Eco Judaism @ OJC
פעילות אקולוגית
“The environmental crisis is not simply a technological problem to be resolved through better science. It is a moral and spiritual crisis in our relationship with the earth.” (Eco Synagogue)
OJC exhibition of "Our Beautiful Planet and Nature" exhibited at the 50th Anniversary of our multi- stranded Jewish community in 2024
Click here to see the Flipbook of the exhibition
Click here to see the Flipbook of the exhibition
Judaism understands us not as masters, but as trustees, of God’s creation. We have a primary responsibility to care for the earth and leave it to our children in a state of wholeness and health. At the OJC we are trying to improve our eco profile in a multitude of ways which we detail below. For details of the Eco Synagogue project as a whole follow this link to their website.
After deciding to register with Eco Synagogue we completed the initial survey, then looked at where we stand on each of the areas specified by their audit. We have amended a variety of areas of practice and raised awareness amongst the congregation in line with the Eco Synagogue audit criteria. You can read, below, about the steps we took. We are delighted to have achieved their Silver Award status. There is a long way to go, but we hope to continue improving our eco credentials and, one day, go for Gold.
After deciding to register with Eco Synagogue we completed the initial survey, then looked at where we stand on each of the areas specified by their audit. We have amended a variety of areas of practice and raised awareness amongst the congregation in line with the Eco Synagogue audit criteria. You can read, below, about the steps we took. We are delighted to have achieved their Silver Award status. There is a long way to go, but we hope to continue improving our eco credentials and, one day, go for Gold.
Awareness in the community
Our starting point was to invite Rabbi Wittenberg to launch the project with a talk to the community; alongside this we began to make suggestions on a weekly basis to members about how to be more eco-friendly at home through a new “Green Tips” section in our weekly bulletin and our monthly newsletter. We have also encouraged members to stop receiving the monthly bulletin as a paper copy and to receive it in digital form. We have been much more aware of reducing the number of unnecessary paper handouts – and making announcements orally or putting up a single notice on the notice board where possible.
Education
In addition to adult education through short tips and monthly longer articles, the topic of going green has been taught at the cheder; as well as learning about our obligation as Jews to be aware of the environment and learning about Eco-Kashrut, they also undertook practical projects such as creating recycling bins for every cheder classroom. The cheder has stopped the previous system of a tuck shop with chocolate and other foods with high mileage and packaging, and has moved over to on-site popcorn provision and satsumas – healthier and with much lower transport and packaging. Playshul has also spent time on environmental issues.
Use of the Oxford Jewish Centre
The management committee has looked at the use of energy in the building and has checked the insulation and changed light bulbs to more eco-efficient ones.
Kiddushim and food preparation
The kitchen now use food recycling bins in addition to the paper and plastic recycling bin we had before, and have enlarged facilities to cope. We have removed disposables from daily use and are now using glass or china – and we have moved from the plastic single use kiddush cups to glasses – more time on washing up but less plastic wastage.
We have several times had “eco –friendly” kiddushim – where we have labelled the transport and packaging levels of the different items in the kiddush to make people more aware of the resources going into our kiddush provisions – and on a few occasions had members bake on site so that we are not transporting kosher cake and biscuits 50 miles from London and often from kosher suppliers in Israel 2,250miles away.
Travel and transport issues
Many people travel to the synagogue by bus, bicycle or walk – because parking is such a nightmare in central Oxford – but we have also informed people of the need to think about carbon offsetting all their holiday travel and given them information about how to do this – to encourage everyone to be more aware. We also have bike racks available.
Examples of "Green tips" from the OJC weekly bulletins
Plastic Reduction
What could our plastic reduction aims be?
If plastics which are difficult to recycle were removed from general use we would begin to have an impact on landfill rubbish which persists indefinitely. The plastics which were collected would be much easier to sort and therefore higher volumes would be reclaimed.
Some practical tips which might have immediate effects:
1) if the plastic being used is recyclable, ensure that it is placed in the recycling after a quick wash which removes food debris.
2) Screw plastic tops onto plastic bottles so they are not lost in the recycling plant because they are too small
Try to avoid usage of the plastics which are difficult to recycle
Start thinking …can I do things differently?
1) always take a shopping bag out with you so that the number of new plastic bags is reduced and the number in circulation declines.
2) use refillable containers when possible. Avoid buying a continuous supply of plastic drinks bottles.
3) Try to avoid constant use of Clingfilm. Use resealable container to store leftovers , plates to cover dishes, reusable wraps made of fabric and beeswax or silicone sheets
4) Using non disposables requires more effort to clean, put away, etc. Be prepared to make the effort. Over time it radically reduces our use of disposables.
Become aware of waste and litter. Pick up litter if you see it and dispose of it appropriately
--------------------------------------------------------
Can you spot a greenwashing technique?
