A Tree of Life Workshop - Online 3-part March 15,22,29
2023-03-15 23:00 - 2023-03-16 01:00 (America/New_York)
Are you stressed out by life and the state of the world? A climate or social justice activist? Dealing with trauma or loss in your personal life?
Join Rabbi Katy Allen for a three-part online series of multimedia interactions and meditations on a journey through trauma and healing with her new book, A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image and Text, with photographs by Mary North Allen. Give yourself the opportunity to transition to a greater level of faith and acceptance in the face of personal loss and despair with the world. Join with others to use art, music, movement, and more to connect circles of personal, communal, and global grief and healing.
This workshop will take place during three 1 1/2 to 2-hour sessions, giving participants time to experience the full trajectory of the healing process. You need register only once. Dates are March 15, 22, and 29 at 7:00-9:00PM Eastern time. REGISTER HERE
Participants are encouraged to spend time with the book ahead of the workshop in order to enhance their experience that day.
This event is sponsored by the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light, Common Street Spiritual Center, Open Spirit Center, and Ma’yan Tikvah.
If you choose the ticket with the ebook option, the ebook can be purchased here.
A reflections from A Tree of Life Workshop participants:
“It was a powerful, healing experience. I experienced deeper insights…Each photo and text generated pages of journal writing for me. I experienced a sense of comfort in seeing the written words. Along with the timelessness and grounding of the trees, it further informed me that G!d is truly present here.” – P.S.
“I experienced the sessions as being rich and revelatory…so many memories, making connections, experiencing deeper insights…. I don’t know Hebrew but I experienced a sense of comfort in seeing the written words. Along with the timelessness and grounding of the trees, it further informed me that G!d is truly present here.” –J.G.
“I think your book is brilliant! Having so few words, it afforded greater space and freedom for things to emerge than if paragraphs had been written. And the words you wrote are so precise, expressing so much in terms of pain, joy, healing and love. The fact that the sensitive and moving photographs were taken by your mother…wow, what a tribute. A beautiful piece of work and, as you said in your introduction, personal and universal. I can see it being used as a retreat…one day, several days…and I trust that, however it is used, it will be transforming for those who experience it.” –J.G.
Rabbi Katy Z. Allen is the co-founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA and the founder and rabbi of Ma’yan Tikvah – A Wellspring of Hope, a congregation that holds services outdoors and has a growing outdoor children’s learning program, Y’ladim BaTeva (Children in Nature). She received her MA in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College in 1999, her rabbinic ordination in 2005 from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY, and her chaplaincy board certification from Neshama: Association for Jewish Chaplains in 2010. Prior to her ordination, Allen worked as a high school science teacher, a writer and editor of science educational materials, and a Jewish educator. She worked as a staff chaplain at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for 10 years and then served part-time as a hospice chaplain while facilitating spirituality and Earth programs at Open Spirit in Framingham, MA. Rabbi Katy lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger, who leads the singing at Ma’yan Tikvah. She loves to walk in the woods, ride her bicycle, and tend her garden.

The Tree of Life: Standing amongst the Trees as the Climate Derails
2023-06-15 23:00 - 2023-06-16 00:00
Spend time exploring and reflecting on ancient and modern texts, poetry, and art that focus on trees and the interconnection of all life and then relax into a guided meditation inspired by our time studying together and themes of resilience in the face of climate disruption. Led by Rabbi Katy Allen, JCAN-MA Co-founder. Online and Free REGISTER HERE

JCAN Radical Residential Retrofitting
2023-06-20 23:00 - 2023-06-21 00:30
What was radical yesterday is reasonable today. Households all across the country are grappling with sudden spikes in energy costs, and a very short window to decarbonize. We and our fellow congregants are looking to upgrade our leak prone houses, but oy, what to do?

