Hands-On Greening Subscribe
A collection of materials related to projects that are greening the Jewish community.
Blogs
Halfway Through the Food Stamp Challenge
- October 30, 2011
- 2 comments
I am at the halfway point of the one week Fighting Poverty with Faith Food Stamp Challenge. My personal challenge has been to spend the allotted $1.50/meal but with a twist: to eat organically. There is method to my madness. My understanding is that 46 million Americans live on Food Stamps to ‘supplement’ their nutritional needs. I imagine that many of these 15% of Americans live food insecure lives. This means that the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable food in socially acceptable ways ...
Hazon CSA potluck a success!
- October 28, 2011
A great time was had by all at our third annual Hazon CSA Shared Shabbat dinner on October 25. Those attending feasted on dishes including spinach lasagna, Indian squash soup, roasted tatsoi, roasted vegetables and smashed potatoes. All dishes were prepared with organic produce grown by our local farmer. What a treat to celebrate the fall with food that is good for the land, good for the environment and good for your health! This year's CSA is over, but we look forward to another great year in 2012.
Gadget attaches to faucet to measure each use of water
- October 26, 2011
By NoCamels Team Photo by Joe Shlabotnik How many drops of water does it take to wash your hands, or a single glass? Bware, a new Israeli Patent by a2design, is a simple digital device to be installed on any faucet and can count in real time the amount of water in liters or gallons for every use. The Bware not only shows how much water you have used on the LED display, it can also also help detect different kinds of leaks, say its creators, Ariel Drach and Alex Sudak. The device, made from recycled materials, uses flow of water to generate enough electricity ...
Eco-Friendly Travels
- October 11, 2011
-
Heading out of town for a fall foliage trip, a college homecoming event or to visit family members? While traveling does increase your carbon footprint, there are ways to minimize that impact by choosing wisely in terms of how you travel and where you stay. Keeping these tips in mind, it is possible to be environmentally-conscious as you plan your trip and thus to fulfill the Jewish principle of bal tashchit (reducing waste). Getting There Think about using rail service or express bus to get to your destination. Using public transit is better for the environment ...
The apples are finished.
- October 10, 2011
Each year, before Rosh Hashanah, my family goes apple picking. It's a special tradition for each of us. Most of the other families are here to pick a few apples to be dipped in honey. Not us! As my husband likes to say, "we're hard core." When we get to the farm stand, we're here to pick apples. Maybe you’ve been there: You stand in between the trees that seem to go on and on forever. The apples beckon to you. After only 30 minutes, you probably have enough for Rosh Hashanah. But you’ve only just arrived! Once upon a time, we had to stop ourselves around ...
This Year We Meditate
- September 28, 2011
- 1 comment
We've been building towards this event for a long time. On October 18th, in the year of 5772, we will have a different kind of Sukkot. We will be building a Sukkah on our organic fertile land, on the land that we cultivated in West Rogers Park, the land that has given us our strong backs. And we will be collaborating with the Center for Jewish Mindfulness and participating in a community meditation led by Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell. I know, I know, a Sukkah is meant to be dwelled in according to the mitzvot. But, I wasn't raised in a community ...
Workshop: Urban Composting – From Scraps to Soil
- September 22, 2011
This year during Chol HaMoed Sukkot we will connect to the earth with our hands in the soil. I am teaching friends and neighbors how to compost right here in the city. I've partnered with a nifty new start-up for this inaugural venture. In the future, this workshop will be taught in the context of Jewish education, just like we did/do at the Teva Learning Center. Read more and sign up at the link. Most of all, tell your friends in Chicago. Shana tova! http://www.dabblehq.com/events/urban-composting-scraps-to-soil/ Urban Composting: Scraps to Soil ...
Easy Ways to Use Less Paper
- September 12, 2011
-
One of Judaism’s important teachings is bal tash’chi, which means “you shall not waste.” In Deuteronomy 20:19, Jews are advised not to cut down or destroy trees, even in a time of war. Using less paper is one way you can do your part to save trees. You can also reduce the use of water and the environmental effect of chemicals that are used to manufacture the paper. It is very easy to use less paper and make a difference to the environment: Don’t discard paper that has only been printed on one side. “GOOS” ...
Sit Under a Vine and Fig Tree, and You Shall Not be Afraid!
- September 8, 2011
‘Every one shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for Hashem has spoken.’ Micah 4.4 What is it about growing your own fruits and vegetables that alleviates fear? Why does Micah believe Hashem has spoken through the act of farming or gleaning? Why a grape vine and fig tree? Why not under the string beans or cherry tomatoes? As I sit in my back yard, positioning myself between my grape vine, fig tree, string beans and cherry tomatoes, I begin to understand what Micah might have meant all those years ...
Grassroots Jewish Women’s Community
- September 8, 2011
By Teri Jedeikin Kayam Farm Multicultural Educator True to its name sake, The Matriarch’s Orchard watches over Kayam Farm from its place upon the hill. Its landscape, gently sloping towards vineyards and strawberry patches, is rich with fruit trees, berry bushes and spiritual symbolism. It is a space created by women for women - a radical innovation that invites Jewish women to engage with each other and with all women of diverse ages and heritages. The orchard is an ecological and spiritual learning space where integration of mind, body and spirit is ...
