Author: Owner of Jewish Environmental Initiative, a committee of the JCRC of Saint Louis

With the weather hot outside, you may be tempted to just stay indoors, crank up the air conditioning and go about your normal household routines in your cool home. But keep in mind the Jewish principle of reducing waste and consider some of these simple steps you can take at no cost to stay cool without lowering the thermostat and using large amounts of energy. Little things you can do to stay cool on a budget (and reduce energy in your home) · Wear short sleeved, loose clothing of breathable cotton: this type of clothing will keep you naturally cooler inside or out on a summer day · Drink lots of ice water or eat cold treats: cold foods lower your body’s core temperature. Wash and freeze seedless grapes for a cold, healthy snack. · Wash and dry clothes when the day is cool: do laundry early in the day or late at night. This will keep your house cooler and cost less too. Consider an outdoor clothes hanger—let the sun dry your clothes at no energy cost · Draw your shades to block the sun · Use the microwave: conventional cooking makes your home hot. Microwaves cook the food directly and do not raise the temperature in the kitchen (so you don’t have to reset your air conditioning to a cooler setting) · Leave on your furnace fan to keep the house feeling cooler Small projects you can do if you are a bit more ambitious · Install ceiling fans: these help circulate air and reduce heat in the summer. They also use very little energy. If you are purchasing a fan with lights, make sure the lights use CFL bulbs to save energy and heat as well · Buy a dehumidifier: EnergyStar says a 40-pint unit will save up to $20 a year and last up to a decade. Moderating your home's humidity — in addition to making you feel cooler — will reduce musty smells and the growth of harmful molds. Want to learn more about how you can Green your home for the summer or any time of year? Come to “Make a Difference: Environmental Action for your Home & House of Worship” a free program taking place from 7-9 PM on July 31 at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Registration and more information is at www.tinyurl.com/July312014

Summer is here, which means you are more likely to be out and about at sporting events, live outdoor concerts and similar locations. There are several important things you can do to reduce waste, reduce use of chemical and artificial products and honor the Jewish principle of baal tashchit when attending these types of outings. • Get there by foot, bike or public transit: Depending on where you live, there may be several options for using less or no fuel to get to your outdoor destination. For example, if you are attending a concert at a local park, consider biking or walking rather than driving. Going to a ballgame in the midtown or downtown region of your city? Use public mass transit instead of taking your car. Mass transit is better for the environment and you also may find it is cheaper and faster than trying to get your car out of a crowded parking lot at the end of a game. • Think reusable/recyclable with items you take with you: Chances are, you are going to eat or drink as part of your visit to cheer on your favorite team or watch outdoor Shakespeare. So make it a point to bring items you can re-use whenever possible. Bring your own stainless steel water bottle rather than buying bottled water. Pack munchies in re-usable glass containers rather than in throwaway plastic bags. If you must purchase food at your venue (probably unavoidable at a sporting event), look for recycling bins on your way out rather than throwing things in the regular trash bins. Many sporting locations now regularly recycle. St. Louis’s Busch Stadium currently diverts close to 30 % of all items purchased at a game and recruits volunteers for a Green Team at each event to help collect recyclable plastic and aluminum. • Go natural with sunscreen and bug repellent: As temperatures and humidity rise, you will surely want to protect yourself with sunscreen and bug spray. But think twice about the type of products you use. Many conventional brands contain chemicals which may be toxic and harmful to you long term. As an alternative, look for sunscreens made with natural ingredients (look for brands such as Alba Botanica and Jason). For bug spray, consider using a simple make your own recipe using essential oils to keep the bugs away. Here is one suggested way to make your own product that has a shelf life of six months : combine 10-25 drops of essential oil, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel. Then place a few drops on your body or clothing. For mosquitoes, the best essential oils are lemon balm (citronella), thyme or lavender. For tics, the best essential oils are lavender, Rose Geranium or eucalyptus. Originally posted in jewishinstlouis at http://jewishinstlouis.org/

