Environmental Committee

MISSION

The Congregation Agudath Israel (CAI) Environmental Committee seeks to educate the CAI community on caring for the environment grounded in Jewish teachings and history; take actions to help the Synagogue and congregants of all ages and stages to lessen our impact on the environment; collaborate with local/state community partners on activities and advocacy to sustain and protect the environment; support environmental justice; engage with the Jewish environmental movements outside of CAI/our community.

For more information or to join our committee, please contact co-chairs Harriet Sepinwall or Mark Lipsy.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Hazon Seal of Sustainability
We are proud to have been awarded the Hazon Seal of Sustainability and accepted into this prestigious program. Hazon, the largest Jewish environmental organization in the United States, addresses environmental and related issues through the lens of Judaism. Their program offers a framework to promote sustainable practices by providing methodology, resources, and means to describe and execute sustainability goals. Being part of the program gives CAI access to information, programming, and environmental practices of our community and provides engagement with other Jewish communities and the local community on environmental issues. CAI also received a Hazon mini-grant to develop and adopt new sustainable food practices at the synagogue.

Caldwell Sustainability Award
On December 5, 2020, the Borough of Caldwell honored Congregation Agudath Israel and its Environmental Committee with its annual Caldwell Sustainability Award.

RECENT ACTIVITIES

• ⇒  Zoom lecture by Jonathan Safran Foer, author of "We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast" and "Eating Animals," arranged by Harriet Sepinwall; technical hosting by Mark Lipsy
• ⇒  2^nd Annual Tu B’Shevat Seder, arranged by Debbie Arbit and Randi Brokman with Edna Alberts, using Hazon’s "Tu B’Shevat Haggadah," seder led by Debbie Arbit and including the Seven Species and vegetarian/vegan foods
• ⇒  Annual Environmental Shabbat with Rabbi Michael Cohen of Israel’s Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (arranged by Randi Brokman, Harriet Sepinwall, and Anna Millstein of Jewish National Fund)
• ⇒  Participation in the Green Fair at the Caldwell Public Library, sponsored by the West Essex Ministerial Association (arranged by Bob and Janet Markman)
• ⇒  2020 Hazon Grant for Sustainable Kiddishes (grant writer Mark Lipsy)
• ⇒  Revised Webpage
• ⇒  Screening of "Sustainable Nation," (arranged by Anna Millstein and Susan Werk of CAI’s Education Department, and Jewish National Fund)
• ⇒  Annual Earth Day programming (arranged by Rabbi David Saltzman and Harriet Sepinwall, co-sponsored by CAI Education Department)
• ⇒  Virtual field trips with Essex County Environmental Center (co-sponsored with CAI Education Department, arranged by Harriet Sepinwall and Susan Werk)
• ⇒  Committee strategic planning facilitated by Morris Lewis
• ⇒  Communications plan facilitated by Howard Kleinman and Morris Lewis
   

CAI RECYCLING PROGRAM
Did you know that most of your trash is recyclable? CAI provides a recycling bin in the synagogue for used ink cartridges and used batteries. The bin is maintained by Dr. Gerry Buchoff. While access to the synagogue now is limited during the COVID 19 pandemic, batteries and cartridges still can be recycled through other current recycling programs.
See UPDATES.

• UPDATES: CURRENT RECYCLING PROGRAM:
  
  ⇒  Rechargeable batteries and cell phones: Drop off at any Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, or Staples
  ⇒  Used ink cartridges can also be dropped off at either Staples or Best Buy
  ⇒  PPE (masks and gloves) and hard-to-recycle items (i.e. snack wrappers/bags, disposable cups, lids, plastic straws, coffee and creamer capsules) can be brought to Paul Miller Subaru in Parsippany and placed in their TERRACYCLE ZERO WASTE BOX. Learn more about Terracycle’s residential and commercial recycling programs at www.terracycle.com
  ⇒  Single-use batteries now can be disposed of through normal household garbage