Growing up, I was never really an environmental advocate. The topic of the environment didn’t even cross my mind until 8th grade. And then I was turned off from it after cutting my finger while trying to cut an apple in physics class (in order to see how an apple is like Earth on the inside.) I never even recycled outside of work (and that was just paper). As an adult, I fell asleep during that Al Gore documentary (I can’t even think of the name right now.) When I lived in New Jersey, I had friends who made me more aware of environmental issues. They sold a “green” all-purpose cleaner and I bought one to support their cause. One of these environmental activists was a close friend who became our next door neighbor over time. And for some reason, I still couldn’t bring myself to recycle, even knowing that she saw what we put out for garbage.
That all changed when we moved to Maryland. I don’t know when the flip switched, but one day I just became obsessed with buying “green” bags at grocery stores and recycling everything that had a little triangle. I even took stuff home from my sister-in-law to recycle, as they didn’t have a recycling program in their neighborhood. I still use “green” all-purpose cleaner too. There was an episode of “Desperate Housewives” where Angie was getting mad at a neighbor for not separating their recyclables. It made me laugh because I could see myself doing the same thing these days. I have to confess that I’ve taken recyclables out of trash cans at work and put them in their proper place. I’m even starting to teach the kids about recycling.
I can attribute part of my environmental interest to a friend in the community who has a program for helping shuls to become more “green.” It’s called Canfei Nesharim. I helped her with a mailing for a Sukkot project last year and it was so nice to see how committed she is to the environment. The mailing was about water conservation and she was so passionate about the topic. For my time, she gave me a poster for our Sukkah about not wasting water and a cling-on (for bathroom mirrors) that said “Don’t let Precious Water Run.” I love how she put the word “precious” in there, so that we should think about cherishing water. Also, in relation to “green” shuls, one of my best friends wrote this article. I encourage you to check it out.I’m not discrediting my friends in NJ because they are also very committed. I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to share their passion at the time. I think it’s also because I’m in a place I love and find to be so beautiful that it makes me want to go “green” even more. I look out my window and see beautiful flowers and bright, leafy trees. There’s also a garden and nature center right in our neighborhood that I would love to be able to enjoy on beautiful days like this.
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