GREENING SYNAGOGUES RESOURCES

Wood For Synagogues

Eitz chayim hi l’machazikim ba -- “It (Torah, or wisdom) is a tree of life to those who hold onto it” -- Proverbs 3:18, incorporated into the end of the Torah service liturgy

Few environmental issues elicit such gut-level Jewish support as saving trees. Trees are elemental in the biblical and rabbinic imagination. Righteous people (Psalm 92), as well as Torah itself, are repeatedly made analogous to trees. Planting trees became a core element of early Zionism (see the efforts of the Jewish National Fund); trees become the basis for much contemporary Jewish-environmental scholarship (see Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B’Shvat Anthology, edited by Arthur Waskow, Ari Elon, and Naomi Mara Hyman, JPS, 2000). And COEJL’s own activist efforts have been nowhere so successful as with defending forests and the endangered species that dwell within them.

In architecture, trees are vital for their wood, commonly accounting for a huge percentage of the total building materials employed: heavy beams as structural elements, two-by-fours for framing, pulp for drywall, planks for flooring, columns for porticos, shingles and shakes for exteriors, and specialty woods for the ark and other interior design elements. Any alternative design elements you can choose (like component trusses or stressed-skin panels) -- and especially, any percentage of that vast quantity of wood which can be taken from sustainably managed forests or from reclaimed wood -- translates into trees saved and habitats preserved.

Creativity, and research, will be called for. Far too few contractors are even aware of many existing alternatives; and far too few lumber and hardware stores stock much certified wood, if any. But with a bit of work, and sometimes only a small (if any) cost premium, you can find ways to reduce the amount of wood in your synagogue, and can locate wood of all shapes and sizes and types which bears a “hekhsher”, a stamp of approval by the people who certify wood as sustainable -- as kosher, if you will. (Start your search at the Forest Stewardship Council, or at SmartWood^CM; remember that distance from the forest or mill is a major environmental factor alongside the source of the wood itself).

Leading organizations working on this include the Forest Stewardship Council and SmartWood (a project of the Rainforest Action Network). A summary of their approaches follows:

Forest Stewardship Council Endorsed:

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) endorsed and certified products include forest products that were harvested from a forest certified by an FSC-accredited certifier. Under this program forest products are harvested from forests that are managed under compliance with the principles and criteria of the FSC.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, not for profit, non-government organization that provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.

Founded in 1993, FSC’s mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests. FSC forest management standards are based on FSC's 10 Principles and Criteria of responsible forest management.

FSC’s governance structure ensures that FSC is independent of any one interest group by requiring an equal balance in power between its environmental, social and economic chambers as well as a balance between interests from the economic north and south.

The distinctive FSC trademark - the check and tree symbol - as well as the letters FSC and words 'Forest Stewardship Council' enable customers to recognize responsible forestry products in stores around the world.

Over the past 10 years, 42 million hectares in more than 60 countries have been certified according to FSC standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through its network of National Initiatives in more than 30 countries.

SmartWood Rediscovered Wood Certified

The SmartWood^CM Program of the Rainforest Alliance has developed the "SmartWood Rediscovered Wood Program" for certification of reused, reclaimed, recycled and salvaged wood products.

Please Note: The Rediscovered Wood Program of the Rainforest Alliance is not formally endorsed by the FSC. However, Rediscovered Wood certified products, may qualify as neutral material under the FSC percentage based claims policy. This means that Rediscovered Wood products may be used together with FSC endorsed products to make a final FSC endorsed product with a percentage based claim in some cases. The SmartWood Program seeks to encourage and reward the reuse of wood by awarding the "SmartWood - Rediscovered Wood" seal of approval to acceptable reclaimed wood products. Sources of Rediscovered Wood may include:

1. demolition projects for antiquated buildings
2. dead, fallen, diseased or nuisance trees from (sub)urban private and government properties
3. orchards where unproductive trees are cut for replacement
4. fallen trees carefully reclaimed from rivers and lakes
5. usable wood safely reclaimed from demolition landfills
6. wood by-products from secondary manufacturers

Sources: www.brandsystems.net/smartwood/ ; www.fsc.org/fsc/about

Another helpful resource should be forthcoming from the Natural Resources Defense Council - their site now says that “in Fall 2004 we will introduce an online green building guide for building decision-makers.”