GreenFaith Initiatives

GHC to host Putting Sustainability into Action in Religious Facilities on May 15th

We are proud that Rabbi Kenter has been chosen as one of only 25 GreenFaith fellows from the United States.
This is his current report:

 

 

Posted January 14, 2011 - Rabbi Barry A. Kenter

Not Just Hugging Trees: “Green”burgh Hebrew Center

On Yom Kippur I spoke of a dream I have had of making of us a model green community and a model for the faith communities of the rivertowns. I concluded my Yom Kippur Yizkor sermon with a vision:

Ha-yom, today, I would urge us to be more sensitive to our roles as stewards and caretakers. We already have begun to use real plates and silverware for some events and programs, and I would urge its expansion throughout the synagogue and at all programs and events. I would urge the congregation to explore the use of technology to facilitate the sending out of information to the congregation.  Technological transmission would become our default position; paper and hard copies would be made available on request. We have undergone energy audits in the past and I would urge us to push additional Energy Conservationhere and in our homes. I would urge us to research the possibility of Renewable Energy.  I would ask that we continue our concern for water conservation, and that we provide tips for conserving water here and in our homes. Soon, I hope that we will be able to offer a home water audit quiz. I would hope that we as a congregation can provide information on toxics reduction, green cleaning, safe pest management indoors, and safe disposal of hazardous waste, on grounds maintenance, on organic lawn care, safe pest management and water conservation outdoors, on waste reduction and recycling, waste audit guidelines and resources. In our schools, I would hope that we would access Repairing Eden, GreenFaith's guide to sustainable food for Houses of Worship and faith-based schools. I would hope that we would strive in some way to become a green building, and that we would create a vehicle to encourage us as a religious community to purchase green products at a discount.  We can go green and save green!  Our sukkah this year will feature solar lamps. Who knows? Maybe some day we’ll have a solar powered ner tamid!  Finally, I would hope that we could move more actively into the area of environmental justice. 

Having just returned from a GreenFaith Fellow Conference, here are some specific action steps that I want us to take, beginning with the low-hanging fruit and continuing to reach and to aspire to greater heights of environmental responsibility. Before doing this, however, especially I want  to thank Michael Feinkind, our vice-president for Management, for immediately seeing the need for environmentally safe cleaning materials, and seeing to their implementation.  We are now using products from EcoLab.   I applaud Michael’s efforts on behalf of energy and water conservation.  It is my hope that he will become an essential member of our GHC Green Team. I want us to become a model congregation and faith community for our neighbors in the river towns and would urge us with the help of GreenFaith to begin planning an environment conference for the rivertowns’ faith communities.

Among the steps that quickly can be taken are:

  • Environmentally themed religious services – we will be joining the USCJ GreenFaith Sustainability Project and Program for Tu b’Shevat
  • The introduction of formally labeled environmentally themed coursework in our classes
  • Using second sides and recycling classroom paper
  • The planting of a butterfly garden around the perimeter of the parking lot in the spring by the children in our school
  • The serious exploration of joining or creating a CSA (community supported agriculture) using Hazon, www.hazon.org/food/CSA/. 
  • Using as much natural light as possible and turning off lights when not necessary, especially those with switches in the hallways.

 

Recycling:

  • Placing recycling bins in each and every one of our classrooms (upstairs and down), and recycling barrels at the back of the social hall
  • Use double sides of paper in our school
  • To double side copies of all materials produced
  • To use recycled paper as our copy paper
  • To post our recycle policies in each classroom in the office and on the bulletin boards
  • To hold a meeting with all staff, officers, and committee chairs  to discuss recycling policies
  • All events at GHC will use real plates and real silverware. 
  • Electronic billing and communicating with the congregation.

 

Energy Conservation:

  • Engage in an energy and water audit
  • Apply to GreenFaith for its synagogue certification program
  • Turning down the thermostats in those zones not being used.
  • Continue to close classroom doors after school to prevent heat loss. 
  • To reassess the heating zone that connects the office and the nursery school
  • To explore the use of alternate energy souse – if only symbolic and in small doses such as the Interfaith Power and Light [New York Interfaith Power and Light www.nyipl.org]  and Wind Generated Electricity
  • White Roof campaign – painting the roof white reflects the suns rays and reduces cooling costs ( a good men’s Club Project) – a dream would be the planting of a vegetated [green] garden on the flat portions of the roof. We could install a solar generated camera on the roof with a constant feed so that we all could watch the roof burst into color in season.  Great for the environment and great PR
  • Adequately insulate 11 Pietro Place

 

Water Usage:

  • Install fpg handles on the urinals in the men’s rest rooms and explore the possibilities of fpg handles on the toilets in all restroom facilities.
  • Explore and install faucets that restrict water flow
  • Install timed watering for the front lawn, make sure the strip irrigation is working and install drip irrigation on the south side of the building (the rhododendrons). 

