By David Gottfried
We love Hanukah, and our two kids can’t wait for it to come, as if the Messiah will
appear. It’s a wonderful time to gather with family and friends, to be thankful for a good year, to ponder all that
we’re fortunate to have, and to try to remember the details of the story to tell the kids. And yet, I’m somewhat
embarrassed to say that my wife Sara and I were thrilled that Hanukah ended last night. We couldn’t bear the thought
of one more latke, chocolate gelt, another sufganiyot (doughnut), or more presents for the kids. Why is it that most gifts
seem to have a million little parts, including those that are now scattered all over our living room carpet, couch and even
under our bed?
“I don’t like that present; I want another one!” commanded our friend’s
six year old, as he opened one of several gifts on the third night, following an array of gifts received on the first two
evenings. “We’re going to do something different next year,” our friend told me when we were talking about
the excessiveness of the holidays. I couldn’t help but feel the same way, as we were still licking our wounds from a
family Hanukah party the same day. My wife and I watched in horror as our two kids and their five cousins dove into their
respective three-foot stack of wrapped presents: five each plus an overflowing grab-bag, stuffed with gelt, necklaces, sunglasses,
lollypops, magnets, stickers, dradles, and a dozen other toys and sugar uppers. My kids were in heaven, and soon fighting
over their respective toys on the noisy drive home: “that’s mine,” screamed our almost three-year-old repeatedly
to her eight-year-old sister, as they kept up a thirty minute tug-a-war.
The holidays and Hanukah are a good time
to think about our relationship to the Earth and each other. Retailers, the media and our kids want us to continue being super
consumers. Friends, relatives and even each of us express our love through buying gifts wrapped in bright sparkly colors topped
off with flowing bows. As I was shopping for appropriate gifts for three of my young cousins, boys ranging from twelve to
fourteen, I realized that I had no clue what to buy them, and that whatever I purchased would likely be a waste, except for
the jester of care. I was thankful that Sara had purchased headbands and sparkly hair clips for the two girl cousins. At a
deeper level, I wished I had the guts to make donations in the name of all five cousins, or even better, find a website where
I donate a sum of money and then they choose the specific pledge that suits their interests. In the process, they would begin
to learn about donating money (a mitzvah) as well as global causes and the human and environmental condition. As I researched
the idea, I found a great website for us to begin introducing our children, family and friends to the idea of donations, instead
of gifts. The site can be found at:
www.changingthepresent.org. It provides over a thousand donation choices, in a dozen areas of need. Just surfing the site is educational. I checked
out their board of advisors in the many categories of giving, and was impressed with its high caliber.
A few days
later, for my brother Richard’s birthday, I decided to buy enough carbon offsets to neutralize his car’s greenhouse-gas
emissions for a year ($33.75 for his Toyota Camry). They issue a nice gift certificate and a sticker to place on your car’s
bumper. See
www.driveneutral.org, a program of the Presidio School of Management.
Another green gift and living idea I’ve been utilizing
recently is to buy carbon offsets. I’ve been buying offsets from:
www.carbonfund.org. They also sell offsets for the household, auto and even weddings (also check out: www.earthlab.com). When I calculated
my carbon footprint, I noticed that my extensive air travel greatly outweighs all my other carbon emissions. As a result,
the first change that I’ve recently been trying to enforce is to cancel unnecessary or lower priory trips. I’m
finding that I can often ask to be conferenced into the meeting, or opt to stay home with the kids during peak travel holidays.
Not only do we lessen my environmental footprint by not flying, but also save precious time. The less travel, also keeps me
healthier, as I sleep more by avoiding time changes, and breathing the poor air quality on flights.
I recently
joined a car share service called zipcar (
www.zipcar.com). The concept is simple: rent a local car via the Internet on an hourly basis. They have cars in about a dozen cities and
many locations within the city. The Bart parking lot across from Market Hall has a few cars from aother vendor. There are
also a few at the parking lot on the corner of Euclid and Grand, near TBA. Sara and I are studying whether we can get rid
of one of our two hybrids by renting on an as-needed basis. It makes great sense financially, and also encourages us to take
public transit more often, as well as car pool, bike and walk.
Our largest green project is to renovate a 1915
craftsman bungalow that we recently purchased in Rockridge. By buying an older home and fixing it up, we save a great deal
of “embodied energy”. Green emphasis areas for our remodel include: solar, new blow-in wall insulation, new double-pane
windows, efficient appliances, dual flush toilets, an efficient furnace (greater than 90% efficiency), an organic garden to
grow our own food, rainwater capture, and an efficient layout comprising fifty percent less square footage than our last home.
All of us are on a life journey. For me, one of the greatest pleasures has been to make it a sustainable endeavor
– in all that I do. At times it feels like a steep climb, and at others, it gives me chills of passion and contentment.
And yes, we can make Hanukah a green event!
