Submission #7

Submission Information

Form: Application for Omer Learning Initiative 2007

Submitted by Anonymous

Monday, February 19, 2007 - 5:28pm

71.58.244.154

Contact Information

First Name: *

Last Name: *

Contact E-mail: *

Phone: *

Contact phone number with area code.

Congregation Name:

Teaching team members:

Who will be creating the teaching?

Which texts: *

Which texts will you use? Choose from JRF Source Text Study Packet (see file attached below) or other texts of your own choosing.

Projects:

Our congregation is small, less than 100 families.  However, in both small and large ways, we try to make a difference.  We're not large enough to have our own worship space-we meet in a church.  This church is shared by 4 congregations, so we save on electricity, gas, paved surfaces, etc.  We are part of the Baltimore Interfaith Hospitality Network, providing housing and support for homeless families.  We've participated in efforts to end the atrocities in Darfur.  We presented Al Gore's film "Inconvenient Truth" and used proceeds from the sale of popcorn to purchase compact florescent light bulbs.  We were sponsors of the Baltimore Jewish Environmental Conference and participate in the newly formed Baltimore Environmental Network of Synagogues.  We even have a "Green Space" on our website, an area to post environmental news and projects.

Still, when a small group of members sat down to discuss what we would like to teach about, it felt like something was missing, and we needed to be doing more.  We saw JRF's 2007 Omer Initiative as a challenge to work harder on environmental
issues, spurring us to create new projects involving more of our congregations adults and children. Specifically we plan to both literally "Plant a Tree" and "Save a Tree" in conjunction with our Omer study project.

We hope to "Plant a Tree" by partnering with "Tree Baltimore" a new initiative from the City of Baltimore Department of Parks and Recreation initiative whose goal is to double the tree canopy in the city of Baltimore.  Currently, the average lifespan of a tree in Baltimore is only 15 years. Development, auto emissions and pollution all take their toll on city plants.  Baltimore City has been rapidly losing it's tree canopy,
the leaves and branches seen when viewed from above.  Today, only 20% of Baltimore is covered by tree canopy, impacting the quality of our lives as trees provide beauty, shade, and wildlife habitat as well as help keep our air and water clean.  Tree Baltimore hopes to increase the tree canopy to 40% in the next 30 years.

We hope to "Save a Tree" by encouraging the use of reusable dishes and utensils for Onegs, Seders and other community events where we currently use disposables. We plan to have our Kesher school students design reusable, dishwasher friendly (and affordable!) plates that Beit Tikvah members can purchase and bring to shul.  For guests of our congregations or for people who forgot their reusable plates, we plan to have some reusable plates ready for them! 

 
We hope to use the "Plant a Tree/Save a Tree" activities as a starting point for discussion.  How do we as a congregation impact the environment?  Why should we care?  Is this a religious issue, a social issue, a personal issue or all three?  What is our relationship with
the world around us?  How does our relationship with the world and the environment impact on our understanding of religious texts?  And the reverse, how does our understanding of religious text impact our relationship with the world and our environment?

Tell us about the project(s) your community has undertaken or is undertaking that relate(s) to the texts from which you will teach.

Form of teaching:

Text based study with discussion questions at end.

We would like to involve the students in the creation of one of the teachings.

Challenge participants to plant a tree/save a tree in their own community!

Any ideas yet regarding the form your teaching will take (e.g. poem, essay, text analysis, illustration, a play etc.) and content.

Subject Line for Email (hidden):

Areas of Engagement

Regions

Learning

Submission #7