Green Team

Upcoming Green Team Activities:

On Sunday, April 10, 7-8:30pm, Dayenu Circle of Jewish Silicon Valley is collaborating with Beth Am Dayenu Circle to educate our membership on divestment from Fossil Fuel companies and take action in asking big banks to divest. Everyone is welcome. Click here to register for the event.

On Wednesday, April 20, 11am-1pm, Join us the Dayenu Circle of Jewish Silicon Valley and many other local synagogues at Lytton Plaza, Palo Alto.  With banners, posters, songs, and chants we will demand an end to Fossil Fuel investments. We will then hand-deliver letters to the four biggest banks with Palo Alto branches asking them to stop investing in Fossil Fuel extraction and to meet their public commitments to move us towards a healthier climate. Register here if you would like to join us.

Temple Emanu-El's is joining San Jose's Climate Smart GoGreen Team Program. The GoGreen Teams program is a simple, easy and fun way to learn about climate and sustainability solutions, emergency preparedness and resilience and take actions! It is designed around 7 monthly hour long meetings with an intro meeting and a celebration meeting at the end. The GoGreen Team program provides us with everything we need to complete a series of fun interactive meetings that includes videos, games, discussion points, and action items. The meetings will take place from 7-8PM on the second Wednesday of the month beginning in May. If you would like to have a great time both learning and making a difference with your friends at Temple Emanu-El register here.

Meeting Topics

• Team Introduction Meeting
• Climate & Sustainability - Home Energy
• Climate & Sustainability - Transportation
• Climate & Sustainability - Food & Waste
• Climate & Sustainability - Water
• Emergency Preparedness - Build Your Kit
• Emergency Preparedness - Make a Plan
• Community Resilience
• Celebration!
  We hope to enjoy a Green activity with you soon. Bob Levy & Shannon Brown

A key component of the Jewish faith is practicing Tikkun Olam. The Torah teaches us that we are stewards of the earth and our job as Jews is to preserve and protect it. The Green Team was formed to assist the Temple and its congregants in mitigating the effects of climate change and making the preservation of the earth one of Temple Emanu-El’s core values. The team is partnering with staff, the Religious School, auxiliaries, and committees to pursue a wide range of fun, engaging, and meaningful projects and activities. The Green Team is:

• Enhancing our communities environmental consciousness
• Enhancing the Temple’s recycling program
• Pursuing Green Certification programs
• Promoting hands-on volunteer events
• Conducting educational programs
• Hosting a Green Shabbat
• Participating in Temple wide events such as Mitzvah day

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  Yom Kippur Green Team Panel Discussion on the Environment

On Yom Kippur 5782, the Green Team hosted a panel discussion about ways that we impact our climate, and ways that we can take steps to improve our community and neighborhood, in addition to our planet as a whole. Thank you to these wonderful speakers. Please also find their powerpoint presentations below to get more information:

• Amanda Leonis,  Acting Environmental Services Program Manager, City of San Jose Environmental Services Department
• Robbie Brown, Acterra Healthy Plate Program Manager 
• Terry Trumbull,  Vice Chairman, and Endorsement Chair, League of Conservation Voters of Santa Clara County 

RObbie Brown: Healthy Plate Program Manger Presentation.pptx
Amanda Leonis Environmental Services Program Manager Climate Panel.pptx
Green Team: Yom Kippur Panel Discussion 2021.pptx
Terry Trumbull: League of Conversation Votes.pptx

The Green Team has registered the Temple to become a certified “Green” business. We are diligently working through the certification requirements.  Some of which are easy to accomplish. Others more challenging and expensive.  

Our first task in becoming Green Certified was to verify that the Temple is recycling its waste. We are happy to report, the Temple’s service provider recycles approximately 80% of its waste.  A process which Green Team members were personally able to observe by visiting Republic Services recycling facility. The Green Team will be placing stickers on each of the Temple’s waste receptacles letting the congregants know that Temple Emanu-El recycles and is committed to protecting our planet.

To learn more about the green certification programs being pursued visit www.GreenFaith.org and https://greenbusinessca.org/ .  We are initially focusing on the Green Business program and the water conservation component of the GreenFaith program.

Help us help our planet! Join us at one of our monthly meetings or participate in one of our upcoming activities. To participate or learn more about the Green Team contact to@templesanjose.org.