130 results for tag: Clean Air/Water/Soil

Interfaith Conference on Environmental Action

The Green Zionist Alliance and GreenFaith are jointly hosting an interfaith environmental conference in advance of the U.N. climate summit. Registration is scheduled to open mid-summer. In the meantime, save the date and spread the word!

Uplifting People and Planet

Exciting news! Just in time for Tu b’Shevat, Canfei Nesharim and Jewcology are proud to announce the launch of a new ebook exploring traditional Jewish teachings on the environment, Uplifting People and Planet: Eighteen Essential Jewish Lessons on the Environment, edited by Rabbi Yonatan Neril and Evonne Marzouk. This ebook is the most comprehensive study in English of how Jewish traditional sources teach us to protect our natural resources and preserve the environment. From food to trees, energy to water, wealth to biodiversity, the book studies eighteen topics where Jewish tradition has a relevant lesson for today's environme...

Earth Etude for 3 Elul – Paying Attention to Roots

by Maxine Lyons Being a passionate gardener, I have been tending several gardens in my yard as well as many flower pots on our large deck so my hands are in dirt quite often these days. I have been transplanting yellow primroses, succulents, day lilies and sunflowers, focusing on the integrity of the roots, noticing how each root system is different. For example, some plants require a full root for transplanting while others need a partial root to survive. Succulents do not need roots at all; pieces can be immersed in dirt and re-establish their roots in soil in a short time. So as I begin the long internal process of ...

Earth Etude for Elul 2 – Elul Writing Project

by Molly Bajgot We’re nearing a time when the Earth will not provide as bountifully as it has in the past. In exchange for a loss of resources, I believe the Earth is pleading for us humans to return to ourselves, our deep souls, so we recognize a bounty that lives within us. Could this lead to the feeling of fertility in the human spirit, we may extend the times of plenty. Answering this call is not easy. We cannot stop deadlines so we may each have the time return to ourselves as a form of resiliency. It’s a necessary evil to take this time. We may feel that we’re missing out on other activities, events, or conversatio...

Environmental Tip of the Week: 1.3 billion chickens

Cross posted from Environmental Tip of the Week Take two seconds to take action! I received the following email from Environment America: 1.3 billion chickens. 62 million hogs. 18 million head of cattle. Those are just some of the animals living in factory farms in the U.S. And these animals create more waste each year than the top 100 American cities combined. Help us clean up factory farms. "Ticking time bombs of manure" -- that’s the description Karen Hudson, a resident of Elmwood, Illinois, gave to factory farms when one spewed two million tons of raw, toxic manure near her home after a ...

Environmental Tip of the Week: 1.3 billion chickens

Take two seconds to take action! I received the following email from Environment America: 1.3 billion chickens. 62 million hogs. 18 million head of cattle. Those are just some of the animals living in factory farms in the U.S. And these animals create more waste each year than the top 100 American cities combined. Help us clean up factory farms. "Ticking time bombs of manure" -- that’s the description Karen Hudson, a resident of Elmwood, Illinois, gave to factory farms when one spewed two million tons of raw, toxic manure near her home after a heavy rain. This waste is revolting, and contami...

Jewish Environmental Response to the State of the Union

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 prioritizing our nation’s response to the threat of global climate change,” said JCPA President and COEJL Co-Chair Rabbi Steve Gutow. “The President has highlighted his understanding of the moral urgency of reducing our contribution to the climate crisis. We hope to see regulations that ...

Darkness Upon the Face of the Deep

Darkness upon the Face of the Deep –חשך על פני תהום Rabbi Ed Rosenthal “In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was null and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered on the surface of the water.” (Gen.1:1-2). While we are taught that God is omnipresent and there is no place where the Divine presence does not dwell; there are few places that evoke a spiritual experience or a connection with the Divine more surely than the surface of water. Stand on a beach and look out to the endless expanse of the sea, and we feel ...

Shabbat Noach is Coming!

In celebration of Parshat Noach this coming Shabbat, Jewcology is proud to share a wealth of resources on the topic of Noach. Please enjoy and share these resources from many of our partners and participants so we can all benefit from the lessons of Parshat Noach. Explore all of our Parshat Noach resources Here's a sampling: Countering Destruction - Lessons from Noah Although the flood and the life of Noah occurred thousands of years ago, the story of Noah offers important lessons about how our actions affect the world. The Torah teaches that ten generations after Creation, all life on the planet had "corrupted its way on the earth"...

Earth Etude for 26 Elul

Hashem's "Gaslands"* by Judith Feldstein My Lord, You sent us not a burning bush, but Your flaming water; a fire that lives in gas and is not drowned in H2O, with flames that are not quenched, and danger not consumed until we hear and live your will and love Your home as part of You. Last year You gave us Elul with the kiss and aftermath of Your Irene's with all the might of ordained winds and rains and floods. You offered us tsunamis to remember as the earth was shaken, and our towers crashed and crumbled while our people fled or died. Our forests burned, our wildlife trapped in ...

COEJL expresses opposition to H.R. 6083, the House version of the Farm Bill

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 provisions which will increase hunger in America, harm the environment, slash popular environmental programs, and eliminate longstanding health protections for the American people.

