Eco-Hannuka

I just love the things that people will do to make a Jewish festival relevant and to link it to causes which they care about. This is a great one... a friend of mine directed me to the group on Facebook. It is by http://www.svivaisrael.org/

Read here from their Facebook page:

Let's celebrate Hannukah 5769 by
1) cleaning up the world!
2) sharing Jewish environmental teachings
(והשנה גם בעברית )!
3) ...and lighting the Hannuka candles!

On the 1st day of Hannukah, pick up 1 piece of litter and put it in the trash can / recycling container.

On the 2nd day of Hannukah, pick up 2 pieces of litter and place them in the trash can / recycling container.

On the 3rd day of Hannukah, pick up 3 items of litter and ...well, you get the idea.

In the spirit of Limud U'Maaseh, every day of Hannukah, Eco Lights participants will receive a daily Jewish Environmental teaching from incredible guest writers!

If you pick up one more item each day, then by the end of Hannukah's 8 days, you will have picked up 36 items of litter and helped make our world a better place to live (If you live in Israel, you get extra points for beautifying Israel - Mitzvat Yishuv Eretz Yisrael :) )

And I love the important caveat at the end!

** Please do not pick up the garbage while your Hannuka candles are burning. Use this time to reflect on how even a small flame (or act) can light up the darkness.**

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'.

So sings Bob Dylan.

We watch the world changing before our eyes! We watch as the Glaciers melt and the temperature rises. We watch on as the new global power constellations take shape (Christianity vs. Islam with the Jews in the thick of it?) Even in as short a period as a single decade we have witnessed the changes in the economic world map as China develops as a new world economic superpower. We watch as Hezbollah and Hamas rise in their strength, as Iran threatens. We know that the times they are a-changin'

And the amazing thing is that despite the changes that we know and see, we frequently feel powerless to intervene or guide a response. I wonder why? I feel that frequently we lack the perspective, the ability to adequately comprehend the processes as they take place. In many cases we only see the symptoms when the momentum is in full swing.

Well, as we all know the environment is one area in which things are already advancing (or declining) rapidly. I have to admit, that sometimes I worry for my kids, coming into a world that feels way more complicated than the world in which I grew up. I read the newspapers with trepidation, wondering how we could have been so irresponsible for so long, and how we continue with our recklessness. If we take the model of an individual, we know that we would be quite criminal of we saved a few shekels and thereby endangered our lives (and others) by driving a dangerous car etc. How can the world continue to pollute and ignore the depleting world resources just to boost the economy, blind in the face of economic greed? As regards global warming we dare not ignore the warning signs lest we accelerate the damage already done.

A further question is the reliance on fossil fuels. Not only is it having devastating ecological effects but the politics of oil can be no less problematic. We watch the pressure that certain Arab countries can exert upon the world with their oil money. Iran would not be so smug if it lacked oil. The effects can frequently be destabilising. Moreover limited oil supply and growing global consumption threaten economic stability and growth.

It is clear that a solution to these problems presents a pressing ethical and economic imperative.

That is why I love this idea (link).
It is great because it:
1. Uses solar power
2. Helps arid countries with its water problems.

I fully endorse this programme and I suggest that Israel be at the forefront of development of this sort.