How to plan for a Green Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, have a more eco-friendly, less wasteful experience than you normally have with these seven green tips. These are simple ways to make your Thanksgiving greener, save money, and put together a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, without negatively impacting the environment. Dishware: One of the major wastes during the holiday season is dishes. People are busy trying to make all of the last minute preparations, want to entertain the guests, and don’t want the burden of doing the dishes. So many people choose to use disposable napkins, dishes, and silverware at their holiday parties. However, considering the great number of people eating big this day—this has a significant impact on the environment. This year, bring out the nice dinner plates, silver, and cloth napkins for a more formal ambiance. It may take more time, but it will be less expensive (since you are not purchasing disposable ware) and will invariably decrease your environmental impact. Use biodegradable dish soap or detergent to clean the dishes after the meal. If that simply won’t fly in your extended family party of 30, use biodegradable or compostable disposable dishware and silverware. There are brands now (like Preserve) that make disposable “plastic” plates and silverware. But the plastic is made from potatoes and corn, depending on the brand, so you can throw it straight into the compost after using it. Food: When preparing the Thanksgiving meal, take steps to make it good for the environment as well as good to taste. Try serving things that are either homemade, or made locally (to reduce the carbon footprint of the food). Also try eating organic vegetables and free-range meat. This will help the health of your family and the environment, because things grown naturally have a positive impact on the environment. Instead of buying the Ocean Spray cranberry sauce from a can, try making your own from scratch. You can cut down on preparation time the day of the event by making it ahead of time and freezing or canning it. Drinks: Filter tap water to serve guests instead of buying bottled water. If you are serving specialty drinks or alcoholic beverages, try drinking organic beer, wine, or champagne—Cabot Wines are an excellent option (made in California). Also make sure to recycle the bottles to minimize waste. Entertainment: Try eco-friendly options for entertainment this year. Instead of everyone gathering around the television or going out for a movie, avoid the crowds at the theatre, and kick the remote. You can enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of quality time instead. If you live somewhere without snow at Thanksgiving, try a family football game in the backyard. Or, if there is snow, build snowmen or go sledding. Travel: Try to minimize your carbon footprint while traveling. While you should not forget the extended family just to minimize your impact on the environment, consider how you are going to get there. You can calculate the difference in carbon emissions on a flight versus driving on most online carbon calculators. But in general, if you drive a car that gets relatively good miles per gallon, and you are traveling with more than one person, it is both better for the environment and your pocketbook to drive instead of flying. If you are traveling locally … even better. Decorations: If you do use decorations for Thanksgiving, and the holidays in general, try to use the same ones year after year. If you are purchasing anything new, try to buy the eco-friendly options. For instance, get soy-based candles instead of regular. They smell excellent and are better to breathe for those around. Method brand has a wonderfully-scented holiday line of soy candles. Lighting: You will be using a lot of electricity during the holidays for cooking and other festivities, so try to minimize lighting where possible. Make sure you only have on lights during the dark hours and while you are awake. Also, only light rooms that you are currently using. Or, set the mood with low lights and candles. As your light bulbs go out, replace them with the energy efficient equivalents.