Israeli company brings light to third world countries
- August 21, 2011
-
By Eva Levin Photos by Irene2005 and Globe Light & Water Systems Inc. The giant structures line most of our major roads and have become an integral part of the urban landscape. Yet to most Westerners, streetlights are so common they hardly get noticed by anyone. That is not the reality for most third world countries. Many African countries, for example, have a complete lack of street lighting on major streets, making it extremely dangerous to drive in anything but clear and sunny conditions. That is why Globe Light and Water Systems (GLW,) an Israeli ...
PotatOde
- August 11, 2011
-
The 2nd in a series of poems about vegetable growing in my garden. Enjoy! PotatOde I’m growing potatoes it’s ever so sweet They grow underground and taste good to eat They take up much space as the plant it abounds You pile up dirt over the tubers in mounds The plants grow wild, a darkish green color Purple and white comes the small gentle flower I am forced to choose between beauty and function Do I remove the flowers at this early junction? Doing so now would hurt the aesthetic But might make the harvest less pathetic If I am lucky ...
Jewish youth starts teen environmental group
- August 9, 2011
Ariel Allen, age 16, a resident of Atlanta, GA, a student of The Paideia School and a current Bronfman Fellow, is a winner of Action For Nature’s 2011 International Young Eco-Hero Award. Allen was honored for starting a Jewish Teen environmental group. San Francisco, CA (July 22, 2011) – Kosher Crew, founded by Ari, motivates Jewish teens to become active conservationists by taking part in tikkun olam, or “healing the world.” Inspired by two summer internships with the Student Conservation Association, he runs fun, peer-led ...
The Beauty of Compost
- August 9, 2011
-
(reposted from Rabbi Nina Cardin's blog: http://blog.bjen.org/ ) A brief respite from the summer's heat: I had been looking for the perfect counter-top compost container and had not been able to find one. So, in desperation, I simply reached for a clear plastic cannister that would otherwise be holding flour or rice or granola or some such. We keep it by the sink and dump our food shards in there. Surprisingly, fresh compost is not always unattractive. Neither is nicely "cooked" compost. Good finished compost ready to be used is often rich and aromatic. It is ...
The Power of Electronic Recycling
- August 8, 2011
-
“Look at My works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy My world. For if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.” (Midrash Ecclesiates Rabbah 1 on 7:13 c. 9thcentury) In today’s ever more technological world, the number of electronic items the average person uses and wears out continues to grow. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Americans now own approximately 24 electronic products per household. As Jews we should be mindful not to immediately throw out ...
Eco Connection launches in South Africa!
- August 7, 2011
- 1 comment
From the baking heat of Israel’s summer, Sviva Israel’s Director of Media & Technology flew last week to a chilly Johannesburg winter, to launch the Eco Connection in our first South African school. Despite the cold, she was warmly welcomed by the Israel Centre, under the directorship of Shimon Shamila, and the 7th grade students of the Torah Academy Girls School, who were all very excited to begin their participation in the Beit Shemesh-South African Eco Connection. The Beit-Shemesh South Africa Eco Connection is supported by the Beit Shemesh-Mateh ...
Georgia youth wins International Young Eco-Hero award
- August 4, 2011
-
Kosher Crew, founded by Ariel Allen (Ari) of Atlanta, Georgia, motivates Jewish teens to become active conservationists by taking part in tikkun olam, or “healing the world.” Inspired by two summer internships with the Student Conservation Association, he runs fun, peer-led outings to do hands-on environmental work. Kosher Crew’s goal is to motivate participants to be active and healthy and to make a positive impact on the environment while encompassing core values of Judaism. He wanted to create something for Jewish youth because so many environme...
Embracing the Beast Within
- August 3, 2011
- 1 comment
I am not going to overcomplicate this. I’m an animal. We all are. And I’m not simply referring to our taxonomic classification. I’m talking about being the kind sweating, salivating, heart-pounding beasts that you see on the National Geographic channel. As Jews we tend to shy away from describing ourselves this way. We prefer to stress our godly characteristics; reason, free will, and control (after all, it was a snake that got us banned from the Garden of Eden). However, our inner animals don’t wither away and die when we deny them. They ...
Back from KAYAM
- July 29, 2011
Back from The Farm Kayam Farm- the scene of "Planting Seeds: The First Jewish Early Childhood Conference." It was better than imagined. It was the participants willingness to "dig deeply" on all fronts that mattered. People came from as far as Seattle,North Carolina, Texas, Boston and Worcester, Florida and New York as well as from nearby Virgina, Pennsylvania,New Jersey and of course Baltimore. There were nature specialists, ece directors, teachers, a rabbi and a great mix of ages and persuasions. There were the gardeners and the ...
The Mitzvah of Planting Trees
- July 27, 2011
-
“Let no one ever cease from planting. Fields filled with trees greeted us at birth, and we should add to their number even in old age.” Midrash: Genesis 2:8 “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” Anonymous One of the best things individuals can do to help the environment is to plant a tree. Trees alter the environment in which people live by moderating climate, improving air quality, conserving water and harboring wildlife. Planting trees is also a Jewish imperative. It is one way that we as Jews can ...
