42 | NOVEMBER 21 • 2019
for college students by college students
November 21, 2019/23 Cheshvan 5780
A
s we approach a
growing population,
upwards of 7.7 billion
people worldwide, our supply
of natural resources decreases,
posing the greatest challenge
our planet has ever faced.
We must prevent a tem-
perature increase of 3 degrees
(Celsius) to avoid setting off
an irreversible chain of eco-
logical degradation. How can
we shift our behaviors to miti-
gate the increasing effects our
actions have on our planet?
Composting, the practice
of converting food scraps and
organic matters into soil, offers
a promising solution. This year,
University of Michigan Hillel
has created a Sustainability
Committee to provide a space
that enables students to “be
the change [they] wish to
see in the world.” Essentially,
this committee serves as a
launching pad to support
students in accomplishing
goals focused on enhancing
sustainability practices both
as individuals and as a Jewish
community.
Through an increase in
sustainable food options, more
efficient energy usage, close
partnerships with students,
institutions, community
leaders and organizations,
and the development of a new
composting program, Hillel is
working toward upholding the
Jewish tradition of repairing
the world, or tikkun olam.
Our goal is to be
active as leaders in the
Jewish community, to
inspire individuals to take
responsibility and act on the
climate crisis and to ensure
a strong future, L
’
Dor V’
Dor,
from generation to generation.
According to the Food and
Agriculture Organization
(FAO), one-third of all food
produced is wasted. This
wasted food goes into a landfill
and creates methane gas as it
decomposes. Methane gas is a
potent greenhouse gas that gets
trapped in our ozone layer and
ultimately causes unsustainable
global warming, heating
our planet in ways that may
jeopardize life as we know it.
As U-M works toward
our goals for the President’
s
Commission on Carbon
Neutrality, we must all
collaborate, sharing diverse
qualities, to strategize and
implement practices that have
any chance of sustaining our
planet. Hillel is working to
take an active role through
our Sustainability Committee,
allowing individuals to
contribute to a cause much
larger than themselves.
Similarly, this past summer,
Tamarack Camps started a
new composting program
thanks to the Farber Farm
Team, the “Green Team,
”
Tamarack’
s administrative
staff and Kandel Dining
staff. The program engaged
1,300 people weekly and
generated 1,400 pounds or 600
gallons of food scraps, which
equates to 5,320 pounds of
greenhouse gas emissions that
were reduced by composting.
Composting revolutionizes
the way individuals and our
broader communities approach
environmental practices.
What can you do to make the
world more sustainable? Get
involved! Begin composting
in your home, school or
workplace; start a Green
Team; closely examine the
foods you consume and their
procurement practices; vote for
people and policies that support
our environment and; most
simply, engage in conversations
to spread the word.
If you want to get involved
or get advice on how to
begin your own sustainability
committee, reach out! We need
everyone to come together
to fix the climate crisis and
make the world a better place
for ourselves and for future
generations. The changes must
begin today. @
Elana Weberman is a U-M student
from Bloomfield Hills.
Saving
the
Planet
U-M Hillel’
s Sustainability
Committee works to
mitigate climate change.
Elana Weberman } jewish@edu writer
Elana
Weberman
COURTESY U-M HILLEL