For years, Rachel White (Byggmeister) and Audrey Schulman (HEET) have pioneered brand-new approaches to retrofitting our aging homes. Now these two leading lights will be sharing with us findings they recently presented at Building Energy Boston 2023. White will provide a definitive evaluation of the ‘superinsulation’ mode of retrofit. And Schulman will report on the current status of neighborhood thermal networks, now under construction in many locations. With a flood of federal funding, finding the optimal approach today involves questions not even broached a decade ago, and may not be what we expect. The residential sector must decarbonize at an accelerated rate. Are we and our co-congregants reducing our homes’ carbon footprints radically enough?
FREE AND ONLINE
About the presenters
Rachel White is CEO of Byggmeister Design/Build, a nearly 40 year-old residential remodeling company that is striving to serve as an exemplary steward of homes and to prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Rachel has been affiliated with Byggmeister since 2008, when she hired the firm to renovate her house. What started as an effort to reduce the energy and carbon footprint of her own home became her life’s work. Prior to joining Byggmeister Rachel taught modern Jewish history to adult learners. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Brown University and a BA in Religion from Haverford College.
Audrey Schulman co-founded HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) in 2008. A lover of maps, she created the first-in-the-nation statewide zoomable public map of utility-reported gas leaks. Through her co-leadership of the FixOurPipes.org study, she helped municipalities coordinate with utilities to find solutions to fix gas leaks faster and at less expense. She started the Large Volume Leak Study, which discovered a way for gas utilities to identify super-emitting gas leaks and repair them. Together with Zeyneb Magavi, she has developed HEET’s innovative solution to transition gas utilities from gas to networked geothermal, or systems of networked ground source heat pumps. There are several gas utilities now installing thermal networks in Massachusetts and New York.
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM (Eastern time)

Bentshmarking Your Synagogue’s Carbon Footprint
2023-06-21 16:00 - 17:30
Calculating your synagogue’s “benchmark” — its carbon footprint — provides a baseline for ongoing reduction efforts. The methodology is straightforward, all it takes is this webinar and 2-3 hours of concentration. Led by Andrew Webster. Learn how to use the overhauled Bentshmarking spreadsheet MIPL-JCAN Carbon Calculator for Houses of Worship. For years, JCAN has trained green-teams in how to use this tool to calculate the carbon footprint of their synagogue facility. FREE and ONLINE REGISTER HERE

Dig Deep: Affect Change Through Stories
2023-07-11 23:00 - 2023-07-12 00:30
Trying to convince people there is a climate crisis with common sense and science doesn’t work. People listen through their emotions, not through their reason. In this six-week class, you will learn a simple technique to write an emotional story from your authentic self. You will learn about the three voices of writing, and how to create an image/moment and list its 7 basic elements. You will also learn how to construct a story by stringing together bookended image/moments. The focus will be on constructing compelling stories from news or scientific articles that involve climate change and environmental justice issues. At the end of the class, we will have a public reading of our work. Whether you want to explain the science of climate change or the Jewish concept of repairing the world, learn to write from your deep, authentic voice. You’ll wind up writing your story which then becomes everyone’s story and creates a community to affect change.
FREE. REGISTER HERE
The instructor, Dr. Thea Iberall, is the author of the ecofeminist novel The Swallow and the Nightingale. She was inducted into the International Educators Hall of Fame in 2015 for her creative teaching methods. Her poetry book The Sanctuary of Artemis traces the roots of patriarchal domination. Her musical We Did It For You! Women’s Journey Through History tells the story of how women got their rights in America. Thea has taught writing since 2005, focusing on teaching Jack Grapes’ Method Writing techniques. She has a Master’s Degree in Professional Writing from USC and a PhD. in Computational Neuroscience from UMass. www.theaiberall.com

Running A Decarbonizers Program For Your Congregants
2024-01-08 19:00 - 20:30 | https://youtu.be/fwX_XQu0UjY
It’s a super-powerful, super-easy, peer-to-peer program, designed to motivate members of YOUR local synagogue/community to substantially reduce carbon in their households. You’ll work on the steps, how it fits into climate activism, also the obstacles. Taught by members of the JCAN-MA Tech Council led by Fred Davis, president of JCAN-MA. He has been a leader, a professional and an advocate in the arena of clean energy since 1978.
A testimonial on Running a JCAN-MA Decarbonizing program:

