1989 results for tag: Uncategorized

Reflections on a Snow Pea

Reflections on a Snow Pea Green, flat, with a little elf hat Crispy, sweet, great to eat I wanted a snow pea, I planted a seed It grew past the radishes, carrots and weeds It reached to the sky, up my stakes and trellis My neighbors looked on, boy were they jealous It gave a white flower, then a small pea Which reached out from its blanket for something to see. The pea grew quite quickly, we’ve had lots of sun It’s time for the harvest, where we’ll reap a ton One as a tester and one to confirm One for my strength and one to affirm I love snow peas, so crispy and sweet There really ...

The Arava Institute is offering two $1000 scholarships for fall 2011 semester

www. a r a v a . o r g The Arava Institute is offering two $1000 scholarships for fall 2011 semester. Suitable candidates must Be North American Be accepted to the Fall 2011 semester.  Be able to demonstrate leadership accomplishments.  Have a passion for environmental issues. As part of the application process to the Arava Institute you are required to provide two letters of recommendation and a personal essay. To apply for the grant: 1. One of your letters of recommendation must address your leadership skills and accomplishments. 2. Your personal admission essay should highligh...

Mayim

Last weekend I was about to board a plane when I decide to buy a magazine in an airport store. As I was glancing through the mountain of options, the cover of a magazine called Fast Company caught my eye. I don’t usually stray from my favorite two or three magazines (especially in the airport where they are so expensive), but the cover of Fast Company had a picture of Matt Damon on the cover that stated “Matt Damon And His Global War For Water.” I was intrigued because although I have heard people say often that the wars of the next century will be fought over water, I really know very little about this subject area. ...

Where the Fruit Comes From

It's humid and in the 90s, the sun is high in the summer sky, and it's time for blueberry picking! We picked ours a couple of weeks ago, on an organic farm not too far from our house. I love picking fruits and berries in the summer, but I find blueberries most enjoyable. Maybe it's the way that the abundance of berries just falls into your hands; maybe it's that the bushes are at arms level. Or maybe it's just that it's the first fruit we pick in the season. In the hustle of beginning summer, we have to remind ourselves to pick before the season ends (in our area, by mid-July). When we're picking blueber...

Blessings for all

Jews love blessings. We bless our food, our weather, and our new clothes-nearly everything. Why then do we not have a blessing for planting? Today at camp, we began planting our garden. Campers were able to dig their hands—too often used for texting and videogames— into rich soil. They planted tomatoes, brussel sprouts, sweet peppers, basil, cabbage, and kohlrabi, but before we put these life-sustaining plants into the ground, we took a step back to surround our actions with consciousness and purpose. I had all the campers write their own blessings for planting, our garden, and the earth. The prayers children, aged seven to thirteen ...

Planet Jewish: “Greening” your Shabbat

Shabbat is a day of rest and spiritual enrichment for the Jewish people. It is a wonderful time to reflect on the Jewish principle of ‘bal tashchit’ which forbids wastefulness. Here are a few ways to enrich Shabbat by being more mindful of our connection to the land and of the importance preserving and restoring the Earth rather than wasting resources. Make the Shabbat Table More Sustainable. For Shabbat candles, consider using natural candles such as those made of beeswax. Beeswax candles are clean-burning, non-allergenic and are a renewable resource. If you like to have a centerpiece at your Shabbat table, consider using ...

Jewish Early Childhood Garden Conference- join us!

Planting Seeds: Jewish Early Childhood Garden Education Conference at Kayam Farm When: Sunday July 24, 2011 at 3:00pm -to- Tuesday July 26, 2011 at 3:00pm Add to my calendar Where: Kayam Farm at Pearlstone Retreat Center 5425 Mt. Gilead Rd Reisterstown, MD 21136 Driving Directions Cost: $300 per adult double occupancy $400 per adult single occupancy $50 per child 3-12 $18 per child under 3 You're invited to a wonderful event, and the first of its kind! A conference on Jewish Early Childhood Garden Education, hosted by Kayam Farm at Pearlstone, just outside of Baltimore, MD. Conference ...

What is Sustainability?

  In 1983 the Bruntland Commission formally defined sustainable development as, "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Many hard-core environmentalists and deep ecologists reject this definition because it presupposes development as the foundation for sustainability. However, many free-market capitalists think this definition goes too far and encourages unnecessary government oversight of global markets. Given the opposing viewpoints sustainable development can be considered a compromise between environmentalism and capitalism. Many ...

Interfaith Climate Change Forum in Jerusalem on July 25th

The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development Cordially Invites You To an Interfaith Climate Change Forum on the topic How Can Religions Address the Climate Crisis? with the Honorable Panelists: His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Haj Salah Zuheika, Deputy Minister of the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Religious Affairs Rabbi David Rosen, AJC International Director of Interreligious Affairs All of Whom are Members of The Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land The American Colony Hotel One Louis Vincent Street, Jerusalem Monday, July 25th, 10:00 AM The ...

Rooted Judaism

When: Sunday, July 10 at noon Where: Spertus, 610 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago Come join farmer and environmentalist Elan Margulies as he leads an interactive session that explores Judaism's connection to the earth through religious texts as well as theater and hevrutah (group study). Plus, each participant will plant their own microgreens to bring home and harvest! In addition to his accomplishments as an educator, Elan Margulies developed the science of nature curriculum for Eden Village Camp, America's first Jewish Environmental camp. He is now the farm manager and educator at Pushing the Envelope, his family's Jewish ...

