To Till and to Tend

This summer vacation was fun and educational! Who would have thought those two words could ever be used in conjunction? But, my internship at COEJL was eye-opening, filled with laughs and great food.

            It all started at my first “Lunch n’ Learn” with Liore and Ilana.  We went to Union Square, dined on Maoz falafel, and explored why the environment was a Jewish Issue: “I would still be an environmentalist even if I wasn’t Jewish,” I recited. Three months ago, I understood Judaism serving as a forum for those who were interested in the environment, but I never saw it as a reason to make lifestyle changes. This could be because my interest in my religion dwindled as I got older, or I was (and still am) interested in the economic/textbook/learn-it-in-a-classroom side of things.

            As I started to work on my summer project, updating the Green Synagogues Guide that is online (COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU) I slowly began to see the environmental references that bring Jews together and inspire important change. It started with Creation in the first book of Genesis, and continues up to the present with our weekly observance of Shabbat. I started to see the connection between Noah’s Ark, global warming induced mass flooding and protecting species. Liore taught me and Ilana blessings for natural occurrences like the lightning and thunder (though I am afraid of the latter). Vegetarianism is preached in the bible, and I learned why it is not only a Jewish issue, but an environmental one. (Being surrounded by two vegetarians this was an unavoidable topic.) And we can learn from history, we need to make the limited supply of oil last, just as the Maccabees did on Hannukah. And I’ve only just begun…

            My undeniably favorite, most exciting, unforgettable, deliciously amazing part of the summer was the food! And when I say food, I mean all types of food. I learned about green markets, frequented the one in Union Square, and even found one by my house. I got to talk to farmers, learn how and where my foods were produced, and support the local economy (being a resource economic minor this is outstanding to me). Now, I look forward to visiting the farmers markets in Delaware. I got to eat produce and its byproducts from The Farm – the farmer’s home-made zucchini bread never tasted better. I ate at Bobby Flay’s restaurant, Mesa Grill, in the Flat Iron District (ok, so maybe this wasn’t the most sustainable of my food choices, but he is soooooo dreamy). And, potentially the most important of all, I learned how to make my own coffee!  (I know that will come in handy for those 4 am rowing practices this season.)

            When I return to school in a couple of days, I will go back a more educated, cultured Jewish Environmentalist. I hope to become more active in Hillel, if not just for the free bagels. And I hope that I will not only further my wisdom in natural resources, but I’ll be able to look at it from a Jewish perspective.

            I will be blogging monthly, if not more – and I am excited to keep you updated on how I am incorporating my new food, coffee, and energy saving habits into my dorm room and undergraduate education.

I have an exercise bike in my basement.  It has sat idle for months – years even.  It’s not that I don’t exercise – I go to the gym regularly. However, I find it difficult to motivate to ride a stationary bike in the solitude of my own home.  But take me to a gym – and I’m in the front row of my spinning class.  These “peer pressure” exercise classes appeal to my competitive nature, I suppose.  I work out better when surrounded by others who are also working out.  This same philosophy, I’m afraid, extends to more than just exercise.

My husband first noticed my “competitive environmentalism” when we bought our hybrid a few years ago.  For months, he refused to drive if I was in the passenger seat – because I would badger him incessantly about his mileage stats.  Whenever his fuel economy “plunged” from 45 to 44 miles per gallon, I’d tell him to slow down.  If we drove fewer than 550 miles on a full tank, I’d make him recount everywhere we drove that week to figure out where the missing gas had gone. 

A few months ago, a colleague referred me to a passage, which convinced me that I’m not alone.  In an article titled, “My Mileage is Better than Your Mileage,” Bill McKibben writes:

… [Do] I pay inordinate attention to the gas gauge? Absolutely. And is it because I’m obsessed with global warming? Not really. True, that’s why I bought the car in the first place…. But if you thought about global warming all the time, you’d be nuts. When I’m behind the wheel, I’m an American—competitive, score-keeping, out to win.

And this competitive streak does not stop with hybrid cars and fuel economy.  In fact, a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research reports that only 37% of hotel guests choose to forego a fresh towel when their hotel bathroom simply urges them to “help save the environment,” while 49% of guests make the “green choice” when confronted with a customized sign indicating how many previous guests had done the same.  Another article in the New York Times reports that people dramatically reduced their electricity use when their electric bill listed the average consumption in the neighborhood – and included a frowning face on households with an above-average bill. 

