10 Ways To Green Your Thanksgiving

It’s easy to green your Thanksgiving day events and still keep it simple and fun. Try these tips…

1. Use real dining ware and cloth napkins and tablecloths. While most of us don’t use paper plates at Thanksgiving, some do to save time, or for a Thanksgiving potluck. Using real dishes and cloth napkins plus tablecloths will green up your day in a big way.
2. Serve organic foods and drinks.If you can’t afford to serve an entirely organic feast, the turkey and dairy good you serve are a good place to start. Poultry and dairy products have both been found to contain plenty of pesticide that you don’t need to serve to your family. Learn which types of foods you should buy organic. Also serve eco-friendly treats with your meal such as organic pies, fair trade coffee, and organic holiday cookies.
3. Go veggie! Don’t serve meat at all. Vegetarian meals have a much smaller impact on the planet.
4. Scent your home with great holiday spices and oils that are also earth-friendly.
5. Don’t leave your house. Traveling, while often fun, is not very green. Holding the festivities at your own home keeps you green.
6. Arrange organic flowers – Organic Boutique has some lovely, earth-friendly flowers that will add beauty, without compromising your eco-ethics.
7. Compost your leftover meal scraps.
8. Go on a nature walk. Skip that game, and make this year, the year, your family heads out into nature after the big meal. Your heart and hips will thank you and you’re helping to build an appreciation of nature in your kids that will last forever.
9. Decorate in a great recycled Thanksgiving style.
10. Stay at home on Black Friday. Shopping until you drop on the busiest shopping day of the year is a waste of gas, and tends to result in people collecting stuff they might not otherwise. Simple living is green living. Join the Buy Nothing Day event instead of joining in on Black Friday.

[image via Organic Boutique - Fall Delight Bouquet – perfect for Thanksgiving!)