Study: Thanksgiving's environmental impact

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Looks good, but does it have a light carbon footprint?
Looks good, but does it have a light carbon footprint?
Image: Stock illustration.
If you live in a state that relies on renewable energy, you may have one more reason to be thankful this year.
 
    Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say Thanksgiving meals cooked in states relying on renewable energy have less environmental impact -- a lighter carbon footprint -- than in others.
    Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas tied to climate change. A carbon footprint, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization or community.”
    Using a menu of turkey stuffed with sausage and apples, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie, researchers determined the carbon footprint for the meal in each state.
    “The team based their calculations on the way the meal is cooked (gas versus electric range), the specific state’s predominant power source and how the food is produced in each area,” explained a news release from Carnegie Mellon,a university in Pittsburgh.
    By this measure, the Thanksgiving feast should go down better in Maine and Vermont, states that mostly use renewable energy. “States that use coal power, such as Wyoming, West Virginia and Kentucky, have the highest carbon dioxide emissions,” the news release said. 
    How the food is grown, raised and prepared figured into the calculations. For each ingredient, researchers tracked carbon emissions from production to the dinner table. The type of energy used to cook the meal made a noticeable difference.  
    For example, “cooking a 16-pound turkey in an electric oven in coal-dependent Wyoming emits 32 pounds of carbon dioxide,” the news release said. “In Maine, cooking the same turkey in the same oven but with electricity generated primarily from renewable energy releases less than three pounds of carbon dioxide.”  
    It gets worse if you decide to travel. Driving to the feast could double the carbon footprint, the researchers found. And flying knocks it out of the ballpark.
    “Four people who fly 600 miles round trip have a carbon footprint 10 times that of an average prepared Thanksgiving meal, before they even sit down at the table,” the Carnegie researchers found.
      See the state by state comparisons here. 

    Related:

    Thanksgiving: Why pilgrims get bragging rights

    Abe Lincoln and the politics of Thanksgiving

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