10 Tips for a Sustainable Thanksgiving

By Sarah Newman, Takepart. Posted November 26, 2008.

6. Get moving!  The exhaustion you feel on Thanksgiving is from all of the fat, sugar and calories. takepart in a Turkey Trot running race in your community-you'll feel a lot better and perhaps have a bit more room for pie.

7. Skip turkey. I know it's bold of me to write this, but I've enjoyed turkey-free Thanksgivings for nearly 25  years and the meals are always delicious. Factory farming is inhumane to animals and an extremely dangerous workplace for its workers. You will also greatly reduce your carbon footprint by skipping meat.  The livestock sector accounts for an astounding 1/5 of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

8. Drink delicious tap water.  If you're concerned about your water quality, Food and Water Watch can help to find the right filtration system for you. Bottled water creates waste, often privatizes water sources and usually isn't safer or healthier than tap water (and it's frequently just over-priced tap water).

9. Eat endangered foods. I'm not talking about elephants or whales but foods such as the Capitol Reef Apple, Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce and the Gilfeather Turnip.  takepart in Slow Food USA's program which encourages individuals to help save foods on the verge of extinction by eating them.  It's a yummy way to help preserve local cuisines and foods and ensure they remain part of culinary traditions.

10. Share your tip for how to have a sustainable Thanksgiving!  Click on the "comment" option at the top of this blog.

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