The Green Committee is a committee of the Social Action Council. Please check out the Social Action page!
Our Latest and Greatest! Israel: Leading the World into the Post-Oil Age -- July 17, 7:30 p.m. at DCJCC Speaker MICHAEL J. GRANOFF, Head of Oil Independence Policies for Project Better Place Come hear how Israel is breaking its oil dependence, and how the US can too! » Download event flyer In Jerusalem, January 21, 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Israel’s intention to be free from oil within a decade. By permitting a new type of mobile operator, Project Better Place, to install and operate a nationwide infrastructure that make fully electric cars more convenient than gas cars, and providing a strong tax incentive for drivers to switch, Israel expects to break its oil dependence in 10 years. The model can be scaled to work in any country – including the United States. Free and Open to the Public. Sponsored by the Adas Israel Congregation Green Committee, DC Minyan, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, Kesher Israel Congregation, and the Washington DCJCC. Location: 1529 16TH STREET, NW (at Q St.). Save Energy, Money, and the Environment--Get a FREE Energy Audit The Green Committee wants DC residents to know that they can get a FREE energy audit of their home through the DC Department of the Environment's Home Energy Rating System program (HERS). Certified auditors will evaluate the home's existing energy condition and provide a cost effective energy improvement recommendation. Learn more (on the District Department of the Environment's website). Greening Your Life Adas Israel's Green Committee has placed its new poster, 8 EASY TIPS TO GREEN YOUR LIFE, on display in several places in the synagogue. The Committee wants members to know what they can do to fight global warming by using fewer resources and less energy and by recycling. Secure The Call At the Carnaval Yisrael, the Green Committee kicked off its newest project: donation of phones to Secure The Call. This non profit organization collects old cell phones, erases the personal data in the phone, reprograms the phones for 911 emergency use only and donates them to battered women’s shelters, senior citizen homes, etc. The Secure The Call collection barrel is located in the coat room, so the next time you come to the synagogue please bring your old phones (even if they don’t work), together with whatever accessories you have, for donation to this worthy cause. Need more information? Go to www.securethecall.com or contact Wendy Rudolph at wrudolph@greenfirmsdc.com.
Lights, Cameras, Action! Adas Israel's Green Committee kicked off our first round of enviro-friendly activities with a sale of compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which took place between Hanukkah (the holiday of oil conservation, of course!) and Tu B'Shvat (a good time to plant a "bulb!"). Adas members Leonard Chanin, Krayna Fineberg, Gilah Langner, Kathy Krieger, Wendy Rudolph, and Toni Bickart staffed a table in the Adas lobby on Sunday mornings and selected evenings, and got the campaign covered in an article in the Washington Jewish Week. The result? We sold dozens of energy-efficient light bulbs, raised some money to donate CFLs to low-income DC residents, and most important, started Adas members talking about their own energy usage and how efficient lighting can lower their costs and cut down on greenhouse gases. Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs last up to seven years, produce about 75 percent less heat, and use only a third of the energy of regular lightbulbs. If every home in America changed just one of its most frequently used light bulbs to a compact fluorescent, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes, more than $600 million in energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. We're happy to say that many people who stopped by our table in the Adas lobby were already using CFLs. But some people had given up on them after trying them some years ago, and others are using only a few CFLs in their homes. The good news is that CFLs have really improved over the last few years. The light is much more "normal," and they now come in numerous different shapes and sizes, including some that fit dimmer lights, as well as indoor and outdoor floods. Now that our CFL campaign is over for this year, we invite you to order your CFLs online. Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, a consortium of religious groups dedicated to responsible environmental stewardship of which Adas Israel is a member, has partnered with the non-profit organization EFI to make energy efficient bulbs available online. Go to: www.shopipl.org <http://www.shopipl.org.> and take a look at the variety of bulbs and other products available. If you enter the discount code "shopIPL," you will get a 10% discount on your order. For those of you who already placed orders with us, we will email you as soon as the products are in. We invite you to get involved in our upcoming GreenAdas projects! We'd like to see Adas Israel become one of the leaders in Jewish environmental responsibility in the Washington area. We have lots of ideas, both within the synagogue building and among our membership, but we need more help! Please contact Wendy Rudolph at wsr99@aol.com <mailto:wsr99@aol.com> if you're interested. Change a Light Pledge Take the "Change A Light Pledge." Adas Israel Congregation Green Committee will be automatically selected as your sponsoring organization in the pull-down menu.
