I wanted to share some thoughts on going into Thanksgiving (and the holidays in general) with more of a sustainable mindset. According to the EPA, waste increases by 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. That’s a lot of excess waste! There are a lot of simple changes that can be made that won’t ruin your holiday traditions.
Shop locally at your farmers market or local produce market. Food grown locally uses fewer greenhouse gases to get to you, and are usually grown on smaller farms using more sustainable practices. If you can, consolidate your shopping into one trip to minimize the extra miles and save gas.
Buying locally also helps to keep jobs and money in your community’s economy. Plus, local food tends to be fresher and tastier. And don’t forget your reusable bags! My favorite tote is the standard Baggu because it folds up and can fit inside my purse. I also love these bulk bags from The Sunshine Series!
Ditch the disposables. If you’re hosting and you don’t have enough dinnerware + don’t have a budget to get a matching set of ceramic dishes, head to your local goodwill or other thrift store to see what they have. It’s fun to mix and match vintage dishes too!
If you are interested in purchasing a set of matching ceramics, I highly recommend BX ceramics who will make everything to order or a brand like Heath Ceramics, that has a fantastic zero waste program.
If you don’t have room for more items in your house, ask if any of your guests have a set you can borrow.
Save your raw veggie scraps. If you freeze raw veggie scraps, you can make your own veggie stock to use later on. I throw the veggie scraps and water into a pot with some garlic and bay leaves — it’s saves me from having to buy it from the market! If you don’t have room to save them, compost them.
Ask about food allergies/preferences. To keep food waste to a minimum, make sure you know what your guests can eat/want to eat. If 7/8 people don’t like a certain dish, maybe don’t make a huge portion of it.
We had dairy, gluten and nut allergies at our friendsgiving this year (and a lot of vegetarians), so we planned ahead with our dishes to make sure everyone could take part in the feast!
Traveling to visit family or friends for the holidays? Purchase carbon offsets if you can afford it. I use Terrapass, but there are others out there as well. It’s a lot cheaper than you’d think! I spent under $20 to offset my roundtrip to Fort Worth from Burbank last month.
Bring your own containers for leftovers (just in case)! I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Thanksgiving gathering and not been sent home with a plastic Tupperware full of leftovers. This year, I’ll be bringing my stainless steal or glass reusable containers to bring home the goods.
If you’re going out of town, unplug unnecessary electronics to lower your footprint. If you plan to leave the lights on for safety reasons, get a timer so they’re not on 24/7 (and use L.E.D. lightbulbs)!
I’d love to hear if you have any other tips on sustainability for the holidays this year!