Green Bar Mitzvah Video on PBS

Anna Hackman, Bar Mitzvah Mother and Editor of GreenTalk.com explains their green bar mitzvah choices.

Rec Center Reception

Joe Rosen (pictured on the right above with his younger brother Zev) had his Bar Mitzvah on Dec. 6, 2008 in Woodbridge, CT. His parents, Eve and Marc, took a number of steps to decrease the impact of the event, starting with the invitation. Instead of choosing a paper invitation, they used Wedding Windows to create a website with all of the information on it and sent out an electronic save-the-date and RSVP link.

To decrease the carbon footprint of the event, both the ceremony and reception were held at the synagogue. They avoided buying new or disposable items by borrowing what they could and renting the rest.

Clothing
Everyone (Eve, Marc, Joe and Zev) wore outfits that they already owned. The family also chose to skip buying monogrammed kippot and a new tallis. "Joe really did not want a tallis, so we just borrowed one from the synagogue - I certainly did feel pressure to buy one but I resisted. We also used the kippot available at the synagogue." said Eve.

Decor
They saved paper at the reception by renting glassware and decorated the tables with live potted plants. The plants were used again to decorate the tables at brunch the next day, and at the end of the party guests were invited to take them home.

Party
Instead of a traditional dance party, the family hosted a small reception at a local rec center so "no plastic toys, dj, etc were used." The kids enjoyed ice skating...

..and the adults enjoyed laser tag!

For dinner, guests were served local lamb and organic fava bean soup, prepared by Robin Bodak. For decoration, Eve borrowed paper flowers and lanterns from a friend, who had used them for her daughter's bat mitzvah a few months earlier.

Music for the dinner was played on borrowed speakers and "a cousin and uncle provide an ipod with music for evening party."

Mom's Take on Going Green
"Thinking green gave me a whole new paradigm to consider my choices for Joe's Bar Mitzvah. There were many things I had often thought were wasteful or unnecessary ( like buying kippah instead of using the ones already at any synagogue ), and I found considering the environmental impact freed me up to just say no to certain things and spend less time and money on others while still having a celebration that we enjoyed."

Stuffed Animal Centerpieces

In June, I wrote about creating centerpieces with canned goods and donating them after the party to help feed the hungry. Judy Yublosky, from A-BnC Parties and More, Inc., wrote in sharing pictures of the stuffed animal centerpieces she has done for charity-oriented bar and bat mitzvahs. What a great idea!

Green Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
I have done many Green Bar/Bat Mitzvahs in my 19 year career in making centerpieces. As you mentioned, many centerpieces involve food that is later given to a food pantry or shelter. Food baskets are even being used instead of flowers on the Bemah during the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service. Not only does the food basket last longer than the flowers, it can be donated and put to good use after the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

Stuffed animals are another popular choice. I can recall one Bar Mitzvah where the Bar Mitzvah boy wanted animals in their natural habitat. I used actual trees and leaves and grass and, after much research from the Bar Mitzvah boy, we came up with what their natural habitat should be. We used stuffed animals which were donated after the Bar Mitzvah to a children’s shelter. The place cards were printed on recycled paper to save the trees. All guests were asked to bring in canned goods that were then donated to a food pantry.

Here are some pictures from other events I have done:

There was a stuffed animal on top of the dog house and dog supplies inside dog house. All were donated after the event.

This shows a stuffed teddy bear used as a centerpiece.

These sand toys were then donated to a children’s hospital after the event.

For my own daughter’s Bat Mitzvah I crocheted dresses for dolls. The dolls were donated to the children’s ward of a local hospital for the girls to enjoy. The tubes in the centerpiece were silver vases which were then filled with flowers and taken to a nursing home after the Bat Mitzvah. The picture below shows the centerpiece used on the place card table. The place cards were little dolls with the name of the guest(s) and the table they where they were sitting on a little piece of cardstock attached to the doll with a ribbon.

Going “Green” not only helps our environment by keeping items out of the landfills, but it also helps people that are in need of the items that are donated. It is definitely a “win win” situation.

An Eco-Guitar Hero

Photo Credit: Sally Apfelbaum

Brendan Eprile (pictured above with mom Judy Schwartz, dad Tony, and dog Thembi) had his bar mitzvah last month at Congregation Beth El in Bennington, Vermont. For Bendan's bar mitzvah project he helped make Bennington more energy-efficient. He sent a letter with conservation tips to families at his school. The letter was also published in the Bennington Banner.

When it came time to plan his bar mitzvah, it was important to Brendan and his family that the event be consistent with his project (and their values). Here are a few of the green choices they made:

1. Location
Brendan's bar mitzvah party took place at Pompanuck Farm Institute, a living/learning eco-retreat center in Cambridge, NY - fifteen minutes from Bennington. As Brendan's mom Judy explained, "All of the structures at Pompanuck are hand-built from local materials, using sustainable practices. Events like ours help support their educational programs."

2. Simple Decorations
Because they were in such a beautiful location, the family chose to keep the decorations simple by using lights and colorful place settings.

3. Activities
Instead of having plastic toys, the kids explored the farm, played soccer and made up games.

4. Cake
For dessert they had a cake shaped like a guitar made by Lisa Carrino, co-director of Pompanuck. The entire meal was served on compostable dishes and was eaten with compostable cutlery.

5. Music
Brendan, who is an avid guitar player, played songs he wrote himself and blues improvisation with his guitar teacher, Barry Hyman. His electric guitar, and all of the electricity for the event, was powered by solar energy.

After dinner the band played. Everyone danced the horah and partied the night away.

What an awesome eco-friendly event!

Photo Credit: Charles Kozierok