By Dr. Daniel Ziskin Everybody knows what weather means. What’s the temperature? Is it raining? Snowing? Just poke your head outside and you’ve got weather. Weather is the instantaneous atmospheric conditions we experience. Climate, however, is something different. Climate is the average of the weather over time and space. But
By Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb Through the Talmud and other scholarly works, Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb examines the implication of bal taschit, “thou shalt not waste,” and how this commandment of conservation can be adhered to today. Thou shalt conserve energy” is not a biblical commandment, narrowly speaking, but it’s
Jewish Energy Guide: "Jewish Energy Advocacy" by COEJL Director Sybil Sanchez COEJL Director Sybil Sanchez discusses the twin challenges of energy independence and environmental protection, while charting recent energy policies in the American Jewish community. From hydraulic fracturing to tar sands, a rift has been forming between those seeking energy
New York – The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life welcomed President Obama’s affirmation of his commitment to renewable energy and reducing our nation’s contribution to climate change, announced in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. “We praise President Obama for proposing the Energy Security Trust and
COEJL's Jewish Energy Guide Fulfilling the Imperative: Getting to a 14-Percent Reduction in Energy Use by 2014 By Dr. Mirele Goldsmith Summary: Dr. Mirele Goldsmith, a signer of the Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign and director of the Jewish Greening Fellowship, explains the “14 by 14” initiative, and how you can
COEJL's Jewish Energy Guide Is it Jewish to be Green? By: Naomi Tsur Summary: Naomi Tsur, the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, explains how environmentalism is implicit in Judaism, and a moral and ethical responsibility for all Jews. To many this may seem to be a stupid, or rather a redundant
Short summary: Sybil Sanchez, director of COEJL, welcomes you to the Jewish Energy Guide with a reflection on recent environmental calamities and a look forward to creating a balance between our energy needs and our commitment to protect the Earth. Excerpt: While we cannot remove ourselves from the necessity of
Take Action! The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) are joining together to demonstrate the Jewish community’s support for the extension of the Production Tax Credit for wind energy production. The Production Tax Credit is an important vehicle through
COEJL's JEWISH ENERGY NETWORK Webinar – Take Action on Energy Post-Election Wednesday, December 19 at 2:30 pm EST Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/667314846 Learn about the environmental and energy policies that might come out of Washington in the next four years, and what you can do in your
Jewish Energy Network – Community Organizing Training with JOIN for Justice March 13-14 – Washington, DC Gain the skills you need to take action! CLICK HERE to apply Creating systemic change can be challenging. But there are tools that can help! Gain skills to take action in your community. In
ANNOUNCING COEJL’S JEWISH ENERGY NETWORK! Webinar on Becoming a Jewish Energy Champion in Your Community Tuesday, October 16 at 2:30 pm est Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/487930350 Learn about COEJL’s new Jewish Energy Network and how you can take action on renewable energy and energy efficiency in your
COEJL joined a broad coalition of environmental and social justice groups (including the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Union of Reform Judaism) and signed on to a letter opposing the current House version of the Farm Bill. COEJL opposes this version of the Farm Bill, because it includes
At the Starting Line: 14% by 2014 By Susan Paykin, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC) Two years from now, we will celebrate the beginning of the Shmittah year, or sabbatical year. Shmittah marks the seventh year in the ancient agricultural cycle, when we are commanded to “release”
(From Moment Magazine, by Kara Kaufman, June 29th, 2012 http://momentmagazine.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/judaism-goes-green/?) Throughout the past several decades, organizations like the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, Teva Learning Center and Hazon—as well as many others—have sprung up seemingly out of thin air. Their major goal?
BACKGROUND COEJL and The RAC (Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism) are joining together to demonstrate the Jewish community’s support for our nation’s first-ever proposed limits on carbon emissions from new power plants. The proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants will prevent any new power plant from emitting
Join COEJL for the third in our series of webinars for Sustainability Liaisons. These briefings will enable your organization to take concrete actions toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions 14% by 2014. Get the practical information that you need to fulfill the commitment your organization made in signing the Jewish Energy
In 2006, I grasped the gravity of the environmental crisis, sitting in the theater of the Riverdale Y. The credits rolled at the end of “An Inconvenient Truth” and then we were urged to confront this enormous problem by… buying a hybrid car. I was dismayed. I looked around to
New York, New York (April 9, 2012) –The Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Morningstar Foundation have awarded the Green Hevra, a new network of U.S.-based Jewish environmental organizations, $65,000 in seed funding. With these funds the group will lay the groundwork for strategic collaboration across the Jewish environmental movement in
Earth Day and Passover: Earth Day and Passover occur in the same month this year. This allows us to consider the relationship between two holidays, which at first do not seem connected. Passover is an ancient religious festival described in the Torah and practiced by Jews for thousands of years.
Recording of COEJL’s webinar on “How to Create an Energy Reduction Plan”: (first webinar for sustainability liaisons as part of covenant campaign) http://bit.ly/yPyFTj
