To Till and to Tend

Top of the Crop

In her special to the Jewish Week on Thursday, December 9, 2010, “Women and Climate Change: What You Don’t Know,” long-time COEJL leader Mirele Goldsmith said, “The ways in which women are vulnerable, and their human rights are violated, have changed little through the millennia, and climate change will only exacerbate the same old suffering.”

Here is an excerpt:

In December 2004, when the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, women died, in part, because they could not swim, because they put the needs of their children first, and most tragically of all, they drowned in their homes because they would not flee after debris had torn off their clothes. In the years since the tsunami, these shocking facts have motivated NGOs to develop programs to prepare women for the increasing number of disasters expected to result from climate change. Why bring up these unfortunate women now? Climate legislation has died in the Senate and is unlikely to be revived by the incoming Congress. And the next round of international climate change negotiations, about to take place in Cancun, seems destined for failure. Why focus on women?

Read the full article at the Jewish Week online.

Word on the Hill

Cancun Improves on Copenhagen. International negotiations on climate change concluded in Cancun, Mexico late Friday night with an agreement reached and a standing ovation by all delegates except that of Bolivia. The Cancun Agreements commit all major economies to greenhouse gas emission cuts and launch a fund to help vulnerable countries while sidestepping heavier political commitments like the future of the Kyoto Protocol, which creates specific targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions.  Contrary to the big disappointment at last year’s Copenhagen conference, countries agreed for the first time in U.N. history to keep temperature rise below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, acknowledging that the emission cut pledges that America, China, and others made previously are just a start. The new Green Climate Fund will seek to raise $100 billion per year through 2020 for measures to help the world’s poor adapt to climate change, protect forests, and share clean technologies. While a step in the right direction, many expressed concern that the conference didn’t go far enough and much remains to be seen in terms of implementation and securing future goals.  In Reuters, COEJL Campaign Committee member David Waskow of Oxfam called for an increase in financial support for climate adaptation, stating, “There are going to have to be many tough choices made. We need, in the near term, to build communities to face the climate changes.” Recently, COEJL Governance Committee member, Rabbi David Saperstein chimed in on the issue signing an open letter to President Obama calling for the United States to meet its commitment to reduce the impacts of climate change on the poorest and most vulnerable communities at home and abroad.

Jews on Cancun. Here are some recent Jewish environmental articles related to the Cancun conference and otherwise :  COEJL Director Sybil Sanchez wrote about conservation in the Jewish Exponent: “Turn Up the Heat, and Support Land and Water Conservation;” Rabbi Warren Stone wrote in his blog, Greening Reform Judaism: “Remembering Kiribati – the World’s First Climate Victim;” Mirele Goldsmith published a Jewish Week article “Women and Climate Change: What You Don’t Know;” Green Prophet conducted an interview with an Israeli delegate to Cancun; and, the Green Zionist Alliance posted reports from their joint GZA/KKL/JNF delegate to Cancun.

Stay tuned for an upcoming webinar conference in early January 2011 featuring Jews who were at the Cancun climate talks!

SAVE THE DATE: COEJL Energy Forum, Wednesday, March 9th, Washington, D.C.

Top of the Crop

From the Gulf oil tragedy to climate-related disasters, to the battle on energy and climate policy, the debate on fossil fuels and energy security has become central to our time. Jewish engagement with environmental programming is also on the rise for multiple reasons. Among them are concern for social justice, our commitment to Israel and Creation, a desire for a meaningful spiritual connection, and a need for efficiency, both in terms of money and energy. With such a confluence of interests between our community and society-at-large, the time is ripe. Through our various communities within Jewish life, we can build “Jewish Energy” – our contribution to the global struggle of building a more sustainable society and protecting Creation from Generation to Generation. Be sure to read and share our report on COEJL’s recent accomplishments toward that end and learn what you can do to help us take the next renewable step on our path toward a cleaner, safer world.  Thanks for helping us build Jewish Energy for the long haul. Here is a taste of what you will find in the report…

Step by Renewable Step – Here’s How COEJL Has Made a Difference:

• By Advocating for Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Green Jobs, Increased Energy Independence, and Environmental Protection. COEJL supported the CLEAR Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and build a green economy. . .

