Green Your Thanksgiving Feast with Simple Changes

Gobble, gobble may be the sound turkeys make, but it's also what humans do around Thanksgiving—and boy do we generate a lot of waste in the process.

Between travel, disposable plates, paper napkins, pre-packaged and heavily processed foods, leftovers wrapped in tinfoil and plastic wrap, and food that ends up in the trash because we just cooked too much, there's a hefty environmental footprint associated with Thanksgiving.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), household waste increases a whopping 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, resulting in an extra 1 millions tons of garbage each year.

But even if Americans were to waste less food, the carbon footprint associated with food processing and distribution to supermarkets can have a considerable impact on the environment.

A 2002 report from the Worldwatch Institute revealed distance food travels rose by as much as 25 percent between 1980 and 2002. Not only is local food better for the environment and local economies, it tastes better, too.

"Locally grown food served fresh and in season has a definite taste advantage," report author Brian Halweil said in a press release. "It's harvested at the peak of ripeness and doesn't have to be fumigated, refrigerated, or packaged for long-distance hauling and long shelf-life."

Farmers markets offer the freshest local autumn vegetables, but if your local farmers market is closed for the season, look for locally grown foods in the supermarket, or head straight to the source. Local farms often sell their crops at farm stands, and some also sell ready-made products such as fruit preserves, pickles, cranberry sauce, and pies made fresh from the crops they grow.

Local bakeries are your best source for fresh-made artisan breads, pies, and pastries that aren't packed full of preservatives.

Organic and free-range foods can also reduce your environmental footprint this Thanksgiving.

Free-range turkeys are a better choice for people and animals, but consumers should do their homework before buying. When many people think "free-range" they imagine turkeys roaming the land, munching on plants, grains and seeds, but that's not always the reality.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires free-range poultry be given continuous access to the outdoors for more than 51 percent of the animal's life, but there is no standard regarding how many turkeys can be crammed into a small pen.

If you want to ensure you are getting a turkey that is raised humanely and is grain-fed or feeds off the land, your best bet is to buy direct from a farm, where you have an opportunity to ask about living conditions and feed, or from a grocer that sources humanely-raised poultry.

Organic produce is also important, as conventional fruits and vegetables are grown using pesticides and are generally contaminated with pesticide residue. According to a report from The Organic Center, eating organic foods reduces pesticide-related human health risks, and organic farming reduces chemical contamination of water sources, improves soil quality, and increases biodiversity.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to go green is to avoid using disposable products. Holiday meals beget all sorts of unnecessary plastic and paper waste.

Instead of reaching for the paper towels when one of the kids spills a drink, use a tea towel to mop up the mess. Likewise, paper napkins may be festive, but inexpensive and reusable cloth napkins are better for the planet.

Paper plate and plastic cutlery producers may beckon with promises of easy clean-up, but it's not easy on the environment. If you don't have enough china, silverware or glassware to go around, ask a relative to bring theirs and set the table in a mix-and-match fashion.

Greening Thanksgiving may seem daunting at first, but eliminating unnecessary waste and buying local, organic and free-range can have an important impact.