How you can help the environment and still celebrate the holidays
It’s that time of year again. Trees are getting ready for winter. It’s my custom at this time to remind you of the wondrous seasonal change now in progress and answer that burning question: Why do leaves fall off the trees?
With the tilt of the Earth, it’s clear that there will be less light for photosynthesis for food making, and water will be harder to get. Trees begin to shut down. At the base of each leaf is a small corky layer that swells and cuts off the flow of water.
With no access to water, green chlorophyll disappears and we see the color of the leaves underneath. Eventually, the corky layer forms a disintegrating cell line that says ‘tear here’ and so each leaf falls to the ground. It’s a miraculous process.
Have you noticed? Tree color is coming ever later. Past Color Cruises have been held the second week of October at the height of the fall color show. Now the schedule has slipped a couple of weeks. Could it be that different trees species have confused timing for winter preparations given warmer temperatures? Is climate change the reason their color changes are stretched out over a longer period of time?
This skewed timing for plants due to climate change is more serious than it might first appear. Animals have all adapted to plant patterns and seasonal changes for food and shelter. Over eons migrations, hibernations, and insect and bird hatchings are all connected to plant timings for growth and food production. Temperature extremes and higher frequency of catastrophic storms don’t help either.
The new Scientific Climate Change Report is out. It concludes that “human activities are the primary driver of recent global temperatures”. Greenhouse emissions are the main problem. We can’t stop climate change, but since humans are the problem, we can take actions to slow change giving plants time to adapt.
What can you do? At least 20 precent of our personal carbon footprint comes from the food we eat every day. According to Environmental Working Group, if everyone in the U.S. chose a vegetarian diet it would be the equivalent of taking 46 million cars off the road.
Consider a low-carbon or carbon-lite Thanksgiving. You’ll be glad to know that Tofurkey is not a low-carbon choice because of all the processing required. Chicken and turkey are best choices for low-carbon meat.
The average weight of a Thanksgiving turkey purchased is 15 pounds. That equals 163 pounds of greenhouse gasses created in the production, transport, and roasting. That is equivalent to driving your car 170 miles.
Beef, pork, lamb and cheese have higher carbon footprints due to lots of water, food and transport to get meat to the store. It takes 1,799 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef while for corn it’s 108 gallons.
The eco-friendliest Thanksgiving meal would be one without a turkey with lots of simply prepared organic vegetables and fruits locally grown. The table centerpiece would be created from colorful leaves or other natural items collected outdoors. Banish plastic bottles, plates, or cutlery. Food would come with cloth napkins on washable dishes, glasses, and silverware.
The meal would produce as little waste as possible. Send leftovers home with guests or store for another meal. Compost and recycle to avoid sending leftover food to the landfill where it breaks down aerobically and produces methane gas.
Now it’s likely that tradition requires that turkey be on your menu. If so, make it an organic, free-range turkey. It will be a bit more expensive, but healthier and humanely raised.
Stick nametags in pinecones and celebrate being more fossil-free. Work off that Thanksgiving food by planting a tree. Happy Thanksgiving!
Sandra Kurtz is an environmental community activist, chair of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance, and is presently working through the Urban Century Institute. You can visit her website to learn more at enviroedu.net