Farmers’ markets can allow you to support local farmers while getting fresh produce. The produce that you’re buying has been picked much closer to the optimal time because it doesn’t need to travel for a long time or for long distances. The markets also help the environment because travel time and, therefore, the use of fossil fuels, is reduced for locally grown items. In addition, many of the vendors have organic produce, which also helps the environment because many farm chemicals are made from fossil fuels. Typically, fruits and vegetables grown locally and sold at farmers’ markets are picked just as they ripen so they have a better taste, texture and aroma at the time of purchase. In addition, since the produce is picked at the peak of the season, it will have a higher nutritional content and contain more phytochemicals (plant-derived chemicals believed to have beneficial health effects) than non-local produce purchased at a supermarket. There is a great variety of types of vendors at a farmers’ market. When shopping, consider whether the vendor is actually from a farm or is re-selling items that could have been purchased, and shipped, from anywhere. Ask questions about how and where the produce is grown. There are many farmers who have organic practices, but don’t pay for an official certification. They are generally very proud of their farming practices and will be happy to give you information. There are many markets in the St. Louis area. The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch recently published a comprehensive list, including locations, hours, and other details. See the link: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/your-guide-to-area-farmers-markets/article_569b82bd-1ccf-5d4a-996c-3148b0a03876.html to find a market that’s convenient for you. In addition, Creve Coeur now has a farmers’ market. Details are at www.creve-coeur.org/mar This post originally appeared in www.jewishinstlouis.org

Caring for the environment, and tending G-d’s creation, the Earth, is a core value in Judaism. How do we instill in our little ones the practices that will help them live Green as they grow? Here are a few examples: Get your children to recycle, early: Place simple recycle bins in your childrens’ rooms. A box on the floor can be used to recycle paper. For recycle bins in family friendly locations, such as the kitchen, have children decorate the bins as they like and put a picture of what gets recycled on each bin. Take a family hike: Weather permitting, incorporate taking a family hike to a nearby park or nature trail on a regular basis. There is nothing like being in nature to give your children an appreciation for the world around them. Have a periodic “power down” day: If you traditionally observe Shabbat, you already are taking one day each week in which electronic devices are turned off. Even if you are not Shomer Shabbas, pick a weekend day at least once a month when everyone in the family turns off computers, cell phones, tablets, etc. It’s a great way to slow down, save energy, and reconnect with other members of your family by playing games, telling stories, and taking walks. Introducing your children to this idea will help them see that they can have fun while reducing their energy consumption. Turn trash items into creative objects: Give your children empty gift boxes, toilet paper rolls, greeting cards you have received and similar items and let them get creative. These items can be repurposed into toy forts, board games, and other playthings. This is a great lesson in how to reuse things rather than to throw them into landfills. Read environmentally themed books to your kids: A few of the better known titles include Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” and “Hoot” by Carl Hiaasen. There also are many children’s books focused on recycling, such as “Recycling,” by Gail Gibbons and “Where does the Garbage Go?” by Randy Chewning. Doing the simple things listed above will give your children an invaluable gift. It will teach them to respect the natural world around them and to reduce the amount of waste on the planet. Resources: Earth 911 This blog originally appeared in www.jewishinsaintlouis.org

A central tenet of Judaism is the concept of “baal tashchit” (do not waste). One of the places in your home that often generates the most waste is the kitchen. Below are four simple ways you can work to minimize what you throw away as you cook, store and shop. • Shop with packaging in mind: Prevent excessive waste from coming into your kitchen by being mindful about the amount of packaging in what you purchase. Ask for deli foods to be packaged in brown paper wrap rather than plastic (paper is more biodegradable than plastic). Where possible buy items packaged in glass containers that can be cleaned out and reused for food storage. Buy loose produce items rather than those pre-packaged, and carry them in reusable produce bags, such as organic mesh bags, which can be ordered through the Life Without Plastics website: http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/organic-cotton-mesh-produce-bag-large.html • Buy groceries in bulk: For items you use often or that don’t spoil, buy in bulk to save on the packaging wasted on smaller quantity items. You also will save money as usually large size items are cheaper by the pound to purchase. • Compost non-meat items: Many food items, such as egg shells and vegetable scraps, are easy to compost in a simple indoor bin or a larger bin in the backyard. You can find some basics on composting in an earlier Planet Jewish blog (Composting Made Easy, June 7, 2011), or go to http://foodiegardener.com/composting-basics-for-beginners/ • Reduce disposable containers in your kitchen: There are alternative ways to store fruits and vegetables in your kitchen without resorting to disposables. Go to http://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/05/how-to-store-produce-without-plastic/ for examples of how you can go “plastics free” with produce. Using glass containers for storage is the better way to go from a health and environmental standpoint. Doing this can completely eliminate the need to buy plastic wrap, which typically goes into a landfill after one use. Resource: www.treehugger.com This blog originally appeared on jewishinstlouis.org at http://jewishinstlouis.org/ways-reduce-waste-kitchen/

