How to Have a Carbon Neutral and Stress Free Holiday Season

November 20, 2018

By: Jason Brand,
Political Intern

It’s that time of year again and you are probably thinking to yourself, “How can I have a stress free holiday season and still be kind to the environment?”  Well that’s hat I’m here for; giving you some tips and tricks to have a stress free holiday while attempting to limit your carbon footprint without annoying the rest of your family.

An old British Army saying goes, “Prior preparation prevents poor performance.”  Reducing your carbon footprint and stress levels during the holidays begins long before your extended family descends upon you like the Viking hordes of yore.  Investing in energy saving appliances, lighting, and plumbing for your home goes a long way to reducing your carbon footprint.

When buying new appliances, make sure that you look for appliances that are Energy Star Certified.  Those CFL light bulbs are so 2008. It’s time to upgrade to LED bulbs. The cost of LED bulbs has decreased exponentially since their introduction in the last 10 years, plus they last more than twice as long as a comparable CFL bulb. Also, the mercury inside of those CFLs is highly toxic. Installing low flow faucets, shower heads, and toilets not only reduces your water bill, but also reduces water waste.

When the time comes to prepare your holiday feast it helps to do your research. Try to source your Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush from somewhere that doesn’t use pesticides and practices sustainable tree and shrub management practices. When buying your holiday turkey or ham, buy local.  Buy from a local farm that specializes in organic, free range, and cruelty free farming practices. Yes these birds and pigs will be more expensive per pound, but the quality of the meat will be far superior to turkeys or hams that you would buy from the supermarket.

If you want to forgo the meat and go vegetarian for the holidays, and potentially incur the ire and wrath of your meat eating in-laws, go for it, just know that many meat eaters won’t be thrilled with a Tofurkey. Instead try your hand at making falafel, lasagna, or eggplant parmesan.

Once your family members have come out of their stuffing and pie induced food comas, and it is time to clean up, don’t throw away those ham bones or that turkey carcass. They can be used later to make wonderful pork or turkey stock. Try composting what food that you are not going to save. The fall is the perfect time to start composting. Leaves and other yard trimmings, along with food scraps make for great compost. If you can’t compost whereyou are, try to donate your leftover or unused food to local shelters or food banks.

I want wish all of you a festive and joyous holiday season. In the spirit of the holidays I would like to share with you two recipes that have been a staple on my holiday dinner table for years.

 

Cranberry Sauce

  • Ingredients

    • 1 pound fresh cranberries, washed and sorted (feel free to use frozen, but thaw first)

    • ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

    • Zest of 1 orange

    • 12 ounces (by weight) honey (1 cup by volume)

    • 1 cinnamon stick

  • Instructions

    • Heat the orange juice and honey in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

    • Add the cranberries, orange zest, and the cinnamon stick and increase heat to medium, cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens.  As it thickens, drop the temperature to low, to prevent splattering. Do not cook for more than 15 minutes, as the pectin will start to break down and the sauce will not set as well.

    • Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.

    • Carefully spoon the cranberry sauce into a 3-cup mold or vessel of your choice.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.

    • Once the cranberry sauce has cooled, overturn the mold and slide out the sauce.  Slice and serve.

Thunder Cake (from the book “Thunder Cake” by Patricia Polacco)

  • Ingredients

    • 2 ¼ sticks room temperature unsalted butter

    • 1 ¾ cup sugar

    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    • 3 eggs (separated)

    • 1 cup cold water

    • ⅓ cup tomato puree

    • 2 ½ cups cake flour (AP flour will suffice if you don’t have cake flour)

    • ½ cup Dutch Processed cocoa powder

    • 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda

    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350° F

    • Cream together the butter and sugar

    • In a separate bowl beat the 3 egg whites to stiff peaks

    • One at a time, add the egg yolks, vanilla, water, and tomatoes to the creamed butter and sugar.

    • Once combined fold in the egg whites

    • Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt

    • Slowly mix together the dry items into the wet mix and beat until thoroughly combined

    • Pour equal amounts of batter into two greased 9” round cake pans or one greased 13” x 9” cake pan

    • Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean

    • Remove from oven and cool on a wire cooling rack until completely cooled before depanning and frosting.

    • Frost with the chocolate frosting of your choice