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!
1. Eco Shabbat Guide
“Protect the Day of Shabbat and Make it Holy.” (Deuteronomy 5:12)
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
2. 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 A Real Shabbat The Perfect Cover Up
Plastic bags are a thing of the past, but Make sure that you’re buying and Ok, so not all of us can bake and braid a
if you’re toting a $0.99 reusable, you serving a pesticide, GMO, chemical and fresh challah, so, if you’re picking one
could be doing more harm than good. hormone-free Shabbat dinner. It’s easy up from the bakery, don’t suffocate it
Non-woven polypropylene reusable to do when you get into the habit of with a petroleum based bag. After only
bags are made from the same stuff as shopping responsibly. Know your food, being used for a few minutes, it then
disposable plastic bags - petroleum and know your farmer. Better (and almost immediately ends up in your
(ick!). It’s time to carry on (literally!). yummier) food on the table makes for landfill where it will remain forever -
Arm yourself with a bag that will last happier guests - and you may have and where does that twist tie go? (oy!).
you all of your Shabbats to come. The even inspired others to shop more This specific fine bamboo bag holds
RuMe bag is lead-free, washable and responsibly too once they taste and your bread from bakery to table and
comes in a size sure to fit any family savour your local, organic goodness. also doubles as a challah cover.
meal.
Join a CSA or shop your farmers’ market The Turtle Bag
RuMe Bags www.thecuttingveg.com www.bamboo-bag.com
www.rumebags.com www.youngurbanfarmers.com
www.lisabordenworks.com
3. 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! Table Toppers Pure + Fresh
Is it worth wearing gloves and feeling When you pull out the “good stuff”for Did you know that most cut flowers are
like you might pass out just to have Shabbat, make sure it’s actually, truly grown in South America, Africa and
shiny happy silver? (hope not). good for you. Napkins and tablecloths Southeast Asia in large controlled
Commercial (read: toxic) silver polish that are vinyl, backed with plastic or environments? They are heavily
has danger warnings about inhaling it even cotton or poly, treated with sprayed with pesticides, fungicides and
or touching your skin. Do you want chemicals (you know the ones that herbicides (with toxins that are banned
that hazard on your soup spoon? Try claim they are stainproof or wrinkle- in fields in Canada!) After being
cleaning your silver with natural resistant?), should absolutely be shipped 1,000s of miles, they are
toothpaste or put it in a sink with avoided. Of all the insecticides used wrapped in plastic & sold with a packet
aluminum foil on the bottom - just add globally each year, 25% of them are of chems to make them last longer. We
warm water and salt. Same sparkly used for conventional cotton crops. thought flowers were supposed to
results but fume and residue-free. Take Choose natural linens like organic signify beauty and purity?! Don’t fret,
a whiff of that! For other safe tips for a cotton, but regardless of your choice, source local - you’ll be surprised what’s
clean and green home, buy a great please make sure they are reusable. growing in your own backyard.
reference book, or search online.
EcoGear Table Napkins EcoFloraFlowers
Planet Home www.sears.ca www.ecoflora.ca
www.alexandrazissu.com
www.lisabordenworks.com
4. 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 Food for Thought Get Together
Taking the time to compost your scraps Your food comes into contact with a Shabbat is about making a concerted
instead of throwing them in the lot, so choose kitchen stuff wisely. Cast effort to spend quality time together. It
garbage diverts huge amounts of waste iron, stainless steel, lead-free clay and doesn’t need to be complicated, in fact
from our landfills and also helps make glass are the ultimate choices for some of the best meals are really easy
our gardens grow by giving it soil rich bakeware and cookware. Say no to non- and can be fun to prepare as a group.
nutrients. Composting also reduces stick (ick), and keep serveware and By cooking with your family and
methane production, a very potent storage ware glaze-free (lead and other friends, as opposed to cooking for
greenhouse gas that is released into stuff) and plastic-free (BPA and them, you gain the opportunity to be
our air from landfills. Stainless steel phthalates). We like glass best because creative, share tips and recipes between
composters won’t take on the smell (or it’s safe and easy to store your leftovers each other, and enjoy great company
colour) of your food scraps and it’s nice in and to pop in the oven for reheating. (cooking is a lot more fun when you’re
enough to sit on your countertop. not the only one alone in the kitchen).
