Sustainable Thanksgiving: How to Throw an Eco-Friendly Feast (2024)

It’s not surprising that household garbage — including food waste — increases by as much as 25 percent during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. What is surprising is that in America, food is the largest category of waste in municipal landfills, and it releases an enormous amount of greenhouse gases as it decomposes. When food waste goes into a landfill it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

The good news is that in 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an ambitious goal to cut domestic food waste in half by 2030. The feds want you — and every other American — to go from tossing 218.9 pounds of food in the garbage each year to throwing away just 109.4 pounds each.

And the holidays are a great place to start. Whatever the size of your Thanksgiving guest list, you can do your part to reduce the environmental impact of your get-together. Have a look below for some tips.

Animal products require 4 to 40 times the calories in crops to produce than they provide in nutrition. To sustain a global, largely meat-dependent population, food production will need to increase by 70 percent by 2050 — one reason why so many people across the world are turning to a meatless diet.

Granted, going totally meatless isn’t for everyone, but even reducing your meat and dairy consumption can make a difference in the environment — and it’s been shown to improve your health, including substantially lowering your risk for heart disease.

Here are 4 options that are more eco-friendly than cooking a giant turkey this year.

• Consider going meatless. The internet is a massive repository for delicious vegetarian and vegan main-dish recipes.
• If skipping the turkey isn’t an option, choose a heritage breed or cage-free turkey — ideally from a local farmer.
• If you need a smaller bird for a tiny crowd, there’s nothing wrong with opting for a cage-free chicken.
• Choose recipes that call for little or no dairy and eggs. If you do use dairy or eggs, choose organic and cruelty-free brands.

Grove Tip

How much is one serving?

When planning your menu, keep in mind that one serving of a protein, veggie, or starch is about 3/4 cup. Some guests will eat more, some less.

This NRDC calculator helps you estimate how much food you’ll need based on who’s coming and whether they’re a big, normal, or small eater.

1. 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 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 if possible.

2. Skip the produce bags

Bring reusable produce bags to the grocery store or skip the bag altogether. And definitely avoid the pre-cut produce in single-use plastic packaging, which can’t be recycled.

Buy in bulk

Nuts, spices, and dry baking ingredients are just some of the ingredients you can buy in bulk from the bins, which reduces packaging waste and saves you money.

Bonus: Check with your local bulk outlet to see if they allow you to bring your own containers.

4. Stick to your shopping list

It’s tempting to make extra purchases — last minute cheese and crackers, a couple jars of olives, an emergency frozen pie — but resist as best you can so as to not have extra food waste.

5. Buy bigger portions and refill packs

If you’re a food warehouse club member, you can buy larger versions of some of your ingredients. For example, one 46-ounce can of food has just under three times the servings of a 16-ounce can, reducing the amount of packaging you’ll have to recycle.

The short answer is ... neither. Here are a couple of tips for reusable or sustainable options when it comes to paper or plastic choices.

If you can’t bring your own reusable bag (which is the best option for our dear planet), you can cut down on waste by filling your paper bags up as much as possible.

Don't wrap meat, wine, or non-food items in a separate plastic bag before sacking either. Then reuse your paper bag as a trash or recycling bag for your guests during the holiday get-togethers. You can also wrap gifts with them, put them down in the garden to suppress weeds, or compost them.

When it comes to paper vs. plastic plates and cutlery, we've got a better alternative. Compostable plastes and cutlery (plus cooking tools too) are now available with the same convenience as the paper/plastic versions, but a better ending for the planet. Just throw them in your compost bin and they will break down much quicker than their plastic and paper counterparts.

Grove Sustainability Tip

How bad are paper and plastic bags?

Plastic bags account for about 12 percent of the plastic in America and take centuries to decompose. If you choose plastic, make sure the bags don’t end up in the environment or landfill. Since most curbside recycling outfits don’t accept plastic bags, you’ll need to take them to a recycling facility that works with them.

Paper bags are made from trees or recycled paper. They require more energy to produce — and account for more greenhouse gases — than plastic bags. If you choose paper bags, try to get as much use out of them as possible.

Single-use cans and bottles actually make up more than 60 million of the plastic bottles that end up in America’s landfills and incinerators every single day, and those that don’t make it to the recycling bin or landfill choke streams and rivers and end up in the ocean.

Instead of bottled water, serve filtered water from the tap — make it festive by putting it in a clear pitcher with some ice and sliced lemons. If you’re going to offer soda, choose aluminum cans — and be sure to recycle them.

Bee’s Wrap

Bee’s Wrap is a very effective — and earth-friendly — alternative to plastic wrap. Made from organic cotton, tree resin, jojoba oil, and beeswax, these handy wraps snugly fit over any opening — seal food in a bowl, wrap up baked goods, or cover half a melon. They even offer vegan options (without beeswax) too!

They last around a year — once they’re no longer sticky, cut them into strips, and compost them.

Learn more about Bee's Wrap and other reusable food storage from mom of 3, Carly Reynolds, who tried out the difference versions at her home.

Le Parfait Glass Jars

Glass jars, especially Le Parfait's, make excellent storage containers for leftovers. They’re clear, so you can see what’s in them. The lids clamp on air-tight, and their size and shape make them easy to fit and keep organized in the fridge.

You can also save glass jars from sauces or other store-bought foods leading up to the feast so that you have plenty on hand. When you empty them, try adding fruit to the jars to keep it lasting longer year-round until your next holiday feast.

Linen Pan and Bowl Covers

Marley's Monsters Linen Bowl and Pan Covers are literally the easiest way to put away leftovers.

Just pop a bowl cover on top of the mashed potatoes bowl and stick it in the fridge, done! Or grab the pan of greenbeen casserole and put a pan cover over it for easy snacking from the fridge later on. Then, when leftovers are eat, wash the covers and use them for dinner leftovers until the next holiday.

Teresa W. wrote about these covers, "I love this cover! I have the medium and will be buying the large as well. Please make the lemons in small too!!! Easy to care for, easier to use than cling wrap, and adds a fun splash of color to the kitchen. Present food in style when bringing to a picnic, or when it’s safe for you, a dinner party."

Recycled Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil made from recycled aluminum is more eco-friendly than brand-new foil. However, all aluminum is 100 percent recyclable.

Spoiler alert: Many recyclers won’t accept it, since it’s often contaminated with food. But aluminum is only environmentally friendly if you recycle it, so you may have to make a trip to the aluminum recycling plant to do it. Otherwise, you can wash it and reuse it. Aluminum is dishwasher-friendly — just lay it flat on the top rack — or you can wash it by hand with soap and water.