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Climate and Energy Policy Principles

The sage Hillel says, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?" Ethics of the Fathers, 1:14 Anyone conscious of the dangers to the environment in today’s world sees the timeliness of Hillel’s saying. The environment effects us all both as individuals and as a collective. We all must be part of the “I” which is the human race and act for ourselves because otherwise who will. Further, action must happen now before any more irreparable harm is done to our world. Concurrently, The Coalition for the Environment and Jewish Life ("COEJL") ...

Birkat Hahammah Covenant of Commitment

In a wonderful confluence of circumstances, the first night of Hanukkah in 2008/5769 fell on December 21, the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice. It is the longest night of the year, marking a day when the sun’s path is as low, as southerly and as scarce in its heavenly trek as it ever is. But it is also at this very moment that the darkening journey halts (sol-stice – sun-stopping). The sun stops, reverses course, and moves upwards and northward toward longer, lengthier hours of light again. The lengthening minutes of sunlight match the increasing number of lights we kindle in our homes. Three months later, the next ...

The Rainbow and an Ethic of Sustainability

By Jonathan Neril View a source sheet/ discussion guide And G-d said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I give between Me and you, and every living being that is with you, to generations forever; I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall happen, when I place a cloud over the earth, and the bow will be seen in the cloud, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living being among all flesh, and the water shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.” (Bereshit/Genesis 9:12-15, Artscroll Translation) ...

Green Glossary

Green Glossary Excerpt: Just what is sustainability? What is organic? Do I have a carbon footprint? And what exactly does it mean to be green? ...

Green Consumerism

Purchasing Excerpt: Consider the environmental impacts of your everyday purchases from office and classroom supplies to products used for Jewish celebrations and lifecycle events. ...

Conservation Category Greening Guide

Excerpt Eager to learn how you can help? This guide contains the following sections: Conserve Energy Conserve Land and Curb Consumption Eco-Friendly Food, Cleaners and Other Products Reduce Paper Wastage Reduce Pollution Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Save Water Learn more at http://urj.org/green/building/checklist/.

Room By Room Greening Guide

Excerpt: This room-by-room Greening Guide includes the following sections: Architecture: Greening the Building Bathroom: Greening the Bathroom Classroom: Green Learning Commuting: Driving to Greener Pastures Green Gardens: Eco-landscaping Kitchen: Eco-Kosher Office Space: Greening Your Work Learn more at http://urj.org/green/building/checklist/.

Greening Your Building

Greening Your Building Excerpt: When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it. (Deuteronomy 22:8) ...

Energy Audit

Excerpt: An energy audit is the first step in understanding the current energy consumption in the synagogue facility (or home) and how to improve upon its efficiency. Energy audits can be conducted by professional engineers and participating local utility companies; or you (and members of the congregation) can do it yourselves. ...Here are some other additional energy saving suggestions from www.stopglobalwarming.org: Insulate your water heater and turn the thermostat down to 120 degrees – save 1500 lbs of CO2 and $70 per year. Plant a tree – trees suck up CO2 and provide oxygen ...

Environmental Holiday Guides

Summary: Incorporate envrionmental awareness into your holiday celebrations with these holiday guides for Shabbat, the High Holidays, Sukkot, Chanukah, Tu B'Shevat and more. The guides also cover secular celebrations including Thanksgiving and Fair Trade Month. Excerpts: Chanukah Commission on Social Action Chanukah Guide COEJL: Green Gift Guide COEJL: Gift Wrapping COEJL's Program Bank listings Sustaining the Light: Green Programming for Chanukah Union for Reform Judaism's Chanukah Page Purim Fair Trade Mishloach Manot COEJL's Green Gift Guide COEJL's Program Bank listings Union for Reform Judaism's Purim ...

Travel Justly

Travel Justly Excerpt: The work of tikkun olam does not just happen at home. When we travel, we can help build a more just, more sustainable world, rather than make travel choices that tread heavily on our environment and our fellow human beings. As we work to green our Movement and continue to champion the rights of all our neighbors, especially those with the greatest need, we can use travel as a way to honor our Jewish values. The URJ is committed to traveling justly, and we hope you will join us in this effort! Learn more about the impact travel has on others and the world around us and help us all makemore just travel choices. Le...

