Recycling – Jewcology

Earth Etude for Elul 5: Choosing Life as Nerds for the Earth

August 12, 2021 No Comments

by Harvey Michaels ~Moses’ final message from G-d: This day…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. For millennia we have reflected on what it means to choose life; realizing that it is not always our life we’re choosing – our choices are more about our children and theirs; our communities, and our world. What does it mean to Choose Life for the Earth? In recent years, I’m privileged to ask this question to classrooms of talented young people, and learned that when given the space to creatively engage this question, informed by science and their hearts, good choices come to light. These students are Nerds for the Earth – not only learning but seeing what others haven’t yet seen; many then choose life with career paths towards making our world a better place. Love for Earth is Universal. A remarkable cross-section of America gathered for the first Earth Day in 1970, in retrospect a holy day of teshuva when we first asked: will we fix the messes we’ve made of this world? We then chose life with profound actions to remove poisons from our air and water. Today, addressing climate, our mission is again clear: to repair the Earth by transitioning from fossil fuel use quickly, with Environmental Justice by helping those most impacted by the worsening plagues of fire, sea level rise, and extreme weather. To choose life for our Earth, we must learn. We need courage to act, but also collective wisdom for our choices to result in a true solution. Our wisdom is improving: most of us have learned that climate change is a real problem, and was caused by our choices to burn fossil fuels. What many of us haven’t learned is that there still is hope – it is possible to stop climate change in time to prevent the worst effects; it’s not too expensive, and makes our lives better. But let’s learn the specifics; how our home heat, travel, food must change. To choose life for our Earth, we must act together. The true question about hope is not can we, but will we? Like the first Earth Day, we can come together – but not by linking climate action to a political or age group. A good Earth is for all of us: let’s share the joy of healing it from climate change. As age 16 Greta Thunberg taught us: climate education builds conviction to unite behind the science. When millions joined her Friday strikes, world leaders listened to them, and many young people she inspired began to find their own paths as Nerds for the Earth. She and they in turn inspire me to keep doing, keep teaching, keep learning – frequently from them. A lovely day, in a beautiful place, especially with people we love, is a holy place that will live on in our hearts. But so many are now being driven from their holy places by plagues brought by climate change; and the profound moments we experience today in our holy places might not be there in years to come – unless we choose to learn, act, and help others. Choosing Life to repair the Earth is a choice we have; in service for all who want to learn, all who need our help, and all that will follow us. Harvey Michaels enjoys being an MIT faculty member, teaching and learning about Energy and Climate Innovation, while investigating climate plan initiatives for cities, the state and federal government. He also engages in environmental justice advocacy, participating in JCAN, GBIO, and synagogue initiatives, among others. Before returning to MIT in 2008, Harvey led an energy efficiency company for many years.

Earth Etude for Elul 3: Joining Fifty Years of Mystic River Watershed Environmental Advocacy

August 11, 2021 No Comments

by Karen L. Grossman In 2009 I was invited to get involved with the Mystic River Watershed Association, established in 1972 with a long, hard mission of environmental advocacy. As a board member for 10 years, I was able to admire how we partnered with other groups to champion environmental changes for MA, pursuing concerns with land use and transportation, involving the location of the Alewife Red Line Station, a highway building moratorium, the Amelia Earhart Dam completion, While tabling at events, I spread the word that MyRWA counteracted pollution and development, had targeted Grace Chemical’s responsibility for the childhood leukemia cluster in Woburn, MA and other local Federal Superfund and toxic waste sites. Our advocacy, beginning in 2012, helped rebuild the Mystic Lakes Dam and beyond with fish ladders. Watching the fish on the fishcam, I rejoiced when the counts in the Mystic River herring migration tripled to 750,000! My biggest challenge was obtaining a hundred prize donations for the Annual Herring Run and Paddle Races. I also participated in cleanups, sponsored “Reverse Tashlich” and “Plastover” with my temple, advocated for legislation, and attended MyRWA conferences and talks. Travelling to cities and towns in the watershed was a great opportunity for me to discuss climate change resilience. The main Mystic River/Lakes now have an EPA Water Quality Grade of A-! I continue to support a vision focused on a better future. Since I joined nearly 50 years of persistence, my part in environmental action continues to evolve along with MyRWA’s! As a result of my involvement over the years, I have embraced the conscientious attitude I need to alter my own bad habits by minimizing single use plastic and composting natural kitchen waste, doing my best to improve the environment. I hope you’ll think about how you can contribute to this movement, too! Karen L. Grossman is a retired speech and language pathologist, a member of Temple Shir Tikvah, Winchester, MA’s Adult Social Committee, past Board member of the Mystic River Watershed Association, presently on the Outreach and Development Committees, and President of the Friends of Spy Pond Park, Arlington, MA. She welcomes your comments to regarding the above ideas and refers you to: www.mysticriver.org for more details of MyRWA’s history leading up to the 50th anniversary of the organization.

3rd Jewish Climate Action Conference:

June 6, 2021 No Comments

“Everything is Connected” by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen The JCAN-MA for the 3rd Jewish Climate Action Conference: Everything is Connected occurred April 25, 2021. Over 550 people attended. The 40 sessions focused on carbon reduction, advocacy, spiritual resilience, soil and agriculture, raised up the voices of youth, and addressed environmental justice. The day-long event was geared toward action solutions and strengthening the national Jewish climate action network. Opportunities are still available for connecting with other climate activists in your geographic region or with similar interests. AT THE CONFERENCE ATTENDEES: Learned key actions for decarbonizing your home and synagogue. They heard about the latest in technology and learned what others are doing to reduce their carbon footprint Integrated Jewish values with gardening and soil. They heard about cooperatives, regenerative change, native habits, carbon sequestration, and building a resilient food system Joined in conversations about the climate justice movement. They learned about a collaboration with Jewish climate organization and a BIPOC community development corporation, and they learned about the legacy of redlining. They heard about climate advocacy in Jewish communities and learned how to build an organizing toolbox. Listened to stories from youth advocates fighting against climate change from a Jewish perspective. They learned what one can do to help! Delved into sessions that enhanced their spiritual resilience through meditating, journaling, storytelling, music, mindfulness, and yoga and movement. You can watch all or part of the conference above!

Rainbow Day is May 8-9 in 2021, the week following Shabbat Behar-Bechukotai!

