10 Easy Green Thanksgiving Dinner Tips

Being earth conscious has always been a challenge for me. I grew up in the era of plastic, when most goods were made out of this substance. So, bringing this mind-set into a holiday seems weird. Yet, I have found that by tweaking a few common festive activities, I can easily have a green Thanksgiving dinner. You can too.

Do:

• Send digital invitations. Get the word out about your holiday affair through e-mail. This green Thanksgiving dinner tip helps you save paper and money. Recommended site: Evite.com.

• Use biodegradable decor. Bring Thanksgiving to your home with items from outdoors. Colorful leaves stuffed into mason jars and carefully placed pine cones/pumpkins around your house create a sense of wonderment. The best part: they are all free.

• Purchase organic edibles. This green Thanksgiving dinner tip keeps your food budget on track – mix both organic and non-organic edibles. Buy a regular turkey, but shop for organic fruits and veggies as sides. The blend is one most people savor.

• Use real plates and silverware. Besides being more presentable, they clean up just as easy. Make sure your dish washer is empty the morning of Turkey Day. This way, rinsing off dirty dishes and putting them into this machine takes only a few minutes.

• Purchase food in bulk. Food sold in bulk uses less packaging. As a result, consumers get rid of less waste. Another green Thanksgiving dinner tip – some stores even allow patrons to bring their own containers.

• Prepare seasonal dishes. What edibles are in season during the month of November? See list. Create your holiday meal from them because they come from local sources and less gas is used and fewer exhaust fumes are emitted in transportation.

• Omit any beef. Don’t cook ribs or any other southern side dish as a main course. Cows release methane as they digest food. Methane an air pollutant.

• Redo leftovers. Make new dishes with leftovers. This green Thanksgiving dinner tip can be fun. Be creative and turn turkey into a unique dish.

• Turn off lights. If you are going out of town or hosting, turn off lights in rooms not in use. Don’t assume visitors expect you to ‘brighten’ up their world in spaces they won’t enter, but are lit up only for show. See ‘Saving Energy is a Snap’.

• Scrap metal. This last green Thanksgiving dinner tip is the easiest one. Recycle your metal food cans. Put them in a recycling bin after use.

Use the above suggestions and save the earth on Thanksgiving Day. They are eco friendly acts that anyone can do without much effort.

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SOURCES:

• http://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-eating.html
• http://www.carbondiet.ca/green-living/going-green-tips/green-tips-for-food.html
• http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/slideshows/10-money-saving-green-thanksgiving-tips