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10 Ways to Green Your Ramadan

10 Ways to Green Your Ramadan

Last updated on: August 4, 2011 at 6:00 am by Admin GrowMama

10 Ways to Green Your Ramadan 2011-08-04T06:00:46-04:00 Admin GrowMama

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A Green Ramadan is an opportunity to remember and respect our planet which, through the grace of Allah, provides us with the sustenance with which we nourish our bodies and community spirit during a month of fasting. Interacting mindfully with our environment is simply a manifestation of faith. As we refrain from food and drink this blessed Ramadan, let us reaffirm our sense of self-restraint and accountability to the Creator, the Provider of Sustenance.

Eat Local & Organic. How much greenhouse gasses were emitted for that huge box of medjool Saudi dates to reach your house? Shop for local, seasonal produce at local farmer’s markets. Local foods are often more fresh, taste better and help us keep in touch with the seasons. When we eat local foods, we support our local economies and our food has a shorter distance to travel, helping to reduce pollution. If you’re having a potluck, challenge your guests to use ingredients from within 100 miles of their home, from the potatoes and tomatoes, to the garlic and onions.
Use Re-usables. As many plates, cups, napkins, and utensils as possible should be reusable, and if not reusable, compostable and/or recyclable. If you can’t use proper dishes and utensils, use dishwasher-safe, renewable products from Preserve or Bambu that can be found in your local markets. Donate cloth napkins that you’ve made from old clothing or purchased from eco-sites like ReUseIt.com. Explore the possibility of renting dinnerware from a local restaurant. Consider donating to Green Muslims’ IftaRRR initiative, partnering with area masajid to reduce waste generated during Ramadan iftar celebrations. Use beverages in aluminum cans and glass bottles: they are more easily recycled than plastic. Serve foods that can be easily eaten “sunna-style” with the fingers. Using real cutlery and tableware reduces the trash that goes into our landfills.
Serve Products With Less Packaging. Avoid prepared foods that have throw-away plastic spoons, stirrers or bowls. Instead of individual bottles of water, use a pitcher of water. Make sure to recycle what packaging you can, but less packaging means less waste going to landfills.
Make Recycling Easy. Make bins to sort trash visible and readily available. Make an announcement, post signs, and have “recycling ambassadors” make sure items go in the proper bin. Have one bin for food waste that can be taken to a compost bin; the second for recyclables such as glass and aluminum cans; and the third for regular trash.
Go Vegetarian. Vegetables and fruits are always zabiha. At the least, reduce the amount of meat served. High meat consumption is one of the largest contributors to global warming. If you must have meat, have only one meat dish, use meat sparingly, or only as a garnish. In addition, use meat that is not only halal, but organic. When serving seafood, make sure it is sustainably grown. Having at least one vegetarian iftar a week is better for our health and the planet.
Encourage Guests to Travel Green. Give door-prizes or party favors to those who carpool, use public transportation, bike or walk to the iftar. Green gifts like the Green Deen book; a cup of fair-trade, organic coffee from a local coffee shop; freshly baked cookies made from organic flour and rainforest-friendly chocolate; or cloth shopping bags are inexpensive but sustainable ways to make the reward for living gently on the earth more immediate.
Clean Up Green. Use biodegradable cleaning products to wash tableware and napkins and for general cleanup of tables and counters, or make your own from common household products like vinegar and baking soda. For whatever trash you do have — hopefully not much — use biodegradable trash bags. When we use environmentally friendly cleaning products our indoor environment is less toxic and fewer hazardous chemicals are released into the air and waste water streams.
**Make Wudhu Like the Prophet.**Make it a habit to be more mindful of water consumption this Ramadan. Instead of running the water on full throttle, set the faucet to a trickle and make a thorough wudhu with as little water as possible. Not only does it save on water, but it makes bathroom clean-up easier.
**Make the CF Light Bulb Change.**Typically during Ramadan we spend a lot more time at our local masajid/mosques or community centers. Donate a compact florescent light bulb to your local masjid or community center so when we burn the midnight oil for those long tarawih prayers or spend those blessed nights in worship, we are using less energy and saving money.
Make Dua. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Ask Allah to assist us in healing our planet and — combining faith with action — help us to be agents of change in making our planet a healthier, sustainable, and more beautiful world-community.

Wherever you find yourself having iftar this Ramadan share with others, through words and actions, how Green Ramadans are better for our planet. Have a goal of making each iftar a zero-waste event.

“The faithful servants of the Beneficent

are those who walk upon the earth gently…”

(Surat Al Furqan 25:63)

Kori Majeed

Kori Majeed is a homeschooling mother of a gaggle of four girls and member of Good Tree Village, a faith-based cohousing community forming in the DC-metro area.

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