15 Easy Ways to Have a Greener Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, yummy food, and gratitude. But let’s face it: It’s also a holiday that can produce a lot of waste!

Between the mountains of leftover food, disposable plates, plastic decorations, and holiday travel, our Thanksgiving celebrations can leave a pretty big environmental footprint.

In fact, Americans throw away about 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than during the rest of the year. And a significant amount of that waste is food.

But here’s the good news: You don’t have to give up your favorite holiday traditions to make have a greener Thanksgiving.

Here are 15 simple ways to celebrate Thanksgiving while giving Mother Earth something to be thankful for, too.

Plan Your Green Thanksgiving Feast — Without the Food Waste

We’ve all done it. We cook enough food to feed a small army, only to find ourselves staring at a refrigerator stuffed with leftovers.

Before heading to the grocery store, figure out how many people you’re feeding and how much food you’ll actually need.

If you’re having guests, coordinate what they’re bringing so you don’t end up with four bowls of mashed potatoes (although, is that really such a bad thing?).

And don’t forget to send everyone home with leftovers in reusable, eco-friendly containers like glass or stainless steel. You can even have them keep the eco-friendly container as a gift!

EcoNana tip: Freeze leftovers you won’t eat within a few days. You can have a delicious meal ready to go or make a tasty soup (see below).

Put More Plants on Your Plate

Here’s one of the biggest ways to reduce your Thanksgiving meal’s impact on the climate: Eat more plants!

Producing meat, especially beef and lamb, generally creates far more greenhouse gas emissions than growing beans, vegetables, and grains. Turkey also has a larger climate footprint than most plant-based proteins.

And no, a plant-based Thanksgiving doesn’t mean sitting down to a plate of lettuce!

Think roasted butternut squash, mushroom gravy, garlic mashed potatoes made with oat milk, wild rice stuffing, green beans with toasted almonds, and pumpkin pie made without eggs or dairy.

You might even discover a new family favorite.

EcoNana tip: You don’t have to give up meat, but try making one new vegan dish this year. It’s not necessary to change everything overnight–or do everything on the list–to make a difference. My personal favorite dish is mashed yams with marshmallows (still my favorite since I was a kid, and I use oat milk and a little vanilla!). Every little step leads to a greener Thanksgiving!

Shop Seasonal and Local When You Can

Fall brings us an amazing variety of delicious produce: pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, apples, Brussels sprouts, and more.

Buying seasonal foods can help reduce the energy needed to grow and store certain foods. Shopping at farmers’ markets also supports local growers.

But remember, local doesn’t automatically mean better for the climate. How food is produced often matters more than how far it travels.

And don’t forget your reusable shopping bags! You’re on your way to a greener Thanksgiving!

Skip the Disposable Plates and Plastic Utensils

Paper plates and plastic forks might make cleanup easier, but they create a lot of unnecessary trash.

Instead, bring out the real dishes, silverware, glasses, and cloth napkins. It’s a little more work, but it’s a big step towards a greener Thanksgiving celebration.

Don’t have enough plates for everyone? Borrow some from a neighbor or ask your guests to bring a few. If you need extra silverware, stop by your local thrift store and see what’s there. It doesn’t have to match!

EcoNana tip: Make cleanup a family affair. A few extra hands can have those dishes washed in no time.

Give Your Leftovers a Second Life

• Turn leftovers into soup.
• Make sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce.
• Add roasted vegetables to grain bowls.
• Transform extra mashed potatoes into crispy potato cakes.
• Freeze leftover bread for croutons or breadcrumbs.

And here’s something important: Food waste isn’t just a waste of money. When food rots in landfills without enough oxygen, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that warms our planet.

Compost Your Food Scraps

Those potato peels, carrot tops, and pumpkin guts don’t have to end up in the trash.

Composting turns food scraps into nutrient-rich material that helps plants grow.

If you don’t have a backyard compost pile, check whether your community offers food-scrap collection.

Just remember that different composting programs accept different materials. Some accept meat and dairy, while others don’t.

EcoNana tip: Save food scraps in the freezer to make homemade broth before composting what’s left. And don’t forget to roast your leftover pumpkin seeds! They’re super healthy!

