Giving Back To An American Tradition: Personalizing Philanthropy with Your Own Green Thanksgiving!

Each year across the USA, we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of the month of November (due in large part to President Abraham Lincoln who established it as a national holiday back in 1863) – with Family, Food, and Football – and to give thanks for our own blessings and life’s bounties in the time-honored tradition of the “First Thanksgiving” when in August of 1621, 53 Mayflower Pilgrims and 90 Native Wampanoag Indians sat down together at the New Plymouth Colony to celebrate their survival and good fortune with a magnificent “harvest feast”. But ever since the advent of the television and the rise of social media in just the last ten years alone, Thanksgiving has become much more of a “pre-Christmas consumer frenzy” – a new shopping holiday – marked by “Black Friday” when major retailers open their stores early (some at Midnight) to kick off the shopping season with deep promotional discount sales.

Yet for all the shopping bargains now associated with Thanksgiving – the majority of Americans are still in fact upholding the original meaning of Thanksgiving – celebrating relationships – celebrating the day with people they love and giving back to people they don’t know – and giving those less fortunate reasons to be grateful! And for many, showing Mother Nature their gratitude by making Thanksgiving Day – a little greener.

Here then are some tips for ‘Greening’ your own Thanksgiving and personalizing a great American tradition by creating priceless memories with thoughtful acts of generosity and resourceful living.

1- SET A GREEN STANDARD AT HOME WITH THOUGHTFUL HOSTING, SHOPPING, COOKING, AND ECO-DECORATIONS

Note: The “First Thanksgiving” Dinner consisted of cod, eels, bass, clams, lobster, mussels, ducks, geese, swans, turkey, venison, berries, peas, pumpkin, beetroot, onions, beans, corn and squash.

HOSTING:
A) Start a ‘No-Waste Thanksgiving’ – Reject Disposable/Throw-Away Plates, Utensils, and Napkins – Initiate a ‘Potluck Thanksgiving’ – Have Guests Bring Assigned Side Dishes and Their Own Placement Settings
B) Share Leftover Bounty with Guests – Ensure that Leftovers are Stored Properly in Reusable and Washable Containers for Tomorrow’s Meal by Putting Out Decorative Glass Jars that Every Guest Can Fill and Take Home
C) Start a Pre-Dinner Tradition – Ask Each Guest to Bring a Small Item Representative of Something for which They are Grateful and can Exchange – Go Around the Table and Ask Each Guest to Light a Beeswax or Soy Candle in Remembrance of a Family Member or Close Friend
D) Start an After-Dinner Tradition – Update Your Photo Album – Plant a Tree Outside – Play a Game of Chopstick Pass-Along – Ask Each Guest to Sign and Record their “gratitudes” or Special Prayers for the Year Ahead on a Designated Tablecloth

SHOPPING:
A) Start Your Own Eco-Friendly Tradition by Buying Local Produce and Locally-Made Organic Wine – Visit a Co-op or Farmer’s Market  by Checking out www.localharvest.org/ – Get Together with Friends and Neighbors and Buy in Bulk from Your Local Farmer – Order a Free-Range Organic Turkey* from a Local Farm – Support a Local Orchard or Vineyard *(A Meatless Substitute is ‘Tofurkey’ – an American Vegetarian Turkey Replacement Made from a Blend of Wheat Protein and Organic Tofu)

COOKING:
A) Stick to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables rather than Canned Goods – Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Dinner Entrees, Condiments, and Pre-Meal Snacks from Scratch i.e. Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Snacks, Apple-Raising Stuffing, Red Wine Salad Dressing, Cranberry Bread and Cornbread (Check out www.allrecipes.com)
B) Develop Your Own Signature Cocktail using Organic Juices and Organic Spirits. Make Your Own Hot Apple Cider with Organic Apple Juice, Cinnamon Sticks, and Cloves Heated on the Stove

ECO-DECORATIONS:
A) Decorate with Recycled & Natural Materials – Recycle Old Napkins with Buttons, Applique, and Trim – Reuse Old Fabric Scraps to Make Ornamental Pumpkins and Puffy Gnomes – Reuse Old Sweaters to Make Recycled Felt Leaves – Turn Pinecones into a Festive Turkey-Shaped Centerpiece – Turn Children’s Placemats Into Activity Placemats or Printable Thanksgiving Day Bingo Posters
B) Decorate with Edible Materials – Make Garlands of Fresh Popcorn and Home-Baked Cookies – Make Mantle Trimmings with Fresh-Cut Greens – Make Napkin Rings with Asparagus – Make Votive Candle Holders with Cored Apples – Make a Special Turkey-Molded Jello Dessert (Check out www.countryliving.com/, www.familyfun.co.com/thanksgiving, and www.marthastewart.com for more ideas.)