The Poetry of Climate Change
2024-02-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual Event
Calling all poets and poetry lovers! Spend an evening with the poetry of climate change at a virtual open mike. Rabbi Katy Allen and Dr. Thea Iberall will moderate the evening, sharing some of their poetry, inviting others to share theirs, and facilitating a conversation on what the offered poetry brings up for each of us.
We’re in my sleek red Toyota on the 405 freeway
not far from the Pacific Ocean. It’s nighttime and
we’re passing through El Segundo. You ask,
“Should I hold my breath?”
I’m staring at the power plant. I’m staring at my future.
It’s raw and stark
Excerpt from “El Segundo” by Thea Iberall
Rabbi Katy Z. Allen is the co-founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network and also the founder and spiritual leader of Ma’yan Tikvah – A Wellspring of Hope. She received rabbinic ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. Rabbi Katy’s most recent book, A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text is “a meditation on our universal journey through trauma toward healing.”

Thea Iberall is ‘a shimmering bridge between heart and mind.’ An inductee into the International Educators Hall of Fame, Thea has been published in anthologies and journals including in Blood to Remember: American Poets on the Holocaust. Thea’s poems springboard from the personal into moral issues and emotional truths.

Hope Is Heat Pump: How One House of Worship & School Reduced Carbon by 85%
2024-03-04 19:00 - 20:30 | https://youtu.be/J7-NJIajW_g
Can your house of worship or non-profit achieve 85% reduction in carbon emissions? Temple Shir Tikva just did that! JCAN is excited to showcase their ground-breaking, up-to-the-moment story of transitioning to heat pumps. Your house of worship or non-profit could face a similar problem/opportunity: Lay leadership was confronted with a failing heating system. They sought advice. Top professionals engineered and installed the equipment. Could it be that simple?
Come hear from the team who kept school and sanctuary in full operation while leaping towards climate neutrality: Richard Kaye, TST lead; Wes Stanhope, CEO of Building Evolution; and Jody Renouf, Director of Operations at GreenerU.
Shir tikva means song of hope, and right now, hope is heat pump.
Wes Stanhope, CEO of Building Evolution, has over fifteen years of leadership experience in the built environment on both sides of the Atlantic, working in USA, Ireland, and UK with construction, facility conditions assessments, energy management, and commissioning projects. Wes is responsible for developing and implementing Building Evolutions vision, mission and philosophy. Wes is both active in the long-term planning and operations of the company, as well as day to day operations. As principal of Stanhope Developments he brought over 370 commercial and residential construction projects from proposal through to design and completion in Ireland and UK. After returning to USA, Wes managed the energy auditing and retro-commissioning of over 23 million square feet of US Federal Facilities. Wes also has extensive experience managing and implementing assessments and commissioning of large scale private universities, commercial properties, state facilities, non-profits, and large multifamily developments.

Jody Renouf, Director of Operations at GreenerU, has nearly three decades of experience in the energy industry, including more than 20 years of construction project management. His experience includes ten years of project management with GreenerU, spanning all types of building systems. Jody is a certified energy auditor, able to specify, implement, commission, document, troubleshoot and train others on efficiency measures. Prior to joining GreenerU, Jody was a field engineer for Shell Oil, responsible for capital projects, major maintenance, and compliance activities at a continually changing portfolio to 100 to 300 commercial sites with an annual budget of $6-10 million. He implemented a national regulatory compliance program, building custom data analysis tools to ensure accountability of subcontractors, consultants, and colleagues. Jody has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University and is a Certified Energy Auditor with the Association of Energy Engineers.
COSPONSORED BY JCAN-MA and MIP&L

Heat Pumps Are For Everyone
2024-03-14 11:30 - 2024-03-15 12:30
plugIN to electrify your heating, cooling or hot water system with a heat pump
Heat pumps are one of the most effective ways to make your home more comfortable, reduce your carbon footprint, and help create a healthier community. Learn about air source heat pumps, geothermal systems, and heat pump water heaters. Attend if you

want to learn why heat pumps are climate friendly and work in cold climates
want to add air conditioning to your home or replace your aging AC system
have an older heating system (more than 15 years old) and want to know about replacement options
are curious about heat pump hot water heaters
want to learn about new state incentives (up to $10,000) and amazing new 2023 federal tax credits
want to hear from neighbors who have heat pumps about how they work
want to meet our community coaches who can help you figure out your next step

Steve Breit, of the Heat Smart Alliance and master heat pump coach will provide an overview, neighbors will share their experiences with heat pumps, our community coaches will discuss how they can help you take the next step. Bring your questions!
This event is sponsored by Energize Wayland, Town of Wayland, Congregation Beth El, Temple Shir Tikva and plugIN — a collaboration among the Towns of Acton, Natick and Wayland and the City of Framingham to promote heat pumps, solar and community solar with support provided by the non-profit MassEnergize.

