Thanksgiving, which is an important family festival in the United States, is celebrated in November, on the 4th Thursday. This festival is a festival of Thanksgiving and families get together to honor the harvest feast of the early settlers. Back then, there were hardly any greenhouse gas emissions to affect the environment as the early settlers produced and served their own food.
These days, Thanksgiving time has turned out to be an incredibly wasteful time of the year as all our food travels long distances and because of the way it is produced and consumed. So if you want celebrate an eco-friendly Thanksgiving, here are 12 food and decoration tips on how to go about it:
- Plant based food
Traditionally, Thanksgiving is considered incomplete without the turkey. But turkeys have a high carbon footprint compared to plant based food. You can find many delicious pant based recipes on the net and surprise your family with the new menu which would also have the least environmental impact.
- Organic produce
Organic food is the least harmful to the environment, as organic farming works in tandem with nature to conserve soil quality, supports biodiversity and efforts are made to maintain the balance of the eco system. Enjoy an authentic Thanksgiving by buying organic food, as the early settlers used organic farming methods, which did not damage the environment.
- Buy from farmers markets
Apart from growing your food, the best method to lessen the food miles is by buying produce from the nearest farmers markets. You could purchase seasonal vegetables and check their origins from the labels.
- Eat fresh
Staying away from canned goods at the grocery stores, is an eco-friendly choice. Commercial canning consumes 3 billion kWh of energy, which is enough energy to run an excess of 8.5 million fridges for a year. If you buy fresh food and cut down or avoid cans altogether, you would save yourself and your family from BPA, a chemical which disrupts hormones.
- Organic produce
Organic food is the least harmful to the environment, as organic farming works in tandem with nature to conserve soil quality, supports biodiversity and efforts are made to maintain the balance of the eco system. Enjoy an authentic Thanksgiving by buying organic food, as the early settlers used organic farming methods, which did not damage the environment.
- Roasting pans
Instead of adding to the trash by using disposable tin pans, buy a god quality roasting pan which you can use timeafter time.
You can decorate your home in an eco-friendly way for Thanksgiving. Just check out these tips to get a few ideas.
- Bottle lights
Instead of throwing away those wine bottles, make good use of them by turning them into lights. Stuff a twinkle light strand into the wine bottles and light them up. Your guests are bound to be impressed with your innovative lighting idea.
- Leaf art
Create your own piece of art work using fall leaves. You could paint a poster board or canvas for the background, and stick the fall leaves on the board. Your nature inspired artwork is ready.
- Napkin rings
You can make napkin rings out of paper towel or toilet paper cardboard rolls. You could cut the rolls into 1-2 inch pieces in width and stamp a thanksgiving quote on them.
- Mason jar candles
Use your mason jars to make beautiful candles out of them. You can transform any glass jar which is empty, into an amazing candle jar. You can decorate it in any way you choose to make it attractive and matching with your décor.
- Refresh your old chairs
Make your old chairs look great again with a coat of paint and repair or recover the seats. You might buy new covers for the seats if you want to. The revamped chairs would look good as new on Thanksgiving Day.
- Colorful banner
You could put up a colorful banner with a fun saying on your mantle or on an empty wall for a festive look. You could hang it with a jute string and take it down whenever you want to.
Thanksgiving is a time to remember and give thanks and it becomes even more meaningful when you celebrate the holiday with consideration for the environment.
