Friday, November 21, 2014

IOTUT -- Have an Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving



It's Friday. That means we're either talking about vinegar or about smarter, more earth-friendly ways to do do things. Today, I'm happy to feature a guest post by Katherine Lilly, a freelance writer currently based in California. When she's not writing, Kathy enjoys traveling around California and spending time with her family. Click here to follow her on Twitter. As you'll see, she offers plenty of smarter solutions to the ways things are usually done.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.



Have an Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving may involve a lot of excesses, but it doesn’t have to have an excessive impact on the environment. Here are a few ways you can green up your Thanksgiving festivities.

Shop Locally and Seasonally

It’s a given that a feast will end up on the table. One thing you can take into consideration, though, is the origin of that feast. Choose to shop locally and seasonally to cut down on the amount of transport that is needed to bring the food to your table. Buying from local farmers and food suppliers can reduce packaging as well as the preservatives and refrigeration needed to carry produce long distances.

Compost

Image by Junior Libby
Whether you’re peeling potatoes, scooping pumpkins or coring apples, you will likely have a lot of compostable materials piling up. Begin a compost bin to keep discarded produce parts from ending up in the trash can.

Decorate Naturally

Image by Vera Kratochvil

Send the kids on a scavenger hunt outside to locate natural decorations such as pine cones and acorns that can be brought back in to decorate in a natural manner. Pick up a pumpkin or a few squash to create a centerpiece. When the holiday is over you will have no plastic décor to dispose of or store and can likely compost most of the items.



Clean With Eco-Friendly Products

When you are prepping for the 17 aunts, uncles and cousins expected to infiltrate your home, cleaning every nook and cranny suddenly becomes a priority mission. This year do your deep cleaning with natural and organic products to ensure that you’re not only being earth friendly, but keeping potentially hazardous chemicals away from your loved ones. If you would rather not spend the extra money, you can create your own at costs lower than traditional cleaners. Check online to learn how to use items such as vinegar, baking soda and other household staples in your cleaning.**

Thanksgiving at Green Grandma's

Dishes

With large numbers of guests it can be tempting to bring out the disposable dishes. If you can avoid that, though, you can reduce your amount of trash considerably. Then, when you are finished, clean the dishes with an environmentally friendly dish washing soap. If you absolutely must use disposable items, choose those made out of recyclable materials.

Unplug

Thanksgiving is about connecting with the family and friends for whom you are so thankful. Do this by disconnecting from phones and computers and focusing instead on interacting with one another on a personal level. Instead of watching the afternoon game, turn off the television and send the gang outside to create your own friendly game of post-turkey flag football. 

Make this season a time to be thankful for everything the earth provides for you and the ones you love. Celebrate that by making a few tweaks to your event for an eco-friendly Thanksgiving.

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**For more natural cleaning tips, check out my book, VINEGAR FRIDAYS, available online and in various retail outlets.

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