How to Create a Memorable Holiday with Secondhand Finds and Sustainability in Mind
Photo by Libby Penner on Unsplash
The holiday season is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning for all of your sustainable Thanksgiving festivities. As we gather with loved ones this year, there are many ways we can celebrate mindfully and reduce our environmental impact. With some creativity and intention, we can honor traditions and create new memories while keeping sustainability in mind.
By reducing waste, shopping secondhand, using reusable serving ware, and incorporating local and organic ingredients, we can make the holiday even greener. Follow along for ideas to help create a sustainable Thanksgiving celebration one to remember.
The Importance of Embracing Sustainability During the Holidays
The holiday season is a time of joy and togetherness, but it also comes with a significant environmental impact. Thanksgiving traditionally contributes to high levels of food waste. In 2022, it was estimated that 305 million pounds of food from Thanksgiving dinner would be thrown away.
It’s not surprising that household garbage, including food waste, increases by as much as 25 percent during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. What is surprising is that in America, food is the largest category of waste in municipal landfills, and it releases an enormous amount of greenhouse gases as it decomposes.
When food waste goes into a landfill, it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. With this context in mind, finding ways to reduce waste and embrace a sustainable Thanksgiving becomes even more essential. Even minor changes to our traditions and mindsets can make a meaningful difference today.
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How to Host a Sustainable Thanksgiving Celebration This Year
As hosts, we want to provide our guests with a warm, welcoming, and delicious Thanksgiving celebration. However, traditional Thanksgiving festivities tend to generate high amounts of waste from single-use items, food scraps, and overconsumption.
This year, challenge yourself to have a more eco-friendly and sustainable Thanksgiving gathering. With simple changes and thoughtful practices, you can reduce your environmental impact and set an example for friends and family. Follow these tips to keep sustainability at the forefront while still cherishing traditions and making meaningful memories.
Shop Local and Organic
Supporting local farms, butchers, and producers helps the community and reduces the environmental impact of long-distance food transportation. Choosing organic and sustainably grown ingredients also nurtures the earth more than mass-produced packaged goods.
Use Reusable Servingware
This Thanksgiving, opt for washable and reusable plates, napkins, tablecloths, and utensils. Avoid single-use plastic and disposable items that will accumulate in our landfills. With some creativity, reusable items give a homey and curated look this holiday season.
Be Mindful of Food Portions
Planning sensible portions reduces the amount of uneaten food at the end of the meal. Also, getting an accurate headcount and having leftover boxes available helps guests take home extras. Being realistic with food needs prevents more waste than you think.
Compost Food Scraps
Set up a compost bin or work with a composting service to ensure food scraps don’t end up in the trash. Vegetable peels, fruit pits, and more can be composted instead of trashed and later used in your garden to help grow more food.
Buy in Bulk
Purchase ingredients like grains, oils, nuts, spices, etc. in bulk using reusable containers. This reduces packaging waste and supports a zero-waste lifestyle.
Hosting a sustainable Thanksgiving celebration might require extra effort, but the impact is well worth it. By adopting eco-friendly practices, we can show our gratitude and commitment to preserving the environment for future generations.
Decorating Ideas for a Sustainable Thanksgiving Celebration
The holidays are notorious for generating large amounts of waste, especially from seasonal decorations. The average American already produces 5 pounds of trash daily, or 35 pounds weekly. During the holidays, that rises to 6.25 pounds per person daily, or 43.75 pounds each week.
This contradicts the holiday spirit of giving and mindfulness. However, with some creativity and intention, we can decorate while maintaining a goal of a sustainable Thanksgiving. Upcycling used items, utilizing natural elements, and making reusable décor helps reduce waste.
Follow these sustainable decorating tips to have a beautiful, waste-free holiday while also caring for the planet.
Forage for Natural Décor from Your Backyard
Rustic DIY centerpieces crafted from foliage, branches, gourds, and dried seed pods will help create a cozy, seasonal style without generating waste from prepackaged items. Get creative with materials straight from your yard to create something unique instead. Supplement with reused vases and LED candles to make a more impactful statement.
Incorporate Greenery from Your Garden
Using foliage from your own backyard for centerpieces, door wreaths, and general décor around the house is a beautiful way to decorate and showcase all of your hard work. Start by clipping fragrant rosemary, eucalyptus, pine, holly, and more to create simple yet seasonal displays. Evergreen boughs and bundled herbs exude ambient aroma while bypassing waste.
Upcycle Used Décor Items
Give thrifted, vintage, or reused items new purposes as table centerpieces, wreaths, garlands, candle holders, and other various decor. DIY projects make great use of items like jars, wood scraps, and unused fabric swatches that can be transformed into one-of-a-kind things your guests will surely appreciate.
