The holiday season is here and that means it’s time for the house to fill up with delicious food. The holidays are a time to get together with your loved ones and be thankful for what you have. Shouldn’t one of those things that you’re grateful for be our planet? By choosing eco-friendly ways that’ll lessen the amount of waste produced this holiday season, we’re making better choices.
Our planet needs our help in order for it to be healthy and sustain our lives on it. That’s why it’s important to be mindful of how much waste we all produce. Producing a lot of waste is common for the holiday season. Thrown out per week is an extra 1 million tons of waste between Thanksgiving and New Years. That’s a lot of extra waste!
Since people are becoming more conscious of how much waste they produce there are plenty of easy tips you can use to make the holidays a bit more eco-friendly. You don’t have to miss out on any of your favorite things if you choose more eco-friendly options.
Resuable Dinnerware
Ditch the one-time use of paper/plastic plates and go for eco-friendly dinnerware instead. You don’t even have to break out the fancy plates either. Zungleboo offers lightweight and shatterproof plates and bowls, perfect for kids too! These plates are made from cornstarch and bamboo fibers. They’re even microwave and dishwasher safe.
Ekobo
Another great place that has eco-friendly dinnerware is Ekobo. These colorful dinnerware options are made from upcycled bamboo. They are durable and dishwasher safe, so after everybody eats you can just toss these in the dishwasher. Not only do they offer plates and bowls, but also cups, trays, and even baby dining ware.
Thanks to these eco-friendly options, you never have to use those plastic single-use plates ever again. Be thankful for that this Thanksgiving.
Plan Plan Plan
There’s always an abundance of food during the holiday season, since friends and family from all over piling into one house in order to celebrate. Not only is having an abundance of food wasteful, but it may be hurting your wallet too.
To avoid these issues, try to plan the meals out ahead of time (preferably before ordering/food shopping). Take a headcount of everyone so you know how many people you need to feed, have everyone say their likes and dislikes, so you aren’t buying food that’s never going to be touched.
Be Realistic
It’s also important to be realistic with how much you and your guests are actually going to consume. A lot of people say that they plan on overeating during the holidays, but everybody’s stomach has a limit. You may think you can eat as much as you want, but your stomach has different plans.
Shop Local
Locally shopping is the best thing you can do this holiday season and every other season. Unlike the big-name grocery stores, local farmers put more care and consideration into ensuring that their products are of great quality.
Also, the money they make from shoppers like you is life-changing for them. Usually, local farms are owned by a family, so every purchase you make from a local farmers market is helping a family out. Nothing says holiday cheer more than helping out one another.
Eat Your Leftovers
Be honest, how many times have you said you’re going to eat the leftovers you have piled up into your refrigerator, only for you to not touch them, or get so sick of having leftovers you throw them out?
It’s okay, you certainly aren’t alone if this is you. Regardless, making use of those leftovers is a great way to cut down on food waste. A simple Google search will give you plenty of new spins on what to do with your leftovers. That way, it doesn’t feel like you’re eating the same thing over and over again.
Even after that, if you still have leftover food that you don’t know what to do with, why not compost the rest? Composts are so easy to make in your backyard, and they help the soil in your yard get the nutrients it needs.
Share With Us
Do you have any tips or suggestions for how to make the holiday season more eco-friendly? We’d love to hear your ideas! You can share by tagging @uylmagazine on social media.
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