Earth Etude for 4 Elul

Enfold me, Earth By Carol Reiman Enfold me, earth, Entwine your thick limbs With mine; Lift me up above Your blushing beauty, Opening me to your new day. Show me how to know you As we whisper in each other's ear-- Willow rustle, Sizzling spray upon the sand; How I meant to help, How I hurt you, How we can heal In easy forgiveness, How I can keep you as You keep me--whole. Dance in freedom, Moving together, None to crowd out Both our voices--yours and mine-- Gulls' cry, sudden thunder; Rushing torrents, oaks riven Into fresh surfaces For new growth. Groom me to your ...

Earth Etude for 3 Elul

The Earth Is Crying Out in Pain Rabbi Katy Z. Allen “The Earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” (Ps. 24:1) The Earth is crying out in pain. Yet, its beauty and mystery shine forth, ever ready to calm us, inspire us, strengthen us, and remind us of our smallness in Creation. We walk in the woods and find wonder in the spring wildflowers. Eagerly we bite into the delicious bounty of the late summer harvest. In awe we gain inspiration from the night sky, a sudden and unexpected rainbow, a brilliant sunset. The Earth is crying out in pain. Yet, we climb in our cars and drive to the ...

New Year of Jewish Learning on the Environment Materials Released!

The tenth topic in the Year of Jewish Learning on the Environment, Water: Appreciating a Limited Resource, has just been released! Human beings depend on a sufficient supply of high quality fresh water for their survival. Because of this essential dependence, Jewish sources equate water with life. By recognizing our dependence on water, and ultimately our dependence on G-d, we can strengthen our appreciation and protection of our precious natural resources, and our relationship with the Creator of the world. See all Passing the Test of Water: Appreciating a Limited Resourse! Share Year of Jewish Learning Materials ...

Tar Sands Students: Fighting Environmental Destruction

I never imagined I would be needed in the Senate’s Foreign Relations hearing room, but then again I only recently joined Tar Sands Students. On Wednesday, July 25, twenty-two high school and college students rallied together in D.C. to fight tar sands oil production, thanks to the hard work and dedication of my friend Michael Greenberg, the founder of Tar Sands Students. It was a big day for the coalition. We had a meeting scheduled with Melanie Nakagawa, Senator John Kerry's (D-Ma) top environmental adviser. Our goals for this meeting were to make a connection with Kerry, a potentially influential figure in the environmental ...

Jewish Outdoor Adventures: Burning Bush Adventures

Burning Bush Adventures has been a leader in combining wilderness and Jewish experiences for 20 years. To learn more about BBA visit our web site at: www.burningbushadventures.com June 8 - 10: Delaware River Water Gap canoe shabbaton: We will paddle a stretch of the Delaware River entirely within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGRA). There is an abundance of wildlife (no promises we’ll see any) and the river is lively, offering several exciting stretches. The trip includes baking challah in a dutch oven, kabbalat shabbat services under the stars and more. 300.00 per person. July6 - 8: AdirondacksShabbat ...

Join the “Fast for the Earth”

Join the “Fast for the Earth”! Launching August 1, 2012, the Fast will be a global nonviolent protest against wanton disregard for the natural world, and a spiritual affirmation that we are all part of that world, responsible for its careful tending. The Fast is being organized by a group of concerned citizens in Brookings, SD (USA), who are deeply troubled by tar sands mining and the construction of related pipelines. It has been inspired by the recent public fasting of indigenous people in the U.S. and Canada in protest of the same, and will be undertaken in kinship with them. Tar sands exploitation is only one manifestation of ...

Israeli Technology Turns Sludge Into Electricity

By TechIsrael Staff Photo by Sustainable sanitation It may look like mud, but sludge – the “leftover” semi-solid part of the stuff we flush down the toilet or pour down the drain, is a creature unto itself. Far more toxic than plain old mud, sludge has the potential to bust a city's budget, as it needs to be treated and disposed of. But it doesn't have to be that way; in the hands of Israeli startup Global Recycling Projects Ltd. (Ecoarrow), sludge pulls its own weight – providing “free” energy by turning sludge into – electricity! It's a neat trick that GRPL pulls off using solar ...

Maryland Legislative Environmental Summit

(reposted from Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin's Blog: http://blog.bjen.org/, dated January 25, 2012) Below is Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin's presentation at the annual Maryland Legislative Environmental Summit, held January 24, 2012, in Annapolis, MD. We live in the midst of a 4-billion year old mystery, an on-going miracle that we call Earth. For all we know, no such miracle exists anywhere else. Whatever we may be skilled enough to find out there, there is likely not to be another Planet Earth, or another you, or another me, or another Bay or the parade of moonrises and sunsets, or the cascade of creatures that have filled our air ...

My Hope That More Jews Will Engage on Energy Related Issues

I recently wrote an article for the Pace Environmental Law Review Blog that I have posted below. For this post on Jewcology, I wanted to expand on my Law Review post by expressing how I view these events from a Jewish standpoint. Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," is a very hot topic these days in many different circles. This is an issue being debated by politicians, lawyers, community zoning boards, landowners, corporations, neighbors, and religious communities. In each of these situations the individuals involved are bringing different priorities to the table. Some view fracking as a great economic opportunity, others view ...