Under the Huppah

Kol sasson v'kol simcha, kol chatan v'kol kalah!

Let there soon be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the voice of the loving couple
-From the Sheva Brachot, 7 Blessings bestowed onto newlyweds

Celebrate with the bride and groom by extending the sounds of joy and gladness to the rest of the world.

~Thinking Outside the Gift Box~

• Suggest that the couple buy green energy for their new home and offer to pay the difference from regular energy costs!
• Have fresh, local fruits and veggies delivered to the couple’s new home by signing them up for a Community Supported Agriculture Membership! To find a CSA near them, visit Local Harvest and Tuv Ha’artetz at Hazon!
• Think activity: give tickets to a show, a certificate to a favorite restaurant, a pass to a botanical garden or national park.
• With a Drive Neutral Certification, help this new family neutralize their carbon emissions for a whole year!
• Buy carbon offsets in the couple’s name!
• Donate in a new couple’s honor to a charity or any cause that reflects their values and interests.
• For more, try the Charity Navigator
• Here are some other original ways to donate:
• As your help the newlyweds embark on their journey, enable another family to sustainably begin theirs. Some suggestions are: American Jewish World Service, Heifer International, and Kiva.
• Support environmental research projects or protect endangered species and habitats through the Nature Conservancy and have an e-card sent while doing it!
• Find community-based eco-projects such as climate change education, green technology, and reforestation through Global Giving Green!
• Invest in the newlyweds and renewable energy! Buy stocks for the couple from environmental research companies, including Israeli efforts in alternative energy usage such as the Arava Power Company, the Israel Renewable Energy Cooperative and other renewable energy businesses in Israel!

~Material Gifts Rethought~

When the occasion calls for a gift you can hold, our material suggestions are sustainably bold!

• Help the happy couple move into their new home with these fair trade mezuzot!
• Linens
• Light up a new family’s home and save them energy with CFLs and other energy-efficient products!
• Also Try:
• www.fairtradejudaica.org
• http://store.gxonlinestore.org/wedding.html
• http://www.taraluna.com/main_home_SH.htm
• http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/catalog/registry/index.php
• http://www.mayanhands.org/products.htm
• Give eco-friendly household items from
• Shop/Trade/Give
• http://www.greenfeet.com/index.asp
• http://www.gaiam.com/category/eco-home-outdoor.do
• See our alternative gift wrap ideas!