How Green Is Our Synagogue?
About a year ago, a few congregants asked that question of the Social Action Council and the result was…a new committee! The Green Committee, which is part of the Council, comprises congregants who believe that environmental sustainability is a core Jewish value and want to put that value into practice within the synagogue and among its members. Many of you share this belief and have already taken steps in your own lives to tread more lightly on the earth, and many would welcome more information. We urge you to join us! The Green Committee has drafted an environmental policy statement to address the synagogue’s environmental vision and policy goals and an action plan to work toward those goals. The action plan is broken down into three main areas: Adas Israel’s building; education of and action by members; and becoming involved in D.C.-based environmental initiatives. The current draft of the policy statement—a work in progress—is posted below. We welcome your comments and suggestions. We’re currently planning a few projects for the coming year, including a Hanukkah CFL (compact fluorescent light bulb) project and an outdoor spring clean-up. Already switched to CFLs at home? Help others do the same! We need individuals on the planning and implementation teams for both projects. As for the building, the committee is still learning about policies and programs currently in place (implemented by staff and the House and Grounds Committee)—for example, timed, motion-sensor light switches have long been in use in the synagogue restrooms and have recently been added to the third floor kitchen; all closet lights are on timers; rooms are equipped with “smart” heating and air conditioning thermostats; and the building is closed Thursday nights during the entire year and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights in the summer to reduce energy use. More recently, the fluorescent bulbs in Funger Hall were replaced with more energy-efficient ones, which are so bright the staff may opt to remove some of the tubes! We thank staff members Glenn Easton and Henry Silberman and members of the House and Grounds Committee (chaired by Tom Cohen) for their work in this area. Once the committee understands how the synagogue operates, we will propose ways to further green the synagogue. Thanks for visiting our webpage. Please check back for updates and watch future Chronicle issues as well.		To get involved: Please contact Wendy Rudolph, Green Committee chair, wsr99@aol.com. Current projects that need your involvement: » Building and Operations subcommittee (reducing our ecological footprint) » Outdoor spring clean up Check out these links! COEJL (Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life) GWIPL (Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light) ENERGY STAR (ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices). American Jewish Committee's Green Project Have a link to suggest? Please email us!

Adas Israel's Environmental Policy Statementment Download a pdf of the policy statement   |  Have comments on the policy statement? Email us!
Environmental Vision Caring for the environment is a deeply Jewish value. The opening chapters of the Torah describe the origin of humanity as part of all Creation, and describe our first home as a lush and fruitful Garden. We are told that the first earthling was made from the clay of the earth, and was placed in the Garden to till it and tend it. Our rabbis of old imagined God saying to Adam: “See my works, how fine and excellent they are! All that I created, I created for you. Reflect on this, and do not corrupt or desolate my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.” Our sacred texts tell us that we are part of God’s Creation and that we have a central role in caring for this planet – a planet that sustains billions of human beings and millions of species, all part of the sacred web of life on Earth. Among many Jewish teachings related to the Earth’s resources, our tradition teaches the mitzvot of bal tashchit – not to waste, of tzaar baalei hayim – concern for the suffering of all living things, and of shmita – allowing the earth to rest and restore its productivity naturally every seven years. Adas Israel Congregation affirms our Jewish heritage and the importance of thoughtful stewardship of the environment, particularly in a time when the threats to the planet from energy use are an increasingly serious cause for concern. As part of our commitment to tikkun olam, Adas Israel will seek to make ecologically sensitive decisions, to become a leader in raising awareness and promoting change within the Jewish community and the Washington area, and to bring the Adas Israel building and its environs, as well as our community of members, into a relationship of sustainability and harmony with Creation that is a profound expression of our Jewish values.		Policy Goals Three goals will guide Adas Israel’s efforts in the coming years. Within each goal, a draft action plan with more specific programs and priorities is provided below. 1. Adas Israel’s Building: Reduce the ecological footprint of Adas Israel’s building and environs, including such things as reduced energy usage, improved recycling programs, greener food strategies, and planning for renovations in infrastructure. 2. Adas Israel’s Community: Through education and direct change programs, encourage the membership of Adas Israel to “walk lightly on the Earth,” with a primary focus on the most urgent issue -- reducing the community’s energy use (“carbon footprint”). 3. Wider Community: Adas Israel will seek to engage its membership in environmental projects as a congregation both within the Jewish community and within the wider Washington area, working with other synagogues and interfaith organizations to gain the maximum effectiveness for our efforts.
