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The Charlotte Jewish News - June-July 2015 - Page 17 What’s Jewish About Clean Energy? By Lisa Garfinkle “See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to re pair it.” Midrash Eeelesiastes Apple reeently announeed plans to build its own solar plant to power mueh of its California operation. Tesla, manufaeturer of eleetrie ears, is also manufaetur- ing batteries to allow solar and wind energy eustomers to store exeess energy for times when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. The Department of Defense, pereeiving elean energy to be a national seeurity issue, has a target of 25% energy from re newable sourees by 2025. The de velopment of elean energy alternatives, power sourees that do not add greenhouse gases to the Earth’s atmosphere, is of growing importanee to government and business alike. But should the elean energy revolution be of speeial interest to the Jewish eommunity? Temple Israel’s Rabbi Noam Raueher says yes, noting that Jews have an obligation to take eare of this world “as stewards of Cre ation, obligated to preserve the earth for future generations.” And in faet, leadership organi zations from every major braneh of Judaism, from the Union for Reform Judaism, to the United Synagogue for Conservative Ju daism, to the Rabbinieal Couneil of Ameriea, an organization of Or thodox rabbis, have issued state ments and resolutions reeognizing that the obligation to preserve the earth is deeply rooted in Torah and Jewish tradition. The eoneept is often tied to bal taschit, the eom- mandment in the Torah to avoid wasteful eonsumption, whieh ean be interpreted to require energy eonservation and relianee on en ergy sourees that minimize nega tive environmental impaets. Motivated by their Jewish val ues and, in part, by the new Shalom Park Environmental Ini tiative, Rabbi Judy Sehindler of Temple Beth El and her husband. Chip Wallaeh, reeently installed solar panels on their home. Says Rabbi Sehindler, “When I learned about the possibility of Shalom Park reeeiving a generous envi ronmental grant from ClearPath to reduee our earbon footprint and expand our eonversations and ed- ueation on environmental issues, I began to talk about it at home with my family. Before I knew it, my husband had met with a solar eompany and we deeided to take the leap. If you asked Chip why we installed solar panels, he’d say it was beeause T got green.’ What an amazing gift.” While solar panels will reduee their energy bills by an estimated average of $1109 per year. Rabbi Sehindler says the deeiding faetor for her was the environmental im- paet. An app allows the family to traek their energy savings daily, and in the first month their system generated enough energy to oper ate a TV for 199 days or to operate 5.28 eomputers for one year. Be eause solar energy is “elean” en ergy, over the 25-year life of the system, the Sehindler-Wallaeh family expeets to eliminate 171 tons of earbon dioxide from their earbon footprint, the equivalent of 17,442 gallons of gasoline. When asked if she has any tips for families eonsidering solar. Rabbi Sehindler says, “It is worth the eall to a solar eompany to in quire about the feasibility for your home. At the eurrent time, for a home like ours, it will take seven years to pay off if you ean take full advantage of the tax eredits.” These tax eredits inelude a 30% federal Solar Investment Tax Credit and 35% NC state tax eredit for the eost of residential solar installations. The eredits are set to expire at the end of 2015 (NC eredit) and 2016 (federal eredit), absent aetion by the state legislature and Congress. Families for whom solar is not an option ean still take aetion to reduee their household’s earbon footprint. There are online re- sourees that ean help. At elearpath.org, for example, fami lies ean ealeulate the savings in dollars and greenhouse gases of energy-saving ehanges, many of whieh ean be implemented at little or no eost. Terrapass.eom allows households to ealeulate their ear bon footprints and purehase “ear bon offsets” to mitigate their impaet on the environment. The Shalom Park Environmen tal Initiative will enable members of the Shalom Park eommunity to explore the Jewish eonneetion to issues sueh as elean energy and sustainable living. Rabbi Sehindler expresses the hope that it will “inspire other families, as it did my family, not only to learn more about the Jewish values of proteeting our environment but to bring voiee to those values through their words and aetions.” For more information about the initiative and how you ean get in volved, eontaet Lisa Garfinkle, Projeet Manager at environmen- tal@shalomeharlotte.org. ^ Our Jewish Community’s Newest Legacy Gifts We thank the following individuals/families who have reeently in formed our eommunity, through Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community (FCJC) or one of the ten Create Your Jewish Legaey eom munity partners, that they have ereated a legaey gift to support the future of Charlotte’s Jewish eommunity or added an organization to their legaey plan. There are now 316 individuals/families throughout our Jewish eommunity who have ineluded a loeal Jewish organization in their legaey plans ereating 637 unique legaeies Charlotte’s Jewish eom munity now has future gifts estimated exeeeding $24 million. We weleome our newest donors into our eommunity’s Book of Life Soeiety: Anonymous (1) Mark and Linda Goldsmith Margaret Musa Rachel and Darren Pierce Estelle and Murray (z’T) Rosen Neil and Carol Sandler Allen Sherman and Suzy Savod Create 2^ ^^ouijewish Legacy Thank You Legacy Donors The following individuals/families are in the Book of Life Society and have granted us permission to share with you that Jewish Family Services has been included as a beneficiary of their legacy gift. Jewish Family SERVICES iyy \ J the heart of our community Create a ou^evV iLeciacij Msh COMMUNITY Lto. PARTNER Anonymous* (3) Benjamin and Susan Aizenman Gail and John Baron Michael and Meredith Baumstein Raymond Monty Bennett Samuel and Nancy Bernstein Lillian and Irving Bienstock Barry Bobrow and Karen Knoble David and Bonnie Bernstein Marian (OBM) and Walter Brawer Jennifer and Jonathan Collman Andrea and George Cronson Michael and Beth Cupp Ellen and Dan (OBM) Dubin Ellen and Steven Englehardt David and Aleen Epstein Alan and Ruth Goldberg Mark and Linda Goldsmith Shelton and Ellen Goldstein Milton and Arlene Goldstein Brett Goodman Barbara and David Goodman Julia and Russ Greenfield Stan Greenspon Jonathan M Howard David Jacobson Florence Kaufman Jaffa Robert and Nancy Kipnis Lorrie and Barry Klemons and Family Elise and Jaime Kosofsky Harry Lerner Eric Lerner Gary and Donna Lerner Barbara and Jerry Levin Ross C. Levin Julie Lerner Levine H. Kevin Levine and Louise A. Sinkoe Hal and Holly Levinson Andrew and Gwendolyn Lindner Annie and Harrison Lord Meg Goldstein and Matt Luftglass Risa and David Miller Staci and Darren Mond Margaret Musa Allan and Marcelle Oxman Harriet and Mark Berlin Wendy and Adam Petricoff Debora and Ed Pizer Debbie and Bill Porter Michael Scharf Marty and Elaine Schefflin Larry Schwartz Jonathan and Stephanie Simon Anne and Mike Sinsheimer Lori and Eric Sklut Harry and Laurie Sparks Stephanie and Steven Starr Joseph and Renee Steiner Cheri and Marc Titlebaum Natalie and Michael Tunney Jeffrey and Karen Turk Harold and Cynthia Turtletaub Judie and Michael Van Glish Janice and Ronald Weiner Dr. Bob and Anne Yudell *Donors who wish to remam anonymous CBM Of Blessed Memory I*' FCjc FOUNDATION/ortk CHARLOTTE JEWISH COMMUNITY 704.973.4544 charlottejewishfoundation.org A supporting organization of Foundation For The Carolinas LIFEcfe^ LEGACy. Assuring JEWISH TOMORROWS HAKOLD GAINSAOON FOUNDATION
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