Support the Bi-partisan Global Warming Bill from Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman - Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) have introduced an historic bipartisan bill (S. 139) to cut our nation's greenhouse gas pollution. This legislation will not only have a positive effect on the environment, it will encourage American industry to be more innovative and cost effective, leading to further economic growth. Send an email or fax to your Senators letting them know that you want them to support this issue and to cosponsor this crucial piece of legislation.

A Different Type of Seder: Celebrate Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year of Trees, on Friday night January 17 and Saturday January 18 with a Tu B'Shvat seder. Click here for a Special Tu B'Shvat seder hagaddah just for Shabbat!
Click here for additional resources for celebrating Tu B'Shvat

Some COEJL Regional Affiliates with Tu B'Shvat events: Adam va-Adamah: COEJL of British Columbia Bay COEJL (San Francisco) COEJL of Southern California Greater Boston COEJL Michigan COEJL New Jersey COEJL Northwest Jewish Environmental Project Southern Arizona COEJL St. Louis Jewish Environmental Initiative

The connection between Judaism and nature is made clear many times throughout the Torah and other Jewish texts. The timelessness of this connection was reaffirmed by many of the early Zionist leaders, thinkers and poets who saw strengthening their connection to the natural world as a core principle of their beliefs. Chief among them was A.D. Gordon who wrote:

"And when you, O human, will return to Nature, that day your eyes will open, you will stare straight into the eyes of Nature and in its mirror you will see your image. You will know .. that when you hid from Nature, you hid from yourself.... We who have been turned away from Nature -- if we desire life, we must establish a new relationship with Nature" (Mivhar Ketavim, 57-58).

The poet Shin Shalom gave us these words about Tu B'Shvat:

On Tu B'shvat/when spring comes/An angel descends/ledger in hand/and enters each bud, each twig, each tree, and all our garden flowers./From town to town, from village to village/the angel makes a winged way/searching the valleys, inspecting the hills/flying over the desert/and returns to heaven./ And when the ledger will be full/of trees and blossoms and shrubs/when the desert is turned into a meadow/and all our land a watered garden/the Messiah will appear.

What can we as Jews do today to bring our environmental concerns together with our faith? What steps can you take to actualize your dual commitment to environmentalism and Judaism and to make each a part of your daily routine?

How to recycle your used PC. In this age of rapid technological change, a personal computer becomes practically obsolete about every three years or so. Containing lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium, the environmental impact of landfilling these old machines is enormous. The best way to stay on top of the digital circuit is to refurbish, reuse, or recycle. Refurbish: upgrade your computer with a new operating system, more RAM memory, or a larger hard drive. Either send it into a computer service center, or learn to DIY (do it yourself!) Reuse: donate your old computer to a school or nonprofit. Try the National Cristina Foundation, Computers for Schools Association, AnotheR BytE, or the Computer Recycling Center. Recycle: get the name of a local donation center/recycler at Electronics Industries Alliance Consumer Education Initiative. IBM now has a "PC Recycling Service" that either donates or dismantles and recycles old computers. All it costs is $29.99 per computer and you'll get a receipt for a donation tax benefit.

From Generation to Generation...A Special Tu B'Shvat Seder Adam va-Adamah: COEJL of British Columbia is organizing its annual community-wide Tu B'Shvat celebration on January 19, 2003 at the Louis Brier Seniors Home in Vancouver BC. Seder participants will include Louis Brier residents and their families, as well as children and adults from the local community. The event will provide a unique opportunity for Jews of multiple generations to learn about how our responsibility to "till and to tend" the world has been experienced and put into practice over the years. For more information about Adam va-Adamah's Tu B'Shvat and other holiday celebrations, click here.