Have a Green Thanksgiving -- Without Going Hungry

Going big with your Thanksgiving celebration doesn't mean you have to be wasteful. Check out 5 ways to lower your ecological impact on Turkey Day.

Thanksgiving, like most holidays, has its gluttonous emphasis. (Hey, this is America!) It’s the one day we’re permitted — nay, expected — to ditch dietary prudence and just pig out. And, for the most part, we are powerless: Dinner can start at 4 p.m., for Pete’s sake. Nobody can fight that, even if you thought you might by arriving at Aunt Edna’s with your very own Lean Cuisine Glazed Turkey Tenderloins clutched in hand and ready to pop into the microwave.

But going big with your Thanksgiving celebration doesn’t mean you have to be wasteful. Here are five tips for lowering your ecological impact on Turkey Day — which might help you feel a little better on Friday morning, even as you try to squeeze into those pants that fit so well the day before.

1. Buy locally or regionally produced food. An enormous amount of fuel is burned when transporting food and other products from source to table, especially when the source is across the country or beyond our borders. Farmers’ markets — where local farmers sell the goods they produce — are increasingly popular throughout the U.S., and many operate during the winter.

Depending on where you live, your local market might carry free-range turkey (and other meat), sweet potatoes, carrots, homemade jams, salad ingredients, breads, cheeses and other Thanksgiving staples, and even flowers to decorate the table. Added bonuses: Shopping at these markets supports family farmers and rewards you with a sense of connection to those who produce your food. If you don’t have a farmers’ market in your community, scan your local grocers’ aisles for food that’s produced close to home.

2. Minimize plastic use. Yeah, we know, 20 people are coming over and you only have 16 forks. But before you reach for the plasticware, check to see if that old set of cutlery is still stashed in the basement. Discarded plastic never fully breaks down and isn’t even recycled as new plastic. (It usually comes back as a reconstituted component in other products like carpet and fleece.) Of course, recycling is better than throwing it out. So, if you must use plastic, make sure it gets washed thoroughly and sent to the recycle bin after dinner.

3. Use Tupperware or similar containers for leftovers. Yes, these containers are made of plastic, but they can be reused time and time again, keep food fresher than most other storage methods and eliminate the waste created by wrapping everything in disposable plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Make sure the lids are sealed to keep the leftovers edible for as long as possible.

4. Green your red. Most people probably don’t put much thought into the ecological impact of wine production. Thankfully for all of us, The Nature Conservancy has, and the nonprofit group offers this advice on wine:

Grape producers and vintners are increasingly choosing practices that are better for the environment. California, which produces 90% of all U.S. wines, has a Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Consumers can browse the list of more than 1,100 California vineyards and wineries that participate in the nonprofit’s sustainable winegrowing program, which helps growers assess their operations and provides guidelines for achieving more sustainable practices.

You can also find fish-friendly wines: A fish-friendly label means the grapes were raised in ways that protect water quality and watershed habitat for fish and people. An organization called Fish Friendly Farming certifies California vineyards, while another group called Salmon-Safe Inc. publishes a wine list of certified salmon-safe wineries from Oregon and Washington.

5. Save a bird! OK, this one’s a long shot, but we have to try. Skip the turkey and other farm-raised meat and go for a soy-based substitute like Tofurky by Oregon-based Turtle Island Foods. As The Nature Conservancy points out, conventionally farmed meat is often laden with chemicals, and such farming tends to scar the planet with deforestation and polluted waterways. Recent studies from The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and The University of Chicago report that the livestock industry produces more global greenhouse gas emissions than commuter transportation.

But wait, you say, didn’t someone say that soybean plantations are destroying the Amazon rain forest? Don't be fooled: Most of the global soybean harvest — nearly 80%, according to the D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute — goes to animal feed and not to the production of meat substitute products. If you can't forego the real deal, consider pasture-raised organic turkeys or heritage turkeys. These older breeds require extended raising periods (unlike the sped-up rearing process of today's breeds). As you take time to give thanks for all you have this year, remember the planet: It needs us as much as we need it!

From Revolution Health

 

• Thanksgiving
• • Environment

• Shopping and Cooking Guide
• 
• Grocery Shopping Guide
• 
• Search for Healthy Recipes
• 
• See More
  
• Earth-Friendly Eating
• Food shopping tips that go beyond buying local.
• 
• Are We Running Out of Water?
• Droughts and half-drained reservoirs raise an ominous question: Is America running out of water?
• 
• Are You an Eco Hero?
• 

“ Use your knuckle to rub your eyes. It's less likely to be contaminated with viruses than your fingertip. ”

• See All Tips

While I was driving through a seedy area of San Diego, I noticed that sandwiched between a strip bar and a liquor store sat a storefront with all of its windows suspiciously blacked out. Over the door was a sign that proudly declared, "Welcome to Kinko's. We have nothing to do with office supplies."

-- Darlene Benavidez