Practice Gratitude this Thanksgiving

Adapted from Mayo Clinic’s Can expressing gratitude improve your mental, physical health? and Beyond Plastics’ 6 Steps to a Plastic-Free Holiday Dinner 

According to Mayo Clinic, “Expressing gratitude is associated with a host of mental and physical benefits. Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease.” Current times have been fraught with divisiveness, angst and disappointment. We all need a day of gratitude now more than ever.

As we pause to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends, let us take a moment to be truly grateful for all we have and reflect on the ways we can show our gratitude to each other and to Mother Earth through our actions and intentionality. Here are a couple of ideas:

1. Choose Scratch Over Store-Bought

Most store-bought dishes from supermarkets and restaurants will be packaged in plastic or other disposable containers.

2. Shop Local

Shopping locally reduces your meal’s carbon footprint and helps support local small businesses. 

3. Use Sustainable Decor

Check out some good DIY ideas here and get the kids involved!

4. Serve on Reusable Dishes & Dinnerware

Set your table with a beautiful tablecloth, ceramic or metal plates, cups, serving platters, metal utensils and cloth napkins.

5. Provide or Remind People to Reusable Containers for Leftovers

If you haven’t yet invested in glass or metal containers, don’t let that stop you—just bring plastic tupperware or clean yogurt containers, etc., but make sure not to heat anything up in those containers later to avoid the chemical leaching that occurs when hot food comes into contact with plastic.

6. Compost Your Food Scraps and Decorations

Compost any scraps from cooking or leftovers that aren’t being saved, as well as any compostable decor.

Extra Tips :

• The US throws out about 200 million pounds of turkey every year. Use these online portion estimators to reduce waste.

• Compost your scraps at any of Chicago’s public drop-off locations.

The Environmental Action Committee wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving and invites you to join as we work to justly affect climate change with the ultimate goal of preserving democracy by maintaining the health of our one and only planet and all that lives on it. Email us at environment@lwvchicago.org for access to our next meeting.