining the history or significance of the tableware.) Another alternative is to search the thrift stores, seeking out plates in similar colors or patterns that complement each other. Who said every place setting must match?

6. Think green drinks. No it’s not St. Patrick’s Day, but thinking “green” when it comes to drinks at Thanksgiving means you’ll be serving just plain (not bottled) water or organic beverages. Seeing as apples and grapes are among the most heavily sprayed crops, seeking out organic cider, grape juice and wine should be at the top of your list. More and more organic wines and other spirits are being offered. If you can’t find them at a local store, ask for them, but in the meantime, do an online search. And if you’re worried about the cost, check out a local winery, contact your local apple farmer or shop at stores such as Costco and Trader Joes which are now selling organic beverages your guests will love and the Earth will be thankful for.

7. Aim for a no-waste celebration. The fall holidays launch a landfill explosion during which our dumps are filled up at four times the rate of any other time of year. What if you could provide your family and guests with a beautiful meal and enjoyable day and end with nary a scrap in the trash can? What would it take? This could be a fun exercise for the whole family. Look for the places where waste happens, most often with the use of paper products including wrapping of what is purchased. Instead of relying on plastic bags for produce, remember to take your cloth bags to the grocery store. Avoid buying boxed anything. But whatever you do buy, ensure that it can be recycled, reused or repurposed. Avoid purchasing anything wrapped in plastic that cannot be recycled or composted.

8. If you do buy disposable, make it sustainable. Perhaps you’re feeding dozens and need to purchase enough plates and utensils for everyone. Think about this: if every family in the U.S. bought one less package of paper plates a year, we could save almost half a million trees. So what to use if reusable won’t work for you? Choices for disposable plates, cups, napkins and utensils include those made from 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, sugarcane, and corn – and all are compostable, to boot.

9. Remember the arrows. The recycle symbol is made up of three arrows going round and round, reminding us that many items can be given new life after they’ve been used. Whether you’re recycling your food scraps by composting, sending the leftovers home in pre-rinsed glass spaghetti sauce jars, returning your natural décor pinecones back to nature, or packing your reusable décor away carefully - when the party’s over, the opportunity for being eco-savvy is going strong.

10. Focus on meaning. Of all the American holidays, Thanksgiving is the one most filled with personal meaning. It is a day synonymous family. And yet, too often, the meaning gets lost in our desire to create a Martha Stewart moment. Before planning your holiday, take some time to remember the happiest moments from your childhood holidays. Chances are, your memories will involve people more than things. Do you smile remembering helping your grandma mash the potatoes? The pre-meal football game you played with your cousins? Breaking the wish-bone? You don’t have to recreate these exact times of course (although doing so might be wonderful), instead, remember that no matter how your table is set, how the food looks or how the children’s outfits coordinate, the most important thing of all is simply being together.

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are a mother and daughter duo and the authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family available at www.CelebrateGreen.NET

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Source: Solar Power News