Green Table, Just Table Program Bank

Sample Programs: A Life-Long Commitment to Food Justice: Beth Haverim Shir Shalom (Mahwah, NJ) Counting the Omer: Main Line Reform (Wynnewood, PA) Learn more at http://resources.rj.org/rac/food/.

Recipes for Ethical Eating

Recipes for Ethical Eating To help you find exciting and delicious alternatives to red meat, we've pulled together a few great non-meat recipes from Entrée to Judaism: A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora and Chocolate Chip Challah and Other Twists on the Jewish Holiday, two wonderful cookbooks published by the URJ Press. Learn more at http://urj.org/life/food/?syspage=document&item_id=27464.

Food Blessings

Excerpt: Explore ways to reconnect your eating to your Jewish values by setting aside time to celebrate your food with the traditional Jewish food blessings. Learn more at http://urj.org/life/food/?syspage=document&item_id=27462.

Standing Together: A Social Justice Guide for Shavuot

Summary: It has been said that the entire Torah exists to establish justice. Thus, through the study of Torah and other Jewish texts, Shavuot offers us an opportunity to re-commit to tikkun olam. Pages 11 - 15 feature Shavuot and the environment. Learn more at http://rac.org/pubs/holidayguides/shavuot/.

Congregation Tu BiShevat Seder

Summary: Here tonight on this New Year of the Trees, we will think about how we can be partners with God in maintaining the work of Creation. We will notice and appreciate the bounty we have received,and we will give thanks for it. And we will go a step further to think about how to become active partners in the protection and repair of the Earth. Learn more at http://rac.org/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=2620&destination=ShowItem.

Tu BiShvat Seder

Summary: This Tu BiSh'vat seder is a call to action. While the Tu BiSh’vat seder is meant to be a celebration of our relationship with nature, it is also a time of education and reflection, a time to look at our impact on the world around us and change the way to interact with our environment during the coming year. Learn more at http://rac.org/pdf/index.cfm?id=2069&pge_prg_id=10096&pge_id=3010.

The Stewardship Paradigm in the Torah Portion of Bereishis/Genesis

by Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth View a Printable Version | View a Source Sheet Few texts have had a deeper influence on Western civilization than the first chapter of Genesis, with its momentous vision of the universe coming into being as the work of God. Set against the grandeur of the narrative, what stands out is the smallness yet uniqueness of humans, vulnerable but also undeniably set apart from all other beings. The words of the Psalmist echo the wonder and humility that the primordial couple must have felt as they beheld the splendor of ...

Sustainable Kiddush – How to Host One

The weekly Shabbat Kiddush table is a place of blessing, schmoozing, and simcha (happiness). But it also has the tendency to generate a lot of waste, and unhealthy eating habits. The list below offers a few resources and ideas for making your kiddush table healthy and sustainable. The same ideas can easily be transferred to your next synagogue social event, Hadassah meeting, book club, or canned food drive. Thanks to Edith Stevenson of Vancouver, BC for her input on this list. Please continue to add your own ideas in the comments section. Start a kiddush committee at your synagogue. Get together a group of people who like to cook and give ...

Healthy, Sustainable Passover Resources

Pesach is the Jewish tradition’s “eat seasonal” poster child. Also known as “Chag Ha-Matzot” (possibly a holiday celebrating the new barley harvest) and Chag Ha-Aviv (“holiday of spring”), Passover is a time to notice and celebrate the coming of spring. The seder plate abounds with seasonal symbols: the roasted lamb bone celebrates lambs born in spring; karpas symbolizes the first green sprouts peaking out of the thawed ground; and a roasted egg recalls fertility and rebirth. Pesach offers a perfect opportunity to combine the wisdom of a traditional Jewish holiday with our contemporary desire to live ...