First there was 10 Simple Ways to Green Your Halloween. Now here are 10 Simple Ways to Green Your Thanksgiving and reduce your impact on the earth. Pick one or two or do them all. Every little bit helps. :)
1. Be aware of the amount of packaging in the foods you purchase. For example, instead of buying a can of pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie, buy a pie pumpkin. Instead of buying a ready-made pie crust, make your own from scratch.
2. Just say no to environmentally destructive factory farms. Buy a free-range Heritage turkey or go meatless.
3. Buy organic. Buy local. Whenever you can, buy organic foods. Organic foods aren’t just better for your health, they are better for the earth and animals as well. If you can buy local foods and reduce your meal’s carbon footprint and support your local economy, all the better.
4. Use a cloth tablecloth and cloth napkins. No disposable paper products.
5. Use real plates, glasses and silverware. If you don’t have enough place settings for all of your guests, ask them to bring their own. Again, the trick is not to use any disposable paper/plastic products.
6. Centerpiece. Use things from around the house to make a one-of-a-kind Thanksgiving centerpiece. Have your kids help! Or if you must buy flowers, make sure they are organic.
7. Eat your leftovers. Make sure you put away leftovers in a timely manner into the refrigerator or freezer. If you don’t think you will eat them all, send some home with your guests.
8. Compost your table scraps.
9. Recycle anything that can be recycled.
10. Be thankful. Don’t forget to express your gratitude for all that you have, including the earth.
Related posts:
- From Green Your Decor – Host a stylish, zero-waste Thanksgiving
- From Super Eco – 5 Ways to Green Your Thanksgiving
- From Earth911 – 8 Easy Green Thanksgiving Tips
Don’t miss a single CDG post, subscribe to my blog.
Stumble it!
Holly says:
Oh man, you don’t have to tell me twice to eat the leftovers. In fact, if anyone has that problem, I think I can help out!
November 24th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Lisa @ Retro Housewife Goes Green says:
Great tips. And people better eat my leftovers! I cook for two days! lol
November 24th, 2009 at 10:29 am
mudnessa says:
Great simple and easy list. I’m doing the shopping today and will keep this stuff in mind.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Twitter Trackbacks for 10 Simple Ways to Green Your Thanksgiving | Crunchy Domestic Goddess [crunchydomesticgoddess.com] on Topsy.com says:
[...] 10 Simple Ways to Green Your Thanksgiving | Crunchy Domestic Goddess crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2009/11/24/10-simple-ways-to-green-your-thanksgiving – view page – cached My name is Amy Gates. A mama of two living in Colorado, I’m passionate about home birth, natural family living, urban home- steading and other “crunchy” things. I’m trying to change the world, one… Read moreMy name is Amy Gates. A mama of two living in Colorado, I’m passionate about home birth, natural family living, urban home- steading and other “crunchy” things. I’m trying to change the world, one blog post at a time. More about me. Read less [...]
November 24th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
uberVU - social comments says:
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by crunchygoddess: 10 Simple Ways to Green Your Thanksgiving this year http://bit.ly/90w6mI :)…
November 24th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
condo blues says:
This year my husband are skipping the travel and big dinner. We’re serving Thanksgiving dinner at a soup kitchen. We’re excited about it actually – much less stressful (and more thankful) than what we orginally planned! :)
Sadly no leftovers for us. Although I’m considering buying and making a tofurkey out of coureosity…
November 24th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Sonja says:
Yay! I’m already doing most of those! :)
November 24th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
phyllis says:
excellent list. great tips for greening. i like #5 – i think a nice mismatched table looks so festive and homey.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Primary Work at Home says:
Great tips! I like reading your post. Thanks for sharing this one.
November 27th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Laura says:
“5. Use real plates, glasses, and silverware” That’s exactly what we did, including one of our guests at our non-Thanksgiving celebration bringing some small dessert plates for the cake and mousse.
November 29th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Melissa says:
We did almost all those things- except compost. I have thought about composting, but am unsure how to start & maintain.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:57 pm