How to be a Zero Waste Thanksgiving Guest
The Thanksgiving holiday is a great time of year to be able to spend time with family and gather with loved ones. But, for those of us living a more sustainable life, this time of year can cause some anxiety and stress because we know it can be full of waste.
If you are hosting a Thanksgiving meal, you have a little more control over how wasteful the event will be. If you are a guest, however, you have less control over how wasteful the holiday meal will be. Luckily, we’ve got some great tips for being a zero waste Thanksgiving guest.
Bring the Host a Low Waste Gift
It’s always gracious to give the host a gift when invited over for a Thanksgiving dinner. Consider bringing the host a low waste gift that they will actually enjoy.
A great host gift is a plant or potted flowers. Rather than loose flower bouquets, potted plants and flowers are a little more sustainable since they can last for a very long time.
There are a ton of different kinds of zero waste gifts you can get people based on their interests and your budget. Check out a few of our blogs below for more sustainable gift ideas.
Cook a Vegetarian Dish
We know that eating less meat is better for the environment. However, many people still think vegetarian meals are boring and bland.
As a guest at a Thanksgiving dinner, you can cook a delicious vegetarian side dish that can show people how tasty and satisfying a vegetarian meal can be.
Try to make a dish with locally sourced ingredients and that are in season to make the dish even more sustainable.
Try any of these tasty plant-based recipes that are great for a sustainable plant-based Thanksgiving dish.
Bring your dish in a reusable container
When bringing a side dish to dinner, be sure you bring it in a reusable container. Most people will bring their side in a plastic or single-use aluminum foil container, which is extremely wasteful.
Bring a beautiful reusable dish so as to not add to the waste this day already brings. It may even allow you to start a positive conversation about your lifestyle.
Bring Your Own Dinnerware
Sometimes during Thanksgiving dinner, the host will opt for single-use plates and eating utensils. It'll be hard to remain zero-waste if this is the case at the dinner you're attending, but there are a couple of solutions.
If you are comfortable and know the host well, you can ask to use their reusable dinnerware and offer to clean your dishes afterward.
Another option would be for you to just simply bring your own plate and silverware so that you aren't personally contributing to the waste but you don't have to put out the host in any way.
Don't Overfill Your Plate
Thanksgiving dinner is a meal that usually has lots of amazing dishes to choose from, and that sometimes means people overfill their plates and end up wasting a lot fo it.
One of the biggest environmental issues in the US is food waste and Thanksgiving is a big day for food waste. To be more conscious of this issue, try not to overfill your plate during dinner.
Fill your plate with just a small amount of food, if you are still hungry after, you can always go back for seconds.
Take the Leftovers
Another problem with food waste isn’t just people overfilling their plates, it’s the disposal of the leftovers. The host will most likely want everyone to take home leftovers so that they don’t end up stuck with a bunch of food that they can't finish.
Take home as many leftovers as possible and be conscious of the waste. You can always freeze certain dishes so that you aren’t creating food waste.
Bring Food Containers
While taking leftovers is a great way to try to be as zero waste as possible during Thanksgiving, the containers that your leftovers are in can be another hurdle to tackle.
Most people end up taking leftovers in aluminum foil or paper plates, which are single-use and end up in the trash shortly after they're used.
Think ahead and pack some food storage containers with you to bring for leftovers.
Be Friendly About your Lifestyle
As you try to remain zero waste this Thanksgiving, people may notice your reusable dinnerware, storage containers and might start asking questions. Take this opportunity to talk openly and positively about your sustainable lifestyle.
Feel free to share your reasoning behind your journey to a zero waste lifestyle, people might really learn something new.
It may seem like a hard feat to be zero waste while being a guest at a Thanksgiving dinner, but it is possible. Depending on how comfortable you are with the host, you can go as far as bringing your own silverware and containers, but if you are a little more modest you can still reduce waste by making a vegetarian dish and not overfilling your plate.
