Eco Shabbat Guide

We give thanks on Shabbat, we dedicate time to

family and friends and we reflect on our week.

Shabbat is a time to lessen our impact on our earth,

and to let it rest as well.

Shabbat Shalom!

Content, product testing and layout by Borden Communications + Design

Eco Shabbat Guide“Protect the Day of Shabbat and Make it Holy.” (Deuteronomy 5:12)

Shop for Shabbat

Be eco “logical” about planning for your Shabbat right from the get-go. This

special day each week emphasizes the significance of nature in our lives and

how important it is to take conscious actions to protect our environment.

Shopping locally for an organic Shabbat meal will not only help support your

neighbours and community, but you will also serve a kind, chemical-and-

pesticide-free meal. And don’t forget, shopping tools can be as important as

the food itself. What a shame it is to carry home glorious food in a toxic

throwaway.

Tote the Right Thing

Plastic bags are a thing of the past, but

if you’re toting a $0.99 reusable, you

could be doing more harm than good.

Non-woven polypropylene reusable

bags are made from the same stuff as

disposable plastic bags - petroleum

(ick!). It’s time to carry on (literally!).

Arm yourself with bags that will last

you all of your Shabbats to come. These

are colourful, durable, washable and are

sure to fit any family meal.

flip & tumble

www.flipandtumble.com

A Real Shabbat

Make sure that you’re buying and

serving a pesticide, GMO, chemical and

hormone-free Shabbat dinner. It’s easy

to do when you get into the habit of

shopping responsibly. Know your food,

and know your farmer. Better (and

yummier) food on the table makes for

happier guests - and you may have

even inspired others to shop more

responsibly too once they taste and

savour your local, organic goodness.

Join a CSA or shop your farmers’ market

www.shoresh.ca/csa

www.youngurbanfarmers.com

The Perfect Cover Up

Ok, so not all of us can bake and braid a

fresh challah, so, if you’re picking one

up from the bakery, don’t suffocate it

with a petroleum based bag. After only

being used for a few minutes, it then

almost immediately ends up in your

landfill where it will remain forever -

and where does that twist tie go? (oy!).

This specific fine bamboo bag holds

your bread from bakery to table and

also doubles as a challah cover.

The Turtle Bag

www.bamboo-bag.com

www.lisabordenworks.com

Dress your Table

In Judaism, the colour white signifies transformation and purity. We strive to

ensure that everything is clean, neat and sparkly and we traditionally dress

our tables with a white tablecloth and white napkins. In keeping with the

tradition, lose the chlorine bleach and adopt safe and responsible practices.

Shabbat is sacred, so make sure your personal and shared environment is safe

for your loved ones, and our planet.


Hands Off!

Is it worth wearing gloves and feeling

like you might pass out just to have

shiny happy silver? Commercial (read:

toxic) silver polish has danger

warnings about inhaling it or touching

your skin. Do you want that hazard on

your soup spoon? Try cleaning your

silver with natural toothpaste or put it

in a sink with aluminum foil on the

bottom - just add warm water and salt.

Same sparkly results but fume and

residue-free. For other safe tips for a

clean and green home, buy a great

reference book, or search online.

Planet Home

www.alexandrazissu.com

Table Toppers

When you pull out the “good stuff”for

Shabbat, make sure it’s actually, truly

good for you. Napkins and tablecloths

that are vinyl, backed with plastic or

even cotton or poly, treated with

chemicals (you know the ones that

claim they are stainproof or wrinkle-

resistant?), should absolutely be

avoided. Of all the insecticides used

globally each year, 25% of them are

used for conventional cotton crops.

Choose natural linens like organic

cotton, but regardless of your choice,

please make sure they are reusable.

EcoGear Table Napkins

www.sears.ca

Pure + Fresh

Did you know that most cut flowers are

grown in South America, Africa and

Southeast Asia in large controlled

environments? They are heavily

sprayed with pesticides, fungicides and

herbicides (with toxins that are banned

in fields in Canada!) After being

shipped 1,000s of miles, they are

wrapped in plastic & sold with a packet

of chems to make them last longer. We

thought flowers were supposed to

signify beauty and purity?! Don’t fret,

source local - you’ll be surprised what’s

growing in your own backyard.

eco|stems

www.ecostems.ca

Prepare the Meal

Since you’ve already gone out of your way to shop the local farmers’ market,

purchased your organic eats, and unpacked everything from your wonderful

reusable bags, it’s now time to cook smart so you don’t undo all the good

you’ve done! Think about your cooking method (this includes what you’re

cooking with, and on) before you begin your preparations. Be efficient and

plan ahead - it will save you money, time (and energy, too) which only means

you will have a few extra minutes to share with your loved ones on Shabbat.

