Being Ethical Turkey Day Consumers

In thinking about all it means to be an ethical shopper this time of the year, I think it is worth noting that there is definitely something to giving back that which we have. Certainly with Thanksgiving on the immediate horizon, there are those all eagerly anticipating the basting, the mashing, the stuffing, the chopping, and the the pie baking that is to be had. But of course that pales in comparison to the eating that will follow suit! Yes, for those lucky enough to be surrounded by their friends and family (Yes, even an Aunt Laura who always knows best, or an Uncle Mike who simply knows it all!) this time of the year can be both blessed and joyous. Yet there are plenty of those who are going without, or celebrating alone, and even families that fill their homes with love but the table dressing may be lacking.

When it comes to the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and the Christmas season in particular, they are often met with a mixture of happiness and sadness. It is true that around these times the crime rates rise, as do the suicide rates, which can lead some to think that this could potentially be a depressing time of year too. Yet it doesn't necessarily need to be that way, as even the power of a friendly smile has been known to brighten the mood or day of a stranger. It is often overlooked the many ways we can effect others as we go about our daily lives; the opening of a single door for an elderly citizen struggling with arthritis, the suggestion of accurate directions for the lost, and the wave across the street could unknowingly hold a great impact on the receiving end.

There are the extreme instances in which a call on the telephone from a caring neighbor has saved someone from doing something drastic in a time when they felt all hope was lost, but there are plenty of ways to spread a little joy this season on a lesser, but still significant, scale. And it is here that I come back to your own planning and buying of your Turkey day feast. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford all the trimmings and favorite side dishes in
abundance (more mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie over here, please!) then you could be left with enough food to feed your family through next summer! While some can't ever get enough of Grandma's secrete recipe stuffing, months of turkey sandwiches, turkey loaf, and other such inspired dishes could garner a groan from the kids come the ringing in of the new year. So instead of packing up all of your own left overs and sending them out to relatives, storing them in your fridge until they may be of a questionable edible quality, shoving them in Fido's dish, or horror of all horrors sipmly throwing them out there is a better solution.

Giving these delicious left overs to a family not as lucky as your own, or donating them to a soup kitchen or other
such organization is a wonderful way to not only ease the burden for your fridge, but lighten their spirits. Giving
back that which you have too much of, instead of letting it turn to waste or at least no longer be of great satisfaction to yourself, is a form of recycling or at least passing forward what you can. Our Earth only has so much to supply the entire population, so there is inevitably going be places that have less of what is to be reaped, and for those
lucky enough to have enough left over to share, they should do what they can to do so. So as you are going about being an ethical shopper, a savvy consumer, and selecting items that are packaged in a more recyclable friendly fashion, take that same idea and apply it to the food that comes inside that wrapping. You'll not only be giving someone else the treat of devouring Aunt Kathy's famous yams, but saving those prized tubers from a fate of becoming dumped down a garbage disposal; something Aunt Kathy would shudder at the thought of!