|
An Eco-Friendly-Thanksgiving And
|
This lowers the carbon footprint, cuts down on expenses, and probably relieves alot of stresses too.
Most holiday celebrations and special events can be improved upon
with this idea in mind, and a green-thanksgiving is relatively simple.
Putting on an environmentally friendly party can be
done with a bit of imagination and determination.
Decide if you are travelling or staying home.
Of course staying home will save tremendously on gas emissions,
and cost of the trip. If you must travel, train travel is
recommended when reducing carbon footprints.
If you travel any other way, purchase carbon offsets to make
up for your emissions produced.
Eco-Friendly-Thanksgiving Celebration Decorations
If you like to decorate outdoors in an autumn theme, then many of
your autumn decorations like straw-men, gourds, pumpkins, certain
types of plants like mums, and sunflowers are already in place and
lend themselves quite well to the Thanksgiving-holiday.
Natural decorations like red, orange, and yellow autumn leaves, pre-or post-halloween decorations serve as a relevant back-drop.
Leaves can be made into garlands, or surround a candle with them as decoration against glass. Pinecones are used as name-tag holders on a table; they can also be scented with cinnamon for a lovely scent through-out your home.
Corn in a glass vase can be used as an anchor to hold tall branches of autumn leaves as a bold, yet simple decoration.
Pumpkins can be hollowed out for candles, or stuffed with an oasis from a craft shop and filled with fresh flowers.
You can bring anything inside to make center-pieces, decorate your
thanksgiving-table, or place them just inside your door. The great
thing is, they are mostly all compostable or recyclable in one way or
another and will not end up in the trash.
Menu and Shopping
Most importantly, do share your meal, and I'm sure for this holiday, you traditionally do already.
Ask everyone to bring something. They will be more than happy to contribute. Discuss this well in advance, to avoid people bringing duplicates of one thing, and not enough of something else.
Stick to the list of groceries on your list, and resist the urge to
impulse buy. Try to not buy more than you will need considering how
many guests you are serving.
When it comes to your menu, you could opt for a fully vegetarian dinner
like many people prefer nowadays as a truly eco-friendly-thanksgiving dinner.
Free-range or no turkey at all are options as well. Many people are dead set against cooking a turkey. On the other hand, it is one of those traditions that are very hard to break.
If you do cook a turkey, make sure you are educated about where it has
come from, and how it was raised. This may help you to decide about
which kind of turkey is the best to buy.
Cook as much as you can from scratch to avoid buying packaged or boxed
items. It will take a bit longer, but it does cut carbon footprints, and
will probably taste alot better anyway.
Using What You Already Have
As with any party that requires serving food, resist the urge to buy
disposable plates, and napkins. It is money spent unnecessarily, and
can get expensive. These items will have to be disposed of too, don't
forget. If you must buy disposable, at least buy paper, and no plastic plates.
Don't use styrofoam cups, or canned drinks.
Rather, take a good look around your kitchen cupboards. Look for your brightest serving bowls, and platters. Try to picture them against a white or red or green tablecloth. Picture a center-piece that features a vase of sunflowers, some white candles, a few autumn leaves strewn here and there.
Look at vases you have tucked away in a china cabinet. We all have
those, don't we? Look at them carefully. What comes to mind when you
think in terms of flowers you may still have around?
If you think you don't have anything appropriate, go to the thrift stores, or it would even make sense if you have to, purchase a set of white dishes that would be appropriate to any theme or holiday.
Accessories in any color look classy against white. Be on the look-out
for linen napkins as well. It won't cost you much to add them to a
load of laundry.
Probably the easiest way to produce an eco-friendly-thanksgiving decoration, is to just use what nature has to offer.
General Reminders for your eco-friendly-thanksgiving
- Keep in mind to do the following:
- Try to choose simple yet traditional recipes
- Buy local organics if possible and support local businesses
- Stick to natural sugars or sweeteners and berries
- Serve a higher percentage of fruits for an appetizer plate
- If you serve wine, make it organic
Don't waste a thing. Send your guests home with leftovers they will
be sure to use up themselves if you won't. Give them a re-useable
container,(they will appreciate it) and be sure to use these yourself
instead of plastics and wraps you will throw out.
Give Something Back
Start a new tradition in your family. Go out and plant a tree with your children. Raise awareness with your children and in your neighbourhood about what you are doing to enhance and add some importance to your eco-friendly-thanksgiving celebration. Maybe the idea will catch on with others, and new traditions will start elsewhere.
Be sure to visit
Free Thanksgiving Flyers and Lots More.
Here you will find free flyers, games, activities and much for your Thanksgiving Family Entertainment.
Leave Eco-Friendly-Thanksgiving and Return To Home Page
