Renewable Energy Subscribe
A selection of initiatives, blogs, resources and communities on Jewcology which focus on renewable energy.
From the Blogs
Jewish Energy Guide – Nuclear: Carbon-Free but Radioactive
- March 7, 2013
By Benjamin Kahane Nuclear energy isn’t quite a fossil fuel, since unlike coal, natural gas and petroleum, nuclear is not powered by fuel that developed over millennia from pressurized dead organisms — but nuclear isn’t renewable, either, since it uses a finite non-renewable fuel source. Nuclear power also presents many environmental problems, such as how to handle its radioactive waste product, and, in extreme circumstances, is disastrous, such as in Chernobyl, Ukraine, and recently in Japan. Nuclear power is sometimes confused as a sustaina...
Jewish Environmental Response to the State of the Union
- February 13, 2013
-
New York - The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life welcomed President Obama’s affirmation of his commitment to renewable energy and reducing our nation’s contribution to climate change, announced in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. “We praise President Obama for proposing the Energy Security Trust and prioritizing our nation’s response to the threat of global climate change,” said JCPA President and COEJL Co-Chair Rabbi Steve Gutow. “The President has highlighted his understanding of the moral urgency of ...
Pray-in for Climate at White House — Tuesday January 15
- December 25, 2012
- 1 comment
Call To Action: A Pray-in For the Climate Dear Friends, We are facing a Climate Cliff, and we are calling upon religious and spiritual leaders, other believers and all people of good will to join us to address its danger by participating in “A Pray-in for the Climate” in front of the White House on Tuesday, January 15, 2013. Super-storm Sandy, the drastic droughts in our corn country, record-breaking Arctic ice melt, and unheard-of floods in Vermont, let alone disasters in Australia, Russia, Pakistan and Africa, all warn us: the disruption of ...
Working Together Towards Adaptation
- December 2, 2012
A new report just released this week says the ice sheets are melting five times faster than in the 1990’s and occurring more rapidly than scientists believed in 2007 (http://science.time.com/2012/11/30/climate-change-polar-ice-sheets-melting-faster-raising-sea-levels/) . At the same time climate discussion occurring over the last week in Doha have been unfruitful and hope that a meaningful agreement can be reached is fading (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/doha-talks-after-6-days-no-consensus-yetclimate-issue/494234/). At the same time ...
The Lawnmower
- October 19, 2012
The Lawnmower by Rabbi Michael M. Cohen written for Vermont Public Radio October 2, 2012 But I can't feel smug about using my battery powered lawnmower, because I know I'm also polluting the earth. It takes roughly 10 cents of electricity to recharge the battery which helps to reduce my carbon footprint, thereby reducing one of the main sources of climate change. But the sources of that electricity are a combination of nuclear, wood, hydro, and wind. And those non gasoline sources of electricity all have their own impact on the environment. For ...
Teach your kids about being “green” at every opportunity!
- October 10, 2012
Cross posted from Environmental Tip of the Week, http://environmentaltip.blogspot.ca/2012/10/teach-your-kids-about-being-green-at.html Teach your kids about being "green" at every opportunity! For example, recently I made a bus out of Legos for my daughter. She loaded it up with little toy people, animals, and food. While she was pushing it around on the floor, I asked her if it was a solar-powered bus. She responded yes. I've explained to her in the past, but said again, why it's better for the environment to power things with energy from the sun. I ...
Webinar on Becoming a Jewish Energy Champion in Your Community
- October 4, 2012
-
ANNOUNCING COEJL’S JEWISH ENERGY NETWORK! Webinar on Becoming a Jewish Energy Champion in Your Community Tuesday, October 16 at 2:30 pm est Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/487930350 Learn about COEJL’s new Jewish Energy Network and how you can take action on renewable energy and energy efficiency in your Jewish community. Hear about successful Jewish environmental initiatives. Panelists will share their insights on how to achieve energy goals while also meeting the needs of your ...
Earth Etude for 26 Elul
- September 12, 2012
Hashem's "Gaslands"* by Judith Feldstein My Lord, You sent us not a burning bush, but Your flaming water; a fire that lives in gas and is not drowned in H2O, with flames that are not quenched, and danger not consumed until we hear and live your will and love Your home as part of You. Last year You gave us Elul with the kiss and aftermath of Your Irene's with all the might of ordained winds and rains and floods. You offered us tsunamis to remember as the earth was shaken, and our towers crashed and crumbled ...
How Energy uses Water
- May 16, 2012
Tonight there is a great Midwestern thunderstorm in the sky. Lightning bolts are flashing, and the rain is pouring down. This has put me in a mood of wonderment at the awesome power of the Heavens, and has 'sparked' my curiosity regarding the relationship between electricity (lightning) and water (rain). While there can be rain without lightning and lightning without rain, the combination of the two is a fairly common occurrence lately, and provides a 'striking' illustration of the connections between these two powerful forces that are so ...
Israeli Startup Develops Floating Solar Farm
- May 6, 2012
By Yinnon Shraga, NoCamels · While solar energy companies throughout the world are competing for the relatively few vast land areas required to house solar farms, Israeli startup Solaris Synergy has found a new terrain to use. Instead of a land-based solar system, the company decided to develop a water-based technology. In other words: a floating solar power plant. The company’s founders say they realized that the large lands required for thousands of solar panels are nearly impossible to find, especially in a small country like Israel. Solaris ...