2-VOLUNTEER TIME OR TALENT FOR A CHARITY

Thanksgiving is a Time to Reach out to the Homeless, the Hungry, the Elderly, the Disadvantaged and Veterans in Need. One way is to Volunteer with Your Local Soup Kitchen or with a Local Health, Educational or Arts Organization. Another Way is to Organize a Group of Locals from Your Own Church or Synagogue to Volunteer on Thanksgiving Day. Any way you volunteer, you will be making a difference in someone’s life and creating precious memories! Be Sure to Check Out these websites: www.volunteermatch.org/ (Volunteer Match)
www.1800volunteer.org/ (1-800-Volunteer.Org)
www.pointsoflight.org/ (The Points of Light Foundation)
www.nationalservice.gov/– (The Corporation for National and Community Service)
www.liveunited.org/ (United Way)

3-DONATE MONEY OR ITEMS FOR A CHARITY

Thanksgiving is a Time To Seek Out Organizations to which You Can Safely Donate Food, Clothes, Books, and Various Household Items to Those Less Fortunate During the Holiday Season. Here are some outstanding examples:
-One Way is to Contribute to Your Local Food Bank.
-Another Way is to Contribute to the Veteran Memorial Foundation by Supporting Our Homeless Heroes this Thanksgiving thru their “Adopt-a-Vet” program. Check out www.thevmf.org/.
-Another Way is to Contribute to Non-Profit Organizations that Provide Specialized Meals and Groceries to Men, Women, and Children Living with HIV/AIDS, Cancer, and Other Life-Challenging Illnesses. Check out www.foodandfriends.org/.
-Another Way is to Contribute to American Indian Communities – Specifically ‘National Relief Charities’ – a Nonprofit, “Dedicated to Quality of Life for Native Americans Living on Remote and Poverty-Stricken Reservations in the Plains and Southwest.” Material Donations can be Given in the Form of Food, Water, Produce, Personal Hygiene Items i.e. Soap, Shampoo, Toothpaste, Household Cleaning Products, Toilet Paper, Laundry Detergent, Linens, Blankets, Coats, Winter Clothing and School Supplies. Check out www.nrcprograms.org/.
-Yet Another Way is to Contribute to Your Local Historical Society and Become a Good Steward so the Past is Preserved for Future Generations of Americans. Ideas for Donations include Community Artifacts i.e. Signs, Postcards, Flags, Maps, Photographs, Letters, and Genealogies. Why not Check out www.NorthAndoverHistoricalSociety.org/ and Learn About Their Preservation Efforts to Save a 200 Year Old Carriage Barn!

4-RUN OR FUND-RAISE AN EVENT FOR CHARITY

Thanksgiving is also a Good Time to Hold an Auction, Throw a Greenhouse Party, or Create Your Own Fundraising Campaign for a Great Cause! Best of all, Why Not Test Your Own Physical Fitness for a Charity Benefit by Running a Marathon or Half Marathon? Here are some shining examples: www.thethanksgivingmarathon.com/ in New York City
www.atlantatrackclub.org/ – Atlanta Georgia’s Thanksgiving Day Half-Marathon
www.some.org/ – Annual Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunter in Washington D.C. – Sponsored by SOME (So Others May Eat)
www.crowdrise.com/ – The Crowdrise website is a “unique blend of online fundraising, crowdsourcing, social networking, contests, and other nice stuff.”

In Conclusion, Thanksgiving is at its Heart – a Time of ‘Green Reflection’ – To Give Thanks To Those Who Have Tried To Make a Better World In Years Past and Those Who Are Trying to Make a Difference Now In Both Conserving our Natural Environment and Enriching the Lives of Our Fellow Human Beings. Being the 11th Great-Grand Niece of those Mayflower Adventurers who perished the First Winter, It Is Important to Remember Their Courageous Efforts, Their ‘Mayflower Compact’ – a Socially Conscious Contract Binding Them Together for the General Good of the Colony – a Charitable Tradition we try to Honor every Thanksgiving Day since!