GREENING SYNAGOGUES RESOURCES

Native Plants

Whether or not your synagogue seeks certification as “backyard habitat,” for more information on planting native species on your grounds, start with the National Wildlife Federation. They, and other secular organizations, have all the information you’ll need to make your synagogue grounds as sustainable as possible. Just remember that what you’re doing as rooted in Jewish values -- the propagation of species “after their kind” (Gen. 1:11ff), the law of not wasting (bal tashchit), and the preservation of the “order of creation” (seder beresheet).

Whatever you do, avoid the one-species carpet of “ChemLawn” grass, which depends entirely on chemical inputs -- such lawns can be as bad for children's health and for synagogue finances as they are for the water, soil, plants, and animals near the synagogue. One COEJL-connected activist, Dena Wild, wrote the following on the COEJL Kol-Chai list-serv (June 2004):

"…consider reducing the size of the lawn or removing it entirely. Trying to achieve or maintain the ideal lush green lawn requires abundance of water, multiple applications of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides, not to mention all the hard work. Much has already been discussed about the precious commodity of water which becomes even more precious during the summer drought conditions. Chemical run off from lawns affecting water quality is a well documented problem.

There are alternatives to the lush green weed-less lawns. Use native ground covers in lieu of grass. Be more tolerant of weeds; they are green too and many of them are eatable herbs.

If you must have a lawn, the at least learn the proper grass species for your locale and correct installation and maintenance procedures by contacting your local County Extension Office. Correct installation and maintenance will save money and the environment. As a Master Gardener in Boulder County, Colorado and now in Orange County, Florida, I have seen too often the costly effects of the wrong type of grass, poor installation too much water, etc.

Removing or reducing the size of your lawn is a small step, but the impact on the local environment can be significant.”