To Till and to Tend

My cousin mentioned that at her minyan, Lomdim in Chicago, they showed The Gleaners and I on Shavuot, thematically tying in the activity of Ruth to contemporary behaviors.  Gleaning is the biblical precept of leaving the corners of the fields unharvested so that the poor can collect grain for their sustenance.  In contemporary times, there is still a gleaning movement.  The Society of Saint Andrew is dedicated towards salvaging crops for the hungry, accomplishing two mitzvot at once: feeding the hungry and avoiding waste, bal tashit. 
In urban contexts, there are many food salvage programs that help feed the hungry, like Second Harvest and our local Philabundance.  Another trend developing, is called Freganism.  Fregans dumpster dive and trashpick as a life style, calling attention to the astronomically wasteful American lifestyle.  Generally fregans have opted out of a high consumption lifestyle and, not being homeless, are a different demographic than people who live on the streets.
The Internet iscleverly utilized to match givers and gleaners.  My personal favorite is freecycle.org – there are thousands of local freecycle groups where folks go daily to offer and request items.  My latest give-away was two bird-feeders that were attracting more squirrels the feathers; my next request is lined 3-hole paper.  Most households have a lot of that sitting around at the end of the school year!
Many freecyle(TM) participants post things we see on the street, dubbed “Curb Alerts”.  Much akin to gleaning, people leave items up for grab on the corners of their driveways.  One question which comes up on Freecycle lists is whether it’s ok for people to resell items claimed via Freecycle, on Ebay or at flea markets.  I say that’s great.  It’s helping people to earn income, keeps things out of the waste stream, and since the donor was obviously too lazy to bother, the reseller is offering an environmental service.  Craigs List also has a large section of free items. 
Whether you glean out of ideological conviction, for sport, or from need, it is an ancient and wonderful system!

 

Inspired by Shavuot and the celebration of receiving the 10 commandments, my mind drifted to all of those other 10 commandments out there.  Lists of “10 Actions to Save the Planet” abound – but do they really matter?

During a time when global environmental catastrophes loom large, clear and real, we may debate the impact of our individual actions.  When China is opening a new coal-based power plant every week, does my switching to an energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) matter?
COEJL challenged the American Jewish community to start fighting climate change with that simple act.  During our How Many Jews Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb? campaign, Jews across America heeded the call and switched out their energy inefficient incandescent bulbs for CFLs.  From changes in homes, offices, schools and synagogues, over 80,000 CFLs were purchased, keeping approximately 29,000 tons of CO₂ out of our atmosphere.

Yes, our independent acts of environmental conservation matter.  Below is my list (I dare not call them commandments) of 10 actions with a range of required effort that will help you and your community reduce our impact on global warming.

1.  Change 5 light bulbs to energy efficient and cost effective compact CFLs ( if all American Jews did this it would be the same as taking 1.76 million cars off the road for a year)
2.  Switch out a meat meal for a vegetarian one (global livestock is responsible for 18% of CO₂ emissions and 37% of methane emissions – a greenhouse gas that is twenty times more potent than CO₂)
3.  Eat local (in the US, conventional food travels an average of 1,500 miles to reach our markets)
4.  Find new meaning in old traditions: walk or bike to synagogue (only 6% of all trips made in the US are by bike or foot)
5.  Recycle ½ of your household waste (saves 2,400 pounds of CO₂ a year)
6.  Install a programmable thermostat and drop it 2 degrees in the winter and raise it 2 degrees in the summer (saves 2,000 pounds of CO₂ a year)
7.  Eliminate “phantom loads” by unplugging unused electronics, shutting off power strips, or buying smart ones that will shut it off for you (if all phantom loads in US homes were stopped, we could shut down 17 power plants)
8.  Fully inflate your tires and improve mpg efficiency (Saves 347 lbs of CO₂ a year)
9.  Plant a tree – in your own backyard or Israel (if all Jews in America did this it, 6 million tons of CO₂ absorbed over its life)
10.  Due to the fact that CO₂ is a global gas, when you’ve taken all the actions you can, buy carbon credits to offset the rest.

As with the biblical 10 commandments, this list is only the beginning. Though it may be scary, it’s also empowering.  We – in our houses with our family, offices with our colleagues and community with our friends – can be part of the solution.