Owner of Jewish Environmental Initiative, a committee of the JCRC of Saint Louis
Gail Wechsler is the Director of Domestic Issues/Social Justice at the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis. She is the staff person for the Jewish Environmental Initiative (JEI), a committee of the JCRC and a part of the JCRC's Bohm Social Justice Initiative.
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GREENING YOUR PASSOVER
Passover celebrates the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery to freedom. It is also rooted in the agricultural cycle of the year. Passover usually coincides with the beginning of spring. Passover references a time when our ancestors were more connected on a daily basis to the natural world. To become more connected to the Earth and go “eco friendly” for this holiday, consider following all or some of the tips below: Help the environment ...
Eco-Friendly Tips for Winter
As we head into the last month of winter, being mindful not to waste (the Jewish principle of baal tashchit) and to care for the Earth should still be on your mind. Even in the cold months, there are things you can do to use less energy and find winter-friendly products that are less harmful to the environment. Below are a few suggestions: User safer antifreeze: Just 2 ounces of the standard ethylene glycol antifreeze can kill a dog. Propylene ...
Going Green for Valentine’s Day
If there is a special someone in your life, Valentine’s Day is a day when you probably feel compelled to celebrate and give a gift. At the same time, this holiday can be the height of commercialism and yet another reason to shop for high end “stuff.” Consider rethinking the holiday and using it as a way to show love while being mindful of environmental impact. Below are a few ways to do so: --Give an eco-friendly gift: Avoid the mall or ...
Do’s and Don’t’s of E-Recycling
With the large increase over the past few years in electronic communication devices, and the fast pace in which new versions of the latest cell phones and tablets come out, there is a potential for concern about what is happening to old electronic devices when they are replaced. Electronic gadgets that are simply tossed in the garbage or sent to an unreliable e-recycling organization can result in toxic waste that threatens health and safety. ...
Greening Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a time where we celebrate the renewal of the eternal flame and rededication of the Temple. It is a great time to rededicate ourselves to the goal of preserving God’s creation, conserving energy and helping the environment. Here are a few things you can do leading up to, and during, the holiday to rededicate yourself to making the world more eco-friendly. GO GREEN IN YOUR HANUKKAH GIFTING: Give ...
Make Your Thanksgiving Celebration Eco-Friendly
Thanksgiving, while an ecumenical holiday, is a great time to consider the Jewish principle of baal tashchit (do not waste). There are many things you can do to make your celebration of this holiday more earth friendly. Reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible: Try to buy only as much food as you need and look for food that either has no container or that has a container that can be recycled. Plan to compost any non-meat food items that ...
Tips for an Eco-Friendly Simcha
Planning a simcha, such as a wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or bris, offers many opportunities to make an environmental impact. Every choice you make in planning your event can be a chance to make a statement about the importance of respecting and preserving God's creation, the Earth. Here are some ideas of ways to reduce waste as you prepared for the big day. Reduce paper use: Consider using the Internet for all or some of your announcements about ...
Greening Your High Holidays
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are right around the corner. There are a number of things you can do as a way to resolve to be more environmentally aware this new year. Use local and organic ingredients in your meals: The healthiest foods for the holiday are foods that are grown locally without any pesticides. Food purchased from local farmers or that you grow yourself will be fresher and have a higher nutritional content than food flown in from ...
No Cost Ways to Keep Cool and Save Energy This Summer
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.
No Cost Ways to Keep Cool and Save Energy This Summer
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) ...
Being Eco-Friendly at the Ballpark and Beyond
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 ...
Farmers’ Market Season Has Arrived
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 ...
Teaching your children to be environmentally aware
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 ...
Ways to Reduce Waste in Your Kitchen
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 ...
Three Things You Should Not Eat or Drink if you Care About the Environment
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 ...
Do It Yourself Body Care for the New Year
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 ...
Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Tu B’Shevat
Tu B’Shevat, also known as The New Year of the Trees, is on January 15 and 16, 2014. Tu B’Shevat has been embraced by Jews around the world as a holiday focused on expressing thankfulness for trees, harvests and the natural world. If you choose to celebrate the holiday by holding a Tu B’Shevat Seder with family or friends, keep these ideas in mind for a truly eco-friendly event: Go organic with your fruits, juice and ...
Honor the Principle of Baal Tashchit: Pledge to Use Less Plastic
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 ...
Greening Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a time where we celebrate the renewal of the eternal flame and rededication of the Temple. It is a great time to rededicate ourselves to the goal of preserving God's creation, conserving energy and helping the environment. Here are a few things you can do leading up to, and during, the holiday to rededicate yourself to making the world more eco-friendly. Leading up to the holiday: Buy gifts with a low carbon ...
Project Noah: Raising the Call for Environmental Action
Beginning Friday night October 4, Jews around the world will learn about the Torah portion Noach, the story of Noah and the flood. Many communities, including Saint Louis, have connected the reading of Noah with environmental awareness. In addition to attending an environmentally themed event at your house of worship, here are some personal ways you can take action to show respect for God’s creation, the Earth, and to work to preserve and ...