April 9, 2021 No Comments

Celebrate Rainbow Day and the Rainbow Covenant with all Life! The first covenant in the Torah, when Noah leaves the ark, is a covenant with all creatures, and a covenant with the Earth itself, not just with humanity. There are so many ways you can teach about this covenant, the rainbow covenant, on the day it was established! What is Rainbow Day? On the 27th day of the second month, Noah, his family, and all the animals that were with them left the ark (Genesis 8). Exactly one lunar year and ten days before—one complete solar year—the flood began on the 17th of the second month, the day before Lag B’Omer. When Noah, the animals and his family went out from the ark, God made a covenant, with all the animals and the people, that there would never be again be a flood of water to destroy life on Earth. Rainbow Day is always the 42nd day of the Omer, the day before Yom Yerushalayim. In 2019 year the 27th of the month of Iyyar falls on Shabbat, May 31-June 1, the same day we read about the blessings of the Shmita covenant and the consequences of not following the covenant. The Shmita covenant, like the Rainbow covenant, is a covenant with the Earth and the animals. Get the extraordinary Rainbow Day curriculum here and make use of one of the 38 resources and ideas for teaching about the rainbow covenant with all creatures.

Especially this Mother’s Day, remember Mother Earth.

May 5, 2020 No Comments

~Mother’s Day will be different this year for many of us because of the impact of the coronavirus, being in quarantine and social distancing; however, we can still be mindful of how our actions can help prevent climate change even if we are having virtual Mother’s Day dinners and celebrations. Reduce: Reduce your energy needs. Winter is finally over and it’s warmer inside and out. Open your windows and let the fresh air in. If it is really hot, set your thermostat no higher than 78°F (26°C) when you are home and higher when you are away (information from the U.S. Department of Energy). A programmable thermostat can make this easier to do. Reuse: If restaurants are allowed to open and you go out to eat, bring your own containers to take home the leftovers. Styrofoam can take hundreds of years to decompose and is one of the most frequent pollutants found in our oceans. Even more scary is that fish and birds often mistake styrofoam for food and eating too much can be a death sentence. Is Mom a coffee drinker? A great present would be reusable coffee pods for her coffee maker. According to a 2019 article in USA Today, the plastic coffee pods usually cannot be recycled. John Hocevar, the campaign director of Greenpeace USA is quoted in the article: “Coffee pods are one of the best examples of unnecessary single-use plastics that are polluting our planet…Many end up getting incinerated, dumping poison into our air, water and our soil.” Recycle: Many communities have single-stream recycling, which does make it easier as the paper, glass and plastic all go into the same containers. However, when glass and plastic are recycled, they should not have food residue and I admit sometimes I fall short in this respect –we all need to try harder to put out cleaner items. Cooking for Mom? Try a vegetarian meal. A recent position paper on vegetarian diets from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states: “Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity.” Vegetarian meals can be economical, easy to make and delicious. Still nervous about what to cook and how—try these healthy and tasty vegetarian and vegan recipes. Going forward, it may be easier to think about “Meatless Mondays” as a minimum. Resources: The Jewish Energy Guide. You can download the free guide and find articles about the sources and cost of energy; its impacts on climate change; and how we can change the inheritance we are leaving to the future inhabitants of our world. Susan Levine is the volunteer and social media coordinator for Aytzim: Ecological Judaism, parent organization of Jewcology.

L’Shanah Tova and a thank you to our Earth Etudes for Elul Contributors

September 27, 2019 No Comments

Elul is the month before Rosh Hashanah, a time when we review our lives and think about how we will live the coming year. Many of these earth etudes actually connect our earth with the spirit of Judaism–Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. We would like to thank Rabbi Katy Z. Allen for bringing together these awe-inspiring contributors, whose essays, poems and thoughts help us understand the meaning of our lives and how we can repair our world. And our Earth Etudes can be helpful throughout the year. So you can read them here: Earth Etude for Elul 1: Rabbi Katy Allen– Of Happenstance and Wondering …READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 2: Judith Black — A plan…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 3: Thea Iberall –200 Jewels…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 4: Rabbi Greg Hersh –Experiencing G!D in the Wilderness…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 5: Karen Schragg –True Tikkun Olam…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 6: Nakhie Faynshteyn — God I am Your Sapling…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 7: Maxine Lyons –To Everything There is a Season…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 8: Susan J. Davidson –A Year of Travel, A Year of Wonder…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 9: Richard Schwartz — A Time to Start Shifting Our Imperiled Planet onto a Sustainable Path…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 10: Carol C. Reiman–Earth Mother…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 11: Deborah Nam-Krane–Return to Our Values…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 12: Judith Felsen–Two Poems…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 13: Spiritual Lessons from God’s Art Museum…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 14: Rabbi Robin Damsky–Inner and Outer Climate Change…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 15: Andy Oram–T’Shuvah is an An Answer… READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 16: Daniel Kieval–Prayer for the Two-Leggeds…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 17: Nyanna S. Tobin–Slow Down…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 18: Joan Rachin — What I Hope to Be…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 19: Rabbi Mike Comins–Teshuvah in the Desert…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 20: Rabbi Katy Allen– Past and Present Pain… READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 21: Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein –A Little Omer on the Prairie…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 22: Rabbi Suri Levow Krieger–Lessons from Alaska…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 23: Rabbi Louis Polisson–Prayer for Rain… READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 24: Maggid David Arfa–If Not Here, Where?… READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 25: Sarah Chandler-For the Silent Stones… READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 26: Rabbi David Seidenberg–What do animals feel and think? Who are they? …READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 27: Susan Levine–A Vegetarian Journey… READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 28: Rabbi Judy Kummer–Swimming in the Circles of Life…READ MORE Earth Etude for Elul 29: Rabbi David Jaffe–Waking up to the Climate Crisis…READ MORE

What can we do to save the environment as a Jewish community?

