Thanksgiving is a time centered on gratitude, family, and food, but it can also be a time of excessive energy use and food waste. From long-distance travel to excess packaging, mass grocery shopping, and mountains of leftovers, Thanksgiving can have a significant impact on the environment. Fortunately, many of these effects can be reduced by planning ahead and being aware of your footprint. With intention, Thanksgiving can remain joyful while reducing waste and showing gratitude for the environment. Making sustainable choices isn’t about sacrificing tradition but reshaping our habits in ways that support our communities and health.
Sustainable Food Choices
One of the best ways to make your Thanksgiving more sustainable begins with the food you choose. Shopping for local and seasonal ingredients reduces transportation emissions and supports nearby farmers. Seasonal produce, like squash, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, apples, and cranberries are perfect options for the holiday that cut down on the energy required to ship and store out-of-season foods. Sourcing ingredients locally not only helps with the environment but also strengthens local economies and farmers, something that is especially important right now. This can show your gratitude to your community while reducing your carbon footprint and eating tasty, fresh foods.
Choosing a sustainable protein is another step that can make a difference. Turkey is a staple of many Thanksgiving meals, but conventional, mass-produced turkey farming has negative environmental impacts. To help minimize these, you could opt for an organic, pasture-raised, or locally sourced turkey. For households looking to try something new, plant-based alternatives like tofu hams, tofurkeys, lentil loaves, or mushroom-based dishes can be a low-carbon option. Even changing one or two of your dishes to be plant-based can make the meal’s overall environmental footprint lower while diversifying the menu.
Food waste is another major issue during Thanksgiving. Many plan out an extravagant feast with a long list of recipes on the menu for everyone to sample, but often there are a lot of leftovers. In the United States, an estimated 305 million pounds of food are wasted from Thanksgiving dinner alone. Reducing waste starts with realistic meal planning based on the number of guests. Instead of overestimating, planning portions thoughtfully can avoid excess leftovers. Creative cooking can also make use of scraps: vegetable peels and bones can be turned into broth, stale bread can become stuffing, and bruised produce can be used in soups or pies. My family often saves the turkey bones and vegetable leftovers to make broth for chicken noodle soup on Black Friday. If there are leftovers, make sure to store them, freeze them, or send them home with guests. Encouraging your family to bring their own containers can help reduce packaging waste and food waste at the same time!
Eco-friendly cooking and serving practices
On top of the foods we choose, the way we prepare and serve the meal also can impact the environment. There are a few choices that you can make to cook and serve your food more sustainably. Cooking multiple dishes at once, using slow cookers/pressure cookers, and using residual oven heat to keep food warm are all energy efficient ways to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner. Also, making sure to avoid disposable plates, plastic utensils, and paper napkins reduces the waste going to a landfill. In my opinion, reusable dishware looks nicer and gives the meal a classier feel. For households that need a disposable option, opt for compostable or recyclable alternatives.
Plastic waste is a huge contributor to environmental harm, especially during the holidays. Reducing single-use plastics can be simple this Thanksgiving season. Swap plastic wrap for beeswax wraps or reusable containers and bring reusable bags when you go grocery shopping. These changes may be small, but they have a big impact if we all make the effort.
Hosting sustainably goes beyond food and decorations, it also includes how we manage waste and transportation. Setting out labeled bins for recycling, compost, and landfill waste makes it easy for guests to sort their waste correctly. Encouraging carpooling can help reduce travel-related emissions, which is a big contributor to the holiday’s environmental footprint.
thoughtful decorations and activities
Decorations are also an important part of the holiday atmosphere, and my family likes to dedicate a day together to make the house feel like fall. Instead of buying new plastic decorations each year, natural materials like pumpkins, leaves, branches, and dried flowers can create a festive look that can later be composted. Reusing decorations from previous years or thrifting your decorations is also sustainable. Additionally, using energy-efficient lighting like LEDs or relying on natural light and candles can create a warm, cozy environment while conserving energy.
Incorporating sustainable activities into the celebration can also deepen the meaning of Thanksgiving. Bringing attention to the natural world in a hands-on manner can remind people that we should be grateful for our environment. Your family can take a walk outside together after dinner, debrief, and focus on your surroundings.
Finally, Thanksgiving often marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season, so it’s important to think sustainably about purchasing and gift-giving as well. Avoid impulse buying, especially on Black Friday, to reduce waste and consumption. Eco-friendly wrapping, such as reused bags, cloth, or recycled paper, helps minimize waste from packaging as well.
In the end, making Thanksgiving more sustainable is not about perfection, it’s about progress. Every small choice, whether buying local, reducing plastic, or cutting down on emissions, adds up to make a difference. I challenge you to choose a few of the items in this article and incorporate them into your holiday. I think you’ll be surprised about how easy it is, and you’ll feel satisfied showing the environment that you’re grateful for what it provides.