Happy (& Sustainable) Thanksgiving!

Ahhhh, fall. The changing colours, the shedding of old skin (or leaves), and the promise of winter (okay, winter is a given, but some of us love it). With fall comes Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, etc. Fall also brings us Circular Economy Month, Waste Reduction Week, and International Walk To School Month! So much to celebrate! And Thanksgiving is a great place to start. However you choose to spend your Thanksgiving, we have some tips to make it more sustainable.

Skip the unnecessary wasteful practices.

Use reusable dinnerware, glasses, and napkins with an efficient dishwasher (or with efficient hand-washing). The impact of producing ceramic plates and using water to clean them is far less than continuously using disposable plates. Imagine: harvesting the raw materials for the paper or (gulp!) styrofoam, producing the plates, transporting them to the store, you picking them up from the store, using them for 15 minutes, and finally transporting them to the landfill where they won’t have a chance to decompose properly.

Purchase local and organic foods when possible. 

The benefits of local and organic foods cannot be overstated. Don’t free-range and naturally-fed animals just taste better? There’s also lots of delicious plant-based options, like a festive chickpea tart or roasted vegetable galette. And when you’re done, don’t forget to compost what you can! There are many farmer’s markets around Winnipeg these days, and you can look for one near you here! Also, serve water in a classy jug instead of bottled water. 

Get outside! 

The temperature around Thanksgiving is perfect for a game of bocce or to throw the football around. Connecting with nature doesn’t have to involve hiking or a long haul canoe trip. Just being around the trees and birds and feeling the sun (or snow!) on your face improves your mood and health greatly! Give thanks to our beautiful city!

Travel smart.

If you travel for Thanksgiving, driving has less impact than flying, and you can slow down and enjoy the scenery, or stop to take pictures of that old and shabby (but beautiful) prairie barn. You can’t do that on a plane! If you have to fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets. You can have some trees planted to take in the amount of carbon your flight would produce. Win-win!

Give back!

You may be fortunate enough to have a delicious, local and organic meal to share with family and friends under a warm roof, but many people in Winnipeg don’t. You don’t have to give a lot to make a difference. There are many local charities or shelters to choose from. You may also consider donating to an environmental non-profit (like Green Action Centre!) who is doing work to educate and actively protect our beautiful province (or country).