December 14, 2018 No Comments

Come and hear David Krantz, and our other panelists Yonatan Neril and Frauke Ohnholz discuss the biggest environmental issues we are facing in the coming years and what we can do as a community to improve the wider environment that we live in. The Limmud Festival 2018 (December 22 – 27 in Birmingham, UK) is one of the biggest celebrations of Jewish learning and culture in the world. David Krantz leads Aytzim (Jewcology, Green Zionist Alliance, EcoJews, and Rabbis and Cantors for the Earth) and serves on the boards of the American Zionist Movement and Interfaith Moral Action on Climate. He’s also a National Science Foundation fellow at Arizona State’s School of Sustainability. For more information and to register: https://events.limmud.org/limmud-festival-2018/apply/

Limmud in Stockholm – A Weekend of Jewish Learning

November 13, 2018 No Comments

Limmud is an organization that provides Jewish learning in many parts of the world. On November 17 – 18 (Saturday and Sunday), Limmud will be presenting a program in Stockholm. One of the speakers will be David Krantz, the president of Aytzim: Ecological Judaism, parent nonprofit of Jewcology, the Green Zionist Alliance, EcoJews of the Bay, and Shomrei Breishit: Rabbis and Cantors for the Earth. He serves on the board of directors of the American Zionist Movement, Arizona Interfaith Power & Light, and Interfaith Moral Action on Climate. He is also a National Science Foundation fellow researching energy policy and religious environmentalism at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability. David’s sessions will be: • EcoJudaism: Jewish Environmental Values What are the environmental laws and traditions within Judaism? Learn how environmental sustainability and Judaism coexists within our culture and how practicing Judaism means being green. • Jewish Eco-Inspiration: How to Transform Your Community Through Jewish Environmentalism A panel discussion on how Jewish environmentalism can impact communities. • A Tree of Life: Mapping the growth of the Jewish-Environmental Movement From pickle makers to bicyclists to farmers to environmental-policy wonks to Yiddishists, learn more about the nascent Jewish-environmental movement. What initiatives are working in the field? Where are they? What are their strengths and challenges? And how can you become involved? • The new concept of kosher Explore the history of kashrut, from biblical times to the present day. Learn about how the definition of kashrut has changed over time and how it continues to evolve. What will “kosher” mean tomorrow?” E-mail for registration information.

Earth Etude for Elul 19–Elul: The Month for Climate Action

August 29, 2018 No Comments

by David Krantz~ Tekiah! In Elul, we hear the call for the quintessential sound of the shofar every morning. It’s meant as a daily wake-up call to action. Perhaps appropriately, the word Tekiah itself also means “disaster.” Day after day in Elul, the shofar shouts: “Disaster! Act now!” Just as an alarm clock gives us notice that we have to get to work, the shofar reminds us that time marches onward and that our mistakes won’t correct themselves. We must actively engage with the world to repair it and our relationships with each other. The process of repentance and repair starts with recognition, and it’s time that we recognize that with human-induced climate change threatening the Earth as we know it, our relationship with our environment is greatly in need of repair in order to avert disaster. But how can we repent and repair our relationship with the Earth? Every day of Elul, we can take one step forward to mitigate and abate climate change. You can start small, with reducing your energy consumption at home; walking, biking and taking more public transportation instead of private cars; and most simply and effectively by simply reducing your consumption of meat. Yes, that’s right, eating less meat may very well be one of the most impactful ways that you can your reduce carbon emissions, since meat production and consumption — more than transportation or home-energy use — is, according to the United Nations, the single largest contributor of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Collectively, changing our diet can help change the climate. And think bigger: Next election, vote green by supporting the politicians with strong climate policies — and hold them accountable if they take office. Call your elected representatives and tell them to take action on climate change. You can magnify your impact by joining with others and becoming more involved with the Jewish-environmental movement, including organizations such as the one I run, Aytzim: Ecological Judaism. People say, “Think global, act local,” but that may not be enough in the era of the Anthropocene, the time when we humans have become the greatest force on the Earth’s systems. We need to both think and act locally, nationally and globally. It is time for us to approach wicked problems such as climate change with multiple solutions that work across multiple levels. Each of us needs to work both within our own communities as well as in cooperation with others. As Jews, we have a religious obligation to serve and guard the Earth (Gen. 2:15) — a responsibility we have neglected for too long. Elul is the designated time in our calendar for us to repent for our sins, but repentance in Judaism includes more than mere recognition or apology: Repentance also means being confronted with the opportunity to make the same mistake again and choosing differently. In Judaism, repentance means behavior change. And when it comes to upholding our responsibility serve as stewards of the Earth, stewards of God’s Creation, we are given a new opportunity to choose more wisely with the dawn of every new day. But unlike when we as individuals sin against our friends, our repentance with the Earth is societal, and our success is dependent on collective action. Each of us needs to act in concert. So both change your individual behavior and spread the word: Start climate-action conversations with your friends and relatives, and discuss climate action at synagogues, JCCs and schools. Listen to the imperative of the shofar’s daily blast: “Act now!” “Act now!” “Act now!” And heed the shofar’s call to action to avoid disaster. Elul is the month for our repentance, and as such it is, more than any other month, also the month of climate action. Tekiah! “Elul: The Month for Climate Action” Copyright 2015-2018 David Krantz, who is supported by an IGERT-SUN fellowship funded by the National Science Foundation (Award 1144616). David Krantz is a co-founder, president and chairperson of Aytzim: Ecological Judaism, the parent organization of Jewcology, the Green Zionist Alliance: The Grassroots Campaign for a Sustainable Israel, EcoJews of the Bay, and, together with GreenFaith, Shomrei Breishit: Rabbis and Cantors for the Earth. He serves on the founding team of Interfaith Oceans, and on the board of directors of Interfaith Moral Action on Climate, Arizona Interfaith Power & Light, and the American Zionist Movement.