All we need is love

The kids are here. 183 screaming, excited and overly energetic 2nd-8th graders, and they are ready to change the world. Rather, we want them to be ready, but, is it reasonable for adults to expect these campers to make significant social change from our camp bubble in upstate New York? Is it fair of us to ask them to attempt this mission that my generation and the generations before have failed at? I am not sure, but I do know that we can and must expect a higher level of compassion and caring this summer. Yesterday, while staking the pepper plants growing in our garden, I for the first time, started to understand Rav Soloveitchik’s ...

Where Is Our Revolution? A Call for a North American Sustainable Spring!

Spring is in the air. The youth and working class of Egypt and Tunisia have overthrown their repressive regimes while Syria, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and other Arab nations are experiencing civil unrest. In Europe, a focus on economic austerity at the expense of the youth and working class has led to clashes in France and Greece. Indigenous peoples of Bolivia, Peru and other South American countries have been working to block mining, drilling and transportation across the Andes and Amazon basin. In these parts of the world, citizens have begun to recognize their collective power, and they are showing their deep distress at the status quo. ...

New Superheroes In Kids Animated Series Are All About Saving The Environment

By Alona Volinsky Photos by Amir and Liat Shahar Could children be taught to think that being environmentalists is super cool? Israeli couple, Amir and Liat Shahar, a kindergarten teacher and a Yoga instructor, believe they have found the formula. The couple is working on a animated children’s series, Leafers, which tells the story of 4 super-powered siblings and their friend, who protect and save the world from environmental disasters. In each episode the kids go to a different location in the world that requires an urgent interference in order to save the natural habitat. By using their super-powers in a non-violent way, the ...

What is Jewish Sustainability – Jewish Agency for Israel Assembly Session

Introduction & celebration Hello, My name is Einat Kramer. I am the founding director of Teva Ivri - an organization promoting Jewish sustainability in Israel. I am here with my friends & colleagues from the environmental movement in Israel that will facilitate the round tables sessions. Together, we are part of a far-reaching movement - the Jewish environmental movement. This movement is spread all over the world and getting bigger every day. This movement is made up of thousands of individuals from all streams of Judaism, from Israel and around the world, from a variety of professions. All these ...

Goal-setting for campers

When setting goals, the more specific and achievable we make them, the more likely we can reach them! Below is a fun list of goals our campers can look through in considering their own goals for their summer at Eden Village Camp. This is just a brainstorm to get them started! ~ Farm • Make challah from scratch • Learn to use a solar cooker • Make a cob oven • Experience a farm not just as a place of food but of food, fiber, fun, fuel, farmacy, beauty and community • Leave camp with the confidence that if I want, I can create and maintain my own garden on some scale • Discover the deep and juicy connections between Judaism and agricultu...

What we learn from our teens

JEI has a teen environmental group that has been making waves (figuratively). Although only in existence for two years, this group of young people has educated others in the Jewish community on important issues such as how to green your synagogue, the dangers of polystyrene and the benefits of using rain barrels and native plants. When the next generation speaks passionately about these issues, people listen and learn. Many thanks, JEI teens!

What’s the Story?

How do you motivate people? In the Jewish-environmental movement, it seems that we share fact after fact about the environmental challenges we face, and list after list of things that people can do to make a difference. We’ve also gotten good at telling people what Jewish values should motivate them, and bringing them outdoors to grow food or see the beauty of nature. While we’ve made some headway as a movement, we certainly have not mastered environmental motivation in the Jewish community. The key to understanding motivation is that it comes from the heart, not from the head. We touch people at the level of values ...

Jewcology Celebrates our 200th Day!

Mazel tov! We're excited to be celebrating Jewcology's 200th day! Jewcology now features: 484 resources for synagogues, schools, communities and Jewish institutions (shared in the Idea Box) 342 registered users 253 blog postings 34 communities 24 video "questions of the week" featuring our partner organizations In honor of this happy anniversary, we have awarded the Jewcology Leaf to our most active participants. You can see the leaf in the corner of the profile pictures of our top participants. Look on the site to see who got the leaf, and participate actively to earn your own!

Leadership Training at Hazon Food Conference, August 21

Are you educating the Jewish community about protecting the environment? Have you faced challenges with: motivating people into action? inspiring Jews who don’t have the same values as you? or moving a community into activism and shared commitment? Jewcology is partnering with educators from Harvard University on a new leadership training intended to address these specific issues, in order to empower Jews who are seeking to educate Jewish communities about the importance of protecting the environment. Date: Sunday August 21 Time: 10:30am-6:30pm Location: UC-Davis (University of California) Cost: $60 This leadership ...

The world is sprouting at Camp Sprout Lake

It has been three days of hard work, blisters, and buckets of sweat, but it is almost time to sprout, literally. Next week, the campers of Young Judea Sprout Lake in upstate New York will arrive. For this eight-week summer, I have one goal in mind, to make clear the intimate connection our tradition has with the earth. As staff has slowly trickled in from across Israel, Canada and the United States, I am impressed by the continual excitement when they meet “the Garden Guy”. The desire to dig, plant and labor is ever present. I believe this spirit is driven by the idea of A.D. Gordon, a leader of labor Zionism, who coined the ...