Terra Talks…
Last week we talked about our food choices for Thanksgiving. Let’s look at other ways to create a holiday that honors God’s earth.
Save Energy—
- Glass and ceramic baking dishes retain heat better; turn the oven down 25 degrees.
- Do all prep work before preheating oven.
- Use crockpots, chafing dishes, etc. to keep food warm instead of the oven.
- Turn down the house thermostat, too!
- Use coolers (NOT Styrofoam!) to store extra food so your fridge isn’t overtaxed.
Ditch the Disposables—
- You’ll be washing all those pots and pans anyway, so why not add plates and silverware to the dishwasher at the same time? Laughing and joking while cleaning the kitchen with my extended family is a treasured memory for me. Save money, help the planet, and teach responsibility at the same time!
- Don’t have enough plates? Mix and match sets; ask guests to bring favorite plates; check out thrift stores early to find a fun array of glasses, silverware, plates.
- Donate afterwards if you don’t have room to store or save for next year.
If you must use disposables–
- Avoid Plastic and Styrofoam plates/cups completely.
- Paper plates with colored designs (which is a plastic coating) are not compostable and go in trash.
- Look for plain white ones (like Chinet) or plant-based ones made of sugar, corn, bamboo, etc.
- These should be added to your yard waste/compost bin.
- Set up a separate trash can for them, so they don’t get mixed into regular trash or recyclables.
- Not all “eco” disposables are equal, so do your homework and see if they can go into your home compost, or need to go to a commercial compost facility, i.e., a green yard waste bin.
COMPOSTABLE DOES NOT MEAN RECYCLABLE! So don’t go tossing them in the Blue Bin! Many local grocery stores and cash/carry stores now sell compostable dishes, drinkware and bamboo silverware.
Lastly–
In order to avoid single use baggies, ask everyone to bring their own food containers if you plan to send home leftovers.
Making these simple changes can help both you (you’ll feel so much better about your Thanksgiving!) and the planet. Share these steps with your friends and family, so they can benefit from making Earth-friendly choices as well. Every little bit helps!
Terra
