Tip Of The Week: Buy Used Products

Buying used items on sites like eBay and Craigslist can help you reduce the emissions associated with manufacturing and decrease the need for new raw materials. Check out this New York Times article below:

As Earth Day Nears, eBay Shows Its Green Side

In a new program centered on Earth Day, eBay is becoming the latest company to promote its green credentials.

EBay is now a green company?

Yes, said Alan Marks, senior vice president for global communications at eBay. Its business model encourages reselling old items rather than throwing them out, and buying used merchandise rather than making new stuff reduces carbon emissions that go along with production.

“We never set out to be a green business,” Mr. Marks said. “We realized it’s intrinsic.” [read more]

Turn Off The Lights

Earth Hour - an annual event led by World Wildlife Fund, asks cities, business and individuals to turn off their lights for 60 minutes March 28, 2009 at 8:30 PM in a unified call for action on climate change.

You can learn more here: http://www.earthhourus.org/

2nd Annual JNF GoNeutral Shabbat Weekend

We invite you to participate in the

2nd Annual JNF GoNeutral Shabbat Weekend

March 27-29, 2009

Join synagogues, schools and communities across the country by celebrating Shabbat in an eco-friendly way and studying the connection between Judaism, Israel and the environment.

You will receive a complete JNF GoNeutral Kit, including a re-usable tote-bag, JNF Blue Boxes, an environmental DVD, flyers, maps of Israel, downloadable educational resource guides with specific programming for students, families and congregations and much more.

Click here to learn more or contact us at education@jnf.org or at 212-879-9305 ext 263.

Book Swaps

Swapping books or visiting the library is the best way to read, while minimizing your toll on the environment. Learn more about book swapping here.

Cellphone Makers Start Offering ‘Green’ Models

The New York Times reports that cellphones are becoming environmentally friendly:

Another way manufacturers are promoting their environmental credentials is through the applications their phones can run. The Nokia 5630 Xpress Music released last week has a preloaded application called “we:offset” that lets users measure their carbon emissions. There is also a link to a payment form for people who want to pay to offset the pollution they create. [Read More]

How to erase carbon footprints in Israel

TEL AVIV (JTA) -- Out of a towering mountain of waste near Ben Gurion Airport, methane gas is being captured to create thermal energy for a nearby factory.

In the Negev Desert, solar panels are on loan to Bedouin villages that don’t have electricity, allowing the residents to run refrigerators needed to store medicine for ill children.

These are two of a small but growing wave of Israeli projects to help reduce the country's carbon footprint by curbing carbon dioxide emissions -- part of the global battle to arrest climate change.

Along the way, the projects are helping bolster Israel's energy independence by promoting energy efficiency and homegrown clean technologies. [READ MORE]

JTA's Eco-Jews

The arrival of Tu B’Shevat, Judaism’s annual ode to the trees, is the perfect time to examine the most significant players and trends in Jewish environmentalism—and offer some hands-on advice for marking the holiday and greening your communities.

Visit http://jta.org/eco-jews/ for more info!