In past posts, Planet Jewish blog has provided information on the benefits of buying and eating local, organic produce during the growing season. Looking at year round food consumption habits, there are additional steps you can take to make sure that you consider the environment. Listed below are a few food choices you should avoid because they are grown or raised in a way that harms natural resources. Also included are better-for-the-environment alternatives. Being mindful of how your food decisions affect the planet is an important way to show respect for G-d’s creation, the Earth. • Don’t drink conventional coffee—From an environmental standpoint, drinking conventionally grown coffee is problematic for several reasons. Conventional growers typically grow coffee in full sunlight, which leads to heavy dependence on pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers. Conventionally grown coffee also typically involves cutting down rainforests and destroying bird habitats. For an environmentally friendly alternative, buy coffee that is shade grown, organic and fair trade. Look for the green gecko stamp from Rainforest Alliance when buying coffee, or purchase Equal Exchange coffee (which also benefits American Jewish World Service). If buying coffee at a restaurant or coffee shop, a few places where fair trade organic coffee is available include Starbuck’s , Peet’s Coffee and (believe it or not) Dunkin Donuts. [Note: When buying coffee at a cafe, your purchase will have a much smaller carbon footprint if you stick with simple blends. A Starbucks black coffee has a carbon footprint of about 30 grams. A venti caramel latte has a carbon footprint of 420 grams.] •Avoid Bluefin tuna—Blufin tuna is used in making some restaurant sushi. However, this fish is fast becoming endangered and also is high in mercury. Better alternatives to buy and order out are albacore tuna or Pacific yellowfin (also known as ahi) tuna. •Say no to genetically modified corn—GMO corn “destroys habitats, depletes soils, and pollutes air and water,” says Professor Douglas Fox who teaches sustainable agriculture at Unity College in Maine. When excessively processed, it becomes high fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in processed foods. High fructose corn syrup takes a large toll on the land and requires use of many pesticides and fertilizers over time. As an alternative, buy your corn from an organic grower in the spring, summer and fall months or look for organic corn in the grocery freezer during the winter months. Avoid high fructose corn syrup when buying items such as cookies, crackers, ketchup and other condiments. Resources: Sierra Club.typepad.com; Treehugger.com This blog originally appeared on jewishinstlouis.org at http://jewishinstlouis.org/three-things-eat-drink-care-environment/

The (secular) New Year is here! For many, this is a time for resolutions. One resolution to consider is to make your own simple body care items rather than purchasing them at a store. Repurposing common household ingredients to make your own personal care products reduces reliance on petroleum based products (which contain fossil fuels, whose excessive use contributes to global warming). It also ensures that you are putting only natural ingredients on your body rather than artificial ingredients and chemical products. Making do it yourself body care products reduces waste as well, promoting the Jewish value of baal tashchit. Below are a few simple recipes for make it yourself personal care products. Most use items commonly found in your kitchen. Enjoy. Do It Yourself Body Scrub: Use this scrub on your face or as a general body scrub. It works well as a moisturizer and exfoliating cream. Ingredients are 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup each of brown and regular cane sugar, a dash of lemon juice, a dash of vanilla. Mix ingredients together. Rub on skin while in the shower, massage, and rinse. Make Your Own Hair Conditioner: This simple recipe conditions well and is good for all hair types. Ingredients are 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 cup water. Combine ingredients in a clean repurposed squirt bottle. Double up on ingredients until you fill your bottle – the recipe above makes 8 ounces. Simply shake the bottle before each use and gently massage into the hair and scalp for a minute or two and rinse. After drying, your hair will not smell like vinegar. Do it Yourself Foaming Hand Soap: You will need an empty liquid soap dispenser. Ingredients are distilled or boiled water (enough to fill the dispenser except for one inch at the top); 2 tablespoons liquid castille soap; 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; essential oils of choice for scent (optional); Fill the soap dispenser with water to about 1 inch of the top (leaving room for the bulky foaming pump and the soap to be added).Add at least 2 tablespoons of liquid castille soap to the water mixture (NOTE: do not add the soap first or it will create bubbles when the water is added. Add the oil (optional but it helps preserve the life of the dispenser) and any essential oils if you are using them. Close and lightly swish to mix. Use as you would any regular foaming soap. Resources: www.diynatural.com www.wellnessmama.com This blog originally appeared in jewishinstlouis.org at http://jewishinstlouis.org/body-care-new-year/

