Sample environmental handout for bnai’ mitzvahs

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. “

Throughout the planning of Dylan’s Bar Mitzvah, we focused on the significance of this Jewish milestone in his life. However, we also thought about the impact this one event would have on our environment. We would like to share some of the choices we made, and we hope this information will inspire you to make changes in your own life to help preserve our planet.

Dylan’s Bar Mitzvah invitations enabled us to honor each of you, by planting a garden of 100 trees in Israel.

Trees alter the environment in which we live by moderating climate, improving air quality, conserving water, and harboring wildlife.”

The responses for the Bar Mitzvah were done via email to intentionally save paper, as well as conserve gas used for mail delivery.

The BJBE Shabbat flyers Friday night and this morning were printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper.

Only 100 percent post consumer recycled paper means that no trees were cut down in the making of that paper.”

Some of the food for the extended kiddush is organic.

Supporting organic farmers is really about supporting small communities, caring for the land, and eating in the rhythms of nature.”

Most of the desserts today were baked by Dylan’s family and friends. This is a gesture of love, and by baking instead of buying excessive packaging from purchased products was not wasted.

“If every U.S. household generated 10% less packaging waste, the volume of fuel saved by garbage trucks annually would be enough to take a busload of children on a field trip to the moon and back every day of the school year.”

The plates, silverware, cups and napkins for the extended kiddush are biodegradable and made from recycled products. As a result, when thrown away, they will decompose quickly in a landfill.

Every year, forty billion plastic utensils are thrown into landfills across the country.”

The table centerpieces are made from many re-used items and objects found in nature. The flower bulbs will be donated to Chicago’s Greencorp to beautify public spaces in Chicago.

Our family purchased carbon credits to offset the carbon emissions used by people who drove to the synagogue.

These credits go toward planting more trees to absorb the carbon each of us uses and/or to fund “clean energy” – like wind power and solar power which doesn’t produce carbon.”

“When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. “


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