Thanksgiving, while an ecumenical holiday, is a great time to consider the Jewish principle of baal tashchit (do not waste). There are many things you can do to make your celebration of this holiday more earth friendly.
Reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible: Try
to buy only as much food as you need and look for food that either has
no container or that has a container that can be recycled. Plan to
compost any non-meat food items that can’t be eaten (such as carrot
peel) or that have to be thrown out after the meal. Also plan to use
reusable cloth napkins instead of disposable paper ones.Use local and organic products for your feast: Most Thanksgiving meals focus on food that is in season. Use organic and locally grown pumpkin for your pie. Locally grown vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes and winter squash taste great and are plentiful this time of year. Buying locally means that your food is not flown miles away wasting fossil fuels as it travels from across the country or another continent. Eating organic food means that what goes on your plate will not contain traces of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. If you plan to make a traditional turkey for the holiday, buy one that is from a family farm that does not use antibiotics or artificial hormones.
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Let's take beef off the list of kosher items. Producing one pound of beef pollutes 16,000 pounds of water. Is a hamburger really that important? OK, for special occasions, but beef production uses too many resources.
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