A Kinder Table: Eating in Tune With People & Planet

The holiday season brings out our softest, most generous selves; the friend who suddenly becomes a baker, the cousin who insists on cooking for everyone, the parents who stock enough food to survive a minor apocalypse. Christmas and New Years run on nostalgia, tradition, and full tables.

But as the celebrations have grown, so has the scale of waste that comes with them. Globally, food loss and waste account for 8–10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). That’s a bigger climate footprint than the aviation industry. And while holiday-specific data varies by country, multiple studies from environmental agencies worldwide consistently show a seasonal spike in household waste- food being one of the biggest contributors.

Eating green during the holidays isn’t about guilt-tripping the gravy out of your festivities. It’s about exploring how small, intentional choices can declutter not just your fridge, but your mind and your environmental impact. It’s about shifting from “more, more, more” to “meaningful, delicious, mindful.”
This is the BRiN way: sustainability that feels good, looks good, and actually works.

The Abundance Paradox

Psychologists call it the abundance mindset, the belief that more equals better. Holidays amplify this instinct. Many families cook as if they’re preparing for surprise guests who may or may not materialise. Cultural norms reinforce this too: serving too little is framed as poor hospitality, while serving too much is a sign of love.

But here’s the catch: research notes that when people are emotionally invested in an event, they tend to over-purchase for “insurance.” This behavior drives both overspending and overcooking and, inevitably, waste.

This is where eating green steps in as a quiet counter-practice. It’s not about shrinking the feast; it’s about rethinking what abundance means. Abundance can be rich flavors, quality ingredients, comforting rituals,  not forgotten Tupperwares at the back of the fridge.

Seasonal Eating (The Original Sustainable Tradition)

Long before sustainability was a buzzword, it was a way of life. Seasonal eating was how communities survived winter. Today, it’s backed by both ecological and nutritional research.

Seasonal, local ingredients generally have:

• Lower transportation emissions
• Longer shelf lives (because they’re harvested at peak freshness)
• Higher nutrient density (confirmed in multiple agricultural studies)

Organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) support seasonal sourcing as a key lever in reducing food system emissions. For the holidays, this often means leaning into naturally available produce: winter greens, root vegetables, squashes, citrus, herbs, and whole grains.

Re-embracing seasonal food isn’t a trend. It’s a return to rhythms our ancestors understood intuitively.

The Leftovers Economy

Here’s a surprising insight from food-waste researchers: leftovers are not the enemy, the mismanagement of leftovers is.

Studies from Green Network Asia show that households often intend to reuse leftovers but forget about them or store them improperly. The issue isn’t abundance itself; it’s lack of a plan.

When we treat leftovers as second-class food, we waste them. But when we approach them as ingredients (not scraps), we create a “leftovers economy”: a circular mini-system that reduces household waste, saves money, and stretches the holiday feast into a week of creative cooking.

Think soups, grain bowls, savoury pies, breakfast bakes -not just microwaved reruns.

Eating green here isn’t performative; it’s practical. It’s about respecting the resources, energy, and human labor behind every dish.

Plant-Forward, Not Plant-Only

Plant-forward eating is one of the most consistently validated sustainability recommendations. Both the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) emphasise that reducing meat-heavy meals, even occasionally, significantly lowers one’s environmental footprint.

But plant-forward doesn’t mean erasing cultural dishes or replacing turkey with tofu in a move that angers your entire family.

Instead, it means reframing the plate so plants play a bigger role: richer sides, deeper flavours, upgraded textures, and more colour. It’s about amplifying, not subtracting. Adding roasted carrots with citrus glaze doesn’t take tradition away; it adds something new.

The science is clear: shifting even 20% of the menu toward plant-based ingredients makes a measurable difference in emissions.
The experience is even clearer: it tastes fantastic.

Decluttering the Holiday Table: A Sustainable Philosophy

Decluttering is a psychological principle. Multiple studies have linked clutter reduction with lower stress, higher satisfaction, and better decision-making.

Eating green mirrors this philosophy:

• Fewer ingredients, but better ones
• Fewer random impulse purchases, more intentional choices
• Fewer forgotten leftovers, more mindful meals

A decluttered fridge is also a climate-friendly fridge. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that preventing waste beats recycling or composting in impact because it eliminates emissions before they even occur.

In other words: the greenest holiday meals aren’t the ones that look minimalist, they’re the ones cooked with intention.

Why This Matters and Why It’s Not About Perfection

Sustainability is often framed as an all-or-nothing lifestyle, but research from behavioural scientists consistently shows that incremental changes are more effective long-term than radical overhauls.

Eating green during the holidays is a low-lift, high-impact shift:

• It respects tradition while modernising habits
• It lowers household emissions without raising stress
• It strengthens connection to food and community
• And it reduces end-of-year waste which spikes every December across multiple countries

More importantly, it builds awareness. Once you begin noticing where waste happens, you naturally start adjusting, not just for the holidays, but in everyday life.

This is the heart of BRiN’s sustainability ethos:
Small, meaningful actions that add up - not perfectionism.

A Greener Feast Is a Kinder Feast

Holiday meals are more than calories; they’re connection, comfort, reunion. Eating green lets us honour those moments with a bit more intention and a lot less waste.

It’s not about shrinking the celebration, it’s about lightening its footprint.
And sometimes, the best gift you can give (to the planet, your home, your wallet) is simply to eat more thoughtfully.