A Greener Thanksgiving
or Thanksliving!
At WholeSoy, we believe that sustainability is a journey and not a destination. We strive to operate in a manner that gives back to the planet that we call home. As individuals we watch and learn from our surrounding communities (including internet communities) to help us take the additional steps for reducing our impact on the planet. We've compiled the following ideas for how we can all be a little greener this Thanksgiving and the remaining holiday season!
Use Reusable Utensils and Napkins or BYOU (bring your own utensils)
We can all help keep additional waste out of landfills by opting for reusable utensils, cups and napkins. It's easy to take a shortcut because after spending hours cooking that large meal for family and friends the last thing you want to do is spend an additional hour or more over the sink washing it all. The way we settled it in my family: whoever didn't help cook the meal was volunteered to do the dishes!Also, if you're going to a casual pot luck meal, you can even bring your own set of reusable plates and utensils thereby ensuring there are enough utensils for everyone and reducing the host's cleanup time!
Go Meatless (Thanksliving)!
It's clearer than ever that reducing the consumption of animal products also reduces your carbon footprint. Going meatless for Thanksgiving dinner, or any meal, is easier than ever with the growing assortment of vegan cookbooks and deliciously refined pre-cooked items sold at grocery stores or local farmer's markets. Our friends at Turtle Island Foods make the famous Tofurky for an easy alternative to farmed Turkey! We also have a growing Recipe Directory on our own website to help inspire the vegan chef in everyone!Some of our favorite vegan chefs, who have perfected the meatless meal are:
Terry Hope Romero - Vegan Latina
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau - Compassionate Cooks
Alicia C. Simpson
Hannah Kaminsky - Bittersweet Blog
Brittany Roberts - The Tofu Guru
Leftovers
It's inevitable that we cook far more than we can eat for holiday meals! Don't be afraid to have leftovers. Soups and vegetables freeze well and what can't be frozen can be used for leftovers first!Butternut Squash Soup leftovers can easily be placed into individual serving size containers for freezing. The following week you can thaw one in the refrigerator before heading out to work or school!
Pumpkin Curry Tempeh Strips leftovers can make a delicious meatless sandwich filling the next day!
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
Reduce - there are many ways to reduce your impact during the holidays. Bring your own cloth bags to the store rather than taking more paper or plastic home with you. Also buy food in bulk and use your own reusable bags or jars to reduce the amount of packaging materials.Reuse - get creative with reusing that packaging! Glass containers for almond or peanut butter can become reusable jars for freezing leftover soup or storing grains. There's also a number of ways to reuse yogurt cups, including garden planters! Read our blog about reusing yogurt cups!
Recycle - lastly, recycle your containers. Remember to check with your county first to see which numbered containers they accept for recycling. If your county does not accept #5's, see if a local Whole Foods Market or other retailer has a recycling program. You can also mail #5's to Preserve Products who make toothbrushes and razors from yogurt cups! Read more about our Recycling program too.
Compost
Give back to the planet this Thanksgiving by composting all those kitchen scraps and leftovers. Composting helps prevent pollution because our food wastes create methane gas when breaking down in landfills. Composting, on the other hand, creates nutrient rich soil that nourishes plant life. The EPA has a handy online resource to find out about composting programs where you live. Want to start your own compost bin? Check out this WikiHow Compost page to learn more.Stay Local and Have a Potluck
The Thanksgiving Holiday break provides only a few days from school or work. Never enough time to have a restful vacation especially if travel is involved! Try having a staycation this Thanksgiving break with local friends and family and then dedicate the next holiday break for family gatherings that require further travel. You could even throw a local vegan Thanksgiving potluck. It's a money saver, reduces your carbon footprint and you could meet some incredible new people!Herb Garden
Somehow that bundle of herbs from the market is more than what you need for the week, right? Organic herbs can also be quite expensive but conventional herbs are full of pesticide residue. Start your own herb garden to pick just as much as you need each day! Rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, parsley are just a few ideas! Most of us at WholeSoy are urban dwellers with limited space. If you are too, it may take some trial and error to find the right spot either on your porch or in a window box.Choose Foods that are in Season and Support Local Farmers
At WholeSoy, we get our soybeans from a family farm which is dedicated to providing us with high quality organic non-GMO, human grade soybeans. Also, our fruit suppliers source fruit locally as much as possible. There are several ways you can get involved to support local farms: farmer's markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs or urban community gardens. Not only do you support small sustainable farms over agricultural conglomerates but your vegetables, grains, nuts, fruits have less distance to travel, are picked ripe and will be in season for your region. Urban community gardens are popular and have limited space, but you could go in on a shared plot with friends or family!Seasonal Recipes:
Pumpkin Pie SmoothieApples and "Honey" Semifreddo
Pumpkin Curry Tempeh Strips
Butternut Squash Soup
Apple, Cranberry & Pomegranate Salad
Cinnamon Apple Cake
About the Author
Yesica
Yesica is WholeSoy's Communications Manager. She first joined the WholeSoy team in 2007 as Administrative Coordinator. As Communications Manager, Yesica has aided in our first major website overhaul - which is what you are looking at now! She serves as the general creative thinking cap by maintaining the website and social media sites, organizing donations and overseeing product designs.
"I love being a part of a company (a family really) that is also reflective of my own ethics and where being environmentally & globally conscious is the norm!"
Yesica joined WholeSoy shortly after completing her BA in Sociology with a defined interest in the food industry and wrote her undergrad thesis on The Social Impact of Vegetarianism and Veganism. Yesica remains a long time vegan who regularly ventures to her local organic farmer's market and charity bakesales all while photographing her food journey. Even with all the local healthy food around, she manages to make time for any outdoor activities that take her to state parks or coastal beaches with family and friends.
Comments (2)
It was very interesting. Wish to read more of such.
Thanks Tanya! Yes, we'll be blogging more about similar topics soon! Stay tuned!