Giving Thanks
Celebrating a Conscious Thanksgiving
Green travel to and from your
Thanksgiving event.
In addition to having the dubious distinction
of being the holiday to produce the most food
waste throughout the entire year, it also is implicated in travel eco-ills.
More than 65 million people travel for Thanksgiving celebrations in the US, and that adds up
to a lot of greenhouse gas emissions pushed
into the atmosphere. You can reduce your
Thanksgiving travel carbon footprint by taking
some steps to make your holiday even more
climate-friendly.
Choose a central location.
If you’re bringing family together from far and
wide, try to choose a location that’s central to
everyone so that you minimize travel as much
as possible. This is easiest if everyone is within
driving distance but can also be done over long
distances.
Go public transit.
If you live within the same city as the celebrations, go by public transit rather than driving.
Not only can this be safer (winter driving conditions and drunk drivers are both hazards), it
is cheaper, too.
Choose rail over air.
Traveling by motor coach or rail, especially if
the distance is short, is usually less expensive
and much better for the planet. Plus it can be a
fun experience, too!
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Carbon neutralize.
Regardless of your travel choice, you may want
to consider buying carbon offsets for the travel
you’ve done. Choose ones that are certified by a
third-party, such as those through Carbonfund,
3Degrees, or TerraPass.
Celebrate an alternative Thanksgiving.
If it all seems too much, you might want to
consider one of these alternatives to Thanksgiving:
• Donate food to local organizations that feed
the hungry.
• Help cook and serve a meal at a homeless
shelter or soup kitchen.
• Invite to dinner someone who otherwise
would be alone that day.
• Volunteer at an animal shelter.
• Remember your elderly neighbors, and visit
a senior center or nursing home.
• Go hiking. If the weather is right where
you live, pack some turkey (or Tofurky)
sandwiches and head into the great
outdoors to give thanks for nature’s lifesustaining wonder.
• Plant some trees. The dormant, leafless state
they assume in autumn marks an ideal time
for successful transplanting.
• Spend the day assembling care packages
for U.S. troops overseas. One organization
facilitating such care packages is Any
Soldier, but the internet abounds with
organizations that can help.