A GoNeutral Love Story

Buyer’s remorse we’ve heard of, but dater’s remorse?

Brenda and David Jaffe experienced this phenomenon and it had nothing to do with their feelings for each other. No, the chagrin was over the effect their long-distance courtship was having on the environment. Their answer? Well, for starters they got married. And to address their environmental concerns they turned to Jewish National Fund (JNF) and its GoNeutral program.

The two of them, each in their mid 40s, were both divorced with two children apiece. Brenda lived in Dover, DE; David in Havre de Grace, MD. They met on JDate and took a liking to each other. So much so that between them they were soon driving almost 375 miles weekly just to see each other.

“That’s a lot of carbon let loose in the environment,” said David, a physician. “I try to leave as small a footprint as I can in whatever way I can, so I looked for a way to reduce our impact.”

The couple turned to www.jnf.org/goneutral, where, using a calculator, they were able to determine the approximate amount of carbon their cars had emitted during their three-year relationship, and then plant trees in Israel to help offset those emissions.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis, releasing oxygen into the air while sequestering, or storing, carbon. About half of the weight of a mature tree is carbon.

With over 100 years of experience as caretaker of the land of Israel, Jewish National Fund has planted more than 240 million trees, transforming over 250,000 acres of arid land into lush green forests. Because of JNF’s forestry expertise and commitment to environmental protection, Israel is one of two countries to leave the 20th century with more trees than it had at the start. The trees already planted by JNF have absorbed an estimated 110 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“I am a supporter of the State of Israel, environmentally concerned, and Jewishly involved, so this was a nice way to do it all,” said David. The gift was announced at his son Micah’s bar mitzvah last year.

Now happily married and living in one place (Havre de Grace), the couple is indebted to JDate for helping them find each other, and to JNF “for making the courtship easier on the planet,” said Brenda.