The Jewish holiday of Sukkot celebrates the Fall Harvest. We are told to sleep, eat, and relax outdoors in our sukkah. On this holiday that is all about the environment, we should be more mindful of the impact that our celebrations have on the world around us. Here are some ideas:

Host a Sustainable Sukkot Meal
It is a mitzvah to eat in the sukkah on the first night of Sukkot.  Host a sustainable Sukkot meal and invite your guests to bring dishes that include local, sustainable ingredients.

Bake Sustainable Challah!
Bake your own sustainable challah!  Use organic flour that was harvested within 200 miles; local, organic eggs; and local honey instead of sugar. For recipes for sustainable challah, check out The Jew & The Carrot.

Drink Organic Wine
Sukkot should be a time of rejoicing.  Say “L’Chaim” over organic wine and/or other locally distilled or brewed beverages.  We have recommendations on finding kosher, organic wine [PDF].

Go Vegetarian!
Celebrate the bounty of the harvest by eating a vegetarian diet during the week of Sukkot.

Celebrate the Harvest Season by Eating Local
Don’t want to cut out meat?  Use only local, organic meat.  We have resources on kosher, organic meat [PDF]. In addition, replace one of your favorite imported foods with a local delicacy. Also, think about the food you normally eat during one week and calculate how far that food travels to get to your plate.  During the week of Sukkot, try to cut those miles in half.

Reuse and Recycle
Commit to using only reusable or recyclable plates and cutlery in your Sukkah. In addition, recycle your lulav and etrog!  Here are some creative ideas on ways to reuse your lulav and etrog.

Host a Sustainable Kiddush in the Sukkah
Serve local apples and honey; salads made of seasonal produce; and egg salad made out of local, organic eggs.

“Branch” Out
Invite your favorite farmer into your sukkah for a meal and ask him/her how the harvest went.  Don’t know a farmer?  Go to a local farmers market for some produce and congratulate one of the farmers there on a job well done.  Even better, find out where a local farm is and go straight to the source for some seasonal goodies.

Meditate
Take the time to recite blessings before and after every meal during Sukkot and think about all of the hard work and resources that went in to bringing the food to your table.

Compost!
Use Sukkot as an opportunity to start composting.  Start your parsley plants on Tu B’shvat with the soil you produce from your Sukkot scraps!

Take the Sukkot Locavore Challenge
Eat only local foods on the Shabbat during Sukkot.  Want a bigger challenge? Include the first and last days of Sukkot. Want to take it a step further?  Commit to eating only foods produced within 250 miles for the entire week of Sukkot.  Sign up for NOFA’s Locavore challenge.

For more Jew & The Carrot articles concerning Sukkot, check out the links below!
Ushpizin- Welcoming Strangers
Preservating the Season’s Bounty During Sukkot
Sukkot Meals: Czech Fruit Dumplings
Sustainable Sukkot
Veggies in the Sukkah- A Delicious Harvest Meal
Stuffed Full of Blessings
A Basil-Scented Sukkah
Reports From the Field- Gleaning Past and Present