You Can Have Your Feast, and Be Green Too

For most, Thanksgiving Day is the official start of the holiday season. With the big day looming right around the corner, the internet is already buzzing with new feast-worthy recipes, innovative ideas, and tips on how to survive the weekend without so much as an extra grey hair. But many are considering taking one more step this year: going Green for the holidays. Though you may already incorporate a number of earth-saving tactics in your daily routine, we’ve wrangled up a few extras from some of our top Eco-Blog resources for you to add in on Thanksgiving Day: 1. Decorate with found objects – This time of year, Mother Nature herself is providing us with some of the most beautiful decorations we could ask for. So why not harness that beauty instead of buying the plastic version that will either sit in your closet collecting dust for the next year, or worse yet be thrown into a landfill and sit around for decades? Try arranging some fall foliage and mini-gourds as a centerpiece! Or take some tips from the Big Green Purse Blog (great name, by the way, but no BGC affiliation!) and load up on Holly and other festive berries n’ twigs. 2. Get squeaky, and naturally, clean – we know you’ll be a busy bee during prep time, cleaning everything that your mother-in-law might overexamine. But don’t forget about all the healthy, non-toxic options you have when you’re doin’ the Cinderella thang. Got a dingy window or two? Tip No. 4 on Planet Green’s Top Green Thanksgiving Tips suggests that you advantage of the vinegar in your pantry and last week’s paper and get to work! Just a spritz of vinegar wiped down by the old newspaper will get your windows shiny and bright. 3. Turn down the heat – between the heat from the kitchen (as you have your mashed potatoes, pies, and maybe even a Tofurky or two simmering away) and the body heat being circulated by all your friends and family on Thanksgiving, its an understatement to say you can afford to turn your thermostat a few degrees lower than usual. This will save the earth some fuel and save you some cash! 4. Reduce by Re-Using – make sure to use reusable items whenever possible. Par example, use linen tablecloths and napkins instead of paper products, and silverware and regular plates instead of disposable plasticware. And, if you must use something that you’ll throw away after one use, make sure it’s recycled. I tend to love recycled products from Preserve– they’ve got you covered, from the plasticware at dinner to your toothbrush as you brush away the night’s feast at bedtime. By practicing the three R’s, you’ll save heaps of money and piles of junk from the ever-a-feared landfills. 5. Get intimate – with candlelight, that is! Candles are a beautiful and festive way to light your Thanksgiving meal. Plus, you’ll save a good amount of electricity, and by making sure to use beeswax or soy-based candles you’ll ensure that you aren’t supporting the petroleum-derived paraffin candles that appear in most households. You can even combine your luminescent light-savers with some of your homemade centerpieces for a warmer feel! 6. Go loco – err, we mean, local! Like Modern Eco Homes suggests, when it comes to the main spread of food, try to use as many local products as possible. Most local markets carry all sorts of goodies, from honey to produce to your signature stuffing, all that have been harvested and grown close to home. Buying these items means that you have decreased your carbon footprint by however many miles it would have taken for that bell pepper or cranberry to fly from another state, or another country! 7. And, finally – plan out your meal, and don’t plan for extras, as I found among a list of industry-insider tips on Discovery’s Planet Green. If you already know how many guests you’ll be having over, keep track of who’s bringing what and who’s bringing who. That way you can perfectly plan for courses that will satisfy and delight, and at the end of the night your garbage can will be scrap-free. Another cult-favorite way to reduce waste is, of course, by using every bit of the leftovers, which has resulted in Thanksgiving reinventions like the Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich. Whatever your preference, the most important thing is to reduce as much waste as possible, and you can have a smashingly over-stuffed time while you’re at it. While the thought of entertaining your family and friends on Thanksgiving might already be inspiring twitches and pre-holiday mania, just know that by following some of these tips, you can find yourself being merry and Green not just on Thanksgiving Day but all season long, too. So let the holiday madness begin, and let it be a Big Green season!