Earth Etude for Elul 16 – Boggled by Bottles

August 26, 2018 No Comments

by Rabbi Suri Krieger~ Today, driving home from the gorgeous flower-full Massachusetts Horticulture Society in Wellesley, I had to swerve on the road three times… to avoid plastic bottles thrown out on the highway. It boggles my mind that the bottle dilemma is still one of the most abusive forms of earth erosion we are guilty of. Bottles were one of the first recycle items to be tackled, and yes… we can see recycle bins everywhere now. But the fact that we even have those bins, indicates how drastically we have missed the point. The Recycle, Reuse, Reduce trilogy is a catchy soundbite. But it is the lazy way out. Reduce, RETHINK, DISMISS is what we should be aiming for. A recycle bin placed in the corridor right next to a vending machine full of plastic pint bottles does nothing to stem the flow of toxic plastic. There are no fewer plastic entanglements for sea creatures to get trapped in today, then there were a decade ago. The Torah’s basic ethical principal of Bal Tashchit (do not destroy, or do not waste) originally was in context of cutting down trees in times of war (Deuteronomy 20). Jewish environmentalists have expanded the understanding of this principal to instruct us about waste in the vast array of circumstances in which we stand guilty. But this issue of plastic overuse continues to gnaw at me, with its ever persistent presence. Particularly because whatever efforts we have put forth in the recycle department, we continue to simply have a laissez faire attitude about divesting of plastic altogether. We have grown accustomed to convenience, and we don’t know how to wean ourselves from it. And alas… it’s not only us, with our comfortable Western life style habits, who prioritize convenience over ethical earth responsibility. My daughter Ilana was in the Peace Corps in Senegal. We visited her remote, drastically non-Western village, where basic dwellings were made of mud and straw, and there was no running water, plumbing or electricity. But there was one modern ‘convenience’ that was sadly ever present … plastic! Plastic bottles and plastic bags. They learned it from us! The familiar opening lines of the first paragraph of the Shema give us this instruction: V’ahavta et hashem Elohecha, bechol levavcha, u’vechol nafshecha, u’vechol meodecha which might be rendered as follows: Show our love of YHWH, ‘Breath of life’ with all our Love, all our soul energy, and all our proactive action. Some of us have become quite good at the heart and soul aspects of moral obligation. But we are still quite sluggish about taking appropriate action. May the largely overshadowed small stuff that we need to change, in order to heal our wounded planet, move to the top of our To Do list, as we begin to prioritize our goals these High Holidays. Rabbi Suri Krieger is the spiritual leader of B’nai Or Jewish Renewal of Greater Boston.

Earth Etude for Elul 15 – Shema: Listen to, and do for, the Earth

August 25, 2018 No Comments

by Joan Rachlin~ During Elul, the month of reflection and spiritual return, or t’shuvah, I am working to deepen my connection to the earth so that I can in turn strengthen my efforts to protect it. I want to listen to and observe nature in a more intentional way and to encourage others to do the same. We all know how to observe nature, but how—and why—should we listen to it as well? I want to both watch and listen to the miracle that is nature so that I can better understand what we have, stop taking those gifts for granted, and to become more aware of what we are losing second by second. What would I hear if I could listen to nature outside my pinpoint-tiny corner of this earth? The crackling sound of entire forests being consumed by fire, the haunting sounds of human and animal suffering during floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes, the terrifying sounds of fracking, drilling, mining, and clear cutting, and the heart-wrenching silence of polar bears and other species starving to death because their habitats have been destroyed. One of the most important words in Judaism is “Shema,” which means “listen,” “hear,” and “do.” In ancient times, Jews said “Shema” when they went into battle and we are now in the midst of a battle of a different kind…the one against climate change, which is threatening to destroy our planet. Because most of us have not yet experienced the ravages of climate change, we have no incentives to change our fossil fuel loving habits. I am therefore trying to “hear”—as well as see—nature so that I can be more aware of its fragility and of the ways in which my actions contribute to its degradation. I pray that listening will increase my learning, understanding, and ability to teach others what they can do to help mitigate climate change. Most importantly, I want to honor the “do” part of the Shema by working with others to accept our collective responsibility for healing the earth. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Few are guilty, but all are responsible,” so individual and collective t’shuvah are both essential. Anyone reading this Etude is likely already doing a lot, but we can do more. We must vote with both feet and dollars by putting our savings in socially responsible/impact investments, working for and donating to progressive candidates—whether they be in our own state or elsewhere, donating to environmental organizations, purchasing products from companies that practice sustainability, and by buying organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables from farmers markets and CSAs. Those acts—if done by great numbers of people—will matter. A lot. Finally, during Elul, I am trying to tap into the hope, awe, and call to action that Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel embodied. Susannah Heschel said that … “For my father, life was precious, every moment. He used to say, time is life, and to ‘kill time’ is to commit murder.” This exhortation feels more pressing than ever, since only we humans—acting individually, collectively, and quickly—can save the planet. Shema…My prayer this Elul is that I will immerse and remain immersed in the urgent work of turning and returning to my higher self, so that, by my spiritual return, I can plant seeds of hope for our earth’s physical return. Joan Rachlin is the executive director emerita of Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research, an international bioethics organization. She has also practiced health, criminal, and civil rights law. Joan has been involved with the Women’s Health Organization, Our Bodies Ourselves, for over 40 years and chaired its Board from 2016-2017. An active member of Temple Israel, Boston, she serves on the Leadership Council, TI Cares, and chairs the Green Team. She received a Distinguished Service Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges in 2013 and the Harvey M. Meyerhoff Award for Leadership in Bioethics from the Berman Institute for Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University in 2014. She holds a J.D. from the Suffolk Law School, and a M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health.

This Mother’s Day Be Good to Mother Earth.

May 12, 2018 No Comments

Here are ways you can be “greener” for Mother’s Day and going forward: Reduce. Try to buy less — especially those things that have a negative impact on the environment, such as plastic tableware if you have company coming for Mother’s Day dinner. Reduce your energy needs. Winter is finally over and it’s warmer inside and out. Open your windows and let the fresh air in. If it is really hot, set your thermostat no higher than 78°F (26°C) when you are home and higher when you are away (information from the U.S. Department of Energy). A programmable thermostat can make this easier to do. Reuse. If you go out to eat, bring your own containers to take home the leftovers. Styrofoam can take hundreds of years to decompose and is one of the most frequent pollutants found in our oceans. Even more scary is that fish and birds often mistake styrofoam for food and eating too much can be a death sentence. Is Mom a coffee drinker? A great present would be reusable coffee pods for her coffee maker. According to an April 2016 article in The New York Times, the 9 billion single-serve non-reusable plastic coffee pods sold in 2015 “placed end to end would circle the globe roughly 10 times.” Let’s not contribute to that pollution. Recycle. Many communities have single-stream recycling, which does make it easier as the paper, glass and plastic all go into the same containers. However, when glass and plastic are recycled, they should not have food residue and I admit sometimes I fall short in this respect (do you know how hard it is to get a peanut butter jar clean?). We all need to try harder to put out cleaner items. Cooking for Mom? Try a vegetarian meal. A recent position paper on vegetarian diets from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states: “Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity.” Going forward, think about “meatless Mondays” or whatever day of the week works for you. Resources: The Jewish Energy Guide. You can download the free guide and find articles about the sources and cost of energy; its impacts on climate change; and how we can change the inheritance we are leaving to the future inhabitants of our world. Delicious and healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes

