Green Your Menorah

Most of the green holiday tips that pop up in the blogosphere tend to focus on Christmas, so we'd like to dedicate this post to the eco-minded Jews out there. Whether you're celebrating Hanukkah, Chanukah, Chanaka, or Hanukah (or if you just like lighting candles), there are several ways to green your menorah (and even your chanukiyah). Take this ecofriendly piece from eco-artware.com, a purveyor of art made of recycled, reused, and natural materials, as an example. Or if you'd like to start stimulating our economy, you could have this "Mixed Media" menorah, designed by Jenna Goldberg, for only $600. It's made of recycled olive-oil cans, copper nails, and mahogany. Don't want to spend $600 on a menorah made of recycled products? Make your own!

And what about what goes into your menorah? Be sure to pick up some soy-based eco-candles or 100 percent beeswax candles (don't worry, they're kosher) that burn much cleaner than conventional paraffin wax candles. To avoid dealing with waxy messes, try an energy-efficient LED menorah.

Have any other juicy Judaic green holiday tips? Share them as a comment below.

- Michael Fox