Jewish tradition offers some insight for these behaviors.  As Ira Stone explains in A Responsible Life, human beings live in a constant struggle between the “evil inclination” (in Hebrew, yetzer hara) and the impulse to do good (yetzer hatov).  Humans are inherently competitive. We must strive, however, to transform the evil inclination to do good.  As Jeffrey Spitzer writes, “[w]hen properly controlled by the yetzer hatov, the yetzer hara leads to many socially desirable results.”

Herein lies the future of the American environmental movement: we must look at pride and vanity, competition and shame – and redirect these values to reduce our impact on the Earth.   Can peer pressure really be the answer to climate change?

I’d love your thoughts about ways public scrutiny can inspire green behavior.

[for more on the power of public opinion, read "On Dolly Parton and Climate Change" and "Visualizing a Changing Climate: How to Know when You've Used 'Enuff'"]

“We’re gonna drill offshore!  We’re gonna drill here, and we’re gonna drill now!” 

 

These words, recently expressed by Senator McCain at a motorcycle rally in
South Dakota, represent a major component of Senator McCain’s response to rising gas prices.  Opinion polls show most Americans support an increase in offshore oil drilling.  Senator Obama, too, has recently softened his earlier resistance to offshore oil drilling, if necessary to enact Democratic-sponsored energy bills. And this past weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dropped her formerly vehement opposition to offshore drilling in order to get Congress to enact broad energy legislation. 

 

But hold on there prospectors—there is a minor detail that both candidates and the American public seem to be missing: expanding offshore drilling at the levels sought by McCain and Congressional Republicans will have zero short-term impact and negligible long-term impact on gas prices! If the 1981 federal ban on offshore drilling were to be immediately repealed, the Bush Administration’s own Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported that it will take until 2017 before any oil whatsoever would be generated from new offshore oil leases, and maximum capacity from these new leases will not be realized until 2030.  And, even at maximum capacity, additional offshore drilling will net at best an additional 200,000 barrels of oil a day—in contrast to the world’s daily oil output of 85 million barrels.  Even those of us without advanced economics degrees can deduce that the total output from offshore drilling will have an infinitesimal impact on global oil prices.

 

So what we’ve got here is a case of “junk economics”, as Paul Krugman calls it or “snake oil salesmanship of the worst order,” in the words of John Kerry.

 

All this is juxtaposed by the clear environmental damage offshore drilling will cause, record profits for oil and gas corporations also receiving taxpayer subsidies, as well as the existing oil exploration licenses oil corporations have yet to act upon.  Politicians on both sides of the political aisle who are pushing for expanding offshore oil drilling as the solution to today’s high gas prices, therefore, ought to be ashamed of themselves for misleading the public in an effort to capitalize on a hot-button election-year issue.  And the American public, of whom 49% believe that increasing offshore drilling will immediately reduce the price at the pump, also ought to be embarrassed for allowing themselves to be misled.  In the cautionary words of the Book of Proverbs (1:22-28),

“How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness?  And how long will scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?  Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no one attended… I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh…Then will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me.” 

 

But this debate about offshore drilling is only the tip of the rapidly-melting iceberg.  The real problem is our continuing failure to formulate a comprehensive, effective energy policy that will reduce our energy costs and our dependence on foreign oil—laudable goals of the pro-drilling camp—but also do so in a way that addresses climate change and other environmental crises.  We need massive investment in wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources to increase their efficacy and reduce their costs.  And we need serious, national efforts to increase our energy efficiency and conservation.  What we don’t need are quixotic increases in offshore drilling.  It is high time we stopped acting like petroleum addicts looking for the next quick fix and started acting like informed, responsible citizens.

