Sustainability during Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the most loved holidays that Americans celebrate, the unnatural abundance of food especially on this holiday leads to a deeper environmental problem we should not ignore, so much so that food waste currently occupies half of the US landfill.

In fact, this Thanksgiving alone (2022), ReFed is projecting about 305 million pounds of food will be wasted which is triple the average daily rate amounting to about $293 million with 30-40% of the Thanksgiving food supply is typically wasted. Whether  its throwing out of leftovers, disposing of ingredients that still have use and even as simple as not composting scraps can lead to throwing out of perfectly (re)usable food items, filling up landfills and unnecessarily contributing to the increase of greenhouse emissions - one of the main causes of global warming. Roughly 2/3 of food waste comes from people throwing out perfectly good food and that is why food waste alone significantly contributes to 11% of greenhouse emissions, for perspective is just about the same amount of emissions output of 170,000 cars driving in a year.

Who knew such drastic environmental effects were bound to happen? HEI did and now you do too. And that is why we compiled a few tips that can be helpful when you are left staring at heaps of leftovers after hosting your loved ones.

(1) The Freezer is your Best friend
Prior to Thanksgiving, be mindful of your freezer space by not over-buying frozen groceries and by slowly consuming already stored frozen items, this will save you $$ for your weekly groceries. Post Thanksgiving, make sure to segregate, store and properly label each food items that you know you would not be able to consume immediately. Immediate freezing of the leftovers can extend a dish’s shelf life from weeks to a few months, depending on the dish. With stored frozen leftovers, you’ll have access to easy, instant, reheat-able meals on-hand.

(2) Creativity in Leftovers
Not too keen eating the same thing over and over again for days on end? Be creative! There are endless opportunities on how to re-use leftovers to make a completely new dish to excite your palate. From soups, stews, pies, chicken/turkey sandwiches, salads, frittatas and so much more. Adding new condiments, spices and jazzing up the dish with a good broth (that you can make from veggie scraps and bones) or re-introducing a fresh ingredient (celery, carrots, etc) can make a world of difference in re-purposing your leftovers and giving them a new life.

(3) Art of Composting
Composting has become more accessible and doable the past years, even the information on how to go about is is endless. For starters, epa.gov is a comprehensive research on how/where  to start your own composting bin and its vast benefits. To make it easier, most neighborhoods have compost outlets and/or their weekly Farmer’s Market provide a compostable area where people can go and drop off their compost.

(4) Sharing is Caring
If storing and re-purposing leftovers is just not your jam and it takes too much time and effort, then simply share with your co-workers, friends, soccer friends or what not. One fun idea is to host a “leftover swap party” for those who want to continue on with the festivities. Donating to your local food bank is also an amazing effort to curb food waste and help feed your local community. Visit the Feeding America website and your neighborhood food bank for more information.

(5) Learn, Plan, Do Better, Repeat.
Every day and every occasion is a learning opportunity to do better and live better - we all live to learn. So take this day, learn and adjust accordingly for next Thanksgiving, or next gathering. Planning ahead and being extra mindful of food serving size per person are a few steps you can take to do better next time in alleviating unnecessary food waste.

While we promote a sense of gratitude for being able to gather and celebrate with our loved ones this season, we also urge the community to take a more responsible and accountable approach with our choices in order to live sustainably - for that Truly Green Life.

Sources:
https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/
https://time.com/6236321/thanksgiving-food-waste-ways-to-avoid/
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/11/17/tips-reduce-food-waste-thanksgiving