And Hashem took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden, to work it and to protect it.
“In order to serve G-d, one needs access to the enjoyment of the beauties of nature, such as the contemplation of flower-decorated meadows, majestic mountains, and flowing rivers. For all these are essential to the spiritual development of even the holiest of people.”
Rabbi Abraham Ben Moses Ben Maimon (1186-1237)
Nature plays a significant role in traditional Jewish liturgy, from the creation story, to our everyday prayers upon rising each day and blessings over food—from blessings upon seeing natural wonders and trees in blossom for the first time in a season, to our cyclical holidays marking harvest festivals, the birthday of trees, the waxing and waning moon, and light in the darkness. Indeed, our most sacred Torah is understood as a “tree of life” that contains within its scrolls important mitzvot that prohibit against purposeless destruction and waste, and when given the choice of life and death, blessing and curse, we are commanded, “Choose life, that both you and your offspring may live.”
For the sake of our children, our children’s children and our grandchildren’s grandchildren, we must now make a conscious spiritual and ethical decision to choose the blessings of life over the curse of depleting our planet’s resources. We can no longer deny daily reports of impending global problems.
You may ask, “What does this have to do with me?” I have enough food and water, and more products than I know what to do with. I turn on my shower, hot water comes on for as long as I like. I can go to the market and buy whatever fruit or vegetables I want from almost anywhere in the world.
Do you know what it takes to get products to our markets and to our tables? Do you know that the US contains 5% of the world’s population but uses 25% of the world’s resources, or that 80% of US products are used once and then thrown away?
At the Sephardic Community Center, many people on their way to exercise carry disposable plastic water bottles. It is an unfortunate fact that plastics are non-biodegradable, and like diamonds, are forever! 1.3 billion plastic water bottles are dumped in NYC landfills annually, and it takes more than 1,000 years for a plastic bottle to decompose. Plastic bottles are not only piling up in landfills, but there is now a “plastic continent” swirl larger than Texas in the central Pacific Ocean. “This plastic is broken down by sunlight into smaller and smaller pieces, all of which are still plastic polymers, too tough for anything to digest. The levels of plastic have tripled in the last 10 years. These toxic plastic pellets are ingested by fish and birds, and enter into our food chain. If we don’t change our ways, where will this end?
Despite the ominous warnings, there is also good news! We have the scientific, technical and industrial knowledge to solve this crisis. But we must also add our individual and community-wide choices so that “greening” becomes an ongoing lifestyle, rather than a fleeting trend or like a quick-fix diet that doesn’t work.
Judaism teaches that there is a higher purpose for our lives than the accumulation of material possessions or short-term convenience. As we work out to make our bodies fit, we can also work towards a healthier environment. As a community, we can make a concerted effort so the next time you dream of walking in the woods or snorkeling in Hawaii, you will still be able to observe the birds and trees, the coral reefs, sea turtles and colorful fish.
The SCC is on board! Their new building construction is providing a wonderful opportunity to implement energy-efficient upgrades, improve sustainable operations, create educational programming, and inspire individual and community-wide behavioral changes. Behind the scenes, the SCC’s team of architects, board and staff designed the new building to be more Earth-friendly and environmentally sustainable.
Many new spaces incorporate daylight to reduce the need for artificial light; offices and numerous public areas have motion sensors to turn lights on and off. Bathroom counters are made from recyclable content and plumbing fixtures are designed to save water. Non-toxic paint was used. New HVAC equipment for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting are all energy efficient. The outdoor roof space is now a playground for our children in our early childhood programs. The actual building structure has recyclable content and many areas use rapidly renewable resources, such as the bamboo walls and flooring in the adult card room.
As construction nears completion, watch for a noticeable increase in appropriate recycling and trash bins—it will be up to us to use them! Along with our new “Green Building” taking shape, let’s commit to increasing our green practices.
To help us implement our Earth-friendly habits, UJA-Federation of NY launched a greening initiative with its network agencies this past spring and the SCC started a staff and board member “green team.” Along with 20 staff members from JCCs and organizations throughout the Metropolitan area, I was chosen as the SCC’s “Greening Fellow.”
Come to our upcoming Green Fair on September 13th, and watch for more programs throughout the year to inspire us on this important journey to “go green.”
For tips on green living, you can find UJA’s green resource guide at www.ujafedny.org (click publications and scroll down to green resource guide). As a start, we can eliminate using disposable plastic bottles and bags and instead carry reusable ones; unplug appliances and electronics when not being used to reduce “phantom energy;” switch to alternative energy; reduce the use of disposable plates and cups; purchase recycled paper and use both sides whenever possible; only print documents when you really need a printed version; and change bulbs to energy efficient CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs) or LED lighting. Encourage politicians to create policies that promote environmental sustainability.
If every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent bulbs with a CFL, the pollution savings would be equivalent to taking 3.5 million cars off the road! Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television or computer for three hours or a 100-watt bulb for 20 hours; recycling a one-gallon plastic milk jug will save enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for 11 hours; and recycling a one-foot high stack of newspapers saves enough electricity to heat a home for 17 hours! It is possible and easy for you to save energy, save money, and protect the environment. Let’s use the motto: Reduce, reuse, recycle.
As the SCC gets greener, so can you! It’s not just for us today, but it is for our children, and all the generations to come! To raise your awareness and learn more about how to reduce your impact, join us for the SCC’s first Green Fair, on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm.
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Linda J. Eber is the director of social services at the SCC.
