What is ecoChai?
 Are you looking for ways to help green your synagogue, office or home? Are you hoping to affect change in environmental policy? Would you like to find organic foods in your neighborhood? Are you interested in educating others or exploring ways to enhance your spirtual connection to the environment?
We have lots of exciting events on the horizon; touring farmers’ markets, participating in a compact light bulb program, attending an organic cooking class, hiking at a preserve, and an environmental arts festival, just to name a few.
Resolutions for a Green Year: Easy solutions for you and your family.
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Share your Earth Hour Shabbat experiences: Please share with us a picture, a poem, or a short essay that describes your experience as an individual or as a family during an earth hour. Use a blank sheet of paper or the attachment, to let us know about your experience with Shabbat for the Earth and return it to Temple Chai.
What is an earth hour? Earth Hour originated in Australia in March 2007 as an effort to help everyone take personal responsibility for the future of the planet we live on. The principle is to spend one hour without using electricity, to allow the Earth to rest, and to let people personally acknowledge their role in choosing how they will interact with the planet.
What is an earth hour Shabbat? Take an hour, on a Shabbat, to try to get along without electricity. Turn off your lights; unplug whatever you can. Put your cell phone and computers to rest. Turn to each other or within yourself; make connections. This is a beautiful extension of the concept of Shabbat, that the Earth needs a rest to maintain wholeness just as we do.
We would like to share these with our congregants in our publications and in decorations throughout the synagogue. If you have any questions, please contact Sharona Silverman at the Shalom Center at 602.971.1234 ext. 280 or email: ssilverman@templechai.com |
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Mark Your Calendars
Tu Bishvat Community WALK for WATER
January 23, 2011 10:00 am - 3:00 pm,BR>
Tempe Beach Park
Rio Salado and Mill Ave., Tempe Arizona
Phoenix Downtown Market and the Phoenix Permaculture Guild. Come learn how your urban garden can succeed. www.phoenixpermaculture.org
Arizona Adventurers Join Az Adventurers this month for softball and a bonfire party.
FAMILY FRIDAY SUNSET SERIES
at the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy (FREE)
WHAT: Explore native wildlife and participate in hands-on activities for children as you watch the sunset
WHEN: Fridays in October at 4:30 p.m. (except the 23rd which is at 6 PM). WHERE: Gateway Access Area, 18333N. Thompson Peak Parkway (between Bell and Legacy Blvd. – formerly Union Hills) Amphitheater
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JOIN ECOCHAI at our NEXT EVENT
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Holidays
How to host a sustainable Kiddush (Jcarrot)
Tips for a low watt Shabbat (from COEJL)
 Encourage your favorite businesses to employ the 4 R's with our GO GREEN cards.
 CSA's: Eat your veggies and love them too!
Carbon Offsets (NRDC)
Recycling (Go green Cards)
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Headline News
Scented Products: Intoxicating and toxic. Sheryl Eisenberg blogs about our additiction to artificial smells in January's This Green Life.
LED Lights (Light emitting diodes) could decrease carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50 percent in just over 20 years. NY Times
Travel Responsibly? This article provides several links and guidelines for decreasing your environmental footprint when traveling. Linda McCormick's Eco Travel Guide
The Jew and the Carrot: Jews, food, and contemporary issues. --A great blog about food and the environment.
Replace your air conditioner with a unit that has a SEER ratio of 14 or higher, and you could qualify for a $1500.00 tax credit. AZCentral
Schmitta and the Economy: A new thought provoking article on our Torah, Talmud and Scholars page.
The Green Prophet: Environmental news, clean technology ventures, and green living issues such as green design, organic options, alternative energy, literature and daily living tips from Israel and the Middle East.
Nuclear Power “Economics Are Just Not There”: Lester Brown, Earth Policy Institute. Nuclear power simply does not make financial sense compared to investing in renewable energy. 10/29/08
Increase your profits by going Green? Thomas Friedman's book, Hot, Flat, & Crowded presents the potential profit from Eco-nomics. NY Times Book Review, 10.2.08
Save Gas Right Now NRDC's tips for saving an average of $800 a year at the pump.
BPA in the can From NRDC's Simple Steps. Look for the list of faq's under "Got a Morning?"
Community Supported Agriculture is the talk of the town. --It's on the New York Times front page.
Are you suffering from Green Overload? Is there too much information for you to weed through? Try out simplesteps.org, created by NRDC to help you help the environment without becoming overwhelmed.
Time Magazine created a list of what they deem to be the best green sites on the Web.
Arizona Green News: Arizona Republic covers environmental issues and events. Updated daily.
Headline News Archive : Are you looking for a previous headline article? |
