This year, from December 7 to December 15, Jewish people all around the world will celebrate Hanukkah: the festival of light! The holiday commemorates a rebellion by a Jewish group known as the Maccabees against the Greeks in the 2nd century. According to Jewish scripture, when the Maccabees defeated the Greeks, they wanted to rededicate their temple by lighting a special lamp called a menorah. But all they could find was a jug with a tiny bit of oil in it–enough to light the menorah for just one day. To their surprise, these droplets of oil kept the lamp burning for eight whole days and nights! (Now that’s what we call energy efficiency!)

Today, Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah with all kinds of fun traditions, from lighting menorahs of their own to giving gifts to cooking delicious feasts. We’ve got all kinds of advice to help you and your family make your Hanukkah celebrations festive and eco-friendly.

Candles–Minus Carbon!

Most Hanukkah candles are made of a substance called paraffin wax, which is derived from fossil fuels. These are substances that send carbon into our atmosphere and make our planet warmer, causing all kinds of environmental challenges. The good news is that there are tons of low-carbon candles available! When you’re shopping, look for candles made with beeswax, soy, or coconut wax.

Give Gifts–Not Garbage!

One of the coolest things about Hanukkah? Eight days of presents. One of the least cool things? All the garbage that comes along with gift-giving! To avoid sending piles of plastic and paper waste to the landfill, consider wrapping your gifts in recycled paper. You can use art supplies to decorate your homemade wrapping and make it look just as snazzy as anything you’d find in a store! Same goes for greeting cards: recycled paper and a personal touch will make your loved ones smile and divert waste from the landfill.

If you’d like, you can even go one step further and choose something eco-friendly to go inside the wrapping paper. Thrift stores, clothing or toy swaps, and local secondhand sales platforms can be great ways to find cool, good-as-new gifts and keep perfectly good products from the garbage dump.

Locavore Latkes, Anyone?

A carnivore eats meat, a herbivore eats plants, and a locavore eats locally! Next time you go to the grocery store, check the labels on the fruits and vegetables: you’ll find the names of countries all around the world and transporting fresh produce from far-away places takes lots of fossil fuels.

Latkes are delicious fritters are made by frying shredded potatoes in oil, usually with sour cream and applesauce on the side. Look for potatoes grown in your community and when it’s time to dip all this deliciousness, choose sour cream from a local dairy and apples from a local orchard. Yum!

Stay Gold!

When you’re playing with a dreidel, the stakes are high: big piles of chocolate coins individually wrapped in gold foil. We definitely love chocolate, but individually wrapped candy? Not so much! Consider playing for chocolate or peanut-butter chips, or even for nickels and dimes–really, any tiny treats or fun trinkets will do, as long as they stay out of the trash bin.

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel…

Some dreidels are made with plastic. Some are made with wood. If you’re an Earth Ranger, you probably already know which kind we prefer. Instead of going for a disposable plastic dreidel, invest in a wooden one that will last for generations.

Chag Sameach! What’s your favourite way to celebrate Hanukkah?

All the way back in July, we invited Earth Rangers across Canada to send us their very best artwork showcasing the beauty of trees in wintertime. And wow, did you all deliver! The top twenty artists had their work displayed at the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC)’s National Forest Week reception back in September. Canadian forestry leaders and government officials voted on which artwork they liked best. How cool is that? 

After all that voting, we’re so pleased to finally announce the winners of this year’s Christmas in July contest.

In first place: Earth Ranger Helly, age 11, who lives in Manitoba! 

Helly will have their artwork featured on the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) holiday card this year. They also won a fantastic prize pack courtesy of FPAC and Earth Rangers. 

Check out Helly’s winning artwork below, along with a few words about what inspires her as an artist and a conservationist!

Earth Ranger Helly 

What inspired you to create this artwork? 

Forests and Earth Rangers inspired me to create this artwork.

What’s your favourite thing to do in the wintertime? 

My favorite thing to do in wintertime is skating and playing in the snow too.

Why is it so important for us to protect trees? 

Trees are important to protect because trees give off oxygen that we need to breathe. Many species of wildlife depend on trees for habitat. Trees provide food, protection, and homes for many birds and mammals.

What’s your advice for other kids who are interested in conserving trees? 

My advice to kids is to plant more trees to have better oxygen.

And let’s give a very special shout-out to our runners-up! 

In second place, we have Earth Ranger Revaan, age 6, from Manitoba. Fun fact: they’re Helly’s sibling!

And in third place? None other than Earth Ranger Madison, age 11, from Alberta.

Comment below to congratulate the winners, and keep your eyes on the Earth Rangers app for more holiday fun!

This contest was generously supported by: