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How to Plan a Green Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a fun holiday for getting together with family and eating a really impressive meal. But then you have all the leftovers and mess to clean up.

thanksgiving

I suppose it’s a good thing that only the eating part is heavily commercialized. At least, I don’t know anyone who decorates for Thanksgiving the way people do for Halloween or Christmas.

Planning a green Thanksgiving isn’t too complex. It’s about thinking about your choices and not going overboard. Here are some of my ideas.

1. Decorate with things you have on hand.

Odds are you already have plenty of decorations that will make your table look nice for the holiday dinner. A tablecloth, your good dishes and so forth will make a very nice presentation.

If you haven’t started using cloth napkins, now is a great time to start. They look more elegant. Organic cloth napkins can be an excellent choice if you need to buy some. They really aren’t that much harder to deal with than disposables.

2. Add in natural decorations.

If you live in an area where the fall leaves have some great color, they can make wonderful Thanksgiving decorations. You’ll need to pick carefully for any that you put on the table, of course.

3. Think about your turkey.

If it fits in the budget, go for a free range or organic turkey. These cost more, so don’t feel too bad if you don’t feel up to buying one.

However, you can be sure to use up as much of the turkey as possible after the holiday. Yes, the turkey leftovers can get boring. However, you can freeze the excess to spread things out a little.

Don’t forget to really mix things up. In my family there’s a recipe we call Quitting Cold Turkey. It uses turmeric to help the flavor, along with various vegetables. Very simple to make.

And of course there’s turkey soup to be made from the bones and scraps. You can get a lot of soup from one turkey, and know that you aren’t wasting anything you can eat. I generally freeze my excess soup in batches so I can take out just enough for daily meals when we want it.

There’s also the option of having something other than turkey. Some families prefer something else for the main dish. Others cannot stand the thought of skipping their annual turkey. If you really aren’t that enthusiastic about turkey, what would you like?

4. Buy organic produce for side dishes.

Whether or not you were able to buy an organic or free range turkey, try to go organic or local for your side dishes. This will be more challenging in some areas than in others, but it’s a step worth taking.

5. Make less excess food.

Yes, people love to overeat on Thanksgiving. It’s one of those days that few people worry about their diet. But if every year your family is groaning about how long it’s going to take to finish the leftovers, you’re probably cooking way too much. Cut back a little.

6. Borrow rather than buy.

My sister called me the other day, and while we were talking she mentioned that she needed to get a new mixer before Thanksgiving. She always makes a lemon meringue pie, but her mixer doesn’t work anymore.

I pointed out to her that mine is just fine, and I am a very short detour on her way home from work (less than a half mile). She was quite delighted that I am willing to loan my mixer out. It saves her a bit of money and lets her get the job done.

7. Plan travel carefully.

This is a huge travel season. Many people will drive long distances to have a family Thanksgiving, and many will fly.

If you fly, consider buying carbon credits or even just planting a tree in your area. There’s not a lot you can do about the emissions created by airplanes otherwise. At least at this time of year you can be fairly certain of a full flight.

Driving is better. Check your tires, get your oil changed if it’s due, and be sure your car is overall in good working condition. Don’t pack more than you need to bring, as this will bring your mileage down.

If you have the time, there’s always the train. The time required can be a bit hard to deal with, but if it’s practical for you, trains aren’t a bad way to go.

8. Consider having Thanksgiving at home.

No, not as exciting as seeing all the family you get to see at the big gatherings, but sometimes celebrating Thanksgiving at home is plenty of fun too. You may be able to invite friends over who also aren’t traveling to see their families.

If your family has a strong tradition of getting together for Thanksgiving this can be a hard one to break. But it can also take a lot of stress out of the holiday.

9. Recycle and compost.

Do your best to keep the trash in the trash can and separate out all the stuff that can be recycled or composted. If you’re preparing fresh vegetables, there will probably be plenty of bits for the compost bin. You may also have cans and other containers for the recycle bin.

10. Be thankful.

If you have the money to celebrate as you like, if you have a roof over your head, even if you’re struggling financially, you’re doing much better than many others.

