Going green this Thanksgiving can be easy and affordable when you follow these simple steps:

 
Think Organic
Use the "dirty dozen" list, found online, as a guide for which foods are organic must-haves and which are okay to buy conventionally grown. For conventional Thanksgiving meals, if nothing else, consider buying organic meat (i.e. turkey), dairy (used in many dishes), potatoes (for mashed or scalloped), celery (in stuffing), lettuce and tomatoes (for salad), apples, pear and cherries (for pie) and grapes (for juice or wine). These foods have the highest amount of pesticide residues and/or greatest impact on the planet when farmed/raised conventionally.

Think Local
We're lucky to live in the Puget Sound where buying local (i.e. food is grown within a 100 mile radius) is possible and affordable. If you can't source your whole meal locally, try one dish. Remember that the ingredients in the average thanksgiving meal travel 1500 miles to reach your plate…. Resources: www.sustainableseattle.org, www.100milediet.org, www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org, www.localharvest.org, http://www.eatlocalonline.com

Take the pledge to include at least one locally grown food at your Thanksgiving dinner this year: www.dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/farms/eatlocal/index.asp

Think dECOr
Take the pledge to not buy any new décor items, unless they're locally made, reusable, consumable or compostable. Get creative with items found in nature and search the house for items that can be repurposed or used in creative ways. Tired of the same old pilgrim-shaped candle holders, for example? Before hitting the mall, here are some DIY ideas to get your creative juices flowing:  

• Wine glass candle holder. Use wide-mouth wine or bourbon glasses (they don't have to match). Line the bottom with mixed nuts and insert a beeswax (never use paraffin) votive candle. Voila!
• Floating candles. Fill a decorative glass bowl halfway with water. Add raw cranberries (they will float) and beeswax tea lights (they'll float too). Wait until you see how beautiful this looks.
• Zero waste candleholder. Apples, pears and gourds make gorgeous natural décor, and even more gorgeous candle holders. Using a knife or candle tool, cut enough space for the candle (tapers, tea lights and votives will work, depending on the fruit or veggie being used). Add a beeswax candle and take in the gasps of appreciation from your dinner guests. After the meal, consume or compost the holder.

Resources: www.bigdipperwaxworks.com (Seattle based beeswax candle company), www.atoygarden.com for candle cutting tool, www.craigslist.com or www.freecycle.com for used wine glasses or glass bowls (in case your lab flipped over your Thanksgiving table last year, leaving you in the market for them).

Think Thanks
Although Thanksgiving tends to focus on the food, what's Thanksgiving without the "Thanks"? Before dinner, go around the table and share your "gratitudes" or write them on slips of recycled paper and add them to a bowl in the center of your table. The eldest member of your family can then read them aloud. This might just become one of your family's favorite holiday traditions.

Think Giving
Following our previous section, we'd like to see "giving" rank right up there with the "thanks" on this holiday. Whether you donate food, serve dinner at a shelter, or invite someone without family nearby to join yours (for dinner at least), infusing some generosity into the holiday will make it all the more special for the recipient of your thoughtfulness and for you.

 
Recipe: Corey's easy cranberry-apple sauce

Wash and chop a bunch of organic apples from your tree or from your local farmer. It's okay to leave the skins on. Toss in a pot. Wash some organic cranberries and toss in as well. Add some honey (local, if possible) or organic agave. The add a few cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the apples are soft and most of the water is absorbed. Mash with a potato masher.

Enjoy the taste, nutritional benefits and brilliant red color!



Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and the authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Celebrations, Holidays and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.NET.