Week 32 - GREEN YOUR THANKSGIVING!

If you can believe it Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away; 17 days to be exact! We are heading into what is likely the toughest time on our environment for a number of reasons. Tons more trash; increased electricity use; astronomical fuel consumption etc. In the following, I have outlined what we can do to reduce our burden on the environment this holiday season.

Travel

Thanksgiving is the most traveled time of the year (think of all the fuel used just while driving and flying alone), so it would follow that two of the significant changes we could make to help the environment is 1) stay home and 2) don’t invite anyone over. HA! It wouldn’t be the holidays if you weren’t bickering with one relative, giving the silent treatment to another, and walking on eggshells with the rest! Seriously, to preserve this sacred tradition you should travel wisely. To do so:

1. Consider the distance. Do you have family close by you could gather with?
2. Maybe the long trek could become an every other year thing.
3. Spread fuel consumption around. Travel early.
4. Ensure your car is in efficient travel condition. Refer to my post Week 10 - Hittin’ the Road for what you need to do to make your car trip ready.

Decorating

Americans generate tons more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. So think twice before buying yet another new table cloth and seasonal decorations. Are you the kind of person that uses things over and over again? Great! But if you are like me, someone that feels the need to change things up every year, stop and think. Don’t buy, use natural things instead. Not only will you reduce what is sent to the landfill, things from nature can be composted and put to good use in your garden next year. Take a walk with your kids and utilize what you find.

Here are some ideas from care2.com/greenliving (visit their site for a complete list):

• Centerpieces: Pumpkins and other winter squashes, Native American corn, acorns, nuts, grapes, pears, pomegranates, and apples overflowing from a wicker cornucopia or heaped in a wooden bowl look abundant and beautiful in the center of your table.
• Natural napkin rings: Tie napkins with raffia and tuck in a pretty fallen leaf and an acorn, etc.
• Simple arrangements: There is a beautiful Zen simplicity in a perfect branch bearing colored leaves set into an earthen vase. Sometimes that’s all you need for a seasonal and dramatic focal point.
• Pumpkin vase: Hollow out a pumpkin and place a cup inside to hold fresh or dried flowers.
• Grapevine: Gather grapevines and twist them into garlands or wreaths for table, mantelpiece, doorway, or stairs. Add leaves and berries, if you like.

Setting the Table

Here are some dos and don’t for the table:

1. Don’t use disposable anything. There are enough people around (and the dishwasher) that doing the dishes will not be a time consuming chore.
2. If you MUST buy disposable, choose paper products that are biodegradable.
3. If you want something prettier, consider bamboo. Visit greenfeet.com to check out Bambu’s All-Occasion Veneerware bamboo plates which decompose in the compost pile in 4 - 6 months. Cool!
4. If your tablecloths and cloth napkins are in good shape, don’t by new ones.
5. If you have enough china, glassware and silverware, don’t by more.

I know us non-traditionalists feel the urge to create something new by using new things, but there are other ways to change things up without increasing consumption. Just follow the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.

• The most obvious way to reduce is to borrow things from, and lend things to friends. Someone else’s tablecloths and china will be new to you and look fresh on your table.
• Shop at thrift or antique stores for tableware to reuse.
• If you must buy something new, ensure it is recyclable.

In general, think pilgrim. They made do with very little.

The Menu

This is my favorite since I am always up for a challenge. Treehugger.com has challenged us to have a “100 mile Thanksgiving“. This challenge is based on the book entitled “The 100 Mile Diet” by Canadians Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, who made the commitment that “for one year, they would buy or gather their food and drink from within 100 miles of their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia“; that is, food grown locally (see their website 100milediet.org for tons of info and my post from Week 8 - Buying Locally).

It’s an actual contest where you can submit your menu and potentially win a year of free organic milk, but that’s not the part I’m interested in. I just want to see how much I can get from within 100 miles of me; I think there’s a lot! For example, turkey, fruit and pumpkins for pie, the necessary dairy ingredients, potatoes and other root vegetables stored by local growers (each year I dig up my own home grown potatoes for Thanksgiving; this year I have carrots too).

I’m not going to get crazy about it because there are some things I just won’t eliminate from the Thanksgiving table. Cranberries come to mind. According to the American Cranberry Company (Americran.com): Cranberries are grown in the United States and more recently, in South America. In the United States almost all cranberries are grown in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington and Oregon. In South America, Chile is becoming a primary cranberry producer. I’m in Pennsylvania. I may not be able to get cranberries from within 100 miles of me, but I would want NJ or Massachusetts cranberries as opposed to mid- or west coast cranberries and Chilean cranberries are just out of the question.

One more thing to keep in mind is buy organic where possible, but if you have to choose, buying local is better for then environment.

The Bird

The piece-de-resistance, the star of the show, what can we do about the bird?

1. Loose it! Yes, all meat and go vegan! If you can do it great, if not read on.
2. Consider a “heritage” turkey. From The American Livestock Breeders Conservancy (albc-usa.org): “There is a movement to reintroduce different varieties of turkeys back to the public” (this is the same concept as the heirlooms seeds I discussed in Week 7 - Variety is the Spice of Life). “Heritage turkeys are raised outdoors, freely roam on pasture, and eat the varied diet nature intended them to eat, unlike most turkeys today that are raised indoors in confinement and are fed grains, fillers and supplements like antibiotics. Whereas conventional supermarket turkeys can be tasteless and dry, heritage birds raised outdoors are juicy and succulent and taste the way a turkey is supposed to taste (does that mean gamy?). Heritage turkeys cost more money, but consumers rave about the great taste and say once you buy one, you can't go back to the tasteless white turkeys found in most supermarkets. The one drawback to buying a heritage bird is that in many cases you must order in advance. Many farmers only grow enough turkeys to cover the demand, so most consumers order their birds months in advance.
3. If you aren't ready yet to buy a heritage turkey, or can't find one, your other option is to buy an organic and/or sustainable bird. An organic turkey is certified by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and must be raised under strict guidelines – no antibiotics, no growth enhancers, only organic feed, and the animals must be given access to outdoors. The animals can be a heritage breed, or the more common Broad breasted White.
4. To find a heritage, organic or sustainable turkey, albc-usa.org, heritagefoodsusa.com, or slowfoodusa.org.

What Next?

Since every one will be in a tryptophan induced haze, this would be the perfect time to discuss Christmas. Why not propose the idea that instead of the adults exchanging gifts, everyone could contribute the money they would spend to a charity. You can decide as a family what charity to donate to, or you can have each person write down their favorite charity and draw from a hat. Make it a tradition and choose a different charity each year.

Right there you will have one more thing to be thankful for, as you will have one less thing to do this Christmas. Oh and again, the warm, fuzzy feeling you’ll have from knowing you are helping others is nice too!

I have covered a lot here! Don’t feel overwhelmed! Remember it’s not about perfection; it’s about doing what we can, where we can! I will let you know how well I do on the 100 mile challenge, and I hope you’ll consider doing it too!