Organizations
In the spring of 1992 at the invitation of Al Gore and Carl
Sagan, the leadership of the major organizations in American Jewish life,
eminent rabbis, denominational presidents, and Jewish U.S. senators gathered in
Washington, D.C. to discuss the creation of a Jewish response to the mounting
environmental crisis. Those present agreed that the Jewish community had a
responsibility to address the crisis.
In 1993, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
was created and charged with catalyzing a distinctively Jewish programmatic and
policy response to the environmental crisis. COEJL was initially envisioned as
a time-limited project to "jump start" environmental programs that
would become permanently integrated into Jewish institutions.
Established by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (then
NJCRAC), the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America, COEJL became part of the National Religious
Partnership for the Environment to enact a distinctively Jewish programmatic
and policy response to the environmental crisis.
What's Jewish about protecting the environment? For the
answer, go to http://www.coejl.org/jewviro.php
Receive a weekly environmental Torah teaching! Canfei Nesharim's Eitz Chayim Hee Torah
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“The Arava Institute brings together
Palestinian, Jordanian, Israeli, North American and others to meaningfully address
the most pressing issues of our time—peace and the environment. It is a place, in
this desert of prophets, from which voices still speak out against the abuses of
our time.”
—Rabbi Susan Silverman, JewishJournal.com
The Arava Institute for
Environmental Studies is the premier environmental teaching and research program
in the Middle East, preparing future Arab and Jewish leaders to cooperatively solve
the region’s environmental challenges. Located in the heart of Israel’s Arava desert,
the Institute is a unique oasis of environmental education, research, and international
cooperation that also fosters, among young Jews and Arabs, peace-building, long-term
relationships, and leadership skills.
In “Nature Knows No Borders,” David Weisberg describes this remarkable
experiment in environmental education. But the Arava Institute is much more than
that: “Amazingly, in a place known for war,” he writes, “an organization has found
a recipe for building peace—not through building walls, but by building bridges.”
The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), in
partnership with the Religious Action Center and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs,
has launched the next phase of its A Light Among the Nations initiative,
called “Conservation Conversations: Invite your Elected Official to Synagogue.”
Join this environmental advocacy initiative by engaging elected officials in dialogue,
at your congregation, on the crucial and timely issue of climate change. If not
now, when?
The Coalition on the
Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), the leading Jewish environmental organization
in America, is asking the Jewish community to help conserve energy and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions by installing energy-efficient, cost-effective, long-lasting compact
fluorescent lights. CFLs use 75% less energy and produce 90% less heat than incandescent
bulbs. If every household replaced one bulb with a CFL, it would have the same impact
as removing 1.3 million cars from the road! Take action now.
“Green has to become part of
America’s DNA. We’re getting there. Green has hit Main Street – it’s now more
than a hobby – bit it’s still less than a new way of life.”
—Thomas L. Friedman, “The Power of Green,” The
New York Times
Scientific studies estimate that 16% of the population
suffers with some level of sensitivity to chemicals. Anyone exposed to our
increasingly toxic environment can get, and become disabled by, Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) illness.
Governors in four states proclaimed May 2007 Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) Awareness and Education Month. “What is Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity?” www.multiplechemicalsensitivity.org
provides information about MCS and the detrimental effects of chemicals, including
pesticides, cleaning products, and anything scented such as perfume, and ways
to avoid them. Chemical-free alternatives are widely available. The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
also advocates for a cleaner planet to protect human life, health, and the
environment. Make a difference by switching to a non-toxic lifestyle!
SPNI is a tax-exempt organization, providing support for The
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), Israel's oldest and
largest environmental organization, now celebrating 50 years since its
establishment in 1953, preserving and protecting Israel's fragile natural
resources.
Also, SPNI offers day trips and hikes and longer excursions
that connect you to Israel in a unique and special way. All trips are lead by
SPNI-certified guides, who are deeply connected and knowledgeable about the
land. For more information, contact ASPNI's Outreach Director Robin Gordon at 1-800-411-0966
or robin@aspni.org.
If you are traveling to Jerusalem, SPNI-Jerusalem also
offers a specialized “Eco-Zionist Experience”. Choose a one-day or half-day
trip in the Jerusalem area, including hiking, Jewish learning, and volunteering
with Israelis. Please contact, etzhayim@jewishecoed.org.
Hazon's mission is to create and support a range of
programs, especially (though not exclusively) focused on Jewish outdoor and
environmental education, in order to bring joy and meaning to people's lives
and thus to foster new vision in the Jewish community and the world beyond.
Hazon's
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, Tu Ha’Aretz, offers an opportunity
for Jewish families to purchase an entire season’s worth of organic produce, support
local farms, build community, and expand the notion of what it means for food to
be kosher. Hazon is inviting synagogues, JCCs, or individuals to apply to start
a Tuv Ha’Aretz in their community. To find out more click here or
contact Leah Koenig.
The Green Zionist Alliance formed in 2001 with the mandate
to provide resources and promote activism for environmental issues that affect
the vitality of Israel, the Middle East, and Judaism.
With an extraordinary tapestry of diverse voices that
reaches across the political, religious, and professional spectrums, we have
forged an alliance of people and organizations to inform and to influence the
decision-making process as it relates to our shared environment.
