Every Passover, Jews around the world give up leavened bread – hametz.  It’s a sacrifice we make willingly, to recall our ancestors’ journey from slavery to freedom. But what if we could make another kind of sacrifice – one that would have an immediate impact on the world? What if we chose to mindfully free ourselves from the plague of plastic waste?

Plastic has many important uses, but our over-reliance on it has had disastrous consequences for our health and the health of our planet. In particular, single-use plastics offer us brief convenience at a devastating cost, contributing to climate change, polluting our lands and waters, and harming wildlife. Reducing plastic use is a moral responsibility as well as a practical necessity. But it seems so overwhelming — how to begin?

Today, we challenge you to take the first step out of slavery to our plastic-driven economy by committing to eliminate your use of single-use plastic for the duration of the Passover holiday. That means no plastic bags, straws, candy wrappers, cellophane, bubble wrap, or take-out containers. It won’t be easy, but we have all of the information you need to make it happen – and plenty of information about why it matters.

We know that saving the world from plastic will require more than just eliminating single-use plastic for a week and a day. We’ll need political and economic interventions to drive systemic change. When the Jews escaped from Egypt they still had 40 years of wandering the desert before they arrived in the promised land. We have a long journey ahead of us as well, but pushing now for industry change will help us use Passover to spark a sustained climate intervention. An Exodus of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Fill out the form below to access our digital toolkit with the 10 Plagues of Plastic. Whether in your home, community or congregation – these tools will kickstart a sustainable change for you and our world.