Volunteer Vacations

Here is a cool idea for a tikkun olam project- make a family vacation of it! For some examples check otut "Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others."

That Buzz in Your Ear May Be Green Noise

Yesterday Gail wrote in asking me about how to ensure you find eco-friendly products. Today I read an article from last week's New York Times describing the feeling of "burnout" people seeking environmentally friendly choices sometimes feel.

Click here to read "That Buzz in Your Ear May Be Green Noise"

This article offers some good resources to help you prioritize. I also recommend the book Hey Mr. Green - which tackles many of little questions about which choices are best for daily living.

More Hip Than Hippie

Hey - Green Mitzvot was featured today on the radio show "More Hip Than Hippie - Going on Staycation" - very exciting!

If you want to help get the word out about this site click here to download our PDF.

50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth

This is a new twist on an old favorite. This time...

"The authors have teamed up with 50 of America's top environmental groups, including The Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, and Rainforest Action Network. Each group has chosen one issue and provided a simple, step-by-step program that will empower you and your family to become citizen activists in the fight to save the Earth.

It's easy to get started. Just pick one!
Fight global warming "one city at a time" with the Sierra Club's Cool Cities Campaign
Roll up your sleeves and save an endangered species with the Wilderness Society
Protect coral reefs and create a marine reserve with Seacology
Get your congregation excited about protecting God's creations with Interfaith Power and Light
Invite songbirds into your neighborhood with the National Audubon Society"

This book is a great one to have around the house!

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman writes "The Minimalist" column for The New York Times. My father swears by his recipes -which are reliably easy and delicious. If you plan to cook for your child's car or bat mitzvah or just want easy recipes to give your caterer consider picking these up.

To Buy or Not to Buy Organic by Cindy Burke

This book as gotten excellent reviews. It was written by journalist and former chef Cindy Burke. She distills some of the politics of the organic food movement and reviews key terms like organic, local, sustainable and grass-fed. She also tells you what to buy and what not to buy. Good for those of us who want answers.

Kosher Certification

Interested in learning more about different Kosher certifiers and hechshers? Check out the following links:

650+ hechsher images and information = Hechshers.info
Kosher Information Bureau = Kosherquest.org
OU Kosher = Oukosher.org
Kof-K certification = Kof-k.org
Star-K = Star-k.org

Kosher Cooking

If you are thinking about cooking some of the food for your child's bar or bat mitzvah yourself, or just want ideas to give your caterer, consider picking up one of the following contemporary kosher cookbooks.

1. Kosher By Design Entertains: Fabulous Recipes For Parties And Every Day
"Building on her popular Kosher by Design, Fishbein leads readers through an array of extremely doable kosher options, covering finger foods to main dishes to desserts, while giving suggestions for organizing a menu, decorating a table and serving foods. International offerings like Pesce Arrabbiatta, Moroccan Short Ribs, and Caribbean Jerk Chicken appear alongside variations on familiar classics, such as Mexican Gefilte Fish, Strawberry Apple Kugel, and Mexican Brisket. The author is hip to trendy food items such as edamame, olive tapenade, fennel and porcini mushrooms, reinforcing this cookbook's value: yes, every dish is kosher, but far from old-fashioned. "



2. Quick & Kosher - Recipes From The Bride Who Knew Nothing
"This is the hilarious story of Jamie Geller, a spunky young TV exec who came into marriage and kosher cooking without knowing a spatula from a saucepan. Determined to master cooking, yet pressed for time, she was dismayed to find that most cookbooks consider an hour of preparation time quick, and presumed more culinary skill than many of us have. So Jamie set out to compile her own special collection of quick and easy recipes and Quick & Kosher is the result of her quest. This one-of-a-kind cookbook contains more than 160 recipes requiring no more than 15 minutes to prepare, 120 full-color photos, clear step-by-step instructions, reliable prep and cooking times, tips and techniques, and advice on pairing wines with various dishes. Recipes range from traditional to exotic, and are well indexed and cross-referenced."


3. Hip Kosher: 175 Easy-to-Prepare Recipes for Today's Kosher Cooks
"This book is a great find - from fun recipes filled with loads of learning made easy. I look forward to flipping through the pages and finding a new recipe to try - they've all been hits with our friends so far. Easy to follow - definitely well tested - and they all paste the taste test of top notch food! Thank you, Ms. Ronnie Fein, for bringing this book to us!" - AS.R. Crow