A product is degradable
. It’s a popular greenwashing technique that many brands use to make their item seem eco-friendly.
A product donates to eco – charities
Eco-charities’ is a very elusive term, naming a charity and being able to research the work they do would be a positive statement.
Calling something Our Sustainablility range
Especially in fast fashion a sustainability range of products often greenwashes people into thinking all the products are eco-friendly without doing any research in
--------------------------------------------------------
Houseplants
If you don’t’ have an outdoor space creating the ideal green space can be difficult.
Suitable houseplants are the best way to bring a green space into your home.
Houseplants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen; and can also remove toxins from the air as well as help relax you. Leafy plants that are green all year round are the most beneficial.
Some of these can be easy to care for like spider plants, string of hearts, snake plants and money plants
Or plants that you can use, eat, help your sleep, or improve air purification, like Aloe Vera, mint, basil, croton plant, lavender and many others
-------------------------------------------------------
Drink tap water instead of bottled
Bottled water drinkers have been found to ingest more than 90,000 extra micro plastic particles a year, when compared to tap water drinkers. Skip the plastic bottled water for a glass of tap or a refillable metal water bottle.
If you get thirsty when you’re out-and-about, refresh yourself with a recyclable glass bottle or aluminium can of whatever takes your fancy.
-------------------------------------------------------
Discovering carbon footprints
Carbon footprints are inevitable, especially as humans as we breathe out CO2 in each breath.
However, as consumers we can reduce our carbon footprints drastically
We can reduce it by driving less.
Eating locally sourced food ( so the food is transported less distance)
Turning off the light in rooms we are not using.
Burning fossil fuels is a major contributor so check your fuel sources
Use energy efficient appliances.
Eat more plant based foods as animal agriculture requires a lot of water and produces greenhouse gases, just as humans do, whereas plants remove gases from the atmosphere.
Carbon footprints are harmful to the planet, but we can reduce them.
--------------------------------------------------------
Eco friendly present giving
Each year people throw away £42 million of unwanted gifts at this time of year, which mostly end up in landfill
So best to make sure it is wanted before you give presents for Chanukah or Xmas
Then see if there is an eco friendly alternative for clothing or toys or gadgets
And it is not just the presents themselves – an astonishing 227,000 miles of wrapping paper are used in the UK each year -nearly the distance from the Earth to the moon (238,877 miles) - so could you recycle the wrapping paper and use less new paper?
And 1 billion Xmas cards are sold in the UK each year. Which is about 33 million trees. Could you give less of these?
--------------------------------------------------------
Veganuary
Veganuary encourages people to try a vegan lifestyle for the entire month of January. This popular annual event is part of a global movement that aims to promote veganism by raising awareness about the ethical, environmental, and health benefits of a plant-based diet.
Don't worry, you don't have to go all in if your life makes this too challenging. Instead you could try swapping out one meal a day for something vegan or choosing vegan hair or skincare for the month.
A follow up survey of those who were not vegan before they took part in Veganuary found that their participation had a significant effect on how much plant based food they were eating six months later.
Our starting point was to invite Rabbi Wittenberg to launch the project with a talk to the community; alongside this we began to make suggestions on a weekly basis to members about how to be more eco-friendly at home through a new “Green Tips” section in our weekly bulletin and our monthly newsletter. We have also encouraged members to stop receiving the monthly bulletin as a paper copy and to receive it in digital form. We have been much more aware of reducing the number of unnecessary paper handouts – and making announcements orally or putting up a single notice on the notice board where possible.
Education
In addition to adult education through short tips and monthly longer articles, the topic of going green has been taught at the cheder; as well as learning about our obligation as Jews to be aware of the environment and learning about Eco-Kashrut, they also undertook practical projects such as creating recycling bins for every cheder classroom. The cheder has stopped the previous system of a tuck shop with chocolate and other foods with high mileage and packaging, and has moved over to on-site popcorn provision and satsumas – healthier and with much lower transport and packaging. Playshul has also spent time on environmental issues.
Use of the Oxford Jewish Centre
The management committee has looked at the use of energy in the building and has checked the insulation and changed light bulbs to more eco-efficient ones.
Kiddushim and food preparation
The kitchen now use food recycling bins in addition to the paper and plastic recycling bin we had before, and have enlarged facilities to cope. We have removed disposables from daily use and are now using glass or china – and we have moved from the plastic single use kiddush cups to glasses – more time on washing up but less plastic wastage.
We have several times had “eco –friendly” kiddushim – where we have labelled the transport and packaging levels of the different items in the kiddush to make people more aware of the resources going into our kiddush provisions – and on a few occasions had members bake on site so that we are not transporting kosher cake and biscuits 50 miles from London and often from kosher suppliers in Israel 2,250miles away.
