Matriarchs and Mashed Potatoes!

Traditionally, Grandmas and Aunties are the main force behind family customs the world over. Woe to the family member who fails to use the correct amount of spice, the inclusion of a certain vegetable or somehow forgets the special china platter for the main course of that holiday meal. Heads will roll! Suffice to say, matriarchs wield a lot of power over family traditions.

But it is also in their power to create new traditions or even—gasp!—change current ones when times change. Customs that made sense and brought joy in the past might not be so helpful now—for us, our family or the environment. Matriarchs have a unique power to make lasting changes for families, and this may be time to use that power in light of all that is going on with our environment and the climate.

One area of change could be thanking the planet for her bounty by signing up for Chicago’s free food scrap drop-off service. The FDA estimates that Americans waste between 30-40% of our food! It’s the single largest category of waste dumped in landfills, and it’s one of the deadliest, because when food gets compressed in landfills, it releases the powerful greenhouse gas methane. By contrast, when you drop off your food scraps, the City of Chicago will use the power of nature to turn them into nutritious soil. It’s a double win!

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, revisit these and these tips from our past blog posts for more ideas on how to give the environment a seat at the table. 

Not hosting this year? You can still make a difference by planning your trip. Planes are huge carbon emitters, and you’ll usually pollute less by driving, taking the train, or taking the bus than by flying. If you’re driving, you can avoid traffic by checking Google’s traffic estimates to see the least-crowded (and most-crowded) times to hit the road. 

Small actions matriarchs (and patriarchs) take today can have lasting benefits for their families for generations. What traditions do you think you might change this holiday?

Email us at environment@lwvchicago.org for more information or to join the Environmental Action Committee.