Last week I attended the spirited, intense National Havurah Institute in New Hampshire. Not having participated for over a decade I noted with pleasure the many ecologically smart “minhagim”, or customs, which have evolved. FairTrade coffee, as much local produce as possible, minimal disposables and encouragement to bring your own coffee mugs and even name tags. At check out, many items were collected for reuse, such as the key necklaces for our dorm rooms. And there was a book and clothing swap – all kinds of Judaica changed hands and found new homes.
So, I thought, why not do this all year, people offering their surplus Judaica – basically a national Jewish
Freecycle ^(TM)? (I am more aware of this than usual, having just helped a friend with a large Judaica library & resource collection downsize from six bedrooms to a small apartment.) But it strikes me that COEJL should be the umbrella, and invite participation from the whole Jewish community: organizations, schools, congregations, as well as individuals.
It could function both nationally and locally. People/organizations can post items they want to pass along, from an individual spice box, say, to a whole set of old chumashim or prayerbooks. Likewise, you can post what you’re seeking, so others who may have some can offer them up. (This is already done through the Reform and Conservative rabbinical associations, by the way.) Perhaps folks in Long Island are looking for 12 tablecloths for a bar mitzvah Shabbat dinner; maybe someone in their vicinity would have them to loan or pass along. Need 50 kipot? Maybe there are leftovers from a General Assembly, and all they need are new labels…. Maybe surplus Kosher food could be shipped out? On our local Freecycle (of which I am one of the moderators), people have asked for or given away matzah boxes during Passover, offered Hebrew novels from the 1960′s (4 takers on that one!), and a Judaica “starter kit” which I put together, consisting of my early Judaica, eventually replaced by newer, more lavish items. The couple who came for the starter set were delighted, and I’m sure there would be a lot of enthusiaism for acquiring a Judaica collection in such a fashion – free after paying shipping.
Anyone out there with some data base/ computer skills interested in helping us think this through? We’re envisioning a simply graphic look, a la Craig’s list. Ideas for names? Volunteers? Chime in, so we can proceed on this project, which will lower the cost, as well as the waste and duplication, and increase the sustainability, of Jewish life.

Wondering where the new, trendy vacation spot of summer 2008 is? Your backyard!

 

As the end of the summer draws near and kids are home from camp, many families and individuals alike are looking to vacation close to home. There has been a new rise in staycations –vacations in which you stay at or close to home. With so many reasons – rising gas prices, a shaky economy, or plane frustration (pun intended) many are taking advantage of all their local areas have to offer.

 

Adults take off from work, and relax at home. Kids camp out in the backyard or traverse local campgrounds.  Couples are visiting the regional spas or resort areas. Wherever you live, there are adventures to be found around the corner: go visit museums, historic sites, beaches, forests, parks, zoos and my favorite – the local tourist traps that you try to avoid every other day of the year.

 

What many Americans don’t realize is their staycation is not only an economical vacation but an eco-friendly one as well. A cross country flight from New York to L.A. can add 8,000 lbs. of CO₂ into the atmosphere – one way! Even with possible extra car-miles, by staying close to home you can dramatically reduce potential carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere.  Eating out is a big part of vacation, by staying close to home you can eat at local restaurants that cook with local ingredients. And with all the money you save from not having to buy a plane ticket you can afford to spend a couple of nights in a local green hotel.

 

As a proud Long Island resident, I recently staycationed to Orient Point, the most eastern tip of the northern fork. Along the way I saw the beautiful farms and wineries Long Island agriculture had to offer.  The local berries melted in my mouth, and the abundance of wine… (unfortunately not being of age, I could not fully enjoy the latter).  Explore and share with us what your hometown has to offer!

 

 

See what others had to say about this and get ideas on what you can do: Consumer Reports, Gristmill, MSNBC travel

When I was 12, I joined my friend for a daring swim in the beautiful, albeit jellyfish infested waters of the Mediterranean.  Back then, the Israeli coast would get an annual, two-week bout of jellyfish.  I wasn’t there long enough to wait it out, so my friend and I jumped in and were undeterred by the mild stings on our bodies.  Then, I had an encounter with a jellyfish that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy – it and I met as I dove under a wave.  It, and more importantly, its tentacles, hit my face, leaving a scar that lasted years.  (Fortunately, the family I was with knew not to pee on me.)  Though painful beyond words, it was a reality of sharing an ecosystem. 

But the tides have turned – more and more people are sharing my story.  And we have climate change to thank.

As mentioned in a recent NY Times article, “(jellyfish) are the cockroaches of the open waters.”  Jellyfish thrive in weakened environments.  Scientists say that, thanks to climate change and overfishing of jellyfish predators (like tuna), populations of jellyfish are proliferating.  Not only are beaches around the world closing, but the New York City Triathletes had to deal with (and one maybe died from) the stings of this maritime beast.

