My project is to record a new album of songs that express my connection with the land, with soul, with each other, with learning and growing, with the gift of life.

I learned about Shmita a few months ago via Judaism Unbound. I started reading about it and remembered a story I had heard about RIP Medical Debt – and it just seemed like such an obvious match. RIP is a platform that has a very easy method to set up a debt relief campaign. They are the ones who engage in the actual purchase and abolition of debt. So I created a campaign through RIP to collect funds to relieve people of medical debt.

I am making a commitment to raise my voice about the urgent need to address climate change and will contact my senators, representative, and the White House *by phone* an average of one out of every seven days–so at least 52 calls. I started today by adding the DC and local office phone numbers to my contact list, and then made my first calls to Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet! I regularly send emails and letters and sign petitions to my elected representatives, but only rarely pick up the phone. Phone calls have a greater impact and for the shmita year I’m making that a priority! I will be getting ideas on what is timely and most relevant to talk about from Jewish Earth Alliance, Dayenu, 350.org, Food and Water Watch, Interfaith Power & Light, Hazon’s advocacy alerts, and others.

Each week throughout the shmita year, my fiance and I will choose one new item that we regularly purchase for our house to switch to a no plastic or zero-waste alternative. Throughout the shmita year, we should collect 52 new consumption habits, since this year is also a Jewish leap year.