Observations on Judaism

February 15, 2018 No Comments

For many years I have believed that my religion, Judaism, has been stolen. Why? Because Judaism has powerful messages on peace, justice, compassion, sharing, and environmental sustainability that can help shift our imperiled planet onto a sustainable path. Yet, most Orthodox Jews, while doing many commendable things, are in denial about climate change and other environmental threats and are increasingly supporting politicians who promote benefits for the wealthiest Americans and highly profitable corporations, at the expense of average Americans. I was a member of a Modern Orthodox synagogue for 48 years, prior to moving to Israel on August 3, 2016. I have found that members of the synagogue excel in acts of kindness, charity, and learning. Their dedication to Judaism is outstanding. However, while a strong majority of Jews support progressive policies, a similar majority of Orthodox Jews is conservative and hawkish. In the 2008 presidential election, while Barack Obama received 78% of the Jewish vote, about the same percent of Orthodox Jews voted for Senator John McCain. There were similar results in the 2016 election of Donald Trump. While Orthodox Jews generally know far more about Judaism than less religious and secular Jews, they are far less involved in applying Jewish values to today’s critical threats, at a time when this involvement is very much needed. Also, Orthodox Jews, like most Jews, are ignoring or downplaying Jewish teachings on veganism, the proper treatment of animals, and environmental stewardship. For these reasons and others, I think my religion has been stolen and primarily by the Orthodox Jewish community. I make this criticism reluctantly because so many Orthodox Jews are doing wonderful things in their communities, but feel that I must do so because the future of Judaism and humanity is at stake. Because I think it is urgent to get this message out, I wrote, “Who Stole My Religion? Revitalizing Judaism and Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal Our Imperiled Planet, (written with Rabbi Yonassan Gershom and Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz), and it was published in August 2016 by Ktav/Urim Publications. In the book, I argue that Judaism is a radical religion, in the best sense of the word, and that Judaism’s progressive teachings should be applied to help shift our imperiled planet onto a sustainable path. Among the Jewish teachings that I discuss are the following: Justice, justice shall you pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20); Seek peace and pursue it (Psalms 34:14); Be kind to the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (this verse in various forms occurs 36 times in the Jewish scriptures, more than any other teaching; because of this, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, former chancellor at Bar Ilan University argued that Judaism teaches a special kind of justice – empathic justice, which considers the conditions and needs of others); Love thy neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18); You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2); Jews are to be a “light unto the nations (Isaiah 49:6). My book is meant to be a wake-up call, the strongest that I could make, to the need for Jews to apply Judaism’s splendid teachings in response to current threats. However, “denial is not just a river in Egypt,” and, like most others, many Jews are in denial, in effect, ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while the world heads toward a giant iceberg.” I want my book to ring out like a shofer, to awaken people to the urgency of applying Judaism’s wonderful values in response to current crises. Among the key points in the book are: Jews should be vegetarians, and preferably vegans, to be most consistent with Jewish teachings on compassion, health, environmental sustainability, resource conservation, justice, reducing poverty, and other issues, and to help reduce the current epidemic of diseases in the Jewish and other communities and to reduce climate change and other environmental threats to humanity; Jews should be advocates for an end to current widespread abuses of animals; Jews should be environmental activists, leading efforts to avert a climate catastrophe and other environmental disasters; There should be a global Marshall-type plan, in which the U.S. and other developed nations devote a small percent of their income to efforts to significantly reduce poverty, hunger, Illiteracy, illness, pollution, and other societal ills. This would help improve the image of the U.S. and other countries that joined the effort, including Israel, and thereby help reduce the potential for terrorism and other violence. Israel needs a comprehensive, sustainable, just resolution of her conflict with the Palestinians, in order to avert continued and possibly increased violence and increased diplomatic criticism and isolation, respond effectively to her economic, environmental, and other domestic problems, and remain both a Jewish and a democratic state. This is also the view of many Israeli strategic and military experts. The economic system most consistent with Judaism is democratic socialism. While most people look at the world in terms of good versus evil and us versus them, demonize opponents, and listen almost exclusively to arguments that reinforce their views, it is essential to find common ground and solutions to current problems. It is essential that Jews actively apply Jewish values to current critical problems. Jews must be God’s loyal opposition to injustice, greed, and immorality, rousing the conscience of humanity. We must shout “no” when others are whispering “yes” to injustice. We must involve Judaism in the universal task of “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.” We must act as befits “descendants of the prophets,” reminding the world that there exists a God of justice, compassion, and kindness. Nothing less than global survival is at stake. The afternoon service for Yom Kippur includes the prophetic reading of the book of Jonah, who was sent by God to the city of Nineveh to urge the people to repent and change their evil ways in order to avoid their destruction. The people of Nineveh listened and changed their actions – but will we? Today the whole world is like

