Time to get together with our loved ones because Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Known as a time for togetherness, gratitude, and indulgence, Thanksgiving is America’s favorite holiday. The tradition of this holiday includes a huge feast which all the family members gather around and enjoy.
But do you know? Statistics have shown that 40% of the food is wasted in houses around this time! The tables of this saddening result can be overturned if we switch over to adopting sustainable practices. Now, how do we achieve this? Keep reading for answers!
Barge into Local Stores
To make your Thanksgiving celebrations more eco-friendly, shop for ingredients from the local markets. These shops mostly sell sustainable products that are seasonal and locally sourced directly from the farmers.
Implementing this into your Thanksgiving shopping this year can benefit the environment and your health. For instance, you need not travel for longer distances, promoting carbon emissions from your vehicle, and you can get fresh produce locally that can boost your overall well-being.
Add Plat-Based Foods Into Your Thanksgiving Diet
Generally, the by-products of meat are proven to have a larger carbon footprint and release a significant amount of greenhouse gases for every calorie more than veggies or grains. That’s why incorporating plant-based side dishes can help lower such threatening emissions.
For instance, you can use vegetable stock over chicken while assembling the stuffing, substitute butter with olive oil, use nondairy milk instead of mashed potatoes, etc., to make the menu more sustainable. If you find it difficult to find these ingredients, shop online at Suspire, an earth-friendly store that sells a variety of natural ingredients that are free from chemicals and pesticides!
Keep Food Waste Under Control
Let me tell you the truth. Wasting food is part and parcel of any holiday. Because of this, the United States has the highest food wastage, estimated at up to five million pounds, especially between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
Sad isn’t it? To avoid your home experience food wastage, have an organized plan for how much food has to be prepared depending on the size of the family. In case there are leftovers, you can surf online to find ways to create something new out of them and freeze them for future consumption or just send them home to your neighbors in food containers.
Lower Plastic and Paper Consumption
Though plastic is a top material that must be off your table, paper is also a vital resource that should be consciously used. Therefore, you can switch to washable and reusable dish towels instead of paper towels.
Keep paper napkins and disposable plastics of any form away from your table, reuse plastic or glass food containers, and use foil instead of plastic wrap to store the leftovers. Finally, opt for recyclable glass bottles or aluminum cans while purchasing your Thanksgiving beverages. If you wish to buy plastic-free products this season, choose Suspire.
Decorate Sustainably
Be eco-conscious while decorating for the Thanksgiving feast with seasonal items such as colorful dried flowers, gourds, acorns, leaves, twigs, and berries, depending on your house’s location. Moreover, go for rentals instead of purchasing new ones, use LEDs, avoid disposables, and use linen tablecloths.
Go Digital to Invite Your Loved Ones
Want to add a punch of extra fun this season instead of working manually? Then, send out digital invites using your limitless creativity from the countless templates to make this festive season a bit more special. There are lots of websites that host free design templates to work with.
Use Sustainable Gift Wrappers
Go environmentally savvy by opting for sustainable wrapping papers from Suspire to wrap gifts for your loved ones. For instance, you can go creative, avoiding ribbons and shiny wrapping paper and introducing sustainable bags, old maps, cloth ribbons, recyclable paper, and other attractive eco-friendly materials.
Did you know? A study from Standford University showed that if American families can integrate reusable materials, papers that can cover up to 45,000 football fields can be saved.
Conclusion
If you are hosting a Thanksgiving Day meal or contributing a guest, numerous methods exist to effortlessly minimize your environmental footprint this season. No matter the slight changes you make to your traditions, they are truly worthwhile in the long run.
Make a positive impact today. Shop with Suspire to make your Thanksgiving celebrations fun, abundant, and, most important, sustainable!