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In the olden days, it wasn't tradition for people to trot across the globe in order to visit folks for Thanksgiving. It is a modern tradition brought upon by the affordability and safety of air travel. We cannot afford a continuation of this trend due to the growing climate problem. Air travel is very costly in terms of a carbon emissions. There might be a technologically feasible way to meet with your family while remaining carbon neutral.
One of the ways to spend Thanksgiving with the family without emitting so much carbon is to teleconference with them. Teleconferencing is simple to do and many web-based teleconference companies offer free or reduced-rate teleconferencing. There are also ways to visit your family with the internet, using a webcam.
The majority of my family lives in Omaha, Nebraska, but I live in California. If I wanted to attend Thanksgiving dinner via internet, this is how I would do it. First, I would ask someone in my family to purchase a webcam, then I would purchase my own. Cheap ones are around fifty dollars. We'd agree for me to log on to the video conference site, Gmail chat or Skype, at a predetermined time. My camera would be pointed at my somewhat angelic face. Their camera would be pointed at my somewhat angelic family. Ideally, a place would be set for laptop bearing my face's image. I would eat a meal facing a computer screen filled the shining countenances of my family. I would virtually be home for the holiday.
The most important thing to remember if you are having a teleconferenced Thanksgiving is to use the speakerphone option. You don't want to accidentally drop your Blackberry into the cranberries.
More on Teleconferencing
Things to Consider Before a Teleconference Call
Introduction to How Teleconferencing Etiquette Works
Things to Avoid During a Teleconference Call
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