Green Education
Teen Green Team
In April of 2023, Green Team Members Rabbi Sara Adler and Michael Simon, together with Meg Bernstein, met with the BIRS teen class (under the supervision of teacher Mira Sussman) to create a “Psalm for the Earth”. This “psalm writing workshop” was led by Rabbi Adler and consisted of the following general areas of discussion with the goal of creating a psalm utilizing the words and feelings of the teens.
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What is troubling the teens about the current status of climate change and environmental degradation.
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How are they feeling about it.
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If the following should happen what kind of changes are possible.
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What would the ideal solution look like?
The teens’ ideas were written on large sheets of paper hanging from the wall, with individual components placed in the corresponding category. The ideas coalesced into a “Psalm for the Earth”. The Psalm was read in its entirety to the congregation at the BIRS led Shabbat service in May 2023. and was published in the summer BIC Ha-Shaliach. The Psalm has also been circulated outside of the synagogue and is currently on the Detroit Adamah Facebook page.
Our plan is to work with BIRS teen teacher (Mira Sussman) to make a psalm writing workshop an annual event. Other ideas include working with the teens to write a “prayer for the environment” and proposinge this as a city-wide event. As the discussion with the teens about a “Jewish” approach to the environment continues, we hope to create our own “Teen Green Team” (see above for Adamah’s efforts to develop a BIC based organization in Ann Arbor). This effort could incorporate many ideas and projects including grant writing for projects in the school, directed ideas for Bar and Bat Mitzvah children on how to make their celebration more environmentally friendly and to incorporate the ideas and energy of the teens into the work of the BIC Green Team.
Worm Farm
One late spring day at kiddush when Green Team members Diane Wilson and Chris Merrill were making plans for the "Children in the Gan" event, new BIC member Leah Singman suggested building a worm farm. That way kids could see for themselves how the worms feast on uprooted weeds and old kitchen scraps and poop it out, making rich soil for the vegetables to grow in. A mother of three and a practiced organic gardener, Leah had some good experience to draw on. So Chris and Leah began working on the worm farm. At the end of June, Sadie and Dan Cutler and Michael Simon buried a used vegetable crate in the corner of the BIC plot as a new home for the worms. In mid-July the worms were introduced into their new home (500 worms ordered online). The worms still needed to be regularly watered and fed to stay happy in their new home and have already started making the soil in the BIC plot even better! Contact Chris Merrill for more information.
Annual Eco Shabbat
We facilitate Shabbat services on an annual basis utilizing a “Jewish ecological” theme. These services are held at the County Farm Park shelter unless prevented by weather. The 2022 Eco Shabbat was held on August 5/6 and included a short talk about green team activities, the garden and the teen psalm. We introduced 6 concepts in Jewish tradition which connect us to concern for the environment. We also introduced our congregation to our Adamah representative who spoke about options for Jewish youth involvement in the environmental movement. A highlight of the Erev Shabbat event at the park was a tour of our garden.