An Earth Day Water Protection Act
In January 2003, the Bush Administration issued new policy guidelines that would dramatically weaken the Clean Water Act, putting at grave risk many of our small streams, ponds and wetlands that are not visibly connected to navigable rivers and lakes. Protecting many small bodies of water is critical to the protection of habitats and watersheds around the country.

Supporters of clean water protections have introduced to the both Houses of Congress The "Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2003" (S. 473 or H.R. 962) to clarify that Congress intended and still intends for Clean Water Act protection to extend to all of the nation's waters, including the so-called isolated wetlands, streams, ponds and other waterways that play an integral role in our environment and the health of our communities. Please fax or email you Senators and Representatives and ask them to cosponsor the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2003.

April 22nd is Earth Day, a time to celebrate the connection between human beings and the natural world that we inhabit. Take this day to acknowledge the splendor of creation, the joy of seasonal rebirth, and the wonder that is the Earth. And rededicate yourself to the mitzvah of protecting creation. This Earth Day, the world community is focusing on water, an issue of critical importance to the United States, Israel, and the entire planet.

Click here for a perspective on why Earth Day is a Jewish Holiday.

Mayim Chayyim: The Waters of Life
A Brief Exploration of Water in Jewish Texts and History
From the waters of Creation, to the great flood and the parting of the Red Sea, water is a powerful feature in the traditions and history of the Jewish people. The scarcity of water played a central role in the early history of the Jewish people. In order to sustain agriculture and replenish wells and cisterns, our ancestors in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) depended upon unpredictable and often inadequate seasonal rain and dew. This is the ecological context in which Jewish traditions were formed and one of the sources for the pervasive awareness in Jewish tradition of our intimate relationship with and dependence on the natural world. These texts describe this connection across thousands of years of Jewish history.

Water, Water Everywhere... and not a drop to drink - a tad truer than we'd like to think. Tap water in many communities today is contaminated with chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, lead, herbicides and pesticides. And even bottled water may not be certified by any health agency (not to mention the waste caused by the bottles themselves). Fortunately, there are many ways to purify tap water to much healthier standards. You can purchase a pour-through pitcher, like the Brita - or attach a similar filter right onto your sink faucet. There are also counter-top purifiers and even plumbed-in systems for your entire house. A good place to start is to find out exactly what contaminants are in your local water (EPA Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water - Local Water Report) and purchase a system to deal directly with those issues (NSF - drinking water treatment units online product database). More information available from the Water Quality Association.

**National Drinking Water Week, May 4-10**

MI COEJL Activists Call for Clean Air
Michigan COEJL's Rabbi Tziona Szajman of Congregation Beth Shalom (Oak Park, MI) and program manager Sara Bernstein attended the EPA's hearing on the New Source Review and proposed changes to the Clean Air Act. The current New Source Review requires energy companies to use available technologies to control air pollution, and COEJL believes that it should be upheld and enforced. While many speakers quoted industry reports, government studies, and health statistics, Sara Bernstein read from a much older source. Quoting from Genesis 2:15, "The Eternal placed the Human Being in the Garden of Eden to till it and to tend it," Sara spoke about the Jewish beliefs that we are to protect the planet for our neighbors and our children. MI COEJL's voices were heard; EPA staff personally thanked them for being there. Yasher koach to MI COEJL!