We are usually the ones dropping jaws and blowing minds, but we were totally unprepared for the cutting edge infrastructure and vibrant pluralistic Jewish community of AHA, the American Hebrew Academy. Aside from being the primary support that made this but tour possible, they have offered a huge amount of moral encouragement, forward thinking, and gen-u-wine GUSTO. Upon rolling up to Greensboro, NC, what we found was a community of severely intelligent and dedicated 24/7 students and teachers LIVING engaged, critical, ambitious, and socially and spiritually diverse lives together.

We each got to welcome Shabbat at our choice of student led minyans: from mechitzah to electric guitar. It was incredible to hear a room full of a hundred teenagers all singing yedid nefesh together in unison. AHA's athletic facility sports an indoor rock wall and incredibly, a regular rock climbing minyan!

We attended a Biblio-drama group that explored this weeks parsha, Shmini, through acting games and a formidable discussion of the differences and overlaps between kashrut laws, and laws regarding the humane treatment of animals. It was also quite cool and pleasantly dreary to play Tribond the next day with the patter of rain on the windows, especially after our last Shabbat in the sweltering heat of Florida’s gulf coast!

We also got to trade tours: while some of us shared our unique waste veggie oil centrifuging system and on board worm composting bin, others were given a tour of AHA’s incredible GEOTHERMAL energy plant! In our solar oven design program, we had been implying that the source of energy for all life comes from the sun, but we stand corrected! Located underneath the soccer bleachers, this state of the art and candy-colored-coded facility looked like it was designed by Willy Wonka, but provides clean renewable heating and cooling to every building on campus. It capitalizes on the fact that 500 feet down, no matter where we dig, the earth is a brisk 52 degrees. Through a system of chutes and ladders style pipes and heat transfer stations, cool water is pumped from the ground, circulated through the system, and returned to the ground. It provides heat in the winter and cool in the summer. The entire system will have paid for itself in energy savings by 2013, requires little maintenance, and is used as a working lab station for science and economics classes! We were floored.

We had the honor of sharing our program to a group of prospective students: we presented our dramatic recreation of God's assigning Adam and Eve a sacred purpose (l'ovdah u'l'shomrah, to work and protect the earth) after their creation of the first-ever piece of garbage. We then had the students write their holy opinions, Talmudic dialogue style, on a range of eco-dilemma posters, dealing from issues of eco/kashrut, to genetic modification of food and Kilayim laws, to the practical applications of the law of Bal Taschit. Focusing on the power of one through the Purim story, we asked the students to make a 6 week Brit Ma'aseh, a commitment to action, and unrolled in a circle our very own Community Brit Megillah, on which each and every student we have reached has signed their Brit for all to see. It was a powerful moment to share with such a focused and empowered community. These students are already rekindling Judaism's sacred and ancient connection to the Earth, and I can't wait to see what they are able to put into action as they enter a world hungry for new ideas.

The Green Team and Honors Society asked us for some special advice on how to jumpstart their composting program. In full form, we hijacked their talent show and gave a little impromptu lesson in ‘Decomposition’, resulting in a raucous congo line. The entire event was unfortunately caught on film.

Enjoy!

Jonah Meadows Adels

This is our first post to Jewcology.com, but not the first of our tour. To read our previous posts, go to topsyturvybus.org. But then come back here!

Welcome to Miami

The Sunshine State is no lie. Since we arrived in this tropical paradise both the weather and the people have been warm, bright, and sunny. In fact, this Topsy Turvy Educator, while clamboring over seven-foot-high-snow banks this winter back in New England, had forgotten how hot "hot" could be. So our pre-Shabbat plans last week required time for a stop at Macy's, where a friendly salesman named Marty – or Moshe Eliyahu – helped me pick out two nice, warm-weather shirts. Thanks Moshe! But I digress.

We've been living large in south Florida, with our sleeping quarters ranging from the convenience of a 24-hour IHOP parking lot (pancakes and coffee first thing in the morning!) to the comfort of air-conditioned bedrooms, home-cooked meals, and outdoor swimming pools. And when we haven't been enjoying sleeping, we've been taking advantage of the glorious weather and amazing attractions that exist in this corner of the country. We took a field trip to Homestead to visit Coral Castle, an impressive palace of coral bedrock stones cut, moved, and put into place by a single five-foot-tall man named Edward Leedskalnin. We also took a quick swing through the Everglades, buying some delicious fruit, milkshakes, and chips-and-salsa from Grandma's Garden fruit stand, and then visiting Royal Palm park, where Jo and Diane both saw their first alligators ever… and then their second, and third, and fourth… there were a lot of alligators.

We spent the night under the breathtaking starscape above the Long Pine Key campground, and parked next to some fellow adventurers who were traveling in the Baldwin Gypsy Caravan. This was also around the time that Jo and Diane learned that they had each been accepted to work with one of our sponsors, Eden Village Camp, and Jonathan and Elizabeth both found out that they had been accepted into grad school! An exciting time!

Of course, we worked a bit, too. We had a great time running a program with the students of Donna Klein Jewish Academy in South Palm Beach, and spent a wonderful weekend at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach. We also visited the residents of "Vi" in Aventura, where we got to spend some quality time with Noah's (that's me) Sabba and Savta. Hi Sabba and Savta! The excitement continued with a surprise appearance – Laura Bellows, a fellow Teva-nik, duped us all by appearing on the bus mid-program!

All-in-all, a busy week, and one that's already come and gone and left us with another week, which has itself already begun passing by pretty quickly! We've had the great pleasure of running two programs this week – one with the Beth Am religious school of South Miami, and another with the preschoolers of Aventura's Tauber Academy. And so? We're taking the night off! As a great man once said, "Party in the city where the heat is on… welcome to Miami!"

But seriously, we'll probably just watch "Food, Inc."

~Noah

The Teva Bus Tour takes the Teva Learning Center on the road, bringing communities together in action, advocacy and education. Starting this Wednesday, the bus is heading south! On tour we'll be stretching minds while celebrating Purim, dreaming big to welcome in Pesach, connecting to ancient Jewish ecological wisdom, and discovering creative ways to re-think energy and conservations issues, from recycled-veggie-oil fuel systems and worm composting to solar ovens and a human-powered bicycle generator.

As with any young program, there is a lot of excitement about the opportunities that the future holds for us, and a lot of help and support that is needed in order for us to take on those opportunities. What we'd love is to make all of you a part of this tour, and to give YOU the opportunity to give US the opportunity to spread important values of Jewish and environmental responsibility.

Therefore, we're making an appeal for small donations. Think of it as Tzedakah, as a Channukah present, or even as an indirect means to offset your Carbon footprint. If you are interested in making a donation, please go to <http://www.indiegogo.com/Topsy-Turvy-Bus-Tour?i=pite>. There are only a few hours left to donate through that website, so check it out soon!

If you don't make the deadline, you can also donate through the Teva Center website

www.tevacenter.org

Make sure to earmark the donation for the Bus Tour.

If you have other questions, suggestions, or would otherwise like to be involved, please email BOTH:

emily@tevacenter.org

and

bustour@tevacenter.org

or call

212-807-6376

Thank you for your time and support of all forms!

-The Teva Topsy-Turvy-Bus-Tour Team