Anchor Hocking Company
How’s that for accessorizing? Pot luck dinners are also great - give
www.anchorhocking.com
everyone the opportunity to contribute
Lee Valley Veritas Composter
to the Shabbat meal.
www.leevalley.com
www.lisabordenworks.com
5. 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 Fruits of the Earth Breaking Bread
While you may think conventional The blessing over the wine (or grape Although we like to traditionally
candles serve a purpose, are beautiful juice for those under-agers) is about celebrate Shabbat with the colour
to look at, and provide a sense of acknowledging the fruits of the earth - white, keep it out of our Challah! Ask
warmth and comfort to your home, you so let’s make sure that’s exactly what your local bakery to see if they can
could be endangering yourself. When we are drinking - pure fruit without make you a loaf without any white
we burn paraffin candles, carcinogens pesticides and additives. There is at stuff (sugar, flour, salt, etc). The more
fill the room with toxins that coat your least one form of pesticide found in we demand of our suppliers, the more
walls, furniture, and lungs (think every conventional bottle of wine, but we’ll see change. If you’re taking on the
second hand tobacco smoke). Bring some wines can have up to 10 different task of baking your own, it’s much
pure brilliance to your Shabbat table ones. Choose an organic drink that is easier to sub in healthier ingredients,
and bless candles made from 100% made locally, it’ll keep you healthier or you can follow Aviva Allen’s recipe
Organic Manuka Beeswax (the purest and make everyone happier. from her Organic Kosher Cookbook.
and most natural of all waxes - they L’Chaim!
The Organic Kosher Cookbook
glow and clean your air too).
Guilty Men Wine www.malivoire.com www.avivaallen.com
Orb Shabbat Candles PureBlue UnWine www.purebluehealth.com
www.orbcandles.com
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6. 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 Mum Knows Best True Bliss
On Shabbat, we are supposed to Welcome to Mum’s Family - the world’s You might just find your inner bliss
minimize our activities and give up a most nutrient dense Super Foods. With from a tub (or 4) of your favourite
lot of what we take for granted on a a “back to basics” mentality, Mum’s flavour of kosher, organic, vegan, soy-
daily basis, but sacrificing taste does Original prides themselves on their free and gluten-free Coconut Bliss.
not have to be one of them. Sweets kosher, nut-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, Finally, a non-dairy frozen dessert that
from the Earth cakes are kosher, pareve Super Foods grown without herbicides is creamier, richer and healthier than
pas yisroel, organic, wheat-free, gluten- or pesticides. They have something for anything you will have ever stuck your
free, dairy-free, vegan and don’t have every course for your Shabbat dinner - silver spoon into! Indulge with pareve
a n y G M O s . Y o u ’ l l b e s u re t o from Heirloom Quinoa, to Roasted pleasure and feel great afterwards. And,
accommodate any dietary or nut Hemp Hearts, from Coconut Sugar to if you use Sweets From The Earth
allergy with any of their desserts - plus, Cacao Nibs. Get creative and make Cookies, the combo makes an
they really are sinfully delicious! every dish Super! exceptional ice “cream” sandwich!
Sweets from the Earth Mum’s Original Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss
www.sweetsfromtheearth.com www.mumsoriginal.com www.coconutbliss.com
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7. 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. Dirty Laundry Get some BaaLLS
That’s right - M.I.Y. means Make It You've spent the time purchasing Fabric softeners, dryer sheets and even
Yourself! Most of the cleaners that you organic cotton linens for your Shabbat dryer balls made from PVC, contain
might think are making your home table, so it doesn't make sense to toss some not-so-snuggly ingredients that
truly clean, are actually dangerously them in the wash with conventional are taking a toll on our health and our
polluting them (and our water, air, and detergent where they would swim in planet. Although these products are
soil...where do you think it goes once it chemicals. Stop overdosing on the bad marketed to make us believe that the
goes down the drain?). Microfibre stuff. One microdose of Berryplus will warm fuzzy bunnies, teddy bears, or
cloths and water do a remarkable job, get your clothes whiter, brighter, and babies are safe and comforting, we
but you can easily make safe and smart cleaner than your mom's goo and often overlook the fine print telling us
cleaning products using ingredients effectively clean a full load of laundry. that they contain hazardous chemicals.
you can find in your own kitchen - and Being 95% berry based and 100% plant 100% wool dryer balls do not harbour
you won’t have to sacrifice cleanliness based, you'll become a hero just by bacteria, they are 100% chemical-free
(or your health!). doing laundry. and they even reduce your drying time
too! Tumble Away!
Full Circle Cleaning Set Berryplus
www.fullcirclehome.com www.berryplus.com BaaLLS
www.baalls.com
www.lisabordenworks.com
8. Purely Brilliant
Fundraising Program
orb
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.
We are here to support you and get your fundraiser sparked!
Please be in touch with Borden Communications + Design Inc., creator of Orb Candles
to discuss your fundraiser further via orbcandles@bordencom.com or by phone at 416 484 6489.
www.orbcandles.com
twitter.com/orbcandles Orb Candles