8 Ways to Enjoy a Green Thanksgiving This Year

From cooking an organic menu to making your own decorations, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to get the whole family involved in a green lifestyle. Your commitment to the environment can continue on through the holidays, and Thanksgiving is a great time to get started! All it takes is a little creativity and planning, and you can celebrate a healthy and environmentally-friendly Thanksgiving for a fresh take on tradition. Here are just eight ways to enjoy a green Thanksgiving this year:

1. Celebrate Thanksgiving at home. Avoid the extra emissions from traveling by plane or car, and plan your celebration at home this year. You'll be helping reduce global warming simply by reducing your pollution quotient.

2. Go organic. An organic Thanksgiving feast is not only healthy and tasty, but can also help the environment. Free-range turkey, fresh vegetables from local farmers, and treats from the organic bakery are just a few choices for your organic cornucopia of food this year.

3. Pick out natural or organic Thanksgiving décor. From bamboo placemats to homemade napkin rings, make a commitment to go green by decorating with an eco-friendly touch. Making Thanksgiving decorations at home is another way to get the whole family involved in a creative project.

4. Use soy candles to decorate with. Decorating your living and dining space with soy candles is an eco-friendly option, and you'll find plenty of fragrant pillar candles, votives, and floating candles to complement your look. Consider using natural essential oils and aromatherapy candles to freshen up any room or living space as well.

5. Make a commitment to recycle. Make sure you're recycling all the paper, plastic, and glass from your Thanksgiving revelries properly, and setup a separate area to manage the extra recycling needs through holiday season.

6. Send out homemade Thanksgiving cards. It's an easy way to say 'Thank You' to friends and loved ones, and gives you yet another creative project to keep you busy on those chilly days before the celebration.

7. Buy a potted tree. You can plant this outside after the winter months, and it's a great way to give back to the environment. A live, potted tree can serve as your 'Thanksgiving tree' this season, and you can even decorate it as part of a new tradition.

8. Recycle turkey fat. If you're really committed to going green this Thanksgiving, you might even choose to help the biofuels industry. The city of Plano, north of Dallas, Texas collects the bird fat from turkey day for use in the biofuels industry, reportedly collecting over 500 gallons of turkey fat during Thanksgiving week. It's just one way to recycle energy, and many communities around the country offer similar services-just check with your local Chamber of Commerce and community events organizations for some green ideas!

You can continue your commitment to go green this year with a few simple strategies over Thanksgiving week. Make a difference this year with just one or two projects that can help the environment and create some new Thanksgiving traditions in the process.