Green Daily

Every year millions of Jewish households around the world light eight candles as part of their Hanukkah celebrations. Each one of those candles produces 15 grams of carbon dioxide -- a number which, by itself, is insignificant, but when you start to do the math, becomes a little more significant.

Subsequently, some environmentalists have started a Green Hanukkah campaign, which "calls for Jews around the world to save the last candle and save the planet, so we don't need another miracle."

The campaign is controversial, and it's bringing attention to an important issue -- which is great. But while it's true that the candles damage the environment, so does the millions of pounds of discarded wrapping paper that end up in landfills every Christmas, or the energy used by all the extra TVs that are turned on during the Super Bowl -- the list is endless. In theory, the best way to cut back on these events' environmental impact is simply not to have them in the first place.

But if we went that route, we'd lose a vital part of our culture. Removing (or significantly curtailing) these major celebrations might help save the planet, but I agree with Shas MK Nissim Ze'ev who said: "The environmentalists should think about how much pollution is caused by one solitary truck on the road." Because let's be honest, candles are the least of our worries.