This is the last in this journey of lists. It began with the idea of being commanded - metzuveh/ah - by a Sacred Source, considered how we absorb information about the world within and around us, stopped to visit the idea of expressing blessing -- request, acknowledgement, awareness, gratitude, touched the tip of the iceberg of the vast diversity in the more-than-human world, considered the many ways we speak of and name G!d, and then moved to climate disruption and identified many of the myriad emotional responses we might have.
Each of these lists is one expression of our relationship with ourselves and all that surrounds us. There is much in them, sometimes not enough and often too much. They are here for you to ponder, to consider, to engage with and to disengage.
None of us can change the world alone, but all of us are responsible for changing it. So, the journey ends with actions - different kinds of actions than the mitzvot at the beginning, yet, in some way similar. The word mitzvah has the same root as metzuveh/ah, commanded. This last list identifies large and small actions we can take in the face of the overwhelming nature of climate disruption. Perhaps you feel in some way commanded to do one of these, or other actions you've already identified or begun. The "mitzvot" in this list are not traditional, they are not written in an ancient sacred text, they are not specifically Jewish. But, like the traditional mitzvot, they are actions to which we should give serious consideration, to understand in our hearts just what we each can do to change our world for the better. For all of us, changing our actions is a journey of one step at a time. Here are some possible steps.
This list is compiled and adapted from the Context Institute, the 7 Seeds Project, and Global Warming Facts, plus a few suggestions of my own. It moves from the personal to the communal and political and then back to the personal.
I wish you well on your journey.
At Home
1)
Find Your Baseline Track your
energy usage to learn how you can best reduce your consumption. Here’s
one option.
2)
Home Energy Audit Get a free home
energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient.
You may save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide
a year.
3)
Water Conserve water and use cold
water instead of hot whenever possible. Install a low flow showerhead (350
pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and wash clothes in cold or warm water
(500 pounds per year). Run dishwashers and washing machines using cold or warm
water and only when full. Modern detergents clothes and dishes clean at low
temperatures. Take quick showers instead of baths, which take up to four times more
energy. Install an air-assisted or composting toilet.
4)
Clean Washing Use moderate amounts
of biodegradable detergent.
5)
Switch to Renewables Explore a
solar water heater and solar panels for your home. You may get government
refunds and earn money by selling your excess energy. Change to renewable
energy through your electric company.
6)
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Learn how
to recycle all household goods, from clothing to motor oil to appliances to save
2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. To save the energy, re-use anything you
can, from jars, to bags, to parts of broken items. Limit or eliminate use of
"disposable" items. Buy products to last and maintain and repair them.
Rent or borrow items you don’t use often.
7)
Buy intelligently Use recycled or
refurbished products whenever possible. Manufacturing recycled paper takes less
70 to 90% less energy than new paper. Use natural fiber clothing, bedding and
towels. Avoid aerosols, halon fire extinguishers, and other products containing
CFCs, as well as rainforest products. Choose products that come with little
packaging, including bulk containers, and buy refills when possible. Avoid
plastic foam, often made from CFCs, which
never biodegrades.
8)
Lighting Replace regular
incandescent light bulbs with the most efficient LED bulbs (be careful, not all
are efficient!) to save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Turn
off lights that don’t need to be on.
9)
Appliances Look for the Energy Star label to choose the
most energy efficient new
appliances. Keep filters clean, defrost old fridges and freezers defrosted, Insulate
water heaters to save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, and save another
550 lbs by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C. Save 700 lbs CO2
by using a clothesline for half the year. Set refrigerators to 38°F, freezers
to 5°F.
10) Electricity Usage Use the “on/off” function to turn off
appliances. A TV set that’s on for 3 hours a day and in standby mode for 21
hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby.
11) Heating and Cooling Install
a programmable thermostat to automatically raise and lower the heat or air
conditioning and save $100 a year. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and
up 2° in summer to save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Clean or
replace filters. Close off unused rooms.
12) Windows Replacing
single-glazed windows with double-glazed can reduce energy loss by more than
70%. Open windows for only a few minutes during cold months (10ºC or less
outside) to prevent up to 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
13) Insulating Properly insulate walls and ceilings to save 25% of a
home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulk and
weather-strip to save another 1,700 pounds. See Energy Efficient for how-to
tips.
14) Pavement Pave as little
as possible. Rip up excess concrete or asphalt.
15) Population Consider the
significance of population growth and what the means for you personally.
Gardening
16) Plant a Garden Instead of
lawn, plant a bio-diverse garden with vegetables, flowers, herbs, and trees.
Focus on perennials, with annuals filling space between.
17) Animals Create ecosystems
in your garden for chickens, bees & goats.
