How to Host an Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving Feast

Published on January 13, 2022

Future generations will be thankful for the sustainable choices that are made today! Food waste in the U.S. is a serious problem that gets worse during the holidays. Here’s how to have a sustainable Thanksgiving to enjoy time with friends and family while reducing your carbon footprint.

• Meal Prep
  • A key component to an eco-friendly Thanksgiving is meal preparation. You will avoid overbuying food, which will reduce your food waste.
  • Think about how many guests you will be having and plan accordingly.
• Buy Local and Organic When Possible
  • The closer your food is grown, the lower the environmental impact of what you eat. Shop farmer’s markets, like Dunedin’s Downtown Farmer’s Market, or order a box of produce from a local farm offering that service. These options are likely to be organic, making it a double win.
  • If you’re buying a turkey, source it from a local farm, or at least choose an organic, cage-free turkey when possible.

• Use Reusable Dishes, Cups, Cutlery, and Napkins
  • While it may be easy to turn to single-use disposable items for the holiday, consider the amount of waste that can be reduced if reusable dishes, cups, and cutlery is used instead.
  • Not only do disposable plates and cutlery cause waste, but they also cost you!
  • Think you're reducing water consumption by having disposable plates? Think again! The average paper plate requires 8 gallons of freshwater to produce. That's a lot of water for one plate! If you have 10 guests, that's 80 gallons of water. Running a loaded dishwasher uses much less, usually about 6 gallons of water total.
  • Food tastes better on real plates. You've gone through all of the trouble to make an incredible meal, let it taste even better on real dishes.
  • Use reusable cloth napkins instead of paper towels or paper napkins.

• Get Creative with Leftovers and Use Reusable Containers
  • To reduce and eliminate food waste, get creative with leftovers.
  • Use bones and vegetable trimmings for soup, make a turkey sandwich, or "Leftover Thanksgiving Pot Pie."
  • Use reusable containers for leftovers instead of plastic baggies and plastic wrap.
  • About to dispose of a food container, such as a tub of sour cream? Clean it out and save it for giving guests leftovers to take home.

• Compost Food Scraps
  • Some food scraps cannot be used as leftovers. Instead of throwing items in the garbage, compost them! For home composts piles, it is usually best to compost plant products and paper products. Avoid meat and dairy unless equipped to handle these items.
  • Learn about Dunedin’s Compost program and how you can be eligible to receive a free compost bin.

• Share your tips and tricks for making Thanksgiving eco-friendly
  • Tell guests, family, and friends about the sustainable actions you are taking to make your Thanksgiving green. By doing this, you are encouraging others around you to make more sustainable and mindful choices.
  • Share with us! The Dunedin Green Scene would love to hear about how you made your Thanksgiving green.