TELESCO

Abbey Carpet & Floor

An Eco-Friendly
Chanukah

CA

4 ko

Tips to make the Holiday of Lights
a bit more green.
oiDR9

W

e all agree on the essen-
tials of justice, peace and
preserving of our planet,
God's gift to us all. All religions revere
the life-giving preciousness of the air
we breathe, the water we drink, the
food we eat.
So how can the major winter holi-
days (not important in tradition, but
surely it is in America) bring us more
light at the very time when we get the
least light? How do we give our thanks
to our Creator for the gifts of life, even
when the dark skies shake us from our
faith? Must we not do so in a manner
that sustains life, and not damages it?
Thus the central question: How can
we green Chanukah?
The three pillars of the environmen-
tal movement, the effort to be certain
that our grandchildren have a planet
at least as beautiful and healthy as the
one we have, are: Reduce, Reuse and
Recycle.

Special Gift

and other electric appliances when not
in use; plant some trees. The Midrash
asks: "What was the first thing that the
Blessed Holy One did after creating the
world? God was occupied with plant-
ing, as it is written: And the Lord God
planted a garden in Eden. So do you
also. When you enter the land, occupy
yourself first with nothing else but
planting.'
Before you buy a gift, ask yourself if
you could find something for half the
price, and give the rest to a hungry or
needy person, or contribute
to an institutional tzedakah.
Ask yourself if this item
is something that will add
joy and satisfaction to the
recipient, or if it will end up
on a shelf, never to be seen
again.

Reduce
Our lives are crowded with
"stuff:' Gadgets, accessories,
all the latest fashion...
must haves." Mostly stuff
that we rarely wear, use or
play with, and which often
Reuse
goes into the trash almost
Instead of buying fancy gift-
Rabb i Dov
as good as new
Peretz Elkins
wrapping, use old newspa-
Take Action: give fewer
per comics, or unused wall-
Specia I to the
and smaller gifts. Give
Jewish News
paper or just decorate some
meaningful, useful gifts,
plain white paper from your
like books (preferably e-ver-
printer. Have your kids draw
sions), music (also digital),
pictures on it. The website www.
plants and board games to play as a
sierraclub.org/holidays suggests that
family.
"if every family wrapped just three
Send e-cards, or hand-made ones
gifts that way, it would save enough
instead of store-bought canned mes-
paper to cover 45,000 football fields."
sages written by a stranger. Give
If you receive a new cell phone, ask a
nonmaterial gifts such as a promise to
family member or friend if they'd like
clean the dishes, or walk the dog for
your old one. Someone who doesn't
a month, or a pledge to volunteer at
have any would appreciate that.
an orphanage or soup kitchen several
If you do shop for a few small, use-
times in the recipient's honor.
ful gifts, remember to bring your own
On each of the eight nights of
Chanukah, make a promise to add one reusable bag, and don't accept plastic
or paper bags from the store that will
more step to green your home and
end up in landfills. Another great gift
your life — walk more and drive less;
use bikes rather than cars; reduce your idea is to buy some plain cloth bags
carbon footprint; turn off the lights
Eco Friendly on page 18

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HAPPY CHANUKAH AND BEST WISHES FOR A
HEALTHY, SAFE, PEACEFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO WORK IN YOUR HOMES.

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TelescoFloors.com
2705 Orchard Lake Road, Sylvan Lake

December 22 • 2011

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