18) Recycle organic waste. Properly
compost kitchen and garden waste or give it to a friend who can. Around 3% of
the greenhouse gas emissions are due to methane released by decomposing
bio-degradable waste.
19) Water Collect rainwater
and graywater for gardening use. For other watering, use an underground drip
system.
20) Plant everywhere. Experiment
growing in all sorts of places: rooftops, walls, bridges, steps, containers.
21) Plant a tree. A single
tree absorbs one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Plant deciduous trees
that protect windows from summer sun but allow it in during the winter.
22) Organics Use organic gardening
methods and stay away from chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
Finances
23) Consider the Impact of Investments
If you invest money, transfer it from funds that contain fossil fuel
related businesses to renewable energy and socially conscious businesses. Learn
more at SocialInvest and Ceres.
24) Local Money Keep your
money circulating as close to home as possible. Buy from independent,
locally-owned businesses, sustainably using local resources, whose profits can
be reinvested in collective communal growth. Use local, socially responsible
community credit unions and public banks.
Personal
Transportation
25) Reduce Cut back on driving by walking, biking, carpooling or
taking mass transit wherever possible. Avoiding 10 miles of driving per
week eliminates about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
26) Maintenance Regular
maintenance improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When 1% of car
owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide
are kept out of the atmosphere. Reduce CO2 emissions by choosing
proper gears, not abusing the gas pedal, using the engine brake when possible,
and turning off your engine when your vehicle is motionless more than a minute.
27) Weight Remove unnecessary articles from your car. Each 100 lbs.
of weight decreases fuel efficiency by 1%. An empty roof rack can increase fuel
consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance
and weight.
28) Fuel Efficient Vehicles When
it is time for a new car, choose carefully. For every 3 miles per gallon more, you
save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year.
29) Telecommuting Use telecommuting and video conferencing to reduce
the number of miles you drive.
30) Fly Less Air travel
produces such large amounts of emissions that cutting down even one or two
trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. Take the train and offset air travel carbon emissions by
investing in renewable energy projects.
Food, Food, Food
31) How much? Keep track of
how much food you waste: are you overbuying/harvesting? Overcooking? Are your
eyes bigger than your stomach?
32) Cut down on meat. Eat plant foods as much as possible. Animals make less efficient use of land,
soil, water, and energy – and cows emit 300 liters of methane per day.
33) Wild Edibles Get to know
wild edibles, where they grow, which season, how to harvest them, and what
edible & medicinal qualities they posses.
34) Local Food Buy local and
less processed foods from farmers’ markets or a Community-Supported-Agriculture
farm. The average meal in the United
States
35) Organic Food Eat organically
as much as possible. Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at higher
levels than soils than conventional farms.
36) Avoid frozen foods. Frozen
food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
Local
Advocacy
37) Recycling Encourage the
local recycling center to expand what they accept. Urge local officials to
begin roadside pickup of recyclables and hazardous wastes and to buy recycled
paper. Start a recycling program at work.
38) Less Traffic Urge local
governments to enact restrictions on automobile use in congested areas
downtown.
39) Run for Election Run for
local office on an environmental platform.
40) Speak Out Attend city or
town council meetings and speak out for action on climate change issues.
41) Get Organized Organize a
citizens’ initiative to put a local "climate protection program" into
place.
42) Be There Attend a rally
or protest related to climate change.
43) Civil Disobedience Become
trained and engage in civil disobedience.
44) Cool City
45) Give Your Opinion Write
letters to your local representatives about climate change and other
environmental issues.
Community
Organizing
46) Create a local currency.
Trade in dollars that are meant to serve one particular region &
population.
47) Local Climate Organizations Join
and become active in 350MA.org or other
local active organization.
48) Faith-based Organizations Get
involved in the Jewish Climate Action
Network, the One Earth Sangha,
Catholic Climate Covenant,
or another faith-based climate group.
49) Houses of Worship Organize
your synagogue, church, mosque, or temple to reduce its carbon footprint and become
proactive in supporting local, state, and national efforts to combat climate
change.
50) Community Garden
51) Community Orchard Start a
community orchard. Collectively plant trees and share the harvests. Keep community
bees and chickens in the orchard.
52) Reclaim Unused Space Reclaim
sidewalk green strips, park lands, street meridians, traffic circles. Plant
fruit trees to gift fruit, shade, fresh air, rain flow management, and soil
retention.
53) Preserve Land
54) Community Foraging Create
communal foraging groups and go out gathering with friends.
55) Buy Together Start a
community buying club. Buy your food direct from producers, in bulk quantity,
with minimal packaging and big savings.