Breaking Free from the Fossil-Fuel Pharaoh
- March 29, 2012
The photovoltaic solar-panel array at Kibbutz Ketura is the first and currently only of its kind in Israel. (Photo by David Krantz) KIBBUTZ KETURA, Israel — During the first ever Passover we left Egypt and slavery, celebrating our freedom in the wilderness. It’s easy to forget that back then this stretch of the Arava Valley, a half-hour up the road from the hotels of Eilat, wasn’t part of the biblical Promised Land. No, this part of southern Israel was wilderness — our ancestors wandered through here after the ...
Solar Project Completed and Dedicated at Temple Sinai of Glendale
- February 22, 2012
With donations from over 50% of our congregation, we were able to raise the down payment for our solar panel system by the time construction was completed! Panels are anticipated to produce from 35 to 50% or more of our power as we continue to take conservation measures. We hope it will be encouraging to congregants to consider doing the same for their own homes.
Israeli Technology Turns Sludge Into Electricity
- February 16, 2012
-
By TechIsrael Staff Photo by Sustainable sanitation It may look like mud, but sludge – the “leftover” semi-solid part of the stuff we flush down the toilet or pour down the drain, is a creature unto itself. Far more toxic than plain old mud, sludge has the potential to bust a city's budget, as it needs to be treated and disposed of. But it doesn't have to be that way; in the hands of Israeli startup Global Recycling Projects Ltd. (Ecoarrow), sludge pulls its own weight – providing “free” energy by turning sludge into ...
Lag B’Omer Program: Fire or Solar Panel visit?
- February 14, 2012
What would you do? What lessons are you teaching/ role modeling? 1. The magic of a bonfire in a fire pit? and carbon emissions or 2. Visit a solar panel energy factory? and carbon emissions from the bus getting you there? Please share your thoughts! Pam
Israeli Winery Conserves Water (CJN October 2011)
- January 18, 2012
This "Sustainable Jew" article appeared inthe Canadian Jewish News on October 6, 2011 I recently had the opportunity to spend a few hours with Alex Haruni, the owner of the Dalton Winery. While in Toronto, Alex was promoting the sales of the kosher wines Dalton produces in the Upper Galilee. While we were talking, Alex was monitoring the progress of his grape harvest back in Israel. What I found interesting is how the Dalton Winery produces its million bottles of wine in a sustainable manner. One of the important factors required to reduce the ...
Energy Conservation in Israel (CJN March 2011)
- January 18, 2012
-
This "Sustainable Jew" column originally appeared in the Canadian Jewish News March 17, 2011 I was recently in Israel to represent the company I am currently on contract with, and to speak at a renewable energy conference in Eilat, co sponsored by the UJA Federation of Toronto. As part of a delegation, put together by Canada's National Research Council, I wanted to understand the current Israeli state of mind with respect to energy conservation and advances in renewable energy. At the same time I was tasked to determine if there was an opportunity ...
Synagogues Reduce Energy Costs (CJN February 2011)
- January 18, 2012
-
This article originally appeared in the Canadian Jewish News on February 17, 2011 What role should a synagogue play in helping its members live a more sustainable existence? Should a synagogue lead by example or just respond to the requirements of their boards and their members. Are we dealing with a business decision or a spiritual imperative? Rabbi Voss-Altman of Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary was one of the first in the Canadian Reform movement to dedicate one of his Shabbat talks to putting a green spin on Parshat Noach. His talk focused on the ...
The Festival of Lights: The Spiritual Dimension of Energy
- December 18, 2011
- 1 comment
Oh, Lord, my God, You are very great; You are clothed in glory and majesty, Wrapped in a robe of light; You spread the heavens like a tent cloth. (Psalm 104:2) Hanukkah which means “(re)dedication” has also been called the “Festival of Lights” at least since the 1st Century CE as the earliest reference to this name is found in the historian Josephus: And from that time [the purification of the Temple by the Maccabees] to the present time we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the reason was, ...
The Israeli Summer: Tent Cities, Bombs, Boycotts and Herzl’s Dream
- August 22, 2011
- 2 comments
-
NEW YORK (Aug. 22, 2011) — If you thought Theodor Herzl’s dream was fulfilled with the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, think again. Thousands are camping out in Israel’s cities, demanding social change. Thousands more around the world, angered by the Palestinians’ situation, seek to boycott Israel. Meanwhile, Egypt, Israel and Gaza volley bombs and rockets in escalating attacks and counterattacks. Which brings us back to Herzl. His dream wasn’t simply the creation of a Jewish democratic state, but the creation of a ...
Israeli company brings light to third world countries
- August 21, 2011
-
By Eva Levin Photos by Irene2005 and Globe Light & Water Systems Inc. The giant structures line most of our major roads and have become an integral part of the urban landscape. Yet to most Westerners, streetlights are so common they hardly get noticed by anyone. That is not the reality for most third world countries. Many African countries, for example, have a complete lack of street lighting on major streets, making it extremely dangerous to drive in anything but clear and sunny conditions. That is why Globe Light and Water Systems (GLW,) an Israeli ...