The Climate Crisis - An Israeli Perspective
2024-05-14 19:00 - 20:30 | https://youtu.be/I3GcmNrLrVg
Dr. Tamara Lev, Israel Institute Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at Boston University, will discusses the climate crisis in Israel. She will describe why Israel is an ecological and climate change “hotspot”, and government policies to address these issues, in the light of the current political crisis. Dr. Lev is the Climate Policy Director for the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
Dr. Tamara Lev holds a LLB from the Hebrew University, and a PhD from Tel Aviv University School of Law. After completing her PhD, Tamara joined the Israeli Department of Justice and worked under the Deputy General Attorney on legislation of and consultation about environmental law and regulation, offshore oil and gas regulation and related fields.

Let's Talk Electricity Rates
2024-07-22 19:00 - 20:30 | https://youtu.be/NtPomcBtnUY
With summer air conditioning season underway, let’s discuss: what makes MA electricity costs so high? Rates in this state are about twice the national average. Is that because we consume less? Because we have the best energy programs?
How can we respond, in personal choices, as well as with policy changes? And how do high rates impact the state’s transition to heat pumps and electric vehicles, essential for climate?
Electricity providers may soon offer time-varying electric rates with new electric meters now being installed. Shifting when we use electricity could reduce power grid peaks, lower electric rates for everyone, and allow some high-emitting peak power stations to be closed permanently. Heat pumps and EVs would become more financially compelling, benefiting the climate.
But will these new rates benefit justice communities? Are they too complicated? Or might new AI-enabled apps and devices make this easier to do? Let’s consider the possibilities.
About Harvey Michaels

Harvey Michaels, a member of JCAN’s “Legs and Regs” committee, will lead the discussion, following some introductory material. He serves as Lecturer of Energy Management Innovation within MIT’s Sloan Sustainability program, and also advises energy and climate policymakers on electric rate innovations and utility energy efficiency policies. His focus this year has been the needed transition to heat pump and EVs, and how AI-enabled smart homes may help. Harvey’s earlier career included leadership of several energy efficiency companies.

Climate Activism Ahead After A Decade of Jewish Climate Action
2024-11-18 19:00 - 20:30 | https://youtu.be/R4uoW9XEHOI
Facing the second half of this crucial decade, can we still meet climate goals? After a decade as a leader in community-based climate activism and a career in clean energy, Fred Davis will share a forward-looking view. Change is constant, as climate itself continues to demonstrate, so can we humans still make transitions quickly enough? It’s almost 2025/5785, and the question will soon be moot, one way or the other. With so much going on, which way to look? Whatever your climate concern, whatever activist community, we hope you will appreciate this well-informed yet frank assessment, informed both by faith and first principles.

About Fred Davis: From the 1970s Energy Crisis to today’s Climate Emergency, both as a professional and an advocate, Fred has been a leader in clean energy. In the past decade, he has been at the forefront of communities transitioning toward a low-carbon future, decarbonizing with heatpumps, solar, and electric vehicles.
Fred ran his business wholesaling energy-efficient lighting products, and was a leader in that field. He helped devise the first national standards for lamp efficiency and chaired the first national conference on energy-efficient lighting. He helped introduce the world to compact fluorescent light bulbs, to electronic ballasts, and to efficient LED products.

In both municipal and faith-based communities, Fred has been active as an organizer driving community decarbonization. As member, then Chair 2019-22, of Medfield Energy Committee, he helped to effect solar and efficiency projects, implement a climate action plan, and promote the potential for net-zero in the massive redevelopment of a historic state hospital campus.
As the top energy expert at Jewish Climate Action Network, and President since 2022, he’s been helping to lead over 120 synagogues and their congregants toward decarbonization. Fred devised curriculum ideally suited for volunteer green teams, and mounted impactful programs such as Solar for Synagogues, and Accelerating Heatpumps.
Fred also currently serves on the Board of MCAN (Massachusetts Climate Action Network), and the Program Committee of NESEA’s Building Energy Conference. These days, Fred is most interested in training local climate leaders in the singularly impactful peer-to-peer program, Decarbonizers of [your community].

