Bar Mitzvah Project - Not a "Idle" Effort

Photo Credit: PScleanair.org

For his Bar Mitzvah project Brendan T. Eprile sent the following letter to families in his community to help raise awareness about the impact of cars on global warming.

Dear Friends,

For my Bar Mitzvah project, I am exploring ways to help make Bennington more energy-efficient. One issue I have learned about is idling. It’s tempting to leave the car running to keep the heat on when it’s cold, or keep the air conditioning when it’s hot. But idling has a serious impact on the environment and is a contributor to global warning.

This is some of what I learned from the website www.idlefreevt.org:

• When the car is idling, a significant amount of exhaust fumes penetrate the ozone

• If everybody in Vermont reduced idling by five minutes a day, we could save 65/000 tons of CO2 emissions a year

• The amount of fuel Vermont wastes on idling is more than double that of most states

• Fuel emissions from idling affect health, especially with children. Exhaust fumes emit chemicals such as Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide, and others. It could cause or aggravate asthma, allergies, headaches, and mental problem.

• Idling is bad for your car engine.

• Idling causes noise pollution too.

• Vermont towns, including Brattleboro, Burlington, and Middlebury, are leading the way in establishing idle-free zones.

But hope is not lost. Each one of you can make a very large difference without many repercussions on your part. Follow the “10-Second Rule”: Idling your car for ten seconds wastes more energy than turning your car engine off then on. If all of us do not idle, we could make a serious difference in the environment. Remember, everything you do has an impact on the environment. And by taking little steps to help global warming, we can make big change.

Thank you. I encourage you to consider having your school or workplace be an idle free zone.

Sincerely,
Brendan T. Eprile

His letter was also published in the local paper - the Bennington Banner. What a great way to get the word out about the effect of idling on Global Warming.

Greening Their Synagogue

Rabbi Joshua Boettiger sent me an e-mail with a nice article on the energy audit Vermont Interfaith Power and Light did for their synagogue. It has lots of good tips and provides an example of how our communities can work together to decrease our impact on the earth. Click here to read the article.

The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life

Every wonder what the connections are between Judaism and the Environment? Well the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life has an extensive reading room with articles on the topic that is definitely worth exploring (especially if you are looking for passages to enrich your bar or bat mitzvah speech). They also offer many other wonderful resources - from tips on how to green your synagogue to how you can raise money for your community while helping to fight global warming.

Volunteer Vacations

Here is a cool idea for a tikkun olam project- make a family vacation of it! For some examples check otut "Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others."