Green Day

It’s not easy being green: Writer Abe Sutton, left, and other Flatbush students don an earth-friendly color. Courtesy Yeshivah of Flatbush

It’s not easy being green: Writer Abe Sutton, left, and other Flatbush students don an earth-friendly color. Courtesy Yeshivah of Flatbush

by Abe Sutton

The EKO Commission (EKO stands for ecology with a K for kosher) was formed last year at the Yeshivah of Flatbush under the auspices of Rabbi Moses Haber, a Judaic studies teacher. The EKO Commission combines our Jewish heritage with the green movement. We EKO members view caring for the world around us as a mitzvah and a halachic obligation. In order to spread awareness about what people can do to help the environment we created a Tu b’Shvat program called Green Day.

Green Day began on the Sunday before Tu b’Shvat. On that February morning students came in to learn about the halachic sources for laws relating to the environment. One of the laws we discussed was bal taschit, the commandment not

to waste resources. We spoke about ways that we can fulfill it on a daily basis. For example, we could use refillable water bottles and turn off the water when brushing our teeth.
Following the learning many students stayed to decorate the school green in honor of Tu b’Shvat. We used recycled newspapers and hung up signs about what people are doing in Israel as part of the green movement.

On Tu b’Shvat the entire school danced in celebration of the holiday. Following the dancing I addressed the student body about the meaning behind Tu b’Shvat. What was the point of a new year for the trees? It serves as a reminder to mankind of our obligation to care for the world around us.

The holiday is God’s way of telling us that protecting the environment is important. It is safe to say that the Bible was probably the first “green book” just as Tu b’Shvat was the first Earth Day. Take shmitta, for example. Shmitta is the halachic commandment to leave the fields fallow every seventh year. Shmitta ensures that the earth preserves its nutrients and that it will continue to blossom for years to come.
The celebration culminated with a seder Tu b’Shvat seder. While we enjoyed the seven traditional fruits associated with the holiday we heard from a representative of Hazon, a Jewish environmental group. The representative told us that Hazon’s vision is to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community — as a step towards a healthier and more sustainable world for all. He suggested that we make a stack of scrap paper near the computers in our houses rather than use Post-it notes.

The day truly embodied the values of the EKO Commission: caring for the environment in a Jewish manner. Students were inspired to ride their bikes to school and turn off the lights when they leave a room. But there’s so much more that we can do. Now that summer’s around the corner why not create a wildlife garden in your backyard? Get creative, going green can be a lot of fun.

Abe Sutton is a junior at the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn.

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