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Written by Briar Bones
The leaves have officially turned and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! This holiday is a wonderful time to take a breath, spend time with our loved ones and show gratitude to the earth for everything it gives us.
We have made a list of 10 simple tips to give back to the earth this Thanksgiving!
1. Shop Locally & Organically!
Buying locally grown produce is a great way to help the environment this holiday season! This ensures that your produce hasn’t traveled thousands of miles (emitting greenhouse gases) or been refrigerated for long periods of time (using energy). Buying organic produce is another way to support sustainable farming practices – the use of pesticides on conventionally grown crops pollutes the soils and effects nearby wildlife. HERE is a fantastic resource to find farmers markets close to you!
2. Stay Close to Home for the Holiday or Carpool!
As mentioned above, traveling is a huge contributor to pollution. Therefore, staying close to home is the best thing you can do for the environment around the holidays. When that isn’t an option and family or friends live far away, carpool when you can!
3. Skip the Meat or Buy local!
While skipping the turkey entirely is ideal for the environment, your next best option is buying local and organic! Search your area for local farms that sell turkeys for the holiday – if that isn’t available to you, organic from the supermarket is a great option!
4. Enjoy Those Leftovers!
Leftovers are one of the best parts of the Thanksgiving feast and a great way to ensure nothing goes to waste! Send loved ones home with a plate of food and get ready to enjoy stuffing and gravy for days to come. And if you haven’t tried a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich before…its a must!
5. Plan Ahead & Coordinate Cooking Times!
When choosing your recipes for the big day, take note of which dishes cook at the same temperatures and coordinate those to be in the oven at the same time. This will minimize cooking time and how much energy you use!
6. Break out the Fancy Dinnerware and Skip the Single Use Plastics!
Keep single use plastic cutlery, paper plates and napkins out of the landfill by setting the table with your reusable dinnerware and cloth napkins. If you don’t have these items, consider borrowing a friends for the holiday or going thrifting!
7. Use Mother Earth to Decorate!
Fall leaves, cinnamon sticks, pumpkins, oh my! There is no shortage of natural adornments to use in place of plastic decor when setting up your Thanksgiving table. Get creative and make an activity out of foraging for these pieces!
8. Compost!
Composting is a fantastic way to use every single scrap of food waste we create – a whopping 8% of greenhouse gases come from wasted food! Composting prevents our food from going to the landfill and turning into methane – a harmful greenhouse gas. If you are new to composting, HERE is an easy guide to starting a compost at home!
9. Get Outside!
Instead of staying inside all day, turn off the lights and take a brisk walk with the family to get some fresh air and save on energy at the same time. A great way to spend time with loved ones and enjoy nature!
10. Skip Black Friday!
Rather than going out and participating in unsustainable consumption, extend the spirit of thanksgiving an extra day and be thankful for what you already have!Some alternatives to joining the hustle and bustle of Black Friday shopping would be to play board games with your family, go for a brisk bike ride, or just relax after a hard days work of hosting! If you are trying to get on top of Christmas shopping, consider buying your loved ones experiences rather than goods.
From everyone here at TGP, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
For ideas or collaboration, please reach out to our team at info@thegreenprogram.com.