Kol Chai is delighted that we have been presented with the Eco Synagogue Silver Award which is in recognition of our efforts to reduce our community’s impact on the environment and increase awareness of our members of the need to live in a sustainable way.
What have we done to receive this award?
The rebuilding of the synagogue allowed us to install LED lighting throughout. Many of the light fittings are movement controlled so lights aren’t left on when not needed. A generous donation during our fund-raising campaign allowed us to install solar panels and batteries. All of these measures have resulted in far lower power usage than previously.
Other measures include: Better separation of food waste, purchase of Fairtrade products, no longer using disposable cups, plates and cutlery, The Kol Chai office now uses 100pc recycled paper; we have installed a bike rack and a bird box. We are planning to established an area to the right of the drive where we want to allow wildlife plants to grow. We now have a regular column in Koleinu and a section on our website providing tips on how to live sustainably.
There are a lot more things we are planning including:
- Arrange a series of talks on environmental issues
- Involve students at HaMakom in environmental issues
- Set up a car-sharing scheme so people can share a car when coming to Kol Chai activities and services
- Offer advice on how members can reduce their energy consumption in their own home.
After the award
EcoJudaism’s Community Liaison Manager, Donna Cohen, was invited to visit the Kol Chai Community Showcase. The Kol Chai Green Group had a variety of things on display from how to make a bird box to inviting members to measure their carbon profile and various suggestions as to ways of reducing their use of energy. Donna met the Environment Impact Lead Michael Collins as well as Rabbi Naomi Goldman and Chair Andrew Farleigh and heard how positive Kol Chai are about its involvement with EcoJudaism.