Thanksgiving Green-O-Gram 2008

The Green Team would like to say that KNI has a LOT to be thankful because recycling and re-use has been second nature to so many of us who live and work here. In the coming days, remember that the best things to recycle and re-use is your fellowship and sharing with friends and family. You cannot tell others around you too many times of how much you care for them and what they mean in your life! It doesn’t cost a penny to re-use those time honored words—they never lose their power, can be shared with anyone, and come back in unpredictable and good ways. If you have questions about how to recycle, want to share your own tips, or would like a presentation to your home/team/group, send your requests/questions to:

Our thanksgiving issue includes a couple of articles: some last minute Green Thanksgiving tips forwarded by Loyce Lafleur; and some thoughts on how to survive Black Friday and the swirl of shopping days that follow Thanksgiving, provided by Frances Boudreau.

I even like the turkey, if the sauce is not too blue
"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence." ~ Erma Bombeck

By Chris Hartman

I’ve decided to put together a few tips for a greener Thanksgiving in this installment. Now obviously you can apply many of the tips from previous e-mails to your holiday plans as well, so I’m not going to revisit things like travel plans, TVs (yes mine will have football on all day and night), composting your table scraps, and so forth….

Buy Local, Organic, or Heritage Turkeys – You can actually buy locally raised turkeys here in Northeast Kansas. They are not as inexpensive as what you see frozen at the stores, but that’s a value decision you will have to make on your own. Think organic or local for pumpkins, cranberries, potatoes, yams, and all the other trimmings, too. What is a Heritage Turkey? I’m glad you asked. The commercial turkey raised for your dinner table cannot actually reproduce. It has been specifically bred to produce the most meat at the least cost. Human intervention is required to fertilize the eggs. A Heritage Turkey mates naturally, lives outdoors, and grows slowly. Surely it must taste better too. Keep in mind that organic and free range do not necessarily mean Heritage. If you really want a Heritage Turkey you can go online and find the nearest farms (Americus and Ottawa are on the list. I’m sure there are more) or specialty stores where they are sold.

Clean Green – We all do a little extra house cleaning when we’re expecting company….There are varying levels of green from just the product, to the manufacturing process, down to the container used. One tip: vinegar and old newspaper clean windows and mirrors just as good as the blue stuff with ammonia, etc.

Eco-Deco – Think about your decorations. Do you usually by a cut wreath? Could you have a living wreath or centerpiece instead? What about all the paper goods? Could you reuse old wrapping paper as colorful decorations? Also, consider linens on the table instead of paper napkins. Use your imagination, or get your kids involved.

Baked vs. Fried – I thought I would wrap up this edition with a nice little tidbit about the environmental friendliness of fried turkey. Surely 45 minutes of propane is better than hours of electricity right? However, I cannot find any reputable evidence of an advantage for either preparation method (4 gallons of peanut oil and all that stuff). I guess I’m just going to leave you with your memories of last year’s turkey and let your taste buds decide for you. One thing I did learn for you big fried turkey fans is that there is now an oil-less turkey fryer available from Char-Broil. The articles I read swear it’s just as good as deep fried (it does take 8-10 minutes per pound instead of 3-3.5). Sounds like a good research project to me…

That’s it for this time. Let me be a few days early in wishing you a Happy (and green) Thanksgiving.

Chris (submitted by Loyce Lafleur)

12 Ways to Green Your Black Friday:
Easy tips for saving money, your sanity and the environment.
By Deborah Barrow

Black Friday...it’s the day after Thanksgiving that so many retailers rely on to help them go in the black by selling us on the need for salad shooters and other gadgets and gizmos for stuffing into stockings. It can be a fun day...and it can also be a green day with just a few ideas.
1. Carpool to the mall. Make it even more fun by shopping with a couple of family members or friends...it saves gas, reduces carbon and makes parking easier.
2. Buy American-made. Not only does this reduce the chance of purchasing lead-laced toys, or lead jewelry, it reduces your personal carbon footprint by not buying products shipped in from faraway lands. Plus, it supports a fellow American factory worker.
3. BYOB. Bring your own shopping bags. Don't laugh - everyone's doing it.
4. Skip the drive-through. Idling your car puts pollutants into the air. So don’t use the drive-through; stop the car and walk into the fast food joint. Better yet, grab a salad at a locally owned restaurant.
5. Shop local retailers. Support local stores run by local people. It's a way to support a thriving local economy - a very green concept whose time has come.
6. Shop online. The Internet is open for business every day, including Black Friday, with plenty of deals and steals. (Expect the best Web deals on Cyber Monday.)
7. Buy green gifts for the holidays. Support the manufacturers who are jumping on the sustainability train and look for the great new eco-items that are out there. From fragrances to clothes to home spa luxuries, you can find green alternatives to most things you are looking for..
8. Forget gift cards. The dormancy charges, the forgotten balances...and even the potential for fraud make these cards a bad deal for you. Plus, they’re often made of plastic and will live on in landfills forever and ever.
9. Start a stay-at-home Friday family tradition. Keep the family thing going one more day. Stay home and make gifts, holiday treats, things to give that cost less and come from the heart.
10. Send holiday e-cards. Save a tree and save a stamp and send a holiday e-card. Your posse will be impressed and, Gramps, your kids will stop calling you a Luddite.
11. Give a starter kit of eco-friendly gifts. Put together a collection of goodies to help your friends and family members get started going green. Think of the very first green steps and include things such as a collection of CFL light bulbs, a pound of organic fair trade coffee, a power strip for fighting the energy vampire at home, a tire pressure gauge — all put in a cool-looking shopping tote bag they can use for their own grocery trips all year.
12. Spend less and donate more. Put the heart back into the holidays this year. Remember what you're celebrating by remembering the less fortunate. Wait 'til you see how it makes you feel!
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/12-ways-to-green-your-black-friday-491119?click=main_sr
Submitted by Frances Boudreau, Washburn Intern, KNI Green Team