Let's See What the Thanksgiving Turkey Has Left Behind

Holidays are the perfect occasion to waste food. Perfectly eatable leftovers fill trash containers every year, as we finish cleaning the mess left behind by our Thanksgiving dinner. This may come as a surprise, but what we could have eaten triggers 1 million tons of CO2 emissions that will reach the atmosphere and also 95 billion gallons of water we failed to preserve.

If we think about money, $275 million (€204 million) are thrown out of the window by those who celebrate Thanksgiving, so we will most likely feel sorry we didn't eat until the last bite.

A USDA report highlights that up to 35% of the delicious treat is being considered waste. Moreover, to obtain only a pound of turkey implies the presence of 4 kg of CO2 emissions, according to a study issued by the Environmental Working Group and also requires up to 468 gallons of water.

What we tend to discard has a significant ecological footprint, compared to a 94-minute shower for every household, or an 11-minute drive in a car powered by traditional fuels. Despite the fact that we buy 581 million pounds (263 million kilograms) of turkey meat every year, only 377 million pounds (171 million kilograms) will actually end up in our stomach. For the rest, landfills represent the final destination.

We don't just leave turkey bones in our plates. We contribute to environmental degradation far more than we could imagine, by wasting water and boosting the already alarming level of CO2 emissions.