K'vod HaTeva (Honoring Nature) Committee & Ethical Kashrut cont.

In honor of the holiday Tu B’Shevat, a double-bin composter was constructed by K’vod Ha Teva members with a grant from the City of Eugene and Lane County Waste Management program.

All pre-school and Talmud Torah classes participated in a series of master classes on composting taught by guests from the Oregon State University Extension Service. Students learned about the “cycle of life,” the law of energy conservation, and most importantly, how each person can make a difference by reducing the amount of waste we create.

As part of the Tu B’Shevat celebration, seders (ritualized meals) were planned for all grade levels during Sunday Talmud Torah classes. Adults attended an evening seder that included readings and prayers about environmental stewardship and a showing of the film Keeping the Earth, followed by a guided discussion session.

At the culmination of the Tu B’Shevat celebrations, all waste products from the school-wide and adult seder meals were carried outside and placed in the new compost bin.

Revised Oneg (Celebratory Meal) Policies

Recycling, composting and buying organic food is one way to practice tikkun olam -- this is the ethical commitment to repair the world through social action. K’vod Ha Teva presented a proposal to the TBI Board of Directors to establish an Oneg Policy that provides an opportunity to do tikkun olam. Onegs are community meals or repasts that follow religious events. Onegs present an opportunity to express the congregation’s values through the choices they make in food preparation and service. TBI provides unbleached, recycled paper products for all community Shabbat celebrations. Families hosting these events are encouraged to use local, organic and kosher purveyors.