5 Tips for a Planet-Friendly Thanksgiving
5 Tips for a Planet-Friendly Thanksgiving
A few tips to make your holiday that much better!
Thanksgiving is coming up and - since it's a holiday that's all about expressing gratitude for our many blessings - why not show the earth how blessed we feel by treating it well this holiday?
How can we do that, you ask?
Here are some planet-friendly ways to enjoy Thanksgiving and feel good about it:
Use What You Have: Have a look through your cupboards - especially your fridge - and take stock of what you already have available in your home. Then plan as much of your meal around this inventory before leaving the house to get more. Check your best before dates to see what needs to be used up, and remember: best before doesn't mean your food is not good anymore. Many items are good long past this date. Author and food waste expert Jonathan Bloom suggests, “look, smell, and if it comes to it, taste it before you throw it away.” Once you've taken stock, make a list of all the other ingredients you need and try the 100 Mile Challenge.
Take the 100 Mile Challenge: One of the biggest problems when it comes to sustainability is how far items have to travel to make it to your house. The 100 Mile Challenge is a challenge to get all your Thanksgiving dinner ingredients sourced from within a 100 mile radius. Not only does this reduce your carbon footprint, it's a great opportunity to support and discover all the amazing local farmers in your area.
Think Reusable & Planet-Friendly: Ditch the disposable napkins and invest in/make some fabric ones. They'll last for many more holidays and you may find you like them so much, you welcome them into every day dining! If you're the kind of person who goes all out with decorations and are shopping for more, think about how long they'll last and what the end-of-life is for each. Will it break easily? What is it made of? How easily will it break down? You can also use some of these rainy days to get crafty and make your own beautiful planet-friendly decor. There are tons of talented creatives online sharing their ideas.
Be Mindful of Waste: When thinking of Thanksgiving, we usually associate it with coming together with loved ones. But what also comes to mind is all... that... delicious... food! And this is great if it all gets enjoyed, but often there can be a lot of waste. A good way to avoid this is to plan dish sizes that are appropriately sized for your gathering. Of course, not much is better than Thanksgiving leftovers, so planning for those is also a wonderful idea.
Bring Containers: If you're enjoying Thanksgiving at someone else's house, consider bringing your own take away containers to bring home any leftovers. Hosts are often thrilled to send extras home with their guests, but would be even more thrilled if they didn't open their container cupboard after the holidays and wonder why it's empty!
Hope those are helpful and that you have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones. 🥰