Heat Pump Webinar with plugIN and Resilient Swampscott
2024-12-05 00:00 - 01:00
Join the plugIN communities (Acton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Sudbury, Wayland, and Westborough) and Resilient Swampscott for a webinar on heat pumps. Hear from an expert from the Heat Smart Alliance, and learn from the experiences of community members. We hope to see you all for an evening of information, community, and learning!

Induction Cooktop Webinar
2025-03-18 23:00 - 2025-03-19 00:00
Induction Cooktop Webinar! Andee Krasner (Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and co-author of report on gas stove health risks) discuss gas stove risks and the benefits of induction cooking. We also hear from neighbors using induction cooktops, plus plenty of time for Q&A.
Did you know cooking with gas might be making your kitchen air worse than outdoor pollution? Gas stoves release harmful emissions like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, which can even increase asthma risk in kids. Induction stoves heat faster than gas and are super efficient—plus, they’re safer (you can’t burn your hand on the stove!). New rebates and tax credits make switching to induction more affordable than ever.

Learn more about heat pumps and solar here – [https://bit.ly/plugIN-Wayland4] and other actions you can take to reduce emissions www.energizewayland.org

This event is sponsored by plugIN MetroWest, in partnership with MassEnergize.

Tisha B’Av Gathering in Marblehead
2025-08-02 20:00 - 21:00 | Marblehead, Marblehead, MA
As the sun sets on Tisha B’Av, the most sorrowful day on the Jewish calendar, we will gather to read Eicha (Lamentations)—an ancient text mourning the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem 2,500 years ago: its women, children, animals, buildings, gates, and walls. Together, we will take turns reading from the text (bring your phone to follow along), and reflect on its relevance today.
In this era of climate chaos—of floods, fires, and mass displacement—we feel the destruction anew. Tisha B’Av offers us a moment to grieve not only the ruins of the past, but also the devastation happening now across the globe: Gaza, Congo, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria—and here, in the United States.
As we mourn, we renew our resolve to take action. The anguished poetry of Lamentations can inspire us to support policies and practices that prevent further harm to our communities and our planet.
We are each part of the long, sacred labor of healing and repair. We refuse to look away.
Let us grieve together. Let us strengthen one another. Let us repair the world.

Schedule
🌊 6:00 PM – Potluck Dinner* (Come early (at 4 pm for a swim!))
📖 8:00 PM – 9 PM Reading of Lamentations and Community Reflection

MARK EXPLAINS: Proposed Climate Legislation in the Current Massachusetts Legislative Session
2025-10-05 19:00 - 20:30 | https://youtu.be/nLzGLCWUIog
There are some very promising pieces of proposed legislation in the Massachusetts legislature right now! If they pass, it will make a significant difference in carbon emissions for years to come.
The first step is to learn about these bills. Once you know about them, you can join others to campaign and lobby for them.
Mark Dyen will do a presentation for JCAN explaining the different bills. He explains things in a way that you can understand them. And you can ask questions.
Mark Dyen is an energy efficiency and renewable energy advocate and retired energy efficiency entrepreneur. As an advocate since the early 1970’s Mark was involved in the creation and adoption of energy policy reforms, including the creation of Mass Save, reforms in electric rate design and adoption of consumer protections, such as the law that forbids utility shut offs during the winter. Since retirement, Mark has served as a consultant to the US Department of Energy, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and several energy efficiency and renewable energy companies.

To Forever Inhabit This Earth: An Ethic of Enoughness
2025-11-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual Event
Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin will discuss how human beings need to redefine their relationship to the earth, and how the wisdom found in our Jewish texts obligates us to the mitzvah of Yishuv Ha’Olam (Habilitability of the World). She will also discuss a new paradigm for reading Genesis, and how the ancient Jewish concepts of Ba’al Taschit (Do not waste) and Shmita (Rest for the land) inform us how we must treat the land and each other.
To purchase Rabbi Cardin’s book, go to Bookshop.org or through Berhman House. Please click here for more information about Rabbi Nina Cardin.

