10 ways to promote a more sustainable and environmentally friendly Thanksgiving

Nancy Brooks at St. Mary’s Arlington compiled a list of 10 things you can do to make this Thanksgiving more sustainable and environmentally friendly, based on 10 hymns from the Episcopal hymnal.

1. ‘We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing’ (Hymn 433): Worship

Attend worship at Saint James’ on Nov. 24 and Dec. 1. The Washington National Cathedral will also hold a Thanksgiving Day service on Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. 

2. ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow’ (Hymn 380): Family 

Teach your children the traditional hymns of Thanksgiving. Sing the Doxology together. Learn a new grace together for the Thanksgiving feast (Book of Common Prayer, page 835). Make a placemat by ironing leaves between two sheets of wax paper.

3. ‘All things bright and beautiful’ (Hymn 405): Care for Creation 

Get outside for a postprandial walk or a football game. Pick up trash and litter along the way. Revel in the beauty of God’s creation in the parks . Go on a nature scavenger hunt. 

4. ‘For the beauty of the earth’ (Hymn 416): Autumn abundance

Celebrate all season long by getting your hands dirty. Harvest seeds and acorns. Introduce your children to gardening with native plants. Get ideas for age-appropriate activities from Extension Master Gardeners. Find more resources here. 

5. ‘Praise to God, immortal praise, for the love that crowns our days’ (Hymn 288): Care 

Reimagine and refuse to buy one-time use plastic decorations like a 4-foot lighted inflatable turkey. Look around your house and at secondhand stores for baskets and wreaths to use instead. Thrift stores are great resources for fall fashion and décor. Practice visible mending.

6. ‘Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home’ (Hymn 290): Heirlooms

Use your heirlooms! Use your grandmother’s dishes, glassware, and cutlery. Use cloth cotton, lace, or linen tablecloth and napkins. Skip plasticware. Skip disposables. Support the Diocese of Virginia’s resolution to discontinue using single-use plastic products.

7. ‘We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land’ (Hymn 291): Farmers 

Support farmers markets to buy the ingredients for your feast. Consider a “Meatless Monday” meal before the feast day.

8. ‘All creatures of our God and king’ (Hymn 400): Farmers and Harvesters

Buy local and organic to support local businesses when buying Thanksgiving supplies. 

9. ‘When morning gilds the skies’ (Hymn 427): Farmers and harvesters

Avoid food waste by buying only what you need. Use it up. Make soup. Compost scraps and egg shells.  

10. ‘Fairest Lord Jesus’ (Hymn 383): Nature

Avoid excess packaging. Avoid wasteful packaging as much as possible. Buy loose fruit and vegetables. Bring your own cloth bags to the produce section.

‍