Earth Protect Blog

Social Norming: Show Don’t Tell

by Cindy Jennings (Earth Protect's latest Featured Blogger!)
We have all lived social norming. If you’ve ever gotten into an elevator and turned around to face the door, this is a social norm. If you’ve ever given a dirty look to someone talking on his or her cell phone in a theater, this is a social norm. If you’ve ever recycled your trash into every single appropriate bin at Whole Foods after eating there—and caused someone else to do it because of your behavior, this is a social norm.

Social norms are behaviors or attitudes that are commonly accepted within a group or society.
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Your Guide to a Green Thanksgiving from Earth911
It can be easy to forget being green in the midst of the menu-planning, grocery-buying and family networking that precedes most Thanksgiving celebrations. But with all the effort, time and money you put into this yearly tradition, why not make your Thanksgiving a little greener? We've compiled six ways to bring sustainability into your holiday - without skimping on the festive fun.

1. Go low-waste
On a day where copious amounts of food are as commonplace as football and family togetherness, reducing waste can seem next to impossible. But creating a low-waste Thanksgiving is easier than you think. We chatted with Emily Vaughn, associate program manager for Slow Food USA - a Brooklyn-based nonprofit on a mission to change the way America thinks about food - and came up with these four quick and easy tips to shrink holiday waste.

2. All about the turkey
Turkey is the main component for many Thanksgiving meals. But have you thought about the impact your main course has on the planet? This year, 99.99 percent of Thanksgiving turkeys will be the same breed, the broad-breasted white, and most will be produced from industrialized farming, says Vaughn.

3. Vegetarian alternatives
If you or someone on your guest list is vegetarian or vegan, choosing a main course can seem difficult. Sure, you could bake up a "tofurkey." But why not plan a mouth-watering main based around local ingredients instead?

4. Choose local
Most Thanksgiving staples, like sweet potatoes, onions and pumpkins, can be found locally and in-season in most parts of the country. But to bump up the volume of your all-local menu, seek out indigenous meat and vegetable breeds that may be at risk of extinction.

5. Ease big-day stress
The kitchen is bound to get a little hectic on Thanksgiving. But getting prepped early can help you spend more time in the family room and less time in the kitchen this year.

6. Eat on the cheap
As much as you love your family and friends, feeding the whole gang can get pricy. But luckily for you, Vaughn is full of suggestions to ease the burden on your wallet.

Earth Protect Welcomes Gerri Walsh to the Advisory Council

Gerri Walsh is a results-oriented corporate sustainability professional with over five years of experience aligning business, environmental, and social objectives.  She is skilled at company-wide sustainability reporting, development and execution, cross-functional leadership, and integration of sustainability values working collaboratively with executives and employees.

Video tips for an eco-friendly holiday


Eco-friendly tips from Tree Musketeers for this Thanksgiving

• Buy locally grown organic produce from your area's farmers market and make sure to bring along your reusable bags.

• If turkey is on your menu, you can contact your local grocery store and ask if they carry turkeys labeled “American Humane Certified," or "USDA Certified Organic."
• Add tree-planting to the festivities.  You can have a tree-planting ceremony and literally give thanks around the family tree!

• Ask guests to bring their own reusable containers to take home left-overs.

• To decorate your tables, use natural objects found in your yard like fall leaves and pine cones.

• Leave the TV off during dinner. Not only will it save energy it will allow you to ask Aunt Mary for her stuffing recipe.

For those who need a reason NOT to eat turkey



Do's & Don'ts for an Eco-Thanksgiving
It’s that time of year again, and you are preparing to cook a feast to feed the masses. As you start planning the smorgasbord of side dishes and entrees to feed your family this Thanksgiving, are you asking yourself how you can make this holiday a little more eco-friendly? It is easier than you think...
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Earth Protect Welcomes Cindy Jennings, our latest Featured Blogger

For the past five years, Cindy has used formal and informal training to look at companies in a new light using what she calls a ‘sustainability filter’ meaning she looks at the interrelationship of profits and long-term access to high-value human and material resources.
Cindy has held leadership positions both within employers and the community. Past employers include Frontier Airlines, RegOnline and Cohn Marketing where she most recently served as the Vice President of Marketing and Client Brand Strategy before launching Volition Strategies to focus full time on incorporating responsible business practices.