Co-sponsored with FJMC International www.fjmc.org

Midrash & Imagination: Writing the World We Want
2025-12-04 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-11 15:00 - 16:00
Join Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action for Midrash & Imagination: Writing the World We Want. In this interactive creative writing workshop we’ll ground in Jewish wisdom about resilience, practice imagining together, and create a collective vision for the world we are calling in.
Whatever your experience with art making and your involvement with Dayenu previously, this event is for you!

Celebrate Chanukah with Laughtivism!
2025-12-16 20:00 - 21:30 | Virtual Event
Laughtivism is the use of humor to undermine authority and open minds. Satire and humorous events or social media have been used effectively to combat regimes around the world. When people laugh, they feel more brave and less alone.
There will be a short explanation of Laughtivism, followed by breaking into work groups to brainstorm and refine ideas about using this in an environmental context. At the end of the workshop, groups report back to each other.
Read more about activist humor here.
Musician Shira Kline will light our inner candles with Hanukkah music.

Midrash & Imagination: Writing the World We Want
2025-12-18 15:00 - 16:00 | Virtual Event
Join Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action for Midrash & Imagination: Writing the World We Want. In this interactive creative writing workshop we’ll ground in Jewish wisdom about resilience, practice imagining together, and create a collective vision for the world we are calling in.
Whatever your experience with art making and your involvement with Dayenu previously, this event is for you!

From Dayenu www.dayenu.org

Eight Days of Reflection, One Night of Celebration
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual Event
Join Us for a Week of Reflection and a Night of Celebration on Zoom
Eight nights to celebrate the abundance we have today–and to reflect on how conservation and preservation of our one earth is so important for future generations
The miracle that a small amount of oil lasted eight nights reminds both the Jewish people and the rest of the world that there have been many times throughout our history during which we had to make do with very little by way of natural resources and material comforts. However, our perseverance and faith have allowed us to both survive and thrive.
We ask that you reflect on what Chanukah means to you. Is it a time to celebrate abundance? Is it a reminder of the importance of conservation and preservation? What are some other themes you’ve seen in the holiday and the story of the Maccabean Revolt? What do we do with those insights?
We’ll share submissions throughout the week of Chanukah, then meet on Zoom on December 18 at 7 PM. Our program will include our founder, Rabbi Katy Allen, playwright and novelist, long-time member Thea Iberall, and the works of playwright and storyteller Judith Black.
Please try to keep submissions to under 400 words. We will also accept photos and videos. We’ll be sharing the reflections on our website during the Chanukah holiday.
Please submit your reflection here

Renewing the Face of the Earth: Ecology as Inquiry into Jewish Thought, Text, and Practice
2026-01-29 15:30 - 18:00
We are excited to announce that our friend Rabbi David Seidenberg will be teaching a course on Judaism and ecology at Harvard Divinity School this spring! The semester begins 1/26 and the first class will be on 1/29. It’s open to Hebrew College students for free and to auditors for a fee.

HDS 1445 – Renewing the Face of the Earth: Ecology as Inquiry into Jewish Thought, Text, and Practice
Semester: Spring 2026
Instructor: David Seidenberg
Meeting Time: Th 3:45-5:45pm
Dates: January 26 – May 16, 2026

In this course, we will ally creative theological exploration with scholarship to address pressing questions related to the fate of the Earth and her species, and to ameliorate the way that human beings have twisted that fate. We will carefully explore the basis in Torah and Scripture, rabbinic and medieval literature, and modern Jewish thought, for an organic, non-reductive, Earth-centered worldview and religious, ritual and spiritual practice.

For more information, contact the Divinity School of Harvard University website

Celebrate Tu B'shvat
2026-02-01 17:00 - 19:00 | The Pryde, 59 Harvard Ave, Hyde Park, MA, 02136, United States
Join JCAN-MA to celebrate Tu B’shvat with a vegan seder. Loosely modeled after the Passover Seder, we’ll enjoy a light dinner which will include foods symbolizing the seven different species of food, drink four glasses of juice, as well as sing, reflect on how we can act locally to affect positive environmental change, and celebrate the bounty of nature and community.

