How to have an eco-friendly Thanksgiving

The holiday season is upon us and good times and great food undoubtedly lie ahead. Unfortunately, there’s an environmental toll to pay for our annual celebrations. Here’s how to make your Thanksgiving more environmentally friendly.

• Make your meal from scratch. Instead of buying pre-made stuffing, canned pumpkin puree and gravy from a package, try your hand at making these things yourself. This will this cut down on the amount of packaging used and tends to be less expensive and tastier to boot.

• Don’t toss your leftovers. Ask your dinner guests to bring reusable containers with them so that they can take home a portion of the leftovers. To use up what gets left behind, find recipes that allow you to reinvent your Thanksgiving dishes. And don’t toss the turkey carcass or vegetable trimmings either. Use them to make soup broth instead.

• Buy locally sourced food. Head to your favorite farmers’ market for locally grown fruits and vegetables. Purchase your turkey from a farm or butcher shop in the area.

• Skip the disposables. Use regular plates, glassware, silverware and serving dishes instead of disposable ones. If you don’t have enough dishes for all your guests, borrow some or head to a local thrift shop to pick up what you need.

• Use “green” decorations. Repurpose things you already have around the house when creating your centerpiece and other decorations. Alternatively, head outside to gather leaves, acorns and pinecones to create something that’s charmingly rustic and results in zero waste being created.

By taking these small but impactful steps, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint and help make Thanksgiving in America a little more environmentally friendly.

Did you know?
Each year, Americans throw away close to $300 million worth of food on Thanksgiving. This is enough to feed New York City for over 100 days.