Back to Earth

Taking the time to compost your scraps

instead of throwing them in the

garbage diverts huge amounts of waste

from our landfills and also helps make

our gardens grow by giving it soil rich

nutrients. Composting also reduces

methane production, a very potent

greenhouse gas that is released into

our air from landfills. Stainless steel

composters won’t take on the smell (or

colour) of your food scraps and it’s nice

enough to sit on your countertop.

How’s that for accessorizing?

Lee Valley Veritas Composter

www.leevalley.com

Food for Thought

Your food comes into contact with a

lot, so choose your kitchen stuff wisely.

Cast iron, stainless steel, lead-free clay

and glass are the ultimate choices for

bakeware and cookware. Say no to non-

stick (ick), and keep serveware and

storage ware glaze-free (lead and other

stuff) and plastic-free (BPA and

phthalates). We like glass best because

it’s safe and easy to store your leftovers

in. It’s also handy for storing in the

fridge, and can go straight to the oven

for reheating.

Anchor Hocking Company

www.anchorhocking.com

Get Together

Shabbat is about making a concerted

effort to spend quality time together. It

doesn’t need to be complicated, in fact

some of the best meals are really easy

and can be fun to prepare as a group.

By cooking with your family and

friends, as opposed to cooking for

them, you gain the opportunity to be

creative, share tips and recipes between

each other, and enjoy great company

(cooking is a lot more fun when you’re

not the only one alone in the kitchen).

Pot luck dinners are also great - give

everyone the opportunity to contribute

to the Shabbat meal.


Bless All Around

Tikkun 'olam, meaning perfecting or repairing of the world, is a major theme

in modern Jewish social justice theology. It must be carried out by humans in

partnership with God, and it is an important concept in environmentalism. It

is said, that our ignorance and our poor choices have damaged the world.

The good news (in our opinion), is that this problem can be fixed by

switching out bad habits for healthier and smarter ones. As you recite the

blessings on Shabbat, let each be a reminder to take care of our world, and all

that constantly gives and takes care of us.

Pure Brilliance

You may think conventional candles are

beautiful, serve a purpose, and provide

a sense of warmth and comfort to your

home, but you could be endangering

yourself. When we burn paraffin

candles, carcinogens fill the room with

toxins that coat your walls and lungs

(think second hand tobacco smoke).

Bring pure brilliance to your Shabbat

table and bless candles made from

100% Organic Manuka Beeswax (the

purest and most natural of all waxes.

Orb Shabbat Candles

www.orbcandles.com

Fruits of the Earth

The blessing over the wine (or grape

juice for those under-agers) is about

acknowledging the fruits of the earth -

so let’s make sure that’s exactly what

we are drinking - pure fruit without

pesticides and additives. There is at

least one form of pesticide found in

every conventional bottle of wine, but

some wines can have up to 10 different

ones. Choose an organic drink that is

made locally, it’ll keep you healthier

and make everyone happier. L’Chaim!

Guilty Men Wine www.malivoire.com

PureBlue UnWine www.leadingbrandsinc.com

Breaking Bread

Although we like to traditionally

celebrate Shabbat with the colour

white, keep it out of our Challah! Ask

your local bakery to see if they can

make you a loaf without any white

stuff (sugar, flour, salt, etc). The more

we demand of our suppliers, the more

we’ll see change. If you’re taking on the

task of baking your own, it’s much

easier to sub in healthier ingredients,

or you can follow Aviva Allen’s recipe

from her Organic Kosher Cookbook.

The Organic Kosher Cookbook

www.avivaallen.com


Keep it Kosher

Whether you keep strictly kosher or not, we all want clean food that is

ethically made. If you aren’t making and baking on your own (we can’t do

everything!), look for certifications and symbols that reflect your values.

Support ethical companies that are serving us better food and drinks and

fully disclosing their practices and ingredients in all labels. Our easy

shopping rule for buying packaged goods is “If you can’t pronounce it, and

you don’t know what it is, (or it’s not labelled at all), it’s not for consuming!”