Travel and transport issues
Many people travel to the synagogue by bus, bicycle or walk – because parking is such a nightmare in central Oxford – but we have also informed people of the need to think about carbon offsetting all their holiday travel and given them information about how to do this – to encourage everyone to be more aware. We also have bike racks available.
Examples of "Green tips" from the OJC weekly bulletins
Plastic Reduction
What could our plastic reduction aims be?
If plastics which are difficult to recycle were removed from general use we would begin to have an impact on landfill rubbish which persists indefinitely. The plastics which were collected would be much easier to sort and therefore higher volumes would be reclaimed.
Some practical tips which might have immediate effects:
1) if the plastic being used is recyclable, ensure that it is placed in the recycling after a quick wash which removes food debris.
2) Screw plastic tops onto plastic bottles so they are not lost in the recycling plant because they are too small
Try to avoid usage of the plastics which are difficult to recycle
Start thinking …can I do things differently?
1) always take a shopping bag out with you so that the number of new plastic bags is reduced and the number in circulation declines.
2) use refillable containers when possible. Avoid buying a continuous supply of plastic drinks bottles.
3) Try to avoid constant use of Clingfilm. Use resealable container to store leftovers , plates to cover dishes, reusable wraps made of fabric and beeswax or silicone sheets
4) Using non disposables requires more effort to clean, put away, etc. Be prepared to make the effort. Over time it radically reduces our use of disposables.
Become aware of waste and litter. Pick up litter if you see it and dispose of it appropriately
--------------------------------------------------------
Can you spot a greenwashing technique?
A product is degradable
. It’s a popular greenwashing technique that many brands use to make their item seem eco-friendly.
A product donates to eco – charities
Eco-charities’ is a very elusive term, naming a charity and being able to research the work they do would be a positive statement.
Calling something Our Sustainablility range
Especially in fast fashion a sustainability range of products often greenwashes people into thinking all the products are eco-friendly without doing any research in
--------------------------------------------------------
Houseplants
If you don’t’ have an outdoor space creating the ideal green space can be difficult.
Suitable houseplants are the best way to bring a green space into your home.
Houseplants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen; and can also remove toxins from the air as well as help relax you. Leafy plants that are green all year round are the most beneficial.
Some of these can be easy to care for like spider plants, string of hearts, snake plants and money plants
Or plants that you can use, eat, help your sleep, or improve air purification, like Aloe Vera, mint, basil, croton plant, lavender and many others
-------------------------------------------------------
Drink tap water instead of bottled
Bottled water drinkers have been found to ingest more than 90,000 extra micro plastic particles a year, when compared to tap water drinkers. Skip the plastic bottled water for a glass of tap or a refillable metal water bottle.
If you get thirsty when you’re out-and-about, refresh yourself with a recyclable glass bottle or aluminium can of whatever takes your fancy.
-------------------------------------------------------
Discovering carbon footprints
Carbon footprints are inevitable, especially as humans as we breathe out CO2 in each breath.
However, as consumers we can reduce our carbon footprints drastically
We can reduce it by driving less.
Eating locally sourced food ( so the food is transported less distance)
Turning off the light in rooms we are not using.
Burning fossil fuels is a major contributor so check your fuel sources
Use energy efficient appliances.
Eat more plant based foods as animal agriculture requires a lot of water and produces greenhouse gases, just as humans do, whereas plants remove gases from the atmosphere.
Carbon footprints are harmful to the planet, but we can reduce them.
--------------------------------------------------------
Eco friendly present giving
Each year people throw away £42 million of unwanted gifts at this time of year, which mostly end up in landfill
So best to make sure it is wanted before you give presents for Chanukah or Xmas
Then see if there is an eco friendly alternative for clothing or toys or gadgets
And it is not just the presents themselves – an astonishing 227,000 miles of wrapping paper are used in the UK each year -nearly the distance from the Earth to the moon (238,877 miles) - so could you recycle the wrapping paper and use less new paper?
And 1 billion Xmas cards are sold in the UK each year. Which is about 33 million trees. Could you give less of these?
--------------------------------------------------------
Veganuary
Veganuary encourages people to try a vegan lifestyle for the entire month of January. This popular annual event is part of a global movement that aims to promote veganism by raising awareness about the ethical, environmental, and health benefits of a plant-based diet.
Don't worry, you don't have to go all in if your life makes this too challenging. Instead you could try swapping out one meal a day for something vegan or choosing vegan hair or skincare for the month.
A follow up survey of those who were not vegan before they took part in Veganuary found that their participation had a significant effect on how much plant based food they were eating six months later.
- 30% were still eating a fully vegan diet;
- 38% were eating at least 75% less meat and other animal products than pre-Veganuary
- 14% were eating at least 50% less.
Contact [email protected] for more information or to support the team