My Green New Year’s Resolutions

December 29, 2017 No Comments

I want to be “greener” this year and here are my plans: Resolution #1: Reduce. I am going to buy less — especially those things that have a negative impact on the environment, such as plastic tableware when I have company coming for dinner. I am also going to reduce my energy needs. I am going to wear more layers of clothing at home this winter, for example, so I can lower my thermostat without feeling cold. Resolution #2: Reuse. When we go out to eat, I am going to try to bring my own containers to take home the leftovers. Styrofoam can take hundreds of years to decompose and is one of the most frequent pollutants found in our oceans. Even more scary is that fish and birds often mistake Styrofoam for food and eating too much can be a death sentence. On the positive side, I already have purchased small reusable coffee pods for my coffee maker. According to an April 2016 article in The New York Times, the 9 billion single-serve non-reusable plastic coffee pods sold in 2015 “placed end to end would circle the globe roughly 10 times.” I love my coffee, but I don’t want to contribute to that pollution. Now may also be the time to gift my office with refillable pods and coffee to fill them. Resolution #3: Recycle. We have single-stream recycling where I live, which does make it easier as the paper, glass and plastic all go into the same containers. However, when glass and plastic are recycled, they should not have food residue and I admit sometimes I fall short in this respect (do you know how hard it is to get a peanut butter jar clean?). But I am going to try harder. Here are some other suggestions for your New Year’s Resolutions: For Omnivores: A recent position paper on vegetarian diets from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states: “Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity.” As a vegetarian, my bases are covered. But we all know that eating habits are hard to change, so start gradually — take one day a week to try vegetarian options. Lighting: As your bulbs burn out, replace them with energy-efficient bulbs. LED bulbs have come down in price, contain no mercury and only use one-sixteenth of the energy of conventional bulbs. Water: Our world is water-challenged. About seven hundred million people cannot afford and/or have no access to safe drinking water. In the United States, we are seeing more severe droughts, due to higher temperature changes. The higher cost of water is a factor as well. The Circle of Blue, a non-profit that monitors the world water supply, has indicated that the residential water rate in the United States has increased by 41% since 2010. Water rates are dependent on the cost of operation and management of pumps, pipes and treatment facilities. Those of us lucky enough to have clean drinking water should be thankful — it is necessary for life. And yet, we continue to waste water, with uncontrolled running water in sinks and showers, leaky faucets, and over-flushing, water-inefficient toilets. Running bathroom faucets use 2 gallons of water per minute. I try to turn the water off when I brush my teeth until it’s time to rinse. I also try to take shorter showers that feel just as good with my low-flow shower head. And I buy all-natural, biodegradable shampoo and soap, which is sold in most supermarkets today. The average toilet uses 1.6 gallons per flush and older toilets can use up to 3.5 gallons. You can replace your toilet with one that is more efficient, but a less expensive solution is to put a half-gallon sealed container full of water in your toilet tank — you’ll use 1/2 gallon less each time you flush. More information: A great place to get more ideas about what you can do to help the Earth in the New Year is the Jewish Energy Guide. There you can find articles about the sources and cost of energy; its impacts on climate change; and how we can change the inheritance we are leaving to the future inhabitants of our world.

Jewish Teachings on Ecology

October 18, 2017 No Comments

This post is chapter 4 of the 1982 second edition of my book,”Judaism and Global Survival.” The complete text can be read freely at www.JewishVeg.org/schwartz, where I also have over 250 articles. Comments and suggestions always welcome. . ============ “In the hour when the Holy one, blessed be He, created the first human being (Adam), He took him and let him pass before all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: ‘See my works, how fine and excellent they are! All that I have created, for you have I created them. Think upon this and do not dispoil and destroy My world, For if you do, there is no one to set it right after you.’ ” Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:28 When God created the world, He was able to say, “It is very good.” (Genesis 1:31) Everything was in harmony as God had planned, the waters were clean, and the air was pure. But what must God think about the world today? What must God think when the rain He provided to nourish our crops is often acid rain, due to the many chemicals emitted into the air by industries and automobiles; when the ozone layer He provided to separate the heavens from the earth to protect all life on earth from the sun’s radiation is being depleted; when the abundance of species of plants and animals that He created are becoming extinct at such an alarming rate in tropical rain forests and other threatened habitats, before we are even been able to study and catalog many of them; when the abundant fertile soil He provided is quickly being depleted and eroded; when the climatic conditions that He designed to meet our needs are threatened by global warming? Consider the extreme differences between conditions at the time of creation and conditions today: * “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2) “In the beginning of the technological age, man recreated the heavens and the earth. To the earth he gave new form with dynamite and bulldozer, and the void of the heavens he filled with smog. *”And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters…. Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ (Genesis 1:6) “Then man took oil from beneath the ground and spread it over the waters, until it coated the beaches with slime. He washed the topsoil from the fertile prairies and sank it in the ocean depths. He took waste from his mines and filled in the valleys, while real estate developers leveled the hills. And man said, ‘Well, business is business.’ “Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth…. Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds.’ And it was so. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1: 11, 24) “But man was not so sure. He found that mosquitoes annoyed him, so he killed them with DDT. And the robins died, too, and man said, ‘What a pity.’ Man defoliated forests in the name of modern warfare. He filled the streams with industrial waste, and his children read about fish… in the history books. “So God created humans in His own image; in the image of God He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over… every living thing.’ (Genesis 1:27-28) “So man multiplied and multiplied — and spread his works across the land until the last green blade was black with asphalt, until the skies were ashen and the waters reeked, until neither bird sang nor child ran laughing through cool grass. So man subdued the earth and made it over in his image, and in the name of progress he drained it of its life…. Until the earth was without form and void, and darkness was once again upon the face of the deep, and man himself was but a painful memory in the mind of God.”[i] Today’s environmental threats bring to mind the Biblical ten plagues that appear in the Torah portions which are read in synagogues in the weeks before the ecological holiday of Tu B’Shvat: * When we consider the threats to our land, waters, and air due to pesticides and other chemical pollutants, resource scarcities, acid rain, threats to our climate, etc., we can easily enumerate ten modern “plagues”. * The Egyptians were subjected to one plague at a time, while the modern plagues threaten us all at once. * The Jews in Goshen were spared most of the Biblical plagues, while every person on earth is imperiled by the modern plagues. * Instead of an ancient Pharaoh’s heart being hardened, our hearts today have been hardened by the greed, materialism, and waste that are at the root of current environmental threats. * God provided the Biblical plagues to free the Israelites, while today we must apply God’s teachings in order to save ourselves and our precious but endangered planet. JEWISH TEACHINGS ON ECOLOGY Many fundamental Torah principles express and make concrete the Biblical statement, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalms 24:1): 1. People are to be co-workers with God in helping to preserve and improve the world. The Talmudic sages assert that the assigned role of the Jewish people is to enhance the world as “partners of God in the work of creation.”[ii] The following Psalm reinforces this concept: “When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your hands, The moon and work which you have established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You do

