JCAN

The Poetry of Climate Change
2024-02-29 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | 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.

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:

Dig Deep: Affect Change Through Stories
2023-07-11 23:00 - 2023-07-12 00:30 | MA
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

Bentshmarking Your Synagogue’s Carbon Footprint
2023-06-21 16:00 - 17:30 | MA
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

JCAN Radical Residential Retrofitting
2023-06-20 23:00 - 2023-06-21 00:30 | MA
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)

The Tree of Life: Standing amongst the Trees as the Climate Derails
2023-06-15 23:00 - 2023-06-16 00:00 | MA
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

A Tree of Life Workshop - Online 3-part March 15,22,29
2023-03-15 23:00 - 2023-03-16 01:00 | MA
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.

Heat and Cooling with Electric Heat Pumps October 26th 7:15-8:45pm
2022-10-26 23:15 - 2022-10-27 00:45 | MA
Click here and we”ll send you the zoom link.
https://community.massenergize.org/JCAN/events/733
Electrifying your home’s heating and cooling system with a heat pump is one of the most effective ways to make your home more comfortable and reduce your overall carbon footprint. Learn about cold-climate air-source heat pumps, geothermal systems and heat pump water heaters. You should attend if you

want to learn why heat pumps are climate friendly,
want to add air conditioning to your home, or
have an aging heating system (more than 15 years old) and want to know about replacement options.

You will learn about suitable options for your home by talking with installers, neighbors who have installed systems, and volunteer heatpump coaches. You will also learn about all the new incentives and tax rebates in 2022 and 23!
Cosponsored by MassEnergize.

Induction cooking - no more gas!
2022-05-18 23:00 - 2022-05-19 00:00 | MA
Missed it? We’ve got you covered: watch the recording here.

If you cook with gas, you may not be aware of the drawbacks… and the alternative!

Gas stoves likely make the air in your kitchen more polluted than recommended outdoor clean air quality standards Burning gas releases nitrogen dioxide, small particulate matter, and carbon monoxide, all components of air pollution. Cooking on a gas stove increases kids’ risk of current asthma by 42 percent. Ventilation can work well to remove air pollution but only if the exhaust hood over the gas stove is strong enough,if it vents outdoors and you remember to use it.
Once your stove is ready for replacement, your best bet is to replace it with an electric or induction stove. An Induction stove is not your usual electric stove, which can take longer than gas to heat food! An induction stove cooks food faster even than a gas stove, and temperature regulation is just as precise as on a gas stove. It uses magnetic waves which only heat the pan, not the surface of the stove, so it is never so hot that you can burn your hand on the stove, even when cooking. This also makes it more efficient than gas and electric stoves. Costs of induction burners and stoves vary widely. You can purchase a two-burner induction cooktop for about $125 and the price goes up from there.

Andee Krasner (Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and co-author with Rocky Mountain Institute of a report on gas stoves), will talk about the health risk of gas cooking. We’ll also have testimonials of neigbors who use induction, and lots of time for Q&A.
A collaboration of Energize Wayland with Green Lincoln, Energize Lexington, Jewish Climate Action Network, Harvard Energize, and Green Newton.

Greening Your