With the United Nations–sponsored international summit on climate change in Copenhagen capturing worldwide headlines in December, we questioned how American Jewish organizations and their donors are responding to growing environmental challenges.
In heeding the often-heard slogan “Think Globally/Act Locally,” are environmental concerns attracting attention in the Jewish community? How do Jewish donors and leaders feel about the greening of our agencies and becoming good stewards of our planet?
Charitable giving to environmental causes by all donors has historically been about 2 percent of the giving “pie.” Giving USA reported that 2008 donors directed only $6.58 billion, out of the $308 billion given, for animal rights and environmental issues. This reflected a 5.5 percent decline following a surge of charitable support between 1997 and 2007 for environmental causes.
With the recent economic difficulties, there is the possibility of similar (or larger) declines in 2009 and 2010. Despite the slight drop in giving, largely reflecting economic pressures, we still see the environment to be a clear priority in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
There are a number of prominent organizations, such as the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, that have dedicated their missions to protecting the environment with a specific focus on the Jewish community. The Jewish Climate Change Campaign is one exhilarating example of a Jewish commitment to improving the environment for future generations.
We expect organizations like these to rise to prominence as the issue grows and to become firmly established in the mainstream.
Both the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism held sessions at their recent biennials that focused on the importance of being green within the Jewish community — especially for synagogues.
The URJ even provided a live update from Copenhagen, as well as remarks from Rabbi Warren Stone, a summit attendee. We commend their efforts to bring greater attention to the importance of this conference and by highlighting how the Jewish community is taking action.
Architects today are developing facilities with guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council. More and more new and planned buildings are integrating important factors such as energy and water usage, carbon dioxide emissions and overall environmental impact. To receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification requires significant planning and a short-term investment of financial resources — yet promises a more efficient facility that will have positive environmental effects over time.
What about LEED-certified synagogues? The first in
the United States will break ground in April: Kol Shalom, a 200-member Conservative congregation in Rockville, Md. But there only about a dozen LEED-certified houses of worship (of all religions) nationwide.
Moreover, few congregations are considering changes that impact the environment. Jay Brown, a prominent architect responsible for many synagogue construction and refurbishing efforts, notes that few projects nationwide “are actively moving forward with capital improvements, perhaps because of the downturn in giving. This is a very shortsighted approach.”
(In the Bay Area, several synagogues are taking big green steps, such as Congregation Beth David in Saratoga installing solar panels and Temple Sinai in Oakland including elements such as drought-tolerant landscaping and energy-saving timers into its current renovation project.)
Nationwide, while developing “green” buildings might seem transformative as we enter 2010, in a short time it will be commonplace, like making facilities accessible to people with disabilities.
Hillel: The Campus for Jewish Life has witnessed 40 construction projects on campuses across the U.S. since 1995, and 20 others are on the drawing boards today. While none are LEED-certified, almost all are built with environmental considerations, especially prompted by students and organizational mandates for long-term cost savings.
Our experiences working with hundreds of American Jewish organizations on various types of fundraising campaigns have reflected a dilemma among leaders who intellectually understand and support positive environmental efforts, yet are hesitant to embrace these issues for their own facilities.
Certain organizations lack appropriate funds to construct LEED-certified facilities and are reluctant to ask donors to underwrite more costly steps to create them.
However, some are taking other unique approaches, including creating endowment funds that address energy efficiency, natural beautification and a variety of other environmentally conscious approaches. While most organizations have fostered small-scale activities (such as limiting the use of and recycling paper), we look forward to seeing the large-scale, facility-focused transformative efforts that will truly make a difference.
As members of the Jewish community, we must all join together and work to ensure a brighter, safer future for generations to come. Join us in this call for action and for a vision that embraces a healthier planet.
Robert I. Evans, managing director, and Avrum D. Lapin, director, are principals of the EHL Consulting Group, which works with nonprofits on fundraising, strategic planning and business practices. This column originally appeared on eJewishPhilanthropy.com; reprinted with permission.