• By Speaking Out for Those Most Affected by Climate Change. COEJL’s Director, Sybil Sanchez, wrote an op-ed entitled Confronting Poverty: The Climate Gap in the U.S. to increase awareness of how the world’s poorest are impacted by climate change. . .

• By Helping Jewish Institutions Become More Energy Efficient. COEJL ran a program to replace incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient compact fluorescent lights in 500 synagogues making a great reduction on energy used and carbon released for lighting. . .

As you think about your plans for 2011, we hope we will be a part of them – here are some simple actions we can do together to make a big impact:

• Support the Land and Water Conservation Fund and tell Congress to preserve our natural resources.
• Protect the Clean Air Act and support the EPA in doing its job.
• Sign the Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign pledge and tell the world you will do your part.
• Make a contribution to COEJL and join us in building Jewish Energy for the long haul today.

Read the full report here.

Word on the Hill

Secretary of Energy Gives Speech on Clean Tech. In a speech at a National Press Club luncheon on Monday, Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu said the clean energy successes of China and other countries require the U.S. to focus its attention on clean-tech innovation. (C-Span) He called for the U.S. to increase its efforts in developing the next generation of energy alternatives so that the country is able to compete for the jobs of the future. Chu also spoke of ongoing research efforts in his department, including last week’s announcement of an important scientific partnership between the U.S. and China on green technologies and a stimulus-funded project to develop a cost-competitive long-range plug-in car battery. COEJL advocates energy alternatives and green jobs and will continue working to build support on these and other important energy matters within the broader Jewish community. To learn more about these issues, join us after the JCPA Plenum in Washington D.C. on March 9th. For more information, contact dmarks@coejl.org.

Cancun Kicks Off. On Monday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon opened the two-week long United Nations conference on climate change in Cancun, Mexico. In absence of a legally binding agreement from last year’s more high-level conference in Copenhagen, expectations this year are lower. Without comprehensive climate legislation to highlight, the U.S. will focus on presenting Environmental Protection Agency climate regulations and stimulus spending on renewable energy as a means of curbing domestic emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. It’s hoped that this year will see international progress on reducing emissions by protecting forests that absorb CO2 and on starting a “green fund” that would help poor nations adapt to climate change. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Nancy Sutley, an adviser to the White House, will attend the talks next week. Keren Kayemeth L’Israel/Jewish National Fund and the Green Zionist Alliance have delegates at the meeting.

Community News and Views

Jewcology.com Goes Live. Jewcology.com, a transformational web portal that promotes and advances Jewish environmental awareness and action to the international Jewish community, was launched on Monday, November 29^th. Led by Evonne Marzouk, the DC-based founder and executive director of Canfei Nesharim, 19 Jewish environmentalists – all members of ROI Community for Young Jewish Innovators – collaborated in creating this unique portal, which tackles environmental issues through Jewish tradition. Read the article in eJewishphilanthropy.com and check out the Jewcology website at: www.jewcology.com.

GZA and Greenpoint Shul Green Chanukah Celebration. On Sunday, December 5^th, GZA and Greenpoint Shul  (Congregation Ahavas Israel) will host a Green Chanukah Celebration. Guest will be able to enjoy latkes and sufganiot, take a Chanukah cooking class, play competitive dreidel, learn about energy issues in Israel, make Chanukah arts and crafts, and recycle used cooking oil, old inkjet printer cartridges, cell phones, laptops, digital cameras and MP3 players. Learn more about the event on Greenzionism.org.

KKL-JNF at the UN Climate Change Conference Cancun, Mexico. From November 29 to December 10, 2010, KKL-JNF will be participating in ‘COP 16′ – the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties, which is the periodic gathering of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Learn more about the international event here: Cancun 2010.

How Many Young Judaeans Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb? Green Light YJ is an initiative that Alternative Winter Break is taking on to work with Green Light NOLA to replace 2,000 standard light bulbs with CFLs in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, annually reducing the utility costs of low and fixed income residents $92,000, cutting 890,000 lbs. of carbon emission (the equivalent of planting 86 acres of pine trees!) This winter break over 50 current Young Judaeans and a group of alumni madrichim will spend a week in New Orleans and working with Green Light. For more information, go to: Youngjudea.org or email alumni@youngjudaea.org.