Decorate With Nature

Rethink Your Holiday Travel

For many families, Thanksgiving means hitting the road or catching a flight.

Transportation produces greenhouse gases, so how we travel matters.

If possible, carpool with relatives, take the train, or, if you have to rent a car, ask for a hybrid or EV.

If you’re flying, choose a nonstop flight when possible. Many airlines and travel booking websites now show the estimated greenhouse gas emissions for different flights, making it easier to compare options and choose one with a smaller climate impact.

Save Energy in the Kitchen

Thanksgiving dinner can keep your oven running for hours. But a few simple tricks can reduce energy use.

Cook several dishes at the same time when they need similar temperatures. Keep the oven door closed instead of constantly checking the food. Use lids on pots to help food cook faster.

For smaller dishes, a microwave, pressure cooker, or toaster oven may use less energy than heating a full-size oven.

And if you have an induction stove (I know this isn’t practical for everyone), put it to work! I love mine and would never go back to gas .

Turn Down the Heat When Guests Arrive

Here’s an easy one that won’t cost you a penny.

If you’re having a large crowd and the oven is working overtime, all that extra warmth can heat up your house.

You may be able to turn down the thermostat a few degrees without anyone noticing.

Your guests stay comfortable, and you save energy.

Choose Drinks With Less Waste

Instead of handing everyone individual plastic water bottles, set out pitchers of water with lemon, orange slices, or fresh herbs.

Serve drinks in reusable glasses and make a big batch of cider or another family holiday favorite.

Buy drinks in cans or bottles, and recycle the containers according to your community’s rules.

Make Thanksgiving a Day to Appreciate Nature

After that big meal (or even before), why not head outside?

Take a family walk, visit a nearby park, or explore a nature trail.

For kids, turn the outing into a scavenger hunt. How many different birds can they spot? Can they find five different kinds of leaves? What insects are still active in the fall? It’s a wonderful way to help kids connect with the natural world.

And it doesn’t require buying a single thing!

Start a New Family Tradition: Give Back to Nature

Thanksgiving is about gratitude, so why not show a little gratitude to the planet?

Organize a neighborhood cleanup, volunteer with a local environmental organization, or support a wildlife rescue group. You could even make a family donation to an organization that protects forests, oceans, or endangered animals.

And if you have young children, let them choose a cause they care about.

It’s a great way to teach them that caring for our planet is something we can all do.

If nature isn’t your thing, you can volunteer at your local food bank, church, or community organization. All need volunteers to bag, prep, and/or serve food.

Think Before You Shop on Black Friday

I tend to go overboard at Christmas time, and Thanksgiving weekend is one of the biggest shopping events of the year.

But all that buying comes with an environmental cost. Making, packaging, and shipping products requires energy and natural resources.

Before jumping on that irresistible Black Friday deal, ask yourself: Do I really need this?

Consider buying secondhand (my daughter just bought me a beautiful necklace at a garage sale), choosing durable products, repairing something you already own, or giving experiences instead of more stuff.

A family outing, museum membership, movie tickets, or homemade gift can create memories without adding more clutter to our homes.

Talk About What You’re Thankful For — Including Our Planet

Here’s my favorite suggestion, and it doesn’t cost a penny.

Before everyone digs into Thanksgiving dinner, ask each person to share something in nature they’re grateful for.

Maybe it’s the ocean, a favorite tree, the birds outside their window, or the mountains they love to visit.

Then ask everyone to name one small thing they’d like to do to help protect it.

It’s a simple conversation, but it can help children understand that nature isn’t something separate from us.

We’re part of it, and we depend on it for everything.

A Little Less Waste, a Lot More Gratitude

You don’t have to celebrate a perfectly zero-waste Thanksgiving to have a greener Thanksgiving.

Maybe this year you replace disposable plates with reusable ones. Perhaps you try a plant-based main dish, compost your vegetable scraps, or skip buying another plastic decoration.

Every choice matters, especially when millions of families make them together.

And here’s something worth remembering: The best Thanksgiving traditions aren’t about how much we buy, cook, or consume. They’re about the people we love, the memories we make, and the world we share.

This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks for our beautiful planet — and show it a little love in return.

Happy Green Thanksgiving from EcoNana! 🍂