Thanksgiving is a joyous time when families get together to celebrate, give thanks, enjoy each other’s company, and to of course have the biggest meal of the year. The holiday is filled with lots of festivities and also leads to lots of waste.
In a world of challenged natural resources we need to be more aware of how we can have great celebrations and also become greener. It is easier than you think and only takes some planning and common sense changes to the typical way things are done during the holiday. Here are some ideas for you to implement to have a greener Thanksgiving.
Wrapping Your Leftovers
One thing that everyone can expect from Thanksgiving is that there will be huge amount of food prepared leading to the year’s largest amount of leftovers. When you think about the amount of wrapping paper and aluminum foil used to wrap Thanksgiving leftovers all over the country, you can imagine the amount of trees and resources needed to create all of this wrap.
One alternative wrapping is truly a green product. Abeego is a food wrapping paper made from beeswax that can wrap or cover any Thanksgiving leftovers. This completely naturally and green produced product provides a better alternative to aluminum and other types of wraps because it breathes allowing food to keep better. The wraps are also reusable and with the proper care, can be used repeatedly for a year. Abeego has many benefits over traditional wrapping paper including:
Abeego is an all natural product – Every ingredient used to create the product comes from the Earth and will return to it without a trace.
Abeego is a zero waste product – From its inception, the company adopted a waste free commitment. They use everything they create. For example, the left over product from creating the wraps used to make amazing twist ties and fire starters.
Abeego lasts for long time – With proper care, Abeego wraps can last up to one year providing continuous use by owners. Most customers purchase several of the wraps and use them throughout the year.
Abeego products require minimal energy to produce. Abeego is primarily people powered and also uses a waxing machine that has tripled our output using the same amount of energy. They are very efficient.
Washing Dishes
Thanksgiving means lots of people eating, and big meals, which translates to lots of dishwashing which uses large amounts of water. Clean drinking and washing water is a limited resource and conserving water today particularly in many areas of the country is a primary concern for municipalities. Everyone should do their part to assist and it is at the heart of green living.
Most people do not realize that the green way to wash dishes is to use a dishwasher. In fact it is estimated that using a dishwasher saves more than 35% of the water used when washing dishes by hand. So if you have a dishwasher you are using a green device. If you don’t the best way to wash is to fill the sink or one side of a double sink with water and with sudsy water and soak your dishes there then rinse with clean water. Be conscious of your water use and you can have clean dishes and contribute to your green Thanksgiving.
As you enjoy your holiday make yourself and your family about conservation and taking a greener approach to the day. You will have the same great time and also feel great about yourself for doing something great for the planet.
