(Food-Beverage-News.Com, November 23, 2015 ) Covent Garden, London -- For most people, Thanksgiving is that special time of the year when loved ones come together to create special memories and enjoy delicious food. In this modern world of constant excess, it is often easy to overlook the environmental impact that holidays such as Thanksgiving can have on this fragile world. So this year, instead of eat till one can no longer eat any more, the challenge is to put in extra effort of being eco-friendly and have a Thanksgiving that is Thankfully Green!
The question is whether an eco-friendly Thanksgiving can offer the same feeling of satisfaction both in the stomach and on the conscience. Here are a few easy tips to make this Thanksgiving one to remember for all the right reasons!
Spare the Bird! Thanksgiving generally tends to revolve around one central theme that sits triumphantly at the center of the table, the Turkey. What is often forgotten is the fact that the majority of these turkeys are often raised in shockingly overcrowded factory farms, bred especially for consumers' dinner plates on one day of the year, Thanksgiving. Factory raised turkeys are pumped full of all sorts of nasty antibiotics and growth hormones so that they can reach their optimum size in the shortest possible time. These factory farmed birds are grown much faster than ever before all for the sole purpose of one day. In fact they are grown so large and so quickly that they can no longer even fly or breed on their own accord. So what eco-friendly alternatives are there? Buying a free range or locally grown Turkey from the farm down the road is a good alternative. For those who fell comfortable giving-up meat altogether during this Thanksgiving, a vegetarian or vegan feast would make a great green Thanksgiving feast! Vegan and vegetarian Thanksgiving meal recipes are readily available on many culinary websites such as Food.com.
Reduce Consumer Carbon Foodprint. The food people eat is grown and produced as part of a massive process from start to finish, most of which people never witness. This whole food production process is responsible for a third of all global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are pumped into the environment all the way from the production of the food right through to the transportation of it to the stores from where it is purchased. For this Thanksgiving, consumers should make every effort to make sure that the food on the dinner plate is homegrown by local farmers who employ organic practices. Purchasing holiday ingredients from local farmers market will not only support the local community and economy, but it will also ensure that the distance the food has had to travel to get to the dinner plate is minimal. Of course, the taste of local, organically grown food is much more delicious than the mass produced goods at the major supermarket chains!
Reduce Plastic Dependency: There is nothing more heartbreaking then to see aquatic creatures lives been taken due to the overuse of plastic bags. The horrible truth about plastic is that it never fully decomposes, it just slowly breaks down over a very long period of time. An easy way to skip this plastic scourge is to use an eco-friendly alternative, such as silicone! The purist will try to argue that using silicone does not actually reduce the carbon footprint left behind. Silicone is currently the best and most effective alternative to plastic. Silicone kitchenware has many benefits of plastics and is extremely durable and can be recycled at specialty recycling facilities. Some suppliers may even provide recycling service for its customers. It is honestly the most practical solution to moving towards a plastic free world and also having an eco-friendly Thanksgiving this November.
If every consumer can make that little extra effort to enjoy an eco-friendly Thanksgiving it will make more of a difference than one thinks. Happy Thanksgiving and be Thankfully Green.
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