Topic: Hazon Seal News and Announcements

Application is now closed.  However! – please let us know if you have interest in joining so we can keep you posted when space opens up!  Click HERE for the inquiry form!  —————– We are very excited to open up our Chicagoland adventure and have Chicago institutions join the Hazon Seal of Sustainability. The application is designed to guide you on your first step, brainstorming and thinking about your vision for your future Green Team. Note: The more people you include in this process, the better. People will feel more committed to participate and implement something they helped design, right? Generous support by the Jewish United Fund (JUF) allows us to support (waive participation fee and provide mini-grants) to six organizations! We encourage you to participate even if you will not receive funding this year. Most of our Hazon Seal sites (several dozens across the country) found it valuable and we know you will, too! See cost for participation on the Hazon Seal webpage, under FAQ. With that said, payment should not be a barrier to participation so please contact us if this is a concern and we can discuss. Dates to save: Hazon @ Chicago Launch Brunch! Launching the Chicago Hazon Seal cohort with Hazon visionary and CEO Nigel Savage. Friday, […]

NEWS: Meeting with NYC Department of Sanitation When: March 18th, 2019 at 6pm Where: Hazon offices in 125 Maiden Lane, 8th floor  We welcome you to join a get-together of green teams who are currently advancing sustainability projects in their community as a part of the Hazon Seal of Sustainability program. This will be a great opportunity to meet like minded people, learn from each other, and hear from the NYC Dept. of Sanitation on how to start composting in our own communities (See about Hazon’s NYC Composting initiative below).   Why Compost? Food waste is a major problem. Minimizing waste diverted to landfills is crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as the world battles the effects of global warming. See this resource by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for more info about its magnitude and urgency. The future seems grim, but each of us can be that little drop in the bucket that will eventually be a critical mass. Every vote matters, every voice elevates the communal song, every action counts. And remember, first we reduce, then we reuse, and only THEN – we recycle/compost!   Get inspired: Watch composting up close at B’nai Jeshurun and Hannah Senesh Community Day School, two Hazon Seal of Sustainability participants.   Already Composting? Well done! now broaden your impact: Encourage your […]

Hannukah, New Year’s Eve, AND hundreds of Jewish foodies and environmentalists… all at the Hazon Food Conference. Last week, six Seal sites — DU Hillel, CSU Hillel, Moishe House Boulder, B’nai Jeshurun, Ramah in the Rockies, Congregation Bonai Shalom — joined together to learn, share, and celebrate Jewish food and sustainability. The conference included an in-depth session about the Hazon Seal and the first in-person meeting for Hazon Seal sites from across the country. Hody Nemes, Manager of Greening and Climate Initiatives at Hazon, said, “At the beginning of 2016, the Hazon Seal was just an exciting dream. Now, after hundreds of buckets of food composted, hundreds of LED lights installed, and thousands of people educated about sustainability and Jewish tradition, the Seal is soaring into 2017.”  

The Seal of Sustainability is now launched! Nearly two dozen Jewish organizations around the country are assembling Green Teams, taking a food, facilities, or healthy ecosystem audit, and launching new sustainability projects at their organizations. At synagogues, community centers, social service organizations, and summer camps, people are working hard to make their organizations uphold their values of sustainability. We’re excited about the two chicken coops that will provide humane eggs at Bonai Shalom and Colorado State University Hillel; a new community composting initiative at B’nai Jeshurun; expanded recycling programs as Jewish Family Services of San Diego and Hannah Senesh Day School; sourcing toxin-free art supplies at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale; an ethical food purchasing policy at the Pearlstone Center; and much more. Check back on hazon.org/seal for updates on organizations and projects, new resources, and stories about successes and challenges. Want to post a sustainability success story? E-mail seal@hazon.org to feature your organization.