From recycling to energy conservation, many local synagogues are working toward "going green."
At one synagogue, members took their efforts to the next level when they started ecoChai, which operates under the Shalom Center at Temple Chai in Phoenix. According to Martha Mann, who co-leads the group with Nona Siegel, the group's objective "is to create a healthier, sustainable environment as we explore the interrelationship between Judaism and the health of the planet."
EcoChai started two years ago and although it originally included only Temple Chai members working with Rabbi Mari Chernow, ecoChai recently expanded to include other organizations within the Jewish community.
Last November, ecoChai joined with Arizona Adventurers, an activity group for Jewish young adults, to volunteer at the Hassayampa River Preserve, located southeast of Wickenburg, where they removed invasive plants and learned about the nature conservatory's wildlife.
Since its founding, ecoChai also participated in "A Light Among the Nations," a campaign of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) during Hanukkah 2006 that encouraged the Jewish community to install compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. Last year, ecoChai sponsored the Shalom Center's 2008 Mi Shebeirach (Healing) Tapestry, which Siegel called "The Green Edition." The tapestry was devoted to environmental concepts, she said, and each person who designed one of the 18 squares of the tapestry used recycled fabrics. "We really encouraged people to use fabrics that were special to them," she said, which resulted in pieces made from such items as baby blankets and pockets from outfits worn at special events.
This year, ecoChai aims to form a community board, made up of individuals representing other Jewish organizations throughout the local Jewish community. The group also wants to serve as a resource for other synagogues and Jewish organizations, Mann said. In addition to including information about its own events, its Web site, ecochai.org, includes many resources about other environmental groups and links to news articles about environmental issues.
On May 3, ecoChai will host its second annual Festival of Used Books at Temple Chai, which encourages people to donate their books, CDs and DVDs. Last year's event brought in about 5,000 books and hundreds of people, according to Joe Miller, Temple Chai executive director, who chaired last year's festival as a volunteer.
The festival addresses one of the "three Rs" of waste management strategies: Reuse (the others are reduce and recycle).
"We saw it as a real green initiative," Miller said. "Save the planet, help the temple."
Some of the children's books were donated to a school drive and other books were donated elsewhere, but the rest were boxed and saved for this year's festival; the synagogue is accepting the donated items at the front desk. The funds raised from the festival go toward the temple's religious school and child-care center.
Although COEJL doesn't have a chapter in the Valley, ecoChai has been in touch with the Southern Arizona COEJL group and they may collaborate on a volunteer project in the next year, according to Mann.
Other future events include Havdalah hikes led by local rabbis, other hikes, volunteer activities, guest speakers and a book club.
The slogan on the group's Web site is "Repairing the Earth, one mensch at a time."
Representatives of ecoChai will be at the Temple Chai booth during the Jewish National Fund Tu b'Shevat Festival, noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Scottsdale Civic Center. Contact Siegel at nona.siegel@gmail.com or 602-867-7221; contact Mann at 602-256-0284 or martha@ecochai.org.
