Thanksgiving is a holiday about being grateful for what you’ve got. What are you grateful for? Your family, your community, your dog? One thing I always want to show gratitude for is the environment. Without our big ball of blue and green, we would be nothing! So before you start carving the green Thanksgiving turkey or break the wishbone, here are a few tips on how to have an eco-friendly green Thanksgiving:
Green Thanksgiving Meal
Green Thanksgiving starts with the turkey! Before you start your green Thanksgiving dinner, keep these things in mind while browsing what turkey to get:
- Organic – An organic turkey means the meat was produced without antibiotics and artificial hormones. It’s good for you and the environment.
- Pasture-raised – Don’t let the label “free-range” fool you. “Free-range” technically means that the turkey only needs to be “allowed access to the outside.” So technically, some factory farm birds can be labelled “free-range.” “Pasture-raised” birds are the real “free-range” turkeys. They roam around outside and feed on grass.
- Heritage – Heritage breeds of turkey are true Americans. They are indigenous to America, raised well, and supposedly taste amazing!
To find a sustainable turkey for a green Thankgiving, try your local farmers’ market, where local farmers might be taking orders, or try searching for a sustainable farm near you. Local Harvest is a good website for starting your green Thanksgiving turkey search.
Also make sure to celebrate a green Thanksgiving by buying all your produce from local and organic vendors. For other items, opt for recyclable and reusable products and products that use minimal packaging.
A really green Thanksgiving would be to go all vegetarian! Check out my green Thanksgiving recipes!
Green Thanksgiving Party
If you’re throwing a party for friends, family, or anyone else, it’s easy to keep your green Thanksgiving party eco-friendly! Keep it a green Thanksgiving by not using disposable cups, dishware, silverware, or paper napkins. Keep your decorations to things that you can make yourself, reuse again, and/or easily upcycle/recycle. One easy thing to do: go outside and collect some fall leaves. Make sure they’re clean and sprinkle them on the table for an instant festive atmosphere!
Green Thanksgiving Travel
A green Thanksgiving would involve no travel by celebrating at home, but sometimes that’s not possible. Thanksgiving is all about family and for most, that means having to travel during the holiday. Here are a few tips for how to keep your green Thanksgiving sustainable even if you have to travel:
- Avoid traveling on Wednesday and Sunday night since those are peak days for travel. You’ll save some green and have a gas-saving green Thanksgiving.
- Opt for eco-friendly green Thanksgiving travel plans such as carpooling and public transportation.
For more Thanksgiving travel tips, check out my post from last year!
How are you having a green Thanksgiving? Have any good green Thanksgiving tips? Let us know about them in the comments section!