Busy Greens Snuffing the Candle at Both Ends

Hanukkah 'greens' want one less candle

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A group of Israeli environmentalists has launched an Internet campaign encouraging Jews the world over to light at least one candle fewer.

The suggestion, made to cut down on damage to the atmosphere, has not been welcomed by some Jewish leaders, who say candles are an essential part of Hanukkah observance.
By the end of the eight-day Hanukkah holiday, which began at sundown Tuesday, each Jewish household will have lit at least 44 candles.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the founders of the Green Hanukkia campaign determined that each candle burning all the way down produces 15 grams of carbon dioxide. Multiply that output by 44 in a million households in Israel alone, they said, and it adds up.

One member of Israel's parliament, Avraham Ravitz, told the Post that the environmentalists are “crazy people” and that “they should encourage people to light one less cigarette instead.”

Green Hanukkia spokesmen also say the world's non-Hanukka observing greens, such as Gentiles, can participate even though they haven't got any Hanukka candles not to light.

For instance, organizers suggest one Earth-friendly alternative to not lighting a single candle is simply to curse the darkness.