Jellyfish aren’t the only living creatures that are enjoying the CO₂ filled, warming planet that humans are creating.  Already, populations of poison ivy, superweeds and disease-carrying mosquitoes are increasing, yielding greater incidences of itchy children, resistant weeds and malaria.  I am lucky enough to be non-allergic to poison ivy’s oils (so far) and the organic “farm” on which I “work” has minimal weed problems.  Still, the spread of malaria scares me – more than half the world’s population lives in malaria infested regions – and you may have gathered that I don’t like jellyfish?

Each of us will undoubtedly feel the ramifications of climate change differently.  I am fortunate that I have few to mitigate.  Yet, the global poisons of climate change exceed the stings of jellyfish, and it is for those reasons we need to act.

Not a year since I registered to vote, I was called for jury duty.  Maybe because this was my first call or because I am still young and optimistic, I sincerely looked forward to being a part of our country’s democratic judicial process. I could not but help feel proud that I live in a country that values its citizens so that anyone, of any age, ethnicity, religion, or income-level can have the power to decide a judicial outcome.

So what happened to me in all my glory? I sat for several hours, was never called for an interview by the trial’s lawyers, and was released with the words, “Thank you for serving your duty. Don’t come back for at least eight years.”

Disappointed as I was, especially since I met people who couldn’t wait to leave, I accepted that there are many legitimate reasons why I was not called for an interview. At the same time, I felt unfulfilled as an American, whose sense of duty goes a little more than sitting around all day.

This got me to thinking about what comprises an American citizen’s national duty? If many of us still view the U.S. as “the world’s colossus, the indispensable power, the new Rome, the twenty-first-century empire…” (Sachs, 271), and believe deeply in justice and room for innovation, why is it that we rarely hear “I am an environmentalist because it is my duty as an American”?  Is it not yet understood that pursuing a safer planet for all is part of our American values and roles as citizens?

I have no doubt that there is a strong connection between possessing a Jewish identity that calls on me to be a steward of the Earth and having a strong Jewish-environmental movement, which work hand in hand to increasingly encourage and support my environmental actions.

The government asked me to serve my country by being a non-partisan arbiter of justice, and let me down. No wonder people go to jury duty with dread rather than excitement!   What I think Americans need is for our country to ask us to care for the planet and follow through particular programs and initiatives.  Then, we can all go about pursuing an American ethic of environmental responsibility with the pride I had felt when first entering the courthouse.

As I wrote in my last post (“Can Gore’s Climate Proposal Take Flight”), former Vice President Al Gore has challenged the United States to transition to 100 percent carbon-free electricity in 10 years. This is an ambitious goal, to be sure. Some might argue that it’s an impossible challenge. And certainly, as Dot Earth writes, it is an “intentionally super-sized” challenge. [Comment 6 to my previous approach agrees]

But Gore’s challenge was not intended to be a rhetorical device. Rather it is a bold and intentional departure from conventional ways of viewing environmental problems. Gore challenged Americans to stop adopting “incremental proposals made up of small policies designed to avoid offending special interests” in favor of comprehensive and strategic plans. As a Jew, this paradigm shift resonates with me.

Years ago, I had a fascinating conversation with an observant woman. She explained the emergence of her commitment to Jewish law. For years, she dabbled with tradition – perhaps she lit Shabbat candles, but still drove to synagogue; she kept kosher at home, but would eat fish outside the house. But this “ad hoc” approach to Judaism left her exhausted and confused. Every day was filled with dozens of decisions: Could she eat leftovers on her home dishes? Could she drive to a friend’s house for Shabbat dinner? Ironically, she discovered that her life became simpler and less stressful when she became more observant. Now, she no longer has to rationalize inconsistencies and take the time to navigate her faith.

Perhaps this woman’s journey is a lesson for what we must do as a nation. Congress is paralyzed with short-sighted and microscopic decision-making. The House and Senate have tried for months to extend existing incentives for investment in renewables – with no success. Both the House and Senate have rejected bills that would have modestly reduced gas prices by curbing oil speculation. Some of our leaders are trying to chip away at gas prices by proposing to open protected areas to drilling. Each of these ideas is fraught with debate and controversy.

