Avoiding Shabbats of destruction

Our seders are filled with questions and commentary, insights and discussion. Weeks before Passover, my family begins preparing by reading and
studying. Despite our hours of preparation, it was well into our first
seder and well past bedtime for my little four-year-old cousin when he
made one of the most insightful comments of the night.

Knowing that we don’t turn lights on and off during Shabbat or Yom Tov, he said, “If these lights stay on all night, you’ll waste a lot of energy.”

Al Gore could not have said it better.

In six days, God created the world, and on the seventh, God rested. Our Shabbat is meant to follow God’s example by refraining from creative work and retreating into a simpler time of family, community and relaxation. While stepping back from creation, however, our Shabbat practices sometimes fall into the trap of destruction.

In our zeal to observe Shabbat, we sometimes neglect to consider the environmental impact of our actions. Because we can’t turn them on and off, we often leave lights and air-conditioning units on throughout Shabbat. Because we don’t use the dishwasher, many use disposable dishes.

Shabbat observance and environmental considerations need not be mutually exclusive. By thinking creatively, we can reunite our Shabbat practices with the primal Shabbat of creation (and likely save some money along the way).

I’d like to offer some practical suggestions to help make our Shabbat observance more environmentally conscious.

Use timers. The dining room light doesn’t need to be on at 3 a.m., and living room lights may not be needed on a sunny Shabbat afternoon. Installing timers and anticipating when lights need to be on and off can drastically reduce energy consumption. The same can be said for a crock pot and plata (hot plate). Do they need to be on all of Shabbat afternoon, or can a timer turn them off after lunch?

Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents can save a significant amount of energy – especially on lights that stay on throughout Shabbat, such as bathroom lights.

I’ve been to far too many Shabbat meals that use disposable dishes. While many families don’t run their dishwasher on Shabbat, washing dishes by hand or loading the dishwasher and waiting to turn it on after Shabbat offer good alternatives to throwing away plastic plates, cutlery and cups. Similarly, try using cloth napkins that can be laundered rather than paper napkins that need to be thrown away. (My mother tells me they also look much nicer.)

Before Shabbat, make sure that computers are turned off. Similarly, there’s no need for a cellphone or laptop to charge throughout Shabbat. Before lighting Shabbat candles, a simple sweep of the house to unplug electronics can have an impact on energy consumption.

Store leftovers in reusable containers. A few plastic containers can save space in the fridge, be heated up in the microwave and washed up quickly to be ready for next week’s leftovers.

My four-year-old cousin has grown up with an enviable environmental consciousness. His education has endowed him with an ability to think about the broader impact of his actions – a skill that is still missing in much of our community. At a Yom Ha’atzamut celebration last week, I cringed when soft drinks were served in Styrofoam cups, and when I drive by our communal institutions late at night and see the internal lights left on, I realize how much work needs to be done.

It’s time for our community – both in our homes and our institutions – to rethink our environmental policies and find the meeting point between our tradition and the sustainability of our practices.