What is Tu B’shvat? Sometimes called the Jewish Earth Day, it was first celebrated in the sixteenth century in Safed (pronounced Tz-faat), Israel. It is also known as the New Year of the Trees, and is observed on the 15th (tu) of the Hebrew month of Shvat.

You are invited to bring a plant-based dish (no meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, or honey) to share if you would like, but are welcome to join without one.
REGISTER HERE. After you register, we’ll send you an email for you to let us know if you plan to bring a dish to share, and if you have any dietary restrictions.
Need a recipe or an idea? Let us know!
We are honored to host our Tu B’shvat seder this year at The Pryde, Boston’s first LGBTQ+ senior housing community.
February 1 at 5 PM
at
The Pryde
59 Harvard Ave.
Hyde Park, MA 02136

Jewish Earth Alliance 2026 Tu'Bishvat Lobby Day
2026-02-03 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual Event
JCAN-MA is proud to once again co-sponsor the semi-annual Jewish Earth Alliance Lobby Days. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that we make our voices heard to our legislators at all levels of government.
Please register here to join the team lobbying Senators Warren and Markey. While we have speaking parts for those who want them, the most important thing is to show up (on Zoom!) and be counted.

Senator Warren’s office at 1 PM
Senator Markey’s office TBA

"Harm In The Water" - award-winning documentary
2026-02-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Suffolk University’s Modern Theatre, 525 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02111
JCAN-MA is honored to be a sponsor of the Boston screening of the multi-award winning documentary, Harm in the Water. This powerful film examines the devastating impact of industrial water pollution on Black communities along the Mississippi River. Through intimate portraits of community members, environmental activists and scientific experts, the film reveals how historical patterns of environmental hazards have created a modern crisis.
Director Kendall Moore takes viewers on a journey through the affected communities, highlighting both the struggles and resilience of residents fighting for clean water and environmental justice. The documentary combines compelling personal stories with rigorous scientific evidence to create an urgent call for change.
The screening will be followed by a talkback with director Kendall Moore.

Admission is FREE. Tickets are required. This event is open to the public.

Walk-up tickets will be available at the Modern Theatre box office on the day of the event, one hour before the event’s scheduled start time, subject to availability.

If you have any questions or if you need assistance reserving tickets, please email boxoffice@suffolk.edu .

Jewish Ecopoetry
2026-02-24 19:00 - 20:30
Jewish ecopoetry is an expanding tool for spiritual resilience in the face of climate disaster and ecological collapse. Join JCAN co-founder Rabbi Katy Allen and ecofeminist writer Thea Iberall, along with other area ecopoets such as Carla Schwartz and Laurie Rosen for an evening of poetry, reflection, and response. Through prompts during the event, you will also write your own poem, no experience required.
Rabbi Katy Allen
Katy Z. Allen is a rabbi, chaplain, poet, and eco-chaplain whose lifelong love of the outdoors shapes her spiritual and creative work. From her early days exploring fields and streams in Wisconsin to decades of teaching, writing, and leading in Massachusetts, she draws wisdom from the natural world and helps others discover meaning there too.
She founded Ma’yan Tikvah – A Wellspring of Hope, an outdoor congregation, much of whose programming has since moved to Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, and she co-founded the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA. Katy has also served as a hospital and hospice chaplain, bringing care and nature-based spirituality to those she served.
Her recent book, A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text, reflects her love of weaving poetry, story, text and image. She is also the editor of Earth Etudes for Elul and other works, and she previously shared reflections at www.mayantikvah.blogspot.com.
In her retirement, Katy has turned her focus to poetry and her work has appeared online at New Verse News and in The Jewish Poets Collective Journal. Forthcoming, her work will be included in the Art on the Trails chapbook and online at Bluebird Word.

