By Amy Tan, a Media Team journalist and student at Whitney Young High School

Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday about appreciating what we have. It’s also about looking to the future to make sure that we have all the natural resources we need, such as plastic, coal, electricity, etc. To do this, we need to make sure we use the three R’s during Thanksgiving: recycle, reuse, and reduce. This might sound cliché and boring, but it’s actually very easy to do!

I’ll sum up some tips you can use during Thanksgiving:
Preparation:
• Instead of using a plastic, disposable tablecloth for the dinner table, use a cloth one! This way, it can be easily washed AND reused!
• Don’t heat the oven before you start working on making pastries or other food. I know it says in the directions to heat the oven beforehand, but sometimes, you might not finish at the time you expected to. If that happens, the oven will be on longer than it has to be, which wastes energy. So wait a few minutes rather than waste energy!
• When setting the table, use silverware instead of plastic forks, knives, and spoons. Those are always washable and save up on plastic! Also, switch the plastic plates with ceramic and durable ones, and do the same for the cups.
• Prepare a hand towel by the sink where guests wash their hands when they come in. This is an alternative to paper towels, which produces waste that goes to the garbage dump and isn’t recycled.

Dinner Time:
• Share some tips with everyone at the dinner table so that they will
recycle, reuse, and reduce at home!
• Try to buy meat that comes from local farms because factory-produced meat uses lots of energy to come to your dinner table. This includes refrigeration, packaging, and transportation of the meat.

Clean-up:
• If you used paper napkins, make sure to recycle them!
• Leftovers can be refrigerated or composted, so don’t throw them in the garbage! Some good items for compost are eggshells and vegetables.
• Use a reusable mop to mop the floor! Try to avoid Swiffer sweepers, which waste paper material for each wipe.

I hope these tips will help you be greener. What’s better than saving
the environment AND enjoying yourself at the same time? Have a Happy
Thanksgiving!