Pearl Salkin C*EJL Special to the Jewish News • coettion on the Environment and Xamish Utta Profreting Creation, Generation to Gene:mean Ott 7, VMS I 4 Tithret 5746 AtiOttr US DONA11 TAKE At TIC`- PROGRAMS RESOURCES Whorl Ilifiebh About Protecting the Environment ACTION ALERT: ' DONATE TO PROTECT .1 THE EARTH protect the Endangered Soeries t - Call your Representatives today I Septernbr 21, 2005 - The 1, 10,)h Ajhanc2 1 holds national Dr.5$ confaronc.= announcing its creation to prevent congressional attempts that would rollbad, and ssealen the Endangered Species Act. COEJL's Hadar SusslAnd proorams (mp3) 'aaalattulteauQ.._ SIC!, Lu , t 1St mut NEWSLE TIER Crick here for MI redieration or use our quick sign-up•below: Names eidainna ANNOUNCE',1EN COEJL's Rabbinic Fellow. Rabbi Larry Truster, travels to Tehran. - n Arens n nvir monr . pa -o Iran for an inern_ and the DialooLie among Civilizations and Cultures _ COE3L IN THE NEWS: Religigrrimittiga KCPW Radio tnterview with COSL's Communications Director, Barbara Lerman - Goiomb, August 2005 The Eternal placed the hu being in the Garden a E to till it end to tend NEWs HE AD11 ,4_ ,., F-PoN GRISM Thecoloay. ADC Temple's Ouest to Live Licitly on the karth, Reform Judaism, Summer 2005 itadf] Environmental 'Cnsis" Can limit R , liorins Rabb.; Doty ii, ewS, July 2005 C9, S ElangQr CELEBRATE: The Days of Awe: Rosh Hashanah and Vern Ki0our October 4-5, 2005 and October 13, 2005 MISSION STATEMENT: coElL deepens the Jewish community's commitment to the stewardship of creation and mobilizes the resources of Jewish life and learning to protect the Earth and all its inhabitants. Choot• You Can Lk* 4 Ichaol choice the anslieer to sprawl' kW end vatas choice to head EN, ha.; iffy record on endangered sperses naked Lunth Naked Chef hits reality TV to press for healthy, qrcen school lunches Wa Mar the World world Bank study says pollution, climate changer hurt millions So a Prlart Wa1143 Into an environmtntid protect Brazilian priest on hunger strike to stop water•diversion scheme COEJL's Web home page Eco-friendly ways to mark that magic moment AND save the planet. 52 CELEBRATE • 2006 AN T hree days after my son Will ascended the bimah as a bar mitzvah, I stopped by our shul to drop off some books and thank the principal of the Hebrew school and others who made his big day such a wonderful experience. I was still in a post-party stupor, floating through the foggy downside of the roller-coaster ride/emotional stress test that accompanies major lifecycle events. But when I got back in my car and drove past the piles of huge trash bags outside the shul's kitchen door, I got a jarring jolt of reality. The sights of tines of white plastic forks poking through the black bags and the remnants of a deflated Mylar balloon blowing in the breeze on a nearby treetop were awful. While I wouldn't classify myself as a tree hugger, I try to keep conservation in mind when I'm at home or on the go. I often remind my kids to turn off the TV and lights when they leave a room for an extended period. I won't run the dishwasher if it's not at least half-full. I postpone trips to relatively distant locations until I have more than one mission in the area. Am I worthy of a medal for my paltry efforts to save the planet? Hardly. But I do feel guilty after making a hasty decision that turns out to be harmful to the environment. Had I invested a little more time and effort, I would have cho- sen an eco-friendlier product to buy or way to do some- thing. Can you think of a better time to voice our concern for our world and demonstrate our commitment to con- serving its precious resources than during b'nai mitzvah planning? I can't. Selecting an environmental mitzvah project is a good starting point. Then you can move on to celebration specifics such as party invitations, oneg Shabbat and kiddush tableware, centerpieces, balloons, banners and beer. Just switching from bottles or cans to a keg at the party can save some of the raw material and energy it takes to make and recycle those containers and their cardboard carriers.