If you’re away from family, give them a call. Write a letter. Even just send an email to let those you love know how much they mean to you.

11. Give to the less fortunate.

No, nothing really green as such, just one of the best ways to show that you care about those who are less fortunate at this time of year. There are plenty of food drives going on at churches and even grocery stores. Our local Henry’s, for example, has pre-bagged foods for their food drive. You just pick the one that has the amount you’re willing to pay and they ring it up for you.

Don’t forget the food banks the rest of the year. Many of them struggle to provide food to needy families during other times of the year.

Have You Picked Up the Reusable Shopping Bag Habit?

Grabbing a reusable shopping bag as you head out to the store sounds like such a simple thing, but in reality it can be a very difficult habit to pick up. All too often I head out to the store to realize that my bags are still at home.

Reusable shopping bags do quite a bit for the environment if you can remember to use them. Plastic bags are hard on the environment not only in terms of their manufacture and distribution, but in that so few are recycled. They’re terrible for wildlife. They break down very, very slowly.

Paper bags are a problem as well, although they do generally come from wood from managed forests. But they are heavier than plastic and can actually have a higher environmental cost than plastic in terms of manufacture and distribution. On the plus side, they break down nicely.

Reusable bags can even save you money. Some stores charge customers for bags, while others give a small discount for bringing your own. Either way the cost difference is small, but it can add up over time.

There are many ways to get reusable bags. You can buy them at your local grocery store, often for about $1 a bag. They’ll have the store’s logo or something along those lines on them, but they’ll get the job done. On the other hand, you’re a walking advertisement for that company. They may also not be terribly durable.

You can sometimes find them free at events. One of mine came from a local fair. The city’s information booth was giving them out.

You can also shop online for them. This is the most expensive option, but if you want the most durable and attractive bags, this is probably the way to go. You may also spend less in the long run. Many of the store bags and free bags are poorly made and won’t last through that many uses if you load them too heavily.

The key to building up a good reusable bag habit is to find something that works for you. Here are some ideas:

1. Keep them in the car.

Reusable bags are light, and take up very little room when empty, so they’re a good choice to just toss in the trunk. Do so after each time you use them, and they’ll make it to the store with you every time you drive over.

2. Buy bags that fold up into your purse.

If you carry a purse, this can work well for you. Some varieties fold up very small, and you can just have them with you all the time. No more forgetting them even in the trunk!

3. Put it at the top of your shopping list.

Just be sure you go over your list right before you leave. This won’t help you much if you don’t look at your list until you’re actually at the store.

Is a Programmable Thermostat for You?

One of the big tips I often read about for cutting your bills is to install a programmable thermostat in your home. And they can certainly be convenient. But are they for everyone?

I’ve lived with and without one. Many times, they have indeed been a good idea. If your home gets too cold at night, for example, it’s nice to have the house warming up a little before everyone has to get out of bed.

On the other hand, I currently don’t have one and don’t feel the need. I work at home, so I’m here all the time, and I know quite a bit about how much heat I tend to use in winter, and how much air conditioning I use in the summer.

Not a whole lot, actually.

Being in southern California, we don’t get the extremes that other places do. Our hottest is pretty hot, but our coldest is nothing compared to a lot of places. That means sweaters do an awfully good job of keeping me and my family warm in winter. It’s a lot cheaper to warm our bodies than to warm our house.

In summer we learn to adapt to the heat. That and fans allow us to minimize the use of an air conditioner.

Of course, I’m not at all opposed to programmable thermostats for most people. Many places you quite simply do need to heat or cool your home, and it’s probably on a predictable schedule. It saves a lot of trouble to have the thermostat turn itself up and down by the times you are going to need the house to be a particular temperature.

We can all forget little details like turning down the heater before leaving, after all. And that wastes a lot of energy. Much better to have it turn itself down at those times that you know you won’t need it.

Even if you have one, of course, you should be considering ways to use less heat and air conditioning, depending on the season. Even a few degrees difference in how you set it can save you quite a bit of money. How much you do depends on personal tolerance.

