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Home Plates

by Eric Schulmiller · August 2nd, 2007

Eco-Kashrut, Fair Trade, New Products, On The Web, Participate!, Sustainability, Waste

Once, a man came to his rabbi and said, “Rabbi, at home I keep strictly kosher. I do everything by the book, but when I go out, I can’t be so kosher. I’m not so strict when I eat out, but at home everything is 100% kosher.” The man’s rabbi replied, “Ok, you’re very lucky, all of your dishes will go straight to heaven!”

I’d like to turn this old joke on its head for a moment. We’re here at this site because we care about our food’s impact on our bodies, our community and our planet. Many of us consider the choices we make as conscious consumers to be “eco-kosher.” That is, we want our food to be “fit” (ethically, chemically, socially, spiritually) for consumption, and we try to base our purchasing decisions on these values.

But what about our dishes? At a synagogue or JCC oneg, do we haul out the paper plates and Styrofoam cups? Do we pack our leftovers in plastic containers? Would our serving pieces, in fact, get into “eco-heaven?” I know at our shul the problem has always been twofold: If we switch to regular dishes, who is going to wash them all, and won’t the amount of water used nullify much of the benefit?

That’s why I was so excited to learn recently (thanks to an email from COEJL, the Coalition for the Environment and Jewish Life) about a great company called World-Centric that sells all manner of cups, plates, cutlery and containers that are made from either renewable sources like sugarcane, or biodegradable ones like potato starch (just like Bubbe’s latkes!). Plus, many of their items are Fair Trade, so not only are the items more sustainable, but the people who manufacture them can earn a living wage in acceptable conditions as well.

Since World-Centric is non-profit, and devotes the proceeds of their sales to educational efforts, their prices are actually competitive with regular wholesale disposables! I encourage anyone who needs to use these items to visit their website so that we can all make a difference not only with what is on our plate, but with the plate itself.

For more resources on where to buy biodegradeable dishes and silverware, and many more great ideas for greening your synagogue’s kiddush table (or Haddasah meeting, book club, or social action meeting, click here.)

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11 Responses to “Home Plates”

Aliza Says:
August 4th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Jews United for Justice, here in DC has an “ethical Simchas” campaign that includes efforts such as these–those in the area may be interested. Also, I just have to note how wondeful it feels to be part of a community, Tikkun Leil Shabbat, also in DC, a project of Jews United for Justice, that DOES use re-usable plates, cutlery, napkins, etc for its bi-monthly potlucks – the cleaning is organized to be part of the evening, and is really a social activity. There is really no excuse that this cannot be modified for any community.
Anna Says:
August 5th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Not perhaps realistic for most, but when we eat our lunch at the field on Fridays, we harvest our plates: giant outer-cabbage leaves, the size of your lap, perfect for eating off of, and they go straight to the compost afterwards!
Rivka K Says:
August 6th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
thanks for this. I can’t stand using plastic and did not know of this.
Becki Says:
August 8th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
I noticed this company’s fair trade supports Palestinian and Arabs farmers…some who’s land was “seized”. I don’t think I will support that.
Eric Schulmiller Says:
August 8th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Huh?

World-Centric sells two brands of olive oil, one produced by the Palestinian Fair Trade Association (PFTA), an organization which has long been supported by Rabbis for Human Rights, and the other by Sindyanna, which, according to World-Centric,”consists of Arab and Jewish women who believe in a future of peace and prosperity for all people.”

I fail to see the controversy.

And it’s “whose.”
Eric Schulmiller Says:
August 8th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Eric Schulmiller Says:
August 8th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Sorry, that last comment was meant to be tongue in cheek, but the comments editor wouldn’t let me include the fake html tags that said “” and “”
Out of context, I deserve a good smack upside the head. My bad.
Eric Schulmiller Says:
August 8th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
dammit! even in quotes it takes them out! the html tags were supposed to say “grammar snob” and “/grammar snob.” sigh. I’m going to bed now.
Becki Says:
August 9th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Eric, I am married to a grammar snob, but I was too poor to be able to go to college, so he loves me the way I am! ( you should watch new show Kill Point. The main detective is OCD on grammar…)Anyway the thing is… I do not want to support “secure Arab lands from confiscation and gain a fair return to Arab farmers.” What about land being confiscated from Israelis? Is their a fair trade for them? And if I recall, the Palis were given greenhouses from Israel and they burned them down! The other PFTA, might be a cover for funding suicide bombers….I will get olive oil from Israel only.But I do respect your opinion.
Rabbi Shmuel Says:
August 12th, 2007 at 9:56 am
we just had a bar mitzva and we used them _ I was concerned that they had to be shipped from CA – I had to make a cost benefit analysis if the educational component of our simcha and the awareness raising of using the plates would justify the burden on the carbon front occasioned by the cross country shipping – we chose to use them and they were very well received. We had to explain that they were compostable and biodegradable and not edible! People wanted to know what bracha to make on them – it made for a fun and lively conversation. After the bar mitzva, the plates and cutlery all went into our compost heap keeping a tremendous amount of material out of the landfill.
Candidly, I was not aware of the details of their fair trade policy or I might not have purchased them. They were significantly more than conventional paper plates and I try to vote my dollars wisely. As I’ve said in prior posts, it’s a damn shame that these issues have to get bundled – why do I have to buy the chrome package if I want a better radio? Hey I’m all for peaceful co-existence, but as Abba Eban wryly commented “some people never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity” If anyone is interested in buying some, we have left over (which we would have used in our year round programming), you can contact me offline and this way they don’t have to be reshipped across the country. It’s win-win for everyone.
LeeT Says:
March 28th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Sindyanna’s main aim seems to be helping to build up and develop Israeli Arab agriculture in the Galilee. They are members of IFAT (The International Fair Trade Association.) Their olive oil has organic and kosher certification. It is also really delicious.