The history of Thanksgiving is complex.  I’m not talking complex like the time Aunt Grace threw turkey in Uncle Ray’s face or cousin Rowena brought home her new husband and his three other wives.  I’m talking complex like, first there were the Pilgrims and trusting Native Americans with turkey and maize in 1621.  But then it was 200 years until President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a “national day of thanksgiving.”  (Mostly because Sarah Josepha Hale, 19th-century Anna Wintour-equivalent magazine editor, waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.)  And finally, Congress picked up the hint by making Thanksgiving Day official in 1941. 

So Thanksgiving has had some time to make its mark on American history.  And one would assume that Thanksgivings past have naturally been more eco-friendly.  (Were there mass-produced, hormone-fed turkeys in the late 18th century?  Surely not!)  Old-timey Thanksgivings were easy on the Earth, as they consisted of local produce and self-raised, organic (for all intents and purposes) meats.  And we’ve got the pictures to prove it! 

	Yeah, I know what you’re thinking – back away from the white man-diseased turkey, noble Native American!  (Okay, maybe that’s just me.)  But the turkey the Pilgrims served up wasn’t a genetically modified, hormone-filled, white breast-heavy bird.  So said Native American was actually getting a healthy piece of meat.  Which makes up for everything, right?
	One would imagine Indian corn to be the most eco-friendly corn on the planet – and the corn that the Native Americans presented to the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving to be the purest of all.  Not so!  Apparently Indian corn, also known as maize, contains an “indigestible protein…that has been linked to a rare allergy in humans.  The allergic reaction can cause skin rash, swelling or itching of mucus membranes, diarrhea, vomiting, asthma, and in severe cases, anaphylactic shock.”  So, uh, maybe Native Americans knew exactly what they were doing when they handed over that Indian corn….
	And now it is time for the turkey’s revenge.  Our little Pilgrim girl is carrying sunflowers, grapes, and lemons, and what looks to be a marijuana plant (all indigenous to New England…right?).  So while she’s perhaps not buying local produce, she surely has some kind of relationship with the child-size, possibly murderous turkey staring her down. Props for raising locally-bred meat?
	No writer captures heartwarming family moments better than Louisa May Alcott.  (She wrote Little Women: Jo, Meg, Beth, Amy, and Marmee anyone?)  So it makes sense that Alcott would also write a tome called An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, and that its cover image would evoke the quintessential American family.  Note the healthy, stuffed turkey – and better yet, the yard foliage used for garnish.  No plastic bobbles or toxic fake flowers for this table’s centerpiece!
	This line drawing is entitled “Thanksgiving at Camp.”  A Civil War camp, that is.  Though it is hard to tell what is “Thanksgiving-y” about the picture, (Is the fire smoke taking the shape of a turkey?), one can imagine that there isn’t anything very eco-friendly about the setting.  After all, it is a moment in an American conflict that claimed over half a million lives.  Yes, I did just completely bum everyone out.  Anyhoo….
	I'm not sure what animal rights advocates would make of this turkey-mobile, but it's certainly a carbon neutral way to travel! And wouldn't those turkeys rather be pulling a cute little girl than end up on the Thanksgiving table?
	This is Norman Rockwell’s iconic view of Thanksgiving.  But it is also a little eco-friendly.  As far as I can tell, the centerpiece is made entirely of fruit.  Props!  And look at the way Grandma is adeptly handling the tray.  Can’t you see her wielding an ax at the family-raised turkey just the day before?  Clearly, this woman has never defrosted poultry in her life.
	Here’s an image of a 1952 Thanksgiving Day menu from the USS John Craig.  Probably not the greenest meal of history, but then again the 1950s aren’t really known for their organic-friendly attitudes.  But interesting to know there was a time when cigars, cigarettes, and coffee were all listed together as dessert.
	In these “modern times” (to be said imagining George Jetson-style spaceships flying around,) it is hard to tell if these turkeys are free range or just extremely social.  In any case, they are not squashed together five to a cage and appear able to stand on their own feet.  So odds are they aren’t mass produced globs of hormones waiting for your supermarket freezer. Going local and organic with your turkey this year (they also taste better)!
	So what are contemporary vegetarians to do on Turkey Day?  If you're sick of Tofurkey, try mackin on this delightful veggie turkey (made with organic cheeses and vegetables). How cute! Since it takes a lot less energy (and water) to grow veggies than to grow animals, the lowest-impact Thanksgiving meal is as local and veg-heavy as possible.
	And finally, modern Thanksgiving wouldn’t be modern Thanksgiving without New York Macy’s Day Parade.  Between the gigantic plastic street balloons, (plus the consumerism it promotes,) our dear Shrek's face is probably as green as the parade gets.  But hey, maybe some kid somewhere lit up in a big smile when she saw Shrek heading down Broadway.  Who am I to judge?  So, in my most non-judgmental voice, Happy Thanksgiving!