Earth Etude for Elul 23 – Collective Versus Personal Action in the Jewish Bible

September 13, 2017 No Comments

by Andy Oram~ Environmental activists are constantly juggling between the personal and the political. Do we devote our efforts to using our cars less, substituting vegan meals for meat, and recycling? Or do we canvas our friends and neighbors to pressure governments and businesses to adopt more planet-friendly technologies? We know that we need to do both the personal and the political, but those of us who have taken the environment as our cause have found ourselves swinging between them in a way that is frustrating and distracting. And as we prepare for the High Holidays, we always look for how to do more good in the upcoming year. Perhaps we can learn something from the historical experience of the Jews. As a community (kehilah), we have constantly explored the relationship between personal responsibility and communal action. Many High Holiday prayers, such as Al Chet and Ashamnu, refer to the community in the plural even though the sins must be addressed by each individual on her own. The twice-daily V’ahavta prayer shifts abruptly (Deuteronomy 11:13-21) from the singular “you” when prescribing behavior to the plural “you” when describing the positive or negative outcomes of this behavior: rain and food at the proper times, versus drought that drives us from the land. The grammatical shift suggests that each of us must take personal action to preserve the Earth, while the results will affect all of us irrespective of our roles in creating environmental damage. And the truth of this observation is visible throughout the world, as people with small carbon footprints get deprived of their livelihoods by climate change and leave their homes to suffer war or deteriorate in refugee camps. So Jews understand that personal concerns are also communal ones. But the record becomes muddier when we look at the history of “people power” in Israel. In fact, the Bible gives us little to celebrate. Communal Israelite acts include the idolatry of the golden calf, the invitation to the Benjaminite men to replenish their tribe by abducting women from a religious festival (Judges 21:20-23), and the demand for a king (I Samuel 8:4-22). The leaders of the Israelites concur in all these disastrous decisions. To find a positive example of the relationship between policy and individual action, turn to the evil city of Nineveh in the book of Jonah. After the reluctant prophet proclaims the destruction of the city, the people of Nineveh, “from great to small,” take penance on themselves (Jonah 3:5). Upon hearing of the prophecy, the king joins them and declares the spontaneous fast to be a policy. Sackcloth and ashes here represent both a personal sacrifice and a public statement, like building a solar farm and then pressuring the government to connect other people to it for electricity. When we want to change behavior, we should start with ourselves. But we need not be so ascetic as to hamper our beneficial efforts. For instance, environmental leader Bill Kibben has assured followers that taking an airplane to attend a climate change rally is a good expenditure of carbon–the best, in fact. If we persuade friends and religious congregants to change their individual behavior, we can also transform them politically. After putting hours of effort into composting or taking public transportation, a person naturally starts to think, “What if another hundred million people could do what I have done?” This should lead them to investigate the structural barriers that keep others trapped in environmentally damaging lives, and to demand political changes that spread the good they’ve done even further. Like all deep and abiding social changes, the shift to sustainable human life will be a grass-roots movement that blossoms into political action. Andy Oram is a writer and editor at O’Reilly Media, a technology publisher and conference provider. He is currently interim secretary of the Jewish Climate Action Network and participates often in their activities in the Boston area. Some of his other writings can be found at http://praxagora.com/andyo/fiction and http://praxagora.com/andyo/personal/gloss.html.

Earth Etude for Elul 19 – Keeping Agreements as a Spiritual Practice

September 9, 2017 No Comments

by Rabbi David Jaffe~ I am a people pleaser. On the surface that may sound just fine. I get along well with people, care about people and want to give them what they want. But the motivations for my people pleasing reveal its dark underside. I don’t like conflict, so I will do whatever is necessary to make sure people like me. For example, I will say yes to things I know I will never do, sacrificing my integrity to avoid the momentary discomfort and hard feelings of saying no. I am not sharing this publicaly to self-flagellate. Rather, my own condition is instructive for many people because these patterns of behavior are not of my own invention and are not a “personal problem.” On the contrary, I have been trained well by the dominant Protestant middle-class culture of the United States to be a good cog in the capitalist machine. This training teaches us to work hard, keep your head down, conform, avoid conflict, get people to like you and you will achieve a level of comfort that is the goal of life. Then, do whatever possible not to lose this comfort. This means avoiding hard things with other people that might create conflict. Caitlin Breedlove, a community organizer with the Auburn Seminary, names the broader implications of conflict avoidance in Elizabeth Aeschlimann’s powerful unpublished master’s thesis, Getting Mixed Up With Each Other (May, 2017, Harvard Divinity School). Breedlove, who was raised working class, recounts numerous experiences with middle-class college students and organizers who said yes to certain agreements and then broke their word in the course of work together. The difficult changes community organizing seeks to make take relationships people can count on. Without knowing that someone really has your back, it is hard to fight for real change. Breedlove tells Aeschlimann that people involved in campaigns, “… really wanted spiritual accompaniment on the road… I think when you’re really accompanying them, you have a spiritual covenant with them. You’ve given them your word, and you’ve asked something in return.” This idea of covenant is key for Breedlove. Covenanting with someone means that you are there for them in a real and continuous way and will not break your agreements, even if it makes you deeply uncomfortable. Am I willing to give up the momentary comfort of saying yes to a request and instead have the integrity to make agreements I will keep? Am I willing to always keep my word? A lot is at stake in the white middle class in our country confronting these questions. On an environmental level we have an implicit agreement with future generations to steward the earth and leave it in better shape than how we found it. Will we follow through with that agreement? Will we keep our word to our children or sacrifice our integrity for short term economic comfort. In the language of Middot – Jewish soul traits – the commitment and integrity Breedlove advocates is called Emunah – trustworthiness and reliability. A traditional blessing given to couples upon marriage is, “May you build a Bayit Ne’eman B’Yisrael – a trustworthy and reliable home.” This Elul I am asking myself to sacrifice comfort and risk creating conflict with people by only saying yes to things I can actually do. Taking on a commitment, no matter how small, means actually following through and doing it. If everyone with these same people pleasing patterns can commit to keeping our word, we can make this world a Bayit Ne’eman, a reliable, trustworthy home, where we responsibly steward this miraculous earth for the generations to come. Rabbi David Jaffe is the author of Changing the World from the Inside Out: A Jewish Approach to Personal and Social Change, winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award for Contemporary Jewish Life. He is the Founder and Principal of Kirva Consulting, which helps individuals and organizations access spiritual wisdom for creating healthy, sustainable relationships and communities. He blogs at rabbidavidjaffe.com.

Small Changes Add Up to Make a Big Difference!