Shop Secondhand for Décor
Check out local thrift stores, antique shops, flea markets, and secondhand online shops for used decorative items. Purchasing pre-owned décor like vases, table linens, candleholders, accent furniture, seasonal items, and more reduces demand for new products and keeps quality items in use. These unique vintage pieces may also lend charm and nostalgia to your current holiday decor.
Purchase Reusable and Fair-Trade Décor Items
If you are low on decorations and don’t have the time to hunt down specific items at your local thrift shop or flea market, try seeking out reusable, high-quality decorations like embroidered linens, handcrafted reclaimed wooden signs, handmade ceramic figures, and other items that can be used year after year. For handmade goods, it is best to choose fair trade items that provide income to global artisans so you can help support the community.
Design an Inviting Entryway
Make a great first impression by furnishing an entryway that feels warm, inviting, and styled. Source a used console table or salvaged wood shelf from a secondhand shop to provide landing space—top with a lamp, a tray for keys, a small vase, and a guest book. Add personality with art, a photo gallery wall, or meaningful pieces that reflect your style. Then, place a bench for removing shoes and sitting while arriving and departing. Complete the look with potted plants, a rug underfoot, and a rack or hooks for coats and bags.
Furnish a Self-Serve Drink Station
Set up an area where guests can help themselves to beverages and snacks. Style a reused side table or vintage bar cart with drinks, glassware, garnishes, and napkins. Place near an outlet so appliances can be plugged in. A designated beverage zone allows hosts to relax and spend time with guests rather than constantly replenishing drinks.
Sustainable Tablescape Ideas for Eco-Friendly Holiday Meals
The table is the heart of holiday gatherings, where meaningful conversations unfold over shared meals. As hosts, we want to create a warm and welcoming environment through the tablescape design. However, typical disposable décor and tableware generate unnecessary waste.
Renowned designer Aerin Lauder provides insight on how to craft festive, sustainable tablescapes. “I love to mix and match. I think that different colors and textures make a table fun and interesting,” she says. “My favorite part about setting a table is being able to mix new and old pieces. The tablescapes I love most include vintage pieces that have become family heirlooms, alongside newly launched pieces from the Aerin brand.” With some creativity, we can take inspiration from timeless, reused items that hold sentimental value, blended with sustainable choices.
As we source linens, dinnerware, flowers, and décor for our holiday tables, it is essential to keep sustainability and meaningful connections in mind. Follow these tips for putting together inspired tablescapes that reflect the vibe of the menu and atmosphere while honoring traditions in an eco-friendly way.
Craft DIY Terrariums
Upcycle any glass container, like a mason jar or empty vase, into a stunning living centerpiece this season. Layer succulent cuttings, pebbles, and soil inside, and water minimally. These mini-indoor gardens make great favors while adding life to your tablescape.
Illuminate Your Centerpiece Sustainably
Create a calming ambiance using LED taper candles, vintage candelabras fitted with LED bulbs, and recycled glass or repurposed wood votive holders. LEDs waste far less energy than traditional bulbs; some even come with timers to ensure they aren’t using energy when they aren’t needed. For wax candles, try to opt for eco-friendly soy, beeswax, or non-GMO natural wax options that biodegrade.
Mix and Match Place Settings
Set an inviting, eclectic table by mixing colors, patterns, and textures in your plates, glasses, and linens. Using items you already own helps reduce consumption. Thrift stores and flea markets are great spots to find coordinating vintage plates on the cheap to mix in with your existing dinnerware. Mismatched glasses like wine goblets, iced tea glasses, and juice cups create visual interest. Also, try folding napkins in different ways or use napkin rings to vary each place setting.
Layer Textiles for Dimension
Linens don’t have to be limited to tablecloths or fabric napkins. Get creative and sustainable with textiles by repurposing fabrics headed for the landfill. Table runners, placemats, or swaths of washed fabrics like old curtains, sheets, or upholstery scraps can add dimension when layered or folded on the table. Use fabrics in complementary hues and patterns to tie the place settings together. The eclectic layers will add warmth, depth, and personality to your tablescape while giving used textiles renewed purpose.
Use Kaiyo to Furnish Your Home Sustainably This Thanksgiving
The holidays offer a chance to spread cheer and gather with loved ones. But all the cooking, gifting, and decorating can generate needless waste.
Kaiyo is on a mission to keep furniture out of landfills through its online marketplace of refurbished furniture and home goods. Our gently used pieces create an affordably chic style while promoting sustainability.
Browse Kaiyo’s vast inventory of dining tables, sofas, lighting, rugs, and more to furnish your home greenly this Thanksgiving and beyond. Quality pre-loved finds create comfort without excess.
Plus, Kaiyo plants a tree for every order made, helping to rebuild forests nationwide. So, celebrate sustainably this Thanksgiving with help from Kaiyo’s eco-friendly furnishings and ongoing reforestation efforts.