56) Communal 3Rs Start a
communal ReStore, a warehouse of used doors, windows, wood paneling, bathroom
& kitchen fixtures, and more, reclaimed from construction and demolition
sites, and sold at minimal costs.
57) Energy Co-op Create
community energy co-ops, collectively designing local solar, wind or hydro
power systems.
58) Water Co-op Create
community water co-ops, collectively designing rainwater catchment systems and
biological water treatment systems, while also overseeing the health of the
local watershed.
59) Transition Start or join a
local transition town group or permaculture guild. Empower yourselves to make
the changes you hope to see. Share resources, questions, information, advice.
60) Carpool Start a carpool
with coworkers, classmates, or neighbors. Sharing a ride two days a week can
reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com connects commuters
and travelers.
61) Car Sharing Car-sharing
organizations provide access to a car; membership fees cover gas, maintenance
and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar –
offer low emission cars. Also, see ZipCar.
62) Demonstrate Organize a
demonstration at a plant that uses CFCs.
63) Group Advocacy Gather a group concerned about climate change and
go to your local representative.
Advocacy
at State and National Levels
64) Tell Congress to act. Write your senator and congressperson in
support of legislation to protect the planet.
65) Letters to the Editor Write letters to the editor expressing
your about climate change and environmental issues and political solutions.
66) Politics Support
electoral candidates who run on environmental platforms.
67) Lobbying Learn how to
lobby and lobby your local, state, and national elected officials for action on
climate change and environmental issues.
68) CCL Join and become
active in Citizens’ Climate
Lobby.
69) Make Your Voice Heard Get
the facts about U.S.
Advocacy
to Businesses
70) CFCs Encourage auto
centers to install CFC recycling equipment for auto air conditioners. Freon
released during servicing becomes both a greenhouse gas and an ozone layer
destroyer.
71) Recycling Pressure
fast-food chains to use recyclable packaging.
72) Fuel Efficiency Write automobile
manufacturers, and get your friends to write also, explaining why you intend to
buy a fuel efficient car.
73) Computers Write to
computer chip manufacturers and urge them to stop using CFC-113 as a solvent.
74) Food and Energy Inform
schools, hospitals, airlines, restaurants, and the media of your food and
energy concerns.
75) Sewage Encourage your
local sewage plant to compost its sludge.
76) Emissions Encourage your
school or business to reduce their emissions.
77) Rainforests Inform the
supplier or manufacturer of rainforest products of your concern about the
destruction of rainforests.
Organizational
Involvement
78) Poverty Support work to
alleviate poverty, which causes deforestation and other environmental problems.
79) Donate Join or donate money
to environmental organizations involved with climate change
80) Protect Trees Forests store carbon. Global deforestation accounts
for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Support programs that aim
to save forests.
81) Virtual March The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a
non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together. Add your voice to the
hundreds of thousands of other people urging action.
Education
and Communication
82) Educate Yourself Stay
informed about the state of the Earth.
83) Get Along Strive to establish
good communications with friends, neighbors and family. Learn conflict
resolution skills.
84) Share Your Concern Talk
to friends, relatives, and co-workers about climate change.
85) Sustainability Read and
support publications that educate about long-term sustainability.
86) Study Group Start a climate
change study group.
87) Children Educate children
about sustainable living practices.
88) Spread the Word Go on a citizen diplomacy trip and talk with
those you meet about averting global climate change.
89) Simpler Lives Learn about the less resource-intensive lifestyles
of aboriginal peoples.
90) Pass It Along Send this list to ten friends or post it on social
media.
Maintaining Spiritual and Emotional Strength
91) Local Climate Live within
the local climate as much as possible, rather than trying to isolate yourself
from it.
92) Nature Spend time seeing,
hearing, and rejoicing in the beauty of the Earth. Feel your love for the
Earth.
93) Ponder the Future Imagine
the kind of Earth you would like to see for your community’s grandchildren’s
grandchildren.
94) Small and Big While doing
small things, think big: think about redesigning cities, restructuring the
economy, re-conceiving humanity’s role on Earth.
95) Observe Choose a spot and spend 15 minutes a day observing and
participating in the ecology surrounding you. Bring field guides. Journal your
findings. Introduce yourself to the extended community of Life of which you are
a part.
96) Meditative Walk Take a walk
through the wilds. State an intention, sacred question or prayer before setting
off. Wander & see what arises for you.
97) Elders Those who have
lived their lives fully, through many cycles of the Sun, have an invaluable
perspective. Support elders in your community.
98) Children Those who are
young in years, wild-eyed, full of energy and questions have an invaluable
perspective. Invite children into your lives as teachers.
99) Celebrate! Celebrate the
wisdom and stories of those who have come before. Collectively and individually
create practices that honor ancestors.
