In honor of the last day of Hannukah, the Yesh Meain permaculture farm will be hosting an all-day permaculture celebration.
Links are often found between Jewish holidays and the environment, and environmentally-minded organizations in Israel try to find eco-friendly ways to celebrate them. We’ve seen these eco Jewish celebrations center around Sukkot, a holiday that is spent outdoors anyway. But this year we have learned of a permaculture party for Hannukah – a holiday praised by Jewish environmentalists for its lesson on energy efficiency. The party will take place at the Yesh Meain permaculture farm (the same place that sustainable designer Inbal Weisman frequents in order to collect materials for her upcycled fabric owls) on the last night of Hannukah.
The celebrations will include: swapping/sharing of seeds (and whatever else comes to mind), tours and workshops for children, a general assembly of the members of the Israeli Permaculture Organization, and a communal vegan/vegetarian feast.
Starting at 10am on Wednesday December 28th and continuing until 11:30pm, this day-long event will begin with mingling and workshops. Intended for kids of all ages, the workshops will include solar oven tutorials, upcycling crafts, instruction on the use of micro organisms for various ecological systems, and more.
The events will be scattered among the different ecologically-constructed structures at Yesh Meain, including their yurt and mud houses.
Started in 2007 by graduates of the Permaculture Design Course at the Center for Creative Ecology on Kibbutz Lotan, Yesh Meain “aims to create a center for environmental and social awareness. [They] aspire to encourage key changes in the consuming behavior, the use of resources and the perception of abundance within the Israeli society.”
For more information about the Permaculture Hannukah gathering, visit the event’s Facebook page or website.
Read more about eco-Hannukah:
8 Tips For Energy Efficiency “Miracle” This Hannukah [SLIDESHOW]
Miraculously Sustainable and Upcycled Hannukah Menorah Designs
Climate Change and Hanukah – A Connection?
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.