Thea Iberall
Thea Iberall has been called ‘a shimmering bridge between heart and mind.’ She’s performed poetry and storytelling since 1998, representing LA at the National Poetry Slams. An inductee into the International Educators Hall of Fame, she is featured in the documentary GV6: The Odyssey – Poets, Passion and Poetry. OC Weekly said Thea “tells narrative stories using simple words that mask hidden layers of meaning and emotion.” The host of Expresso Yourself Coffeehouse, she has performed in Massachusetts and Southern California at Story Space, Limmud, Menino Arts Center, Rozzie Reads, Ugly Mug, to name a few. Her book of contextual poems, The Sanctuary of Artemis, traces the roots of patriarchal domination. Her musical We Did It For You! Women’s Journey Through History tells the story of how women got their rights in America. And her ecofeminist novel The Swallow and the Nightingale is a way to wake people up to the real moral issue of today: not who you love, but what we are doing to the planet. She has a Master’s Degree in Writing and a Ph.D. in Computational Neuroscience. www.theaiberall.com

Retire Your Lawn: Plant Hope with Judith Black
2026-03-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual Event
30-40% of all land is privately owned. What if the faith groups, businesses, local governments, schools/universities, and individuals with purview to this earth took responsibility for its’ and planets’ health? This program offers 5 models for transitioning from a traditional manicured lawn to the one that could:
– Save the efficacy of your lower back
– Eliminate mowing
– Limit watering
– Help our earth and waterways by eschewing added nutrients and lawn chemicals
– Support all rungs of the food chain, by promoting biodiversity
– Up the ante significantly for both carbon and water absorption
– If you choose, grow enough highly nutritious food to feed friends family and community
We have that power to do this!
This event is free.
About Judith Black
Judith Black is an American professional storyteller, who has toured internationally, telling stories to a wide ranging audience in the United States, Europe, and the Near East. She has produced thirteen CDs, and won a variety of awards, such as the coveted Oracle Award. Her work has been featured in venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Montreal Comedy Festival, and has been featured seven times at the National Storytelling Festival. In addition she has produced a variety of seminars and workshops for storytellers. She has been commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Public Radio, religious institutions, and non-profit organizations to create original stories that strengthen their respective missions.
Black studied education at Wheelock College, and drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. During her 24-year tenure as an adjunct professor with the Lesley University Graduate School, Black developed and implemented instruction in the use of storytelling to extend cognitive, curricular, social and emotional objectives in the educational setting. Black has also been instrumental in introducing story slams in Amsterdam, Finland, and Sweden, emphasizing personal experience and authenticity in shaping stories for public telling.

The Truth About Rare Earth Elements Mining with Dr. Jeremy Williams
2026-03-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual Event
Rare Earth Elements are essential for electrification and decarbonization–but where are they coming from? What is being taken, and how does it impact the sites it’s taken from? More importantly, how does it impact the people? Is there a way to mine without creating new sacrifice zones?
This event is free.
About Jeremy C. Williams
Dr. Williams is a geoscientist who utilizes geochemical and geophysical techniques to understand the fluid migration of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, investigate the role of redox conditions and mineral resources, and understand the significance of acid-base reactions and their environmental effects. He is a Assistant Professor, Department of Geology at Kent State University.

The Gardener's Gathering
2026-03-21 10:00 - 17:00 | Northeastern University, Curry Center
After you attend *Transition Your Lawn* on March 16, celebrate the start of the gardening season with The Trustees! The 50th Annual Gardeners’ Gathering brings Boston-area growers of all kinds together for a free day full of informative workshops, engaging exhibitors, networking, and inspiration.
Celebrate the start of the gardening season! The 50th Annual Gardeners’ Gathering brings Boston-area growers of all kinds together for a free day full of informative workshops, engaging exhibitors, networking, and inspiration. The event will feature an array of garden skills workshops, and a day long exhibitor’s hall with opportunities to network with local urban agriculture and garden groups. There will be at least one workshop each session that is offered in Spanish or with Spanish translation.
This event is free.
About the Trustees
The Trustees care for nearly 52,000 acres, including 120 special places – all around Massachusetts. For more than a century, The Trustees has been on the ground in communities across Massachusetts, working to protect special places, providing loving care of our reservations, building creative new programs to engage people, and sharing our expertise with neighbors and partners across the state.
The Trustees of Reservations preserve, for public use and enjoyment, places of exceptional scenic, historical, and ecological value.