 

I urged SATO to create a GreenTeam reaching out to other arms of the synagogue and making a proposal to the board of Trustees laying out a program through which these recommendations can become a reality. Barney Wolff has agreed to chair our GreenTeam. Next steps: Environmental Responsibility should be the theme of a Center Meeting.

 

 

Posted December 7, 2010 - Rabbi Barry A. Kenter

Temple Beth Rishon has saved over $16,000 through its energy conservation activities, and reduced its carbon footprint by the equivalent of taking 7 cars off the road for a year. Trinity Presbyterian Church is organizing an Environmental Health and Justice Tour, visiting blighted sites in their neighborhood and meeting with justice leaders to advocate for change. Christ Church--with a total membership of only 16 people--held an interfaith worship service and discussion forum with the Muslim community, focused around the values of environmental stewardship in the Bible and Koran. Jacksonville Jewish Center, an 800 member institution under the direction of its rabbi, Jonathan Lubliner, is organizing an interfaith environmental conference, attracting congregations from around the region.

The GreenFaith Fellowship Program is the world's only comprehensive program to prepare lay and ordained leaders from diverse religious traditions for religiously based environmental leadership. Its congregations and their leaders create their own transformative eco-theological statement and leadership projects that will help to transform their community and their lives. There is a five-step process that leads to a Certification Program in which to organize environmental and sustainability projects and programs. The Conservative Movement through all of its lay arms is engaged in the creation of sustainability projects that will be inaugurated this coming Tu b'Shevat.

This past June I was named one of 25 GreenFaith fellows from throughout the United States to participate over the next three years in an intensive training and study, as we move forward in our desire to transform the world and hand it on to the next generation enriched and enhanced. As part of the program I will be reaching out to those of you who express an interest, and those of you for whom I think this is an interest, as we develop an action plan, as we institute eco-themed worship services, incorporate environmental themes into our educational programs, offer interfaith and inter-generational events, 'green' their building operations, and advocate and educate around the issue of environmental justice. I urge GHC to become a GreenFaith Sanctuary, maintaining a Resource Center for the Rivertowns. GreenFaith understands that for the religious community to make a difference for the environment, religious institutions and individuals must live out the value of stewardship in everyday action steps. To this end, GreenFaith will provide us with a variety of tools and resources to help us with our environmental work. From sample prayers and religious education curricula, to tips for 'greening' the building and help with undertaking environmental justice advocacy, GreenFaith is a one-stop shop for religious-environmental work, and we will be their branch in the rivertowns.

As a start, Ha-yom, today, I would urge us to be more sensitive to our roles as stewards and caretakers. We already have begun to use real plates and silverware for some events and programs, and I would urge its expansion throughout the synagogue and at all programs and events. I would urge the congregation to explore the use of technology to facilitate the sending out of information to the congregation. Technological transmission would become our default position; paper and hard copies would be made available on request. We have undergone energy audits in the past and I would urge us to push additional Energy Conservation here and in our homes. I would urge us to research the possibiliity of Renewable Energy. I would ask that we continue our concern for water conservation, and that we provide tips for conserving water here and in our homes. Soon, I hope that we will be able to offer a home water audit quiz. I would hope that we as a congregation can provide information on toxics reduction, green cleaning, safe pest management indoors, and safe disposal of hazardous waste, on grounds maintenance, on organic lawn care, safe pest management and water conservation outdoors, on waste reduction and recycling, waste audit guidelines and resources. In our schools, I would hope that we would access Repairing Eden, GreenFaith's guide to sustainable food for Houses of Worship and faith-based schools. I would hope that we would strive in some way to become a green building, and that we would create a vehicle to encourage us as a religious community to purchase green products at a discount. We can go green and save green! Our sukkah this year will feature solar lamps. Who knows? Maybe some day we'll have a solar powered ner tamid! Finally, I would hope that we could move more actively into the area of environmental justice.