Sustainable designer Aya Tager will teach upcycling workshops this month so that the lighting miracle of Hannukah can continue beyond the holiday’s 8 days.
The Jewish holiday of Hannukah celebrates the miracle of a single day’s supply of oil lasting for eight days of lighting, and is beloved by environmentalists who appreciate the energy efficiency aspect of the holiday. Sustainable designers have taken the energy efficiency aspect of Hannukah and integrated it into eco-friendly and upcycled Hannukah menorah designs. While beautiful and made using materials that would otherwise end up in landfills, those upcycled Hannukah menorahs are only used once a year. During this year’s Jewish festival of lights, sustainable designer Aya Tager will teach workshops on how to upcycle glass jars into lanterns that can be used all year long.
Whereas Hannukah served as the inspiration for Tager to make upcycled lanterns, she said that she specifically chose to use glass jars because “glass can be recycled but the process requires high energy consumption.”
“My first recommendation,” Tager continues, “is to re-use glass jars (for example when making a home made jam) and since most of us have several used jars the next recommendation is to upcycle them from ‘just’ a package into a lovely object we can use again and again.”
Tager’s workshops are intended “to teach kids and adults how to turn objects they think are of no use anymore into useful, personalized and great looking items without spending lots of money or using extra energy.”
Her two upcycling workshops were organized in collaboration with Tel Aviv’s Achoti Fair Trade shop and Bait Banamal in the Tel Aviv port, and will take place on the afternoons of December 25th and 28th.
For more information about the workshops and to register (registration required) call the Achoti fair trade shop at 077-4011271.
:: Aya Kaya Sustainable Design
Read more about Hannukah:
Miraculously Sustainable and Upcycled Hannukah Menorah Designs
Eco Rabbi – Hanukkah and the Importance of Spreading the “Green” Message
Climate Change and Hanukah – A Connection?
Image via: aussiegall
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
