Greening Hanukkah

 From Jewish in St. Louis

Hanukkah is a time where we celebrate the renewal of the eternal flame and rededication of the Temple. It is a great time to rededicate ourselves to the goal of preserving God’s creation, conserving energy and helping the environment. Here are a few things you can do leading up to, and during, the holiday to rededicate yourself to making the world more eco-friendly.
Leading up to the holiday:

Buy gifts with a low carbon footprint—local stores that sell vintage, locally made or locally grown products are a great place to find these.

Consider offering the gift of time or one that fosters creativity—take your kids to the park for the afternoon or give them an hour’s worth of pottery making time at a arts and crafts store.

Create homemade gift wrap from recycled materials rather than purchasing gift wrap that will be used once and thrown away. For example, gift wrap can be created from used newspapers and magazines. As much as half of the 85 million tons of paper products Americans consume every year goes toward packaging, wrapping and decorating goods. Wrapping paper and shopping bags alone account for about 4 million tons of trash annually in the U.S.

Over the eight days and nights of Hanukkah:

Use Hanukkah candles made of beeswax or soy rather than paraffin candles made from petroleum. Beeswax or soy candles are made from natural ingredients and also produce less soot and smoke than paraffin candles.
Make a healthier batch of latkes by using local, organic potatoes and onions and cage-free, organic eggs. Look for a winter’s farmers market to buy your potatoes, onions and eggs.

Resolve as a household to conserve energy, identifying specific actions you can take over the next year. This could include replacing conventional light bulbs with CFLs, starting a backyard vegetable garden in the spring or doing more walking and less driving as a family.

Chag Sameach!

Greening Your Gifts at Hanukkah

By Kali Brodsky on behalf of CJP Families with Young Children Initiative

Want to go green at this year’s holiday celebration? Green expert and mom Stef Newman provides creative tips for encouraging your family to stay green this season. Stef strives to help parents “think outside their playroom” and take small but significant steps toward a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

What are some easy, affordable holiday gifts that kids can make for family and friends?
Saving money is likely going to be a continuing trend this holiday season. You can definitely involve your kids by having them make their own gifts instead of buying retail. Craft stores have a ton of ideas for kids to express themselves (at great prices!), like decorating clay pots for plants, making note cards, bookmarks, magnets, photo books or photo collages, and creating unique ornaments or picture frames with household recyclables, like cardboard, toilet-paper rolls and egg cartons. You can also whip up a batch of cookies or candy with your kids to decorate and give away, or help them create a video on the computer to send to loved ones.

What are some “green” ways to wrap and package holiday gifts?
There are wrapping papers available that are made with post-consumer recycled paper, but wrapping gifts doesn’t require fancy, expensive paper that will be thrown away as soon as it’s ripped off. Kids can decorate paper with their own designs. You can easily purchase a roll of easel paper or brown butcher paper, or use saved brown paper bags. You and your kids can personalize the paper with craft items like markers, crayons, stickers, glitter, glue, yarn and even bottle caps. You can also try wrapping gifts in old fabric and scarves, recycled aluminum foil or saved maps, or try putting gifts in baskets, containers or canvas bags that can be reused for other things after the holidays are over.

Where can families find eco-friendly gifts?
A great place to look for vintage or handmade items—everything from jewelry to clothing to stuffed animals and toys—is on Etsy. Etsy features an amazing collection of artists and other creative people who truly pass on their visions to you. There are also many stores, both online and even in your own neighborhoods, that feature eco-friendly gifts for your entire family. Another personal favorite is Craftsbury Kids, which offers classic, open-play toys and games at prices that won’t break your bank.

Kali Brodsky is the editor of JewishBoston.com. Feel free to reach her at editor@jewishboston.com.

Greening Reform Judaism

Greening Reform Judaism endeavors to promote an awareness of environmental considerations and environmentally responsible acts by integrating Jewish values, learning and actions that promote sh'mirat ha-adamah - protection and renewal of the world.

By going to the URJ Green website, you can visit such topics as:

URJ Camps and Congregations Go Green!

URJ Grant Supports GreenFaith Pilot Program

Green News

Travel Justly

And much more.  Visit URJ Green and find out what your organization can to do improve your carbon footprint.

Jewish Food Education Network

 For 3,000 years, Jewish tradition has grappled with what is fit- kosher- for us to eat. Today, questions about food have become ever more complicated as we come up against changing nutritional news, the use of chemical pesticides, and industrial farming. Health issues such as obesity and environmental damage are intrinsically connected to our personal and national food choices. In order to empower educators and individuals to teach these topics through a Jewish lens Hazon has created the Jewish Food Education Network (JFEN).

JFEN is a way for educators all over North America to connect with, share and learn from each other with the help of Hazon’s innovative food education resources and support.

JFEN Membership is open to all, whether you’re a full time Jewish educator or an individual looking to connect to a larger community.

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