Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Save the environment, burn one less candle during Hanukkah

How about if Al Gore promises not to fly in a private jet during Hanukkah? That would certainly be enough, wouldn't it?

In a campaign that has spread like wildfire across the Internet, a group of Israeli environmentalists is encouraging Jews around the world to light at least one less candle this Hanukka to help the environment.

The founders of the Green Hanukkia campaign found that every candle that burns completely produces 15 grams of carbon dioxide. If an estimated one million Israeli households light for eight days, they said, it would do significant damage to the atmosphere.

The campaign calls for Jews around the world to save the last candle and save the planet, so we won't need another miracle," said Liad Ortar, the campaign's cofounder, who runs the Arkada environmental consulting firm and the Ynet Web site's environmental forum. "Global warming is a milestone in human evolution that requires us to rethink how we live our lives, and one of the main paradigms of that is religion and how it fits into the current situation."
This sounds like a good idea as well:
"They should encourage people to light one less cigarette instead," Ravitz said.
So, how about it, smokers? Willing to give up your cigarettes for Hanukkah?

(via)