Monday, April 27, 2015

Israel installs record-setting solar field on Knesset roof

From Israel Hayom

Israel has installed solar panels on the roof of its parliament building, creating what it calls the largest solar field of any national assembly in the world.

The office of the parliament speaker says energy generated from some 1,500 solar panels will provide 10% of the electricity used at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, and saving approximately $400,000 annually.

"We have here 4,600 square meters [1.1 acres] of photovoltaic panels and this makes the Knesset the greenest parliament in the world and it's part of an amazing, extremely exciting project called Green Knesset that contains altogether 13 projects of making the Knesset more friendly to the environment," said Knesset spokesperson Yotam Yakir.

The array of solar panels, according to a Knesset press release, provides a capacity of 450 kilowatts.

The Knesset is also advancing other energy-saving projects, like installing energy-saving light bulbs, automatically shutting down lawmakers' computers at the end of each workday, and using water from air conditioning systems to help irrigate the gardens surrounding the building.

The statement says the measures will reduce the Knesset's energy use by a third.

Scientists will also conduct ecological research on the parliament roof.

The Knesset unveiled the solar field in a dedication ceremony on Sunday.

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Monday, April 20, 2015

Why Earth Day is a Jewish Holiday

By Robert Rabinowitz for COEJL

April 22 is Earth Day. The very name makes many Jews nervous. A special day to celebrate the Earth sounds suspiciously pagan, bringing to mind images of Druids conducting fertility rites at Stonehenge or modern witches dancing to invoke nymphs in a misty forest glade. Perhaps what makes us so wary of this modern festival, first celebrated in 1970, is the idea of introducing the Earth as a “being” or moral agent with its own needs and mystical powers. And yet, ironically, the Bible is full of references to the way in which the Earth responds to the behavior of the people who live on it. The book of Leviticus, for example, warns the Children of Israel that immorality will cause the Land of Israel to “vomit” them out (Lev. 18:24-28, 20:22). In the shema prayer, it describes both the earthly benefits – rain, fertility and abundance – for listening to the commandments and loving God, and the costs – drought and famine – for ignoring God’s word (Deut. 11: 13-21). One compelling way to read this text is to think of it as suggesting that a major way for us, as individuals and as a society, to judge our actions and policies is by their environmental consequences. The shema warns: “Beware that your heart be deceived and you turn and serve other Gods and worship them” (Deut. 11:16). The “other Gods” need not be idols, but could just as well be the idolizing of wealth and power that often has profound negative environmental consequences. As we know, corruption and oppression frequently lead to poverty and hunger.

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Monday, April 13, 2015

Court approves removal of Rishon Lezion beach restaurants

The owners of the five restaurants must destroy and evacuate their facilities by April 20, the Rishon Lezion Magistrates Court ruled.


From JPost.com


The Rishon Lezion Magistrates Court approved the evacuation of five beachside eateries in the central Israeli city on Tuesday, accepting the state's previous decision on the subject and rejecting the business owners' appeals.

As part of the "Coasts Project" run by the State Attorney's Office and the Environmental Protection Ministry, and according to the stipulations of the 2004 Coastal Environment Law, the state has issued removal orders for the five restaurants in question – built without permission on the Rishon Lezion beach, a Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office statement said. The aim of the project is to restore the country's coastal resources and provide the public with free passage on the beaches, the statement said.

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Monday, April 6, 2015

Chesed in Hod - loving-kindness in grace.

From Jewish And...

Some thoughts on the Omer and our environment



We open up this week of the Omer focusing on humility, grace, and smallness. A week of remembering that the role of the pixel is both vital and beautiful in its importance and tininess.

How we interact with our environment may be an exercise in compassion. We are so small our impact seems negligible. Yet each of our infinitely tiny actions makes a difference, as we each contribute ripple effects that expand our smallness in all directions.

I work to be compassionate to the planet, to my neighbors, and to my family.

Every small action still counts.

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