Greening the Modern Jewish Lifestyle

As Jews, we understand our responsibility to care for the earth, tending to it so that future generations may benefit just as we have. Inevitably, the very acts of being Jewish and maintaining Jewish community have an impact on the environment. Recognizing this, our task is to mitigate the consequences of living a modern Jewish lifestyle. So how should environmental stewardship work its way into our houses of worship? How can we ensure that our Judaism has a minimal impact on the environment?

These and other questions have led the Union for Reform Judaism to partner with GreenFaith, an independent organization tasked with helping houses of worship (of all faiths) become better stewards of the environment through the GreenFaith Certification program. As the URJ is now rounding out the first two years of our partnership and seeing our first GreenFaith “class” matriculate, we couldn’t be more impressed with the creative ways in which eight of our congregations have tackled the issue of environmental sustainability. (Track the current class’s program online at urj.org/green.)
Consider some of the ways in which they’ve greened their facilities, worship and community:

1. Analysis and Understanding
   Making the environment a priority in congregational life is nearly impossible if you don’t first take the time to understand how your synagogue is currently affecting it. Through the GreenFaith program, congregations conduct a rigorous assessment of the impact they have on the environment. How does your synagogue measure up? Here are some questions to get you started:
• Are lights inside your building on motion sensors or timers?
• Does your office use recycled paper and regularly print double sided?
• Do you primarily use low-energy compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs or LEDs?
• Are your thermostats set below 68F in the winter? Are they on timers and turned off at night?
• Has your staff been trained in energy saving, waste management and recycling best practices?
• Is your dishware reusable or (at minimum) compostable?
• Are fair trade products readily available and served at synagogue functions?
2. Policies, Procedures and Advocacy
   GreenFaith and the Religious Action Center (RAC) both provide congregations with the resources they need to create environmentally friendly policies and procedures. Through partnerships with the synagogue board, clergy and professional staff, the designated “Green Team” works to create attainable goals that match with their congregation’s values and ethics.Chief among the Green Team’s responsibilities are those of advocacy and communications. As the primary group tasked with instituting the GreenFaith program, Green Team members must be advocates not just in their synagogues but also in their communities to ensure that the environment becomes and remains a priority. Often these responsibilities extend beyond one’s local community, and the RAC stands ready to provide all congregations with the materials they need to be effective advocates for the environment on the state, national and global levels.
3. Physical Modifications and Additions
   GreenFaith understands that our congregations are not only houses of worship, but also community centers. Through positive role modeling, the Certification Program helps our congregations move environmental advocacy outside of the synagogue and into the greater community. While many houses of worship have already started the process of greening their buildings, GreenFaith requires comprehensive and aggressive action. While starting from scratch and building “green” facilities isn’t an option for most of us, adding a compost bin, community garden, recycling cans or even a solar-powered ner tamidcan drastically help our congregations engage and educate members and visitors of all ages.For congregations already considering renovations or major construction, LEED Certification is a possibility. LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, offers the industry’s only Federal guidelines for green design. To learn more about LEED certification, visit the U.S. Green Building Council’s webpage.
4. Education and Advocacy
   While education plays a pivotal role in all aspects of Judaism, it is uniquely crucial to the goals we seek through our greening work. GreenFaith congregations are enabling congregants and community members to make informed decisions that have a positive impact on our environment. By incorporating the environment into lifelong learning programs, congregations have become the entry point through which many Reform Jews begin their environmental advocacy. Our congregations’ initiatives have enabled primary school students to “tend and till the earth” by maintaining community gardens; post-b’nei mitzvah students have been the driving forces behind congregation-based recycling programs; and participants in adult education programs have explored alternative energy concepts to take into their own homes.

As we continue to expand our partnership with GreenFaith, the URJ and RAC are recruiting for the next class in our pilot program! The RAC is specifically seeking four Midwest congregations of any size and four large congregations (more than 1100 families, no geographic boundaries) to join the second sponsored class. Congregations that apply and meet the criteria to become part of the pilot program will have tuition underwritten by the RAC in exchange for the commitment to adhere to GreenFaith’s certification program curriculum; send participants to our 2013 Consultation on Conscience; and join us at the 2013 North American URJ Biennial.

Isaac Nuell is the Religious Action Center’s Conference Planner and URJ GreenFaith Partnership Coordinator. He joined the RAC in June of 2009 and is responsible for the planning and logistics of the RAC’s numerous conferences, meetings and events. (Read Isaac’s full bio on the RAC website.)