January 1, 2017 No Comments

After the November election, many of us were left with numerous concerns, including about how the president-elect and his advisors will deal with environmental issues such as climate change. While those concerns are still valid, I realized there are many things I could change about how I live my life that can make a difference for the environment. I made three resolutions: reduce, reuse and recycle. Resolution #1: Reduce. I am going to buy less — especially those things that have a negative impact on the environment, such as plastic tableware when I have company coming for dinner. I am also going to reduce my energy needs. I am going to wear more layers of clothing at home this winter, for example, so I can lower my thermostat without feeling cold. Resolution #2: Reuse. When we go out to eat, I am going to try to bring my own containers to take home the leftovers. Styrofoam can take hundreds of years to decompose and is one of the most frequent pollutants found in our oceans. Even more scary is that fish and birds often mistake Styrofoam for food and eating too much can be a death sentence. On the positive side, I already have purchased small reusable coffee pods for my coffee maker. According to an April 2016 article in The New York Times, the 9 billion single-serve non-reusable plastic coffee pods sold in 2015 “placed end to end would circle the globe roughly 10 times.” I love my coffee, but I don’t want to contribute to that pollution. Now may also be the time to gift my office with refillable pods and coffee to fill them. Resolution #3: Recycle. We have single-stream recycling where I live, which does make it easier as the paper, glass and plastic all go into the same containers. However, when glass and plastic are recycled, they should not have food residue and I admit sometimes I fall short in this respect (do you know how hard it is to get a peanut butter jar clean?). But I am going to try harder. Here are some other suggestions for your New Year’s Resolutions: For Omnivores: A recent position paper on vegetarian diets from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states: “Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity.” As a vegetarian, my bases are covered. But we all know that eating habits are hard to change, so start gradually — take one day a week to try vegetarian options. Lighting: As your bulbs burn out, replace them with energy-efficient bulbs. LED bulbs have come down in price, contain no mercury and only use one-sixteenth of the energy of conventional bulbs. Water: Our world is water-challenged. About seven hundred million people cannot afford and/or have no access to safe drinking water. In the United States, we are seeing more severe droughts, due to higher temperature changes. The higher cost of water is a factor as well. The Circle of Blue, a non-profit that monitors the world water supply, has indicated that the residential water rate in the United States has increased by 41% since 2010. Water rates are dependent on the cost of operation and management of pumps, pipes and treatment facilities. Those of us lucky enough to have clean drinking water should be thankful — it is necessary for life. And yet, we continue to waste water, with uncontrolled running water in sinks and showers, leaky faucets, and over-flushing, water-inefficient toilets. Running bathroom faucets use 2 gallons of water per minute. I try to turn the water off when I brush my teeth until it’s time to rinse. I also try to take shorter showers that feel just as good with my low-flow shower head. And I buy all-natural, biodegradable shampoo and soap, which is sold in most supermarkets today. The average toilet uses 1.6 gallons per flush and older toilets can use up to 3.5 gallons. You can replace your toilet with one that is more efficient, but a less expensive solution is to put a half-gallon sealed container full of water in your toilet tank — you’ll use 1/2 gallon less each time you flush. More information: A great place to get more ideas about what you can do to help the Earth in the New Year is the Jewish Energy Guide. There you can find articles about the sources and cost of energy; its impacts on climate change; and how we can change the inheritance we are leaving to the future inhabitants of our world. And here’s more information on greening made easy: Green Your Home Green Your Office Think about what you are doing now and what changes you can make. Even if the government isn’t on the same page, as individuals, we still can accomplish a lot for the environment.

Making Hanukkah Green, Inspiring Future Generations

December 6, 2016 No Comments

This blog is written by guest blogger Leah Schuckit, JCRC Fall 2016 Social Justice Intern. As a young Jewish kid, Hanukkah was my favorite time of the year. I can still remember being in grade school and impatiently waiting for my Hebrew School lessons to turn to the Maccabees and the Temple menorah’s miracle. I remember the way that certain brands of candles smelled once you lit them and the excitement I felt when my family would start singing Hanukkah songs. I remember all of this alongside the more central concepts of Judaism I was taught in my childhood—most notably, the Jewish focus on making the world a better place for future generations. Hanukkah, while it may be a minor Jewish holiday to some, is an especially significant event every year for many Jewish children. Incorporating eco-friendly practices into your family’s Hanukkah rituals not only contributes to healing our Earth but also instills the importance of being environmentally-conscious in the next generation of Jewish children. Here are a few ways to incorporate environmentalism into your upcoming Hanukkah festivities: Buy Local for your Latkes o Shrink your carbon footprint by getting potatoes and onions from local markets that operate winter hours like City Greens Market, Soulard Farmers Market, or Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. Large-scale, non-local food companies often use harmful agricultural processes to boost profits through increased production of pesticide-ridden, chemically-altered foods. Talk to your children about the value of buying local: you help to heal the earth while supporting local businesses. Make the Most of your Menorah o Candle lighting is a staple of Hanukkah festivities, but you can reduce the harm it causes while still maintaining its magical effect. Look into buying candles made from natural beeswax or vegetable oil. If you have more than one child, consider only lighting one menorah and have your children take turns lighting the candles. It is custom to leave your menorah in the window for the public to see, so turn off some or all of your lights to better appreciate the menorah’s magic. Do-It-Yourself Recycled Hanukkah Decorations o In the time leading up to Hanukkah, save up scraps of materials you might otherwise throw away. Have a craft day with your children to make recycled and recyclable decorations for your home. Consider helping your children to make their own wrapping paper with scraps of paper left behind from other projects. Chag Sameach!

Three Simple Steps Toward Going Green

November 7, 2016 No Comments

If you are someone who cares about protecting the environment, you may find yourself frustrated at times because you are not doing as much as you could to change your lifestyle. While caring for God’s creation and reducing waste (baal tashchit) are important principles in Judaism, you don’t have to do it all to make a difference. Here are a few simple suggestions to get you going on the right path. Start slow and keep it going: As with anything in life, creating eco-friendly change is more likely to succeed if you take it one small step at a time. Don’t try to change too much, too fast. For example, as you run out of conventional cleaning supplies, replace them with natural alternatives. Allow each change to settle in and become more routine before you attempt a new one. Your changes will be less dramatic but more sustainable. Not doing everything does not mean you can’t do anything: You may not realistically be able to put solar panels along your entire roof or get 100 percent off the grid, but don’t let that stop you from doing the smaller things that still matter. There are many simple things you can do that cost almost nothing and make a difference. A few examples include using public transportation, shopping at secondhand stores and eating a more plant-based diet. Shift your focus from what you are not doing to what you are doing. What you buy is less important than what you do: Don’t beat yourself over the head because you don’t drive a hybrid or have a closet full of fair trade organic clothing. The simplest and most effective way to create a positive environmental impact is by reducing your consumption. Buy less. An eco-friendly life does not have to be time consuming or expensive. Do what you can and start with small steps. The change will add up. Resources: Earth 911

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Tag: Recycling