GREENING SYNAGOGUES RESOURCES

ENERGY

Energy, according to many theologians, is like divinity - you know it’s there, and it lights up your life, but you can’t usually see or even describe it. And how we use energy is truly a theological concern. Most of our electricity comes from fossil fuels like coal which produce tremendous air pollution when burned, along with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The next most common source of electricity is nuclear - though our society has no idea what to do with millions of tons of radioactive wastes, deadly for 250,000 years after giving us electricity for just 40 years. If only because of issues of intergenerational justice, energy is a profoundly religious issue.

Jewish sacred texts have much to say about the matter: the Talmud insists on energy efficiency; Shabbat is an ecologically sustainable day; the rest of Creation counts alongside humans; and Judaism teaches that when in doubt, we should take all reasonable precautions. See these texts and values laid out for you on the webpage (also suitable for study with your building committee or board, or in an adult education setting), "Why Energy is a Jewish Issue."

Looking for basic things your synagogue can do to save energy? Click here for COEJL’s and the EPA’s best ideas, geared specifically for Jewish congregations.

If your synagogue isn’t about to do major work on its facility, but is willing to do something in order to save a lot of energy (and ultimately money!), the best thing you can do is take an energy audit. Here are some resources which offer on-line, do-it-yourself energy audits for your home, business, or any location! We hope you’ll get much use out of them, and save much energy!

Learn more about the EPA Energy Star Congregations Program, an important resource and ally in our greening-congregations efforts; check out their website for more great ideas.

Not only can you save electricity and money through energy efficiency, you can also make a huge difference by going green with the electricity you do consume. Renewable electricity – from windpower, solar installations, landfill gas, and other sustainable sources – is an option in more and more areas. Learn more about green power here.

Along with our partners Hazon and the EPA Energy Star Congregations program, click here for a one-page download with great statistics on the difference we can make when we work together to conserve electricity.

Of course, some of the best resources aren’t religious at all, though our impulse for using them may be. Take advantage of the following ‘secular’ links, and you can enjoy their technical and scientific expertise alongside the ethical and Jewish values found here on the COEJL site:

American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy:

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (U.S. Dept. of Energy)

U.S. Climate Action Network

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

National Environmental Trust - energy section

Union of Concerned Scientists - energy section

World Resources Institute

Alternative Energy Engineering - Solar Supersource

Real Goods / Gaiam

Sunelco - The Sun Electric Company

Energy User News - Look up specifications of all the latest energy-efficient products here.