Welcome to Boston COEJL

proposed by Boston COEJL

Please forward to Massachusetts synagogues you are in contact with – thank you!

Boston COEJL (www.BostonCOEJL.org) is excited to announce a statewide initiative to “pledge” to "green" synagogues in Massachusetts. On June 6, at the time of the recent G-8 industrial economies summit, the following appeal was first sent out by the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts and by Boston COEJL.

While many state synagogues promote and practice green measures, this pledge will represent a unified environmentally-conscious statement from the local Jewish community along the lines of the alliances already underway by the Episcopal Diocese of Mass.; 30 state university signatories to The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment; and Governor Deval Patrick's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life 116 East 27th St., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016 - 212-532-7436 www.coejl.org COEJL is a program of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), a national coordinating body for 13 national and 125 local Jewish public affairs agencies (Jewish community relations councils). With a national board of 23 trustees, COEJL is the leading Jewish environmental organization in the US, representing 29 national Jewish organizations.

BOSTON COEJL'S SUGGESTIONS ARE NONBINDING – THIS IS MERELY A PLEDGE TO COMMIT.

Boston COEJL has created and is regularly updating a Green Guide for Massachusetts Synagogues with information on discounts from state energy companies; on purchasing energy-efficient products, green cleaners and landscaping items, and suggestions for educational programs. We are also available to give "Basics of Greening" talks with props to either adult or child audiences. COEJL members are also available for on-site consultations.

REASONS FOR THE PLEDGE: As members of the Boston, Massachusetts chapter of COEJL, we believe it is ethically imperative for Jews to work toward lessening our environmental impact and thus uphold the Jewish ideals of tikkun olam (repairing the world), tzedek (justice), and bal tashchit (prohibition against wanton destruction).

In 2007, the U.S. rejected Germany's G-8 proposals to reduce global emissions by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and increase energy efficiency 20 percent by 2020. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who supports these measures, will assume G-8 presidency in January. A UN conference on climate change meets in Bali in December. The UN’s Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in March that "warming of the climate is unequivocal," and "most of…the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely…due to the observed increase in anthropogenic (human) greenhouse gas concentrations." Healing the earth and providing for future generations is intrinsic to Jewish theology. We believe the time is now to institute a sweeping, consolidated effort of our own.

Please sign on to statewide greening. Let’s create a model among our Massachusetts synagogues!

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COUNT OUR SYNAGOGUE IN!

Our Massachusetts synagogue pledges to "Go Green" and signs on to this proposal to work toward greening our synagogue. We understand that Boston COEJL guidelines are non-binding suggestions. We are merely agreeing to practice more earth-friendly and natural methods. We will try to email or mail in progress reports to Boston COEJL, and agree to be contacted by a Boston COEJL member who might help with our progress.

Synagogue: ____________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

Contact Info (phone, email, website): ________________________________________________________________________

___Please send The Green Guide for Mass. Synagogues with info on how to help our synagogue reduce its environmental impact (where to buy earth-friendly, healthier products at great prices from local vendors, how to lower our energy bills, obtain state energy company rebates, and how to cut down on the amount of waste we produce as well as our consumption of toxic chemicals).

 ___ We are interested in finding out how our synagogue can become LEED (the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™) certified (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221)

Please cut, paste and email to Boston COEJL co-Coordinators:

Susie Davidson Susie_d@yahoo.com

or Amelia Geggel ageggel@gmail.com

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"When G-d created the first human beings, G-d led them around the Garden of Eden and said: "Look at my works! See how beautiful they are—how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it." (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, 1, Ecclesiastes 7:13)

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