For almost all of my life, I have lived in wonderful, mid-sized cities. No more than 1 million people, a good bus system, lots of green space (Ottawa has an Experimental Farm in the middle of the city!) and safe streets. Now, maybe I’ve been wearing rose-coloured glasses and only remembering my idyllic childhood, but I had it pretty good. In June, I moved to London; I ♥ London. It’s the biggest city I’ve ever lived in with lots to see and do, and many of my friends live here too. There are countless museums, shows, festivals, markets, parks, fun activities and even a subway system! I am proud to show my friends and family around when they visit, and I am always up for some sightseeing.
However, one of my qualms with this wonderful city is that it is so dirty. According to an article in the Guardian from June 2010, London air pollution is the ‘worst in Europe.’ An article on the BBC online, also from June 2010, estimates that 4,267 people in London are dying early, due to long-term exposure to pollution.
Not nice to hear about the city that you live in.
With all the doom and gloom, there is something that we can do about it, in our own cities and beyond. For some inspiration, a great place to start is Big Green Jewish. According to them, they are the ‘on-line meeting point between Jewish and environmental ethics.’ They offer information, resources and blogs, all with an accessible Jewish twist. Check out their website for a multitude of ideas, programmes and ways to live green, including creative ways to make use of your leftovers!
As for me, one of the highlights of UJS team training in Israel was the afternoon we spent at Yesh Meain, the ‘Ecological Educational Farm.’ We got a very small taste of a different lifestyle – the people who lived on the farm grew their own fruit and vegetables, built mud structures, used sawdust toilets, hold weekly exchange markets and were working towards moving off the grid and being completely self-sustainable with their own electricity and water. We made ‘seed balls’ (that kind of looked like chocolate truffles) that we were told could be used for ‘guerrilla gardening,’ for example. We also helped put together a small gardening plot, made out of cardboard, straw, manure, dirt and leaves that would be used to grow produce!
With Mitzvah Day coming up on Sunday, November 21st, there is tons of stuff to get involved with. Whether it is cleaning up a local park or a cemetery, picking up rubbish in your student neighbourhood, or volunteering at a food bank, there are so many little things that make a big difference. You can also get involved with the UJS Environmental Bike Ride, taking place July 2011.
Some of my favourite ‘green’ things to do are: eating less meat, cleaning out my closest regularly and donating the gently used clothing to charity, recycling paper, plastic and glass and using public transport. However, there is always more I can do!
I am going to start buying locally sourced produce that is seasonal and has less of a carbon footprint. I will make sure that all the light bulbs in my flat are low-energy. I will aim to make my flights carbon-neutral.
Let me know if you have any more ideas! This is a busy month for me and I’ll be travelling all around, so either tell me in person, or email me, elana@ujs.org.uk.
