Green Thanksgiving ideas to take home

Okay, so you don't celebrate Thanksgiving at work...I hope! But it's the big event on the radar this week, so I'm going to give you a few Thanksgiving tips for a greener holiday.

1) (And this is a business tip) Give employees the day after Thanksgiving off, if at all possible. Office businesses are typically very quiet the day after the holiday, so save some energy costs by keeping the lights off and letting employees stay off the highway.

2) Encourage employees to bring Thanksgiving leftovers to work as lunches next week by offering recipes or a post-holiday potluck celebration. How is this green? Meals eaten at work mean less time spent at drive-throughs, less packaging in the trash and less food waste.

3) At your dinner, try to minimize disposable flatware, glasses and plastic coated plates. If you use plastic, put a Sharpie next to the dishes and encourage everyone to write their name on cups to reduce waste.

4) Use washable and reusable containers for leftovers instead of zipper bags and other throw-aways.

5) When you're talking about what you're grateful for, be sure to include the earth, clean water and clean air.