Draft Action Plan The action plan outlines the congregation’s top priorities for each of the three policy goals over the coming 12-18 months. Comments and feedback on these priorities will be greatly appreciated; the action plan will be revised and updated periodically based on input from the Adas Israel community.
1. Adas Israel’s Building: Reduce the ecological footprint of Adas Israel’s building and environs. -- Lighting:     Conduct an audit of the synagogue’s lighting to identify opportunities to decrease lighting energy use while maintaining or improving light quality; measures may include replacing inefficient fixtures with more efficient fixtures, replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, installing and adjusting lighting controls (including dimmers and occupancy/vacancy sensors), de-lamping, and others     Put in place procedures to ensure that burned out fluorescent lamps are recycled -- Recycling and source reduction programs:     Conduct an audit of waste disposal procedures throughout the synagogue. Take steps to ensure that the synagogue recycles all those materials it is required by law to recycle.     Research opportunities to reduce paper consumption by, for example, installing and using duplexers on select office printers -- Food and kitchen strategies:     Increase the proportion of food served in the synagogue that is local and sustainably grown     Implement cost-effective water- and energy-saving measures in the Kay Hall, Gewirz Hall, Gan HaYeled, and staff kitchens -- Building envelope and equipment:t:     Conduct a comprehensive audit of the building envelope and mechanical equipment     Implement short-term measures (pluck the low-hanging fruit) to reduce energy consumption and garner immediate utility bill savings     Incorporate medium- and long-term measures into existing capital replacement plans -- Green energy:    In concert with the aforementioned efforts to reduce energy consumption, strive to meet the synagogue’s remaining energy needs through direct procurement of green energy and/or green tags (carbon offsets)		2. Adas Israel’s Education and Action: Encourage the membership of Adas Israel to “walk lightly on the Earth.” -- Education and awareness programs:     Hold congregational/community events featuring speakers on topics related to environmental sustainability     Incorporate environmental themes into divrei Torah delivered from the bimah and into holiday programming such as the Tu B’shevat seder    Take up sustainability-related topics in adult education and in religious school classes s -- Direct change programs:     Hold a campaign in the weeks leading up to Hanukah to encourage congregants to install compact fluorescent light bulbs in their homes; models include the ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World Campaign and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life’s (COEJL) How Many Jews Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb Campaign     Encourage and facilitate congregants’ purchase of green energy and/or green tags (carbon offsets) for their homeses     Work with Bnai Mitzvah families to incorporate environmental concerns into their simcha planning, particularly in working with caterers on menus.     Gain synagogue approval to hand each Bar/Bat Mitzvah teen on the bimah a compact fluorescent light bulb as a gift from the congregation as a symbol of commitment to work for tikkun olam. 3. Wider Community: Adas Israel will seek to engage its membership in environmental projects as a congregation both within the Jewish community and within the wider Washington area. --Participation in existing challenges and organizational coalitions: As examples, Adas Israel will seek to become a partner in the Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light coalition of religious institutions that are committed to working against global warming. The congregation will leverage the resources and expertise of existing programs and seek additional opportunities to increase the visibility of its commitment within the broader community by partnering with leading organizations and programs such as ENERGY STAR, Shomrei Adamah, COEJL, and the Teva Learning Center. Adas Israel might also join the Cool Capital Challenge, a combined effort with businesses, environmentalists, governments, and the greater DC community to meet the challenge of global warming and cut the city’s combined carbon dioxide emission by 1 billion pounds by Earth Day 2008. -- Congregational projects:     Hanukkah 2007 CFL project     Spring 2008 outdoor clean up
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