Oy Vey I'm Svitzing: A Call to action

Hello and welcome to Tikkun tips, a nugget of eco-Jewish knowledge from your friends at the Teva Learning Center.

This past week, the Teva staff along with 120 Jewish Environmentalists attended the annual Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) Leadership Institute. The institute was a great opportunity to learn, connect with other Jewish Environmentalists and to simply have fun. Most of all, the institute served as a call to action to all of us as individuals, community members, political activists, and as citizens of the world. A major focus of the conference was global climate change and the consensus within the scientific community that human action is impacting the environment. There is no debate, the release of greenhouse gases is causing global climate change! The Institute provided many answered to the daunting question: But what can I do?

In the laws regarding repentance, Maimonides wrote that:

Every human being has both merits and demerits. An individual whose merits exceed their demerits is considered righteous while, conversely, an individual whose demerits outweigh their merits is considered wicked. Likewise, a person whose righteous and wicked acts are balanced is considered mediocre. This is also true of a nation. If the meritorious acts of its citizens outweigh their sinful actions, the nation is considered righteous while if the converse is true, the nation is considered wicked…. Therefore, every individual must think of themselves [and their family, community, synagogue, nation] and the world as a whole as if their merits and demerits are balanced with one another. Thus, committing one sin or one doing one righteous act can tip the balance of the world either for the good or for the bad. (Mishnah Torah, Laws of repentance 3:1,4)

Essentially, Maimonides is making a strong argument for an attitude that realizes that our actions impact the world. As Jews who are connected to the earth, we should use Maimonides clairvoyant words as inspiration to—as they say—think globally and act locally. The institute brought to my attention the many ways in which I can take Maimonides’ charge and implement real change—mitzvah by mitzvah—into my life.

Individual: Green Homes
As consumers, we all make thousands of decisions about what to eat, how to travel, and what to wear. One great example of how personal determination and a small financial commitment can go a long way came from the home of Mike Tidwell whose home I visited as part of the Shomrei Adamah’s pre-institute shabbaton. Mike took out a $7,500 loan in the hope of decreasing his home's carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent. Using these funds to install a corn husk burning stove (yes this really works), energy efficient windows, and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), mike was able to convert his home into a green home. Together, these changes were so effective that Mike’s home is now powered by 90 percent renewable energy, far surpassing his original goal of 80 percent. Mike’s home inspired me to turn off my power strips daily and to finally commit myself to replacing all of my bulbs with CFLs. For more info. On Mike’s house check out the Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Community: Green synagogues and Eastern Village Cohousing
On the second day of the institute we toured two green synagogues in the metropolitan DC area, Temple Emmanual and Temple Adath Shalom. The synagogue, as the most prominent of Jewish institutions, should be a reflection of our community values. Having synagogue structures that incorporate sustainable building practices also serves to educate others about the importance of living a life that is more sustainable.

Another example of the possibilities that arise from community action is the newly opened Eastern Village Cohousing. Incorporating green building practices, Eastern Village Cohousing members worked with a developer to turn an abandoned office building that was described as the ugliest building in Silver Spring into a beautiful eco-neighborhood with over 60 very impressive condos. One resident informed me that her energy bill is under $30 a month. This goes to show us all that living sustainably does not mean living in a shack nor does it have to be prohibitively expensive.

Nation: McCain/Leiberman Climate Stewardship Act
Another major focus of the institute was how faith-based communities can be politically active on environmental issues. Senator John McCain spoke at a session that included the Jewish Council on Public Affairs (JCPA) and Hillel’s Spitzer forum for college students—Institute participants should be congratulated for bringing climate change to the fore during the question and answer session. Some of the Teva staff visited Senator Leiberman at his office during the lobbying part of the institute and personally thanked him for his leadership on Global Climate Change. I encourage you to call your representatives in congress to encourage them to support the McCain Leiberman Climate Stewardship Act that is intended to lower industrial levels of greenhouse gas emissions. It is useful to have the bill numbers when you call or write so here they are (H.R. 749 and S 342).

For more immediate action, go to the (COEJL) action link to send a letter to your representatives about drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. This action is particularly urgent because congress is likely to vote on whether to drill in the Alaska National Wildlife refuge this Wednesday. In preparing this tikkun tip I went to the site and in less than thirty seconds, I had sent letters to all of my congressional representatives. Your letter might be the one that convinces your representative to change their vote.

All of us who attended the institute were inspired and motivated to continue our efforts to working on environmental issues. I hope that my words encourage you to find some way in which you can make change in the world. If the task seems daunting or hopeless just remember as Maimonides taught us that each little action has the potential to change the world.

JEWISH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS SEMINAR
for Camp Staff, Jewish Eductors and Naturalists

Join us for a four-day seminar, desined to give participants the tools to create exciting Jewish nature, camping, and environmental programs at your synagogue camp or institution.

Choose from five tracks:

For more information visit our website www.tevacenter.org

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