One of the core environmental principles of Judaism is that of baal tashchit. Simply put, this means that we must not waste resources. Keeping this principle in mind, this month’s blog focuses on an area of huge waste in our society: plastic use. Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced on the planet every year. We use it to make plastic bags, bottles, clothes, computers, and many other items. Our plastic consumption is growing greatly. Over the last 10 years, we’ve produced more plastic than we did in the entire 20th century. Excessive plastic use hurts the planet in many ways. The production of plastic is responsible for millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating climate change and polluting the air we breathe. On top of that, some of this plastic ends up in landfills, where it slowly breaks down, leaching harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater. The rest of the plastic ends up on our streets, in our parks, and in our oceans. Over 100,000 marine animals and 1 million birds die each year from ingesting plastic. Below is a list of some simple changes you can make to reduce your plastic use. Use a refillable water bottle: Invest in a sturdy, stainless steel water bottle (available at outdoor stores as well as at supermarkets and pharmacies). Instead of wasting money and energy buying water in plastic, disposable, one time use containers, you will be able to fill up your bottle wherever you go. It takes a large amount of energy to produce the plastic used in disposable water bottles. Take your own instead. Use reusable dishware at work: Bring in a reusable cup, mug, dish and utensils to your office. Then plan to use them each day at lunchtime and for coffee breaks. If your office does not have eco-friendly dish liquid, invest in a bottle to wash your items once a day. You will save money and reduce the plastic that needs to be recycled or that ends up in landfills. Buy canvas bags for groceries and errand running: Just about every store these days offers the option of buying a reusable bag with its logo at very low cost. Buy a few of these bags and keep at least 2-3 in your car at all times. Take them with you to the grocery store, drug store, dollar store and the mall so that your purchases don’t have to be put in a plastic bag. These are just a few ways you can honor the principle of baal tashchit in your use of plastic. Once you begin to make these changes, they will become routine. Perhaps you will even find other ways to cut down on the amount of plastic you buy and use. Resources: Earth Day Network This blog originally appeared in jewishinstlouis.org at http://jewishinstlouis.org/category/blogs/planetjewish/

With Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur soon approaching, many feel a need for reflection and introspection. The High Holidays are also the time when Jews take stock of their lives and consider new beginnings. Below are a few suggested changes in the way you eat and shop for food for the New Year that also benefit God’s creation, the Earth: Consider reducing meat consumption to help the planet: Cattle farmers use about 1000 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef. This compares with 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of grain or rice. With this in mind, consider opting for a meat-free meal once a week as a way to reduce water waste. Reduce waste even further by eating more poultry and less red meat as often as you can. Producing a pound of poultry uses half the amount of water as producing a pound of beef. Grow your own simple vegetables: Even if you don’t have a green thumb, there are simple items like herbs that anyone can grow in the kitchen, on the porch or in the backyard Growing your own herbs saves money and also reduces your carbon footprint because you will not be purchasing store bought herbs likely grown miles away. Buy in bulk: There are many environmental benefits to buying in bulk. Among other things, it greatly reduces the amount of food packaging used. It also reduces the carbon footprint of each meal because bulk goods require overall less transportation before arriving at the grocery store. If every American purchased items from the bulk aisle once a week for a month, it would save more than 26 million pounds of packaging waste from landfills. Try the bulk food aisle for items such as raisins, nuts and pasta. Buy local: Most area farmers’ markets are still up and running through the month of October. Visiting a nearby farmers market and purchasing locally grown fruits and vegetables from the vendors helps the planet because you are not purchasing items flown from far away. Items purchased also will taste better and have more nutrients than store bought produce flown in from hundreds of miles away. Through these few simple tips, you can start the New Year on the right foot and show respect for the planet too. Resources: Earth911.com This post originally appeared in jewishinstlouis at www.jewishinstlouis.org/planetjewish