Holiday Resources
Several Jewish holidays have environmental themes or messages. The following information will help you observe these holidays in an environmentally friendly manner allowing you to fulfill your moral and ethical obligation to care for creation.
Tu B'Shvat Actions Passover Hanukkah 8 Days 8 Actions
Tu B' Shvat Actions
I pledge to make a difference for the planet and:
Drive Less - 15 miles less driving per week (bike, carpool, walk) keeps 900 lbs of climate changing carbon dioxide (CO2) from entering the atmosphere each year
Plant Trees - Beautify & cool my home while removing CO2 from the air by planting trees. LADWP & TreePeople give free trees away.
Eat Less Meat - Planetary & personal health is greatly enhanced by eating lower on the food chain. Eat meat- free meals at least twice per week.
Drive Smart - A hybrid, natural gas, all electric or high mileage conventional gas vehicles eliminates up to 5600 lbs. of CO2 per year. Clean oil and properly inflated tires eliminate 1000 lbs of CO2 per year from the air.
Light Up - Replace 3 incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs in my home or business and eliminate 300 lbs of CO2
Recycle - Recycling half of the aluminum, glass, plastic and paper that I use will reduce carbon dioxide by 2400 lbs. per year.
Turn It Down, Turn It Up, Turn It Off - Turn my heater down and air conditioner up by 3 degrees and save 1050 lbs of CO2 per year. Turning off lights, appliances, computers and televisions when not in use can save electricity and money.
Wash With Cool Water - 2 loads of laundry per week in cold or warm water instead of hot (and hang stuff out to dry) saves 500 lbs. of CO2 per year
Shop Smart, Save Money - Buy "Energy Star" refrigerators and other appliances and save money as well as 1000 lbs of CO2 per year
Get "Green" Electricity - By signing up for LADWP's "Green Power" Program or installing solar panels you can reduce pollution
Go "Native" - Growing indigenous plants reduces water, fertilizer and pesticide use. This helps local wildlife, reduces pollution and saves valuable resources.
Eat Local - Purchasing food from local farmers markets frequently reduces pollution caused by transport, animal waste products and bad farming practices
Join & Make a Difference - Become a member of CoejlSC today to further the cause of Jewish environmental education and action as well as keep us up to date about CoejlSC activities & alerts. 310.841.2970 info@CoejlSC.org
This year Passover occurs right before Earth Day. We encourage the Jewish community to find new ways to engage in the holidays as a natural way to teach about the moral and ethical obligation of environmental stewardship, and to use this knowledge as a source of renewal and inspiration to take action.
Ten Acts Prohibited by Jewish Law and Ten Plagues of the Modern World
- Needless destruction
- Non-sustainable energy use
- Air pollution
- Water pollution
- Noise pollution
- Destruction of species and habitat
- Release of dangerous (or toxic) substances
- Disregard for stewardship of the Earth
- Failure to speak or prevent environmental degradation
- Disregard for future generations
ECO TIP: Remove chametz from your home to make your life more sustainable.
Refraining from chametz during Pesach, reminds us of the simple life our ancestors led in the desert. We too can simplify our environmental impact by following the Jewish law of bal tashchit—not wasting or using more than we need in our everyday lives.
Pesach is a perfect time to take an "environmental inventory" of the chemicals in your home and synagogue as you clean out chametz and determine how these toxins should be removed and disposed of in the proper manner and replaced with products that do not threaten the health of you or your family. In keeping with removing all the chametz from our lives, it’s also a good time to clean out your closets and remove clothes and other items you no longer use and donate them to others in need.
Hanukkah: 8 days 8 actions
Happy Hanukkah!
Day 1: Let there be sustainable light. Change one regular bulb in your home to a CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light).
It is estimated that about three light bulbs burn five or more hours a day in the average US home. If those three bulbs were replaced with compact fluorescents in every home, it would eliminate about 23 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Don't be fooled by the seemingly higher prices of CFLs. They last ten times as long as standard incandescent bulbs and use only a quarter of the energy to produce the same amount of light – a modern Hanukkah miracle!
Day 2: Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120ºF).
Water heaters are the second largest energy users in the home, averaging about 20% of all household energy use. With heaters set at the maximum 140ºF, most of us need to dilute our hot water by turning on the cold tap anyway. By changing the setting to 120ºF you'll not only save energy, but also avoid scalding your hands!
Day 3: Lower your thermostat 3ºF.
Did you know that for each degree that you lower your thermostat in the winter, you could cut your energy use by about 3%? By lowering your thermostat just 3ºF, you can reduce your energy consumption by nearly 10%. You probably won't even notice the difference!
Day 4: Skip a car trip.
Transportation, specifically in automobiles, is responsible for about a third of American greenhouse gas emissions. What's worse, while the trend is to buy large SUVs or 8-passenger vans, we spend the majority of our time driving alone. Carpooling helps, and buying locally cuts down on unnecessary driving as well. Today, walk, run, skate, bike, or take public transportation instead of a car ride.
Day 5: Start a scrap paper pile.
More than 40% of all waste in US landfills is paper products. Many towns and cities now have community recycling which has helped to save trees and produce biofuels from old paper fibers that can be used to generate cleaner energy. However, we are still too quick to toss sheets with only a few lines on them. Add another important step to the recycling process right in your home by starting a scrap pile with used pieces of paper (that only are printed on one side, for example). You can use the backs for printing drafts of documents, writing notes, making shopping lists, etc. And the paper gets double the life!
Day 6: Give your home a Hanukkah gift from Energy Star.
Energy Star is a US program jointly run by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the US Department of Energy to label and promote energy efficient appliances and products. In addition to refrigerators, cooling & heating units, dishwasher, washing machines, etc. energy-efficient TVs, VCRs, and DVD players are available. If the average American were to equip their home with only products that have the Energy Star label, they'd reduce lower energy bills-and greenhouse gas emissions-by nearly a third!
Day 7: Write a letter to the President or Congress.
As you've experienced the past six days, we can all do a lot to lower energy consumption in our own homes. We also need to change our nation's energy policy to effectively reduce our nation's energy consumption. Write to the President, your representatives in Congress and local authorities to let them know what you've done at home and ask them to make changes in energy policy to promote conservation and the development of clean energy sources. .
Day 8: Have a candlelight dinner.
Roughly a quarter of the total electricity generated in the U.S. – $37 billion worth – is used for lighting. This is more electricity than the continents of South America and Africa, combined, use for all purposes! Shut off all of your lights for an hour and enjoy your last evening of latkes with the full Hanukkiah glowing. (You may want to light a few extra candles; it is traditional that we do not use the Hanukkiah as a functional lamp).