Quick Home Insulation

The weather is cooling off, even in southern California. While the process is slow where I live, the difference can be felt.

It’s a good time to think about how well your home is insulated. A few quick, affordable steps can help to cut your winter heating bill.

1. Install weatherstripping as needed.

I’ve been after my husband on this one for the front door for a while. The gap in some spots is visible. We don’t use the heater much in winter, but it would be nice to block that draft, as well as some of the bugs that can too easily come in.

Actually, the door has some already, but the landlord cut it too short on both sides. The gap is visible. This kind of work is pretty typical in the place we’re renting. Nice people, but not champion do-it-yourselfers, despite their best efforts.

A small opening like that can allow quite a bit of heat to escape. There’s a good tutorial on How Stuff Works on installing weatherstripping.

2. Insulate your hot water heater.

A hot water heater cover is affordable and may well pay for itself within one year.

3. Cover your windows.

In my area it works to let the sun shine into the windows in the morning to warm things up. But every other window is kept covered.

If things are particularly cold, get some heavy curtains or hang blankets over the windows. These create an insulating layer that can help to keep the cold out.

4. Add more insulation to the attic.

This costs a bit more, but if your insulation is too thin you’re wasting a lot of heat. Spending the money and time to get more insulation can make a difference.

Figuring Out Natural Pest Control

One of the things I dislike about the house we’re renting right now is how poorly sealed off it is. We get ants and crickets in the house like you would not believe, even when things are clean. It’s something of a pain.

That said, I do like crickets… outside! If you relax about it, their chirping can be quite nice.

Inside, in the middle of the night is another story. I never knew how loudly crickets can chirp. And hunting for one in the middle of the night is not fun.

For the most part, you can’t get more natural than the main way we handle them. The kids think it’s great fun to catch a cricket by hand and throw it outside. It may take a little extra hand washing, but it’s fun for the kids. They’re gentle enough now that squashing the crickets isn’t really an issue.

We have a method for handling them outside once in a while too. My husband sometimes goes out in the evening and starts moving some of the stones they hide under. The local birds are pretty quick to come for such a feast.

The ants are more of a problem. We use Terro liquid because it’s effective and safe around humans and pets. Only trouble is how often ants keep coming back in new places. It can take a while to control a particular incursion if you aren’t persistent. Maybe that should be persist-ANT!

For those unfamiliar with it, Terro is basically a sweet syrup combined with Borax. In other words, you can make the same kind of thing at home if that’s your preference. Too much Borax can be a hazard to children and pets, but small amounts are unlikely to be any sort of problem. We’re always picky about where we bait ants even when using safe products.

And then there’s the occasional incursion of flies. This is really only a problem when someone leaves a door open a while (Yes, dear, I mean you mostly). Mostly we’ve handled this the old fashioned way – fly swatters! Last year we had to get out the flypaper, but things haven’t been so bad this year.

Which brings me to our worst problem…

Rats in the shed!

At least they’re outside. The shed was built by our landlord, and let’s just say he didn’t seal it at all from the walls to the roof. There’s several inches of opening there. No wonder the rats go in there.

These have been giving us more trouble. They’ve been too smart for the traps. No, I don’t mind killing rats. Most wild critters I’m very much into live and let live, but I’m admittedly biased against rats. And I really don’t want them getting so content in our yard that they go for the house. Rats being so notorious for carrying disease, this bias really doesn’t bother me.

Glue traps haven’t worked any better than spring traps. Rats really are too smart sometimes.

The neighbors have cats, but they aren’t out enough to make a difference. We don’t have pets; don’t want them while renting because moving is so hard with a pet. But sometimes these rats do tempt me with thoughts of a dog and/or cat to help control things.

I’ve been considering something like the Repels All Animal Repellent. As I said, rats are one I don’t mind killing, but the safer ways to kill them have been ineffective for us. We don’t want to risk neighborhood animals by using poison.

The way the shed is built, and the junk the landlord has behind it are the big causes for this problem, of course, so we’ve been trying to figure out a good way to take care of it. Not easy when it’s a construction issue in part.