The answer to high gas prices and climate change cannot be found in any one of these proposals. Our nation demands a fundamental paradigm shift. We can stop funding despotic regimes and lower gas prices – and begin to solve climate change – by eliminating carbon-based fuels from our electricity grid.

Accepting such bold and sweeping measures is not new to the Jewish people. We accepted the Ten Commandments without amendment. We were not permitted to vote to honor our parents, but covet our neighbors. And, as my friend discovered years ago, such sweeping acceptance can be liberating. If our nation accepts Gore’s challenge – and commits to a virtually carbon-free economy within 10 years – we will no longer have to debate the virtues of drawing oil from the strategic petroleum reserve or placing limits on speculation. And instead we can focus on solving the crisis before us.

Click here to see a digital remix of Gore’s climate challenge.

While COEJL’s mission is primarily North American, it’s exciting to note all the buzz and activity in Israel around sustainable, renewable energy.  Israel is positioning itself as a high-tech center for all things solar, water conserving, energy efficient, and post-petroleum.  As I like to say, Israel’s main natural resources are sun and engineer/entrepreneurs.
News about Shai Agassi’s electric car initiative has been heard ’round the world, most recently reported on by Thomas Friedman.  Micro-irrigation is an Israeli invention grown into an industry, exported around the world.  Indeed, with the run-up in food prices, microirrigation is one of the technologies referenced to improve developing countries’ food yields, and increasing food yields means increasing incomes for the world’s hardworking subsistence farmers and their families.  Microloans are extended for drip irrigation. 
One of the most interesting projects I’ve learned about is through the Arava Institute, known to many COEJL supporters through its relationship with Hazon.  The Arava is located at Kibbutz Ketura and trains young environmental professionals from many different countries – their education involves not only the technical aspects of ecology and planning, but coexistence, since many of them hail from countries with cold or non-existent relations with Israel.  I learned much about its marvelous work when I cheered my husband David on the 2007 Hazon/Arava bike ride in Israel.  Two Arava alumni, Illana Meallum and Mazen Zuabi, are working together on designing a biodigester which will create biofuel out of “biomass” which, in the case of Israeli Bedouin villages, equals raw sewage.  Because Bedouins live in unincorporated villages, they have no formal plumbing infrastructure – so this technology, replicable once it’s refined, will be a win-win: cleaning up sewage and creating a renewable source of fuel.
The list goes on and on, but the basic point is inspiring: Israel is indeed providing sustainably powered Light unto the Nations!

photo from Israelli.org

With baited breath, people around the world have been waiting for this week to arrive.  This Friday, representatives from 205 countries around the world will make their grand entrance into the Olympic Stadium.  But this year is not like all other years. Being that the 2008 summer Olympics will be held in Beijing, China, I am sure there will be extra fireworks, magical dragons and beautiful masks galore.  Being that the 2008 summer Olympics are being held in Beijing, China, some of the athletes will be wearing masks, too.  But these masks aren’t so beautiful, they’re functional.  By wearing the masks, athletes hope to keep their lungs clean of the heavy pollution and particulate matter that covers Beijing.

The International Olympic Committee knew that China’s pollution was a concern, but awarded the honor to China with the understanding that it (and issues like human rights and freedom of press) would be fixed.  Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC, was even reported in the NY Times as saying he was confident the air would be clean because Chinese officials “are not going to let down the world.”  Meanwhile, China surpassed the US and took the gold for annual carbon dioxide emissions and China’s air and water continue to be one of the most polluted in the world.  Needless to say, since the IOC awarded China with the 2008 Olympics, little has been done to alleviate anyone’s concerns. 

So, with the Olympics nearing, China did what any nation might do: forcibly shut down nearby factories, discontinue construction and shove half the city’s cars off the road.  Though air quality did improve, it hasn’t been enough.  Now they’re attempting to alter the weather.

With the worlds’ eyes on China, solutions needed to be found and implemented years ago. But they started too late, pollution concerns remain, and China is being publicly embarrassed. 

The Olympics will come and go, but will the world learn the lesson?  Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Sir Nicholas Stern and even some American politicians have said that we have until 2050 to reduce our carbon dioxide by 80%.  Like cleaning China’s air, such reductions in CO₂ emissions is an enormous challenge; and like China, if we wait too long it will be impossible to achieve.