Sinfully Delicious

On Shabbat, we are supposed to

minimize our activities and give up a

lot of what we take for granted on a

daily basis, but sacrificing taste does

not have to be one of them. Sweets

from the Earth cakes are kosher, pareve

pas yisroel, organic, wheat-free, gluten-

free, dairy-free, vegan and don’t have

a n y G M O s . Y o u ’ l l b e s u re t o

accommodate any dietary or nut

allergy with any of their desserts - plus,

they really are sinfully delicious!

Sweets from the Earth

www.sweetsfromtheearth.com

True Bliss

You might just find your inner bliss

from a tub (or 4) of your favourite

flavour of kosher, organic, vegan, soy-

free and gluten-free Coconut Bliss.

Finally, a non-dairy frozen dessert that

is creamier, richer and healthier than

anything you will have ever stuck your

silver spoon into! Indulge with pareve

pleasure and feel great afterwards. And,

if you use Sweets From The Earth

Cookies , the combo makes an

exceptional ice “cream” sandwich!

Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss

www.coconutbliss.com


Gone Crackers

Crispy, tasty and always satisfying,

these bite-sized crackers can be served

on their own as a side dish, or paired

with your favourite toppings or dips.

Mary's Crackers are available in a

variety of delicious flavours, so you can

buy a few boxes and mix them all

together, or just go with a fan

favourite. No matter the flavour, they

are all kosher, organic, vegan, nut free,

dairy free, wheat free, and gluten free,

with no GMO's and no transfats.

Mary's Gone Crackers

www.marysgonecrackers.com

Clean it Up

Now for the Dirty Talk...Whether you are tidying before Shabbat or on

cleaning duty afterwards, you want your home to be truly clean. The

average Canadian family consumes anywhere from 20 to 40 litres of toxic

cleaning products (that contain known carcinogens) each year (oy!). Replace

every conventional cleaner under the kitchen sink and in the laundry room

with NOTHING (well, maybe not nothing, but as close to it as possible!). You

do NOT have to sacrifice the cleanliness of your home. And who knows,

maybe without those nasty chems you can convince your family and friends

to even help you out with the cleaning!

M.I.Y.

That’s right - M.I.Y. means Make It

Yourself! Most of the cleaners that you

might think are making your home

truly clean, are actually dangerously

polluting them (and our water, air, and

soil...where do you think it goes once it

goes down the drain?). Microfibre

cloths and water do a remarkable job,

but you can easily make safe and smart

cleaning products using ingredients

you can find in your own kitchen - and

you won’t have to sacrifice cleanliness

(or your health!).

Full Circle Cleaning Set

www.fullcirclehome.com

Dirty Laundry

You've spent the time purchasing

organic cotton linens for your Shabbat

table, so it doesn't make sense to toss

them in the wash with conventional

detergent where they would swim in

chemicals. Stop overdosing on the bad

stuff. One microdose of Berryplus will

get your clothes whiter, brighter, and

cleaner than your mom's goo and

effectively clean a full load of laundry.

Being 95% berry based and 100% plant

based, you'll become a hero just by

doing laundry.

Berryplus

www.berryplus.com

Get some BaaLLS

Fabric softeners, dryer sheets and even

dryer balls made from PVC, contain

some not-so-snuggly ingredients that

are taking a toll on our health and our

planet. Although these products are

marketed to make us believe that the

warm fuzzy bunnies, teddy bears, or

babies are safe, we often overlook the

fine print telling us that they contain

hazardous chemicals. 100% wool dryer

balls do not harbour bacteria, they are

100% chemical-free and even reduce

your drying time too! Tumble Away!

BaaLLS

www.baalls.com


twitter.com/orbcandles Orb Candles

www.orbcandles.com

Purely Brilliant Fundraising Program

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Please be in touch with Borden Communications + Design Inc., creator of Orb Candles

to discuss your fundraiser further via [email protected] or by phone at 416 484 6489.

It doesn't get better than fundraising with safe and smart products that benefit your health and our world.

The Orb Shabbat Candle Fundraiser is a great way to get beautiful and eco-friendly candles into

everyone's hands and home. They are the perfect addition to every Shabbat Table, and make for

an original and thoughtful hostess gift. Orb Candles are made from 100% Organic Manuka Beeswax

and are free of the toxic chemicals that are found in many conventional candles.

Each package contains 10 safe, healthy, and beautiful candles.

Raise funds and shine a light on your health, on our planet, and on your Shabbat table. Pure Brilliance.

Documents

Eco Shabbat Guide