10 Tips for Hosting an Earth-Friendly Thanksgiving Dinner

It’s easy to overlook being green at Thanksgiving but choosing even one of these tips to follow will make you feel like you’ve done something for the greater good and show your thankfulness for the planet.

1)Use real dishes. Instead of opting for the “easy” clean up of paper or styrofoam plates, go for the real deal. Yeah, it might mean busting a few suds but there’ll be less in the landfill and more in your pocket.
2) Stay away from “disposable” cookware. Use real roasting and casserole dishes. Don’t have one? This is a great time to borrow from Mom or a friend that isn’t hosting. Maybe they’ll even volunteer to bring one of the cooked items.
3) Buy your turkey and produce locally. This helps the local economy and most local farms practice sustainability.
4) Send out electronic invitations to your guests. No paper, no waste! A lot of sites let you know when your invitation has been opened so you’ll know if you need to call to check on a particular guest.
5) Compost the discards and leftovers. Keep an extra bag or bowl handy when cutting up vegetables for ends and peels then dump the whole thing in the city compost bin or in your own.
6) Reuse jars and tubs for leftovers or storage. If you buy condiments, margarine, or gravy in glass or plastic jars rinse them out and use them to store leftovers or send home with others. It not only saves the earth and money, but time spent digging under the counter for that lost tupperware lid.
7) Make a fresh green bean casserole or Turkey Gravy from scratch. If you can’t buy local, at least buy things that aren’t prepackaged.
8) Serve flavored water and sodas from larger pitchers. Filling a pitcher with filtered faucet or refrigerator water and lemon slices or mint is preferred to buying cases of plastic bottles. Soda is often consumed by the kids and rarely do they finish a whole can or bottle anyway.
9) Run the dishwasher with a full load, it’s pretty easy to do after a big meal anyway.
10) Adjust the thermostat. With a houseful of guests it’s easy to forget that the temperature doesn’t need to be as high as usual. Also keep a couple extra throws handy for the morning while watching the Thanksgiving day parade or evening Christmas movies.