Thankful for a Sustainable Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is fast upon us, a time to be thankful for all the good things in your life, and appreciate everything that you have. The main event during this holiday season is the dinner. A chance for the family to come together, spend some quality time in each others company and enjoy some delicious food. Here at SustainableVisit, we believe that even the most iconic of family dinners can benefit from a sustainable touch. So, with this in mind we have put together our tips on how you can have a sustainable and delicious Thanksgiving.

Before we look at the ways that you can find sustainable food for Thanksgiving, we should summarise just what makes food sustainable. Sustainable food is food that has been produced, processed, distributed and disposed of in a particular way. It should contribute to the local economy and protect the diversity of animals and plants as well as have high levels of welfare. It should also avoid wasting and harming any natural resources, thus organic produce is preferable. Finally, it should provide social benefits, educational opportunities and high quality produce.

Buying local produce is a great way to enjoy a sustainable Thanksgiving. Especially when it comes to the centrepiece of the meal, the Turkey. There is a good chance that you will have a local Turkey seller near to you. This will allow you to purchase locally reared meat that will not only feel great to buy, but taste pretty great too. In addition to local, purchasing hormone-free, GMO-free, and organic helps protect the workers handling the agriculture or animal husbandry supply chain and reduces both known and unknown risks to your own health.

When it comes to laying on a Thanksgiving spread, there is a good chance that you will want to provide plenty of choice. Leftovers can be enjoyed later on, but too much food could lead to food waste. The amount of food that is thrown away around the world is shocking, and across the USA, families have a part to play in reducing the level of food waste. U.S. consumers, businesses, and farms spend $218 billion annually growing, processing, transporting, and disposing food that is never eaten. Try to only cook enough food that will be eaten, and ensure that if there is any waste, that it is frozen, ready to be enjoyed another day.

Whilst it is easy to get your vegetables from a store, you may be surprised to learn that it is easy to grow it yourself. Growing your own vegetables is a great way to ensure that you know exactly where your food is coming from. Not only this but it makes sure that the food you put on your plate is fully sustainable. Not only is growing your own vegetables a great way to be sustainable, but it is also a fun thing to get the whole family involved with. You can plant all your vegetables during the summer, and watch them grow, ready to be served up on during your Thanksgiving feast.

Why not see if approaching your Thanksgiving dinner all-together more sustainably makes for a tasty one?

*Original photo can be found here.