A Sustainable Feast

—Allison Bedosky, Education Director

Thanksgiving - a time to spend with family, to make generation's old recipes, and share great food - is one of my favorite days of the year. But the waste that comes with this feast - from table scraps to party décor to food containers to long traveling - can make the meal one of the least sustainable we will eat all year. Is there any way to reduce Thanksgiving's carbon footprint?

Go Organic, Go Heritage

Fewer chemicals and pesticides on our fruits and vegetables means better soil and cleaner runoff going into our waterways. There are plenty of places to purchase farm fresh food. A good resource is www.localharvest.org. Selecting local produce also translates into less food miles traveled, which leaves less of a carbon footprint on the environment, and fresh, ripe produce for the consumers.

Another option for cleaner poultry is ordering a heritage turkey. These breeds are raised over a long period of time, are naturally mating and have a slower growth rate compared to turkeys bred for industrial agriculture. This method of breeding gives the birds a better quality of life, and according to many chefs, a better taste compared to their non-heritage counterparts.

Go Compostable, Go Recyclable

Other ways to make our holidays more sustainable and less wasteful are by using décor that is 100% natural. From cornucopia to pine cone displays to soy and beeswax candles, there are many options for decorations that are biodegradable. Composting is essential around the holidays, especially with all those farmer's market fruits and vegetables. Check out www.getcomposting.com for a complete list of foods that are compostable. As for food containers and packaging, learn what you can and can not recycle and buy wisely. For a thorough list of what can be recycled in Westchester County, check out this link.

Go Boxed, Go Public

Wine will be served on many tables this holiday season, and there is a strong case for grabbing the box over the bottle. The lighter packaging of boxed wine requires less fuel in transportation then the traditional glass bottle. Plus, for those of us using public transportation to get to our destinations this holiday season, boxed wine is lighter to pack and carry. If you're traveling by car, make sure your tires are properly inflated to save on your miles per gallon. Wishing everyone a safe and green holiday season.