Can you believe Thanksgiving week is already here? With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity to go green with your holiday festivities. The holidays can create a lot of waste in households across the U.S. For example, imagine all the potential for thrown-away food and decorations.
With Thanksgiving two days away, we’re sharing five of our favorite tips for a green Thanksgiving celebration, in keeping with our ever-present efforts to go green with our products and everyday lives.
Buy local for the turkey and other feast accoutrements. While you may not be able to get every item you need for Thanksgiving from a local farmer’s market or co-op, you can at least get your veggies and herbs there. Also, it’s called turkey-day for a reason. Visit local free-range farms for the most important part of the feast: the turkey!
Go green with leftovers. According to an article on The Alternative Consumer, most plastic wraps contain PVC, which quickly winds up in landfills and has been linked to harmful environmental consequences. Use glass or ceramic storage containers that they can return to you after the holidays. If you’re giving your family food to take home, give them a reusable container instead of something they’ll throw away.
Decorate with natural materials that you already have around your home. Decorating is a fun part of any holiday, but don’t contribute to the waste of all those discarded decorations. Instead of purchasing Thanksgiving or fall décor, consider instead using items straight from nature to liven up your home. Have a backyard with a few trees? Gather some pinecones to place in a dish, or arrange a few tall branches in a slim vase. Get the family involved and try a decorative craft using fall leaves.
Donate your leftovers and compost your food scraps. Face it: Will your family really eat all of those Thanksgiving leftovers? Try to work with a local organization to donate your leftovers. While you’re cooking, instead of throwing away those vegetable peelings, start composting! For an easy guide to getting started on composting, visit Earth 911.
Save energy by turning down your thermostat. This tip might sound like a no-brainer, but between the numerous guests in your home and the warmth from the oven, it can get pretty warm in your house throughout Thanksgiving and other holidays. Consider turning down your thermostat to save on a bit of energy consumption during the hustle and bustle.
These going-green tips are one part of our efforts at Tyent to sustain a green lifestyle. From our water ionizers that eliminate your need for water bottles to our BPA-free portable alkalizer, our products can help contribute to a more earth-friendly way of life.
Leave us a comment below and let us know what you’re doing to green your holidays this year. (Photo via http://www.apartmenttherapy.com.)
