Green Thanksgiving: Setting the Table

Though it is a time for celebration, family get-togethers and relaxation; Thanksgiving can be a wasteful holiday. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to make your Thanksgiving table a little more eco-friendly without sacrificing your holiday. Here are five easy suggestions for making your Thanksgiving table a little greener.

Centerpieces and Table Decor

For some families, the centerpiece is a big part of the Thanksgiving dinner. However, if you go out of your way each year to purchase a new centerpiece or other table decor, perhaps you should reconsider. Try rotating pieces of existing decor or consider creating a new one using items you already own. Or, consider making the food the centerpiece. After all, Thanksgiving dinner is what everyone is there for!

Dishes

It can be tempting, but avoiding single-use styrofoam or paper plates along with plastic cups can significantly cut down on the waste you produce during the Thanksgiving holiday. So, break out your good china (or at least your regular plates and cups) and sit down for a real dinner. It may take some extra clean-up time, but in the end, it's less waste produced and less waste in the local landfill.

If you don't have a (hopefully energy-efficient) dishwasher to wash your dishes for you, be sure to scrape all of the food off the plates before tossing them into the water. That way, you won't need to replace your sink water as often when washing. If you're really eco-friendly, consider starting a compost pile with all of the excess food scraps you've accumulated that day.

Napkins

Like with paper plates and plastic cups, it may be tempting to spring for a package of paper napkins. However, if you've already got cloth napkins at home, now would be a good time to use them. If you don't, consider investing in a set or two. Cloth napkins can be thrown into the wash with the rest of your kitchen towels, folded and reused again and again; making them significantly more eco-friendly in comparison to buying and throwing out paper napkins.

The Food on the Table

The food on the table is just as important as the dishes. If you're going to have a huge dinner, then make an effort to buy locally grown or locally produced foods. Whenever possible choose organic foods or items that are packaged in recycled or recyclable packaging, which can help cut down on your carbon footprint and reduce the amount of waste you produce on Thanksgiving.

Also, when planning a dinner menu for Thanksgiving, be sure to know what your guests will eat. It does no good to make three sweet potato pies if only one person will eat sweet potato pie.

Table Scraps and Leftovers

If you end up with a lot of table scraps, avoid throwing them into the garbage. Even if you don't plan to start a compost pile or add them to an existing compost pile, according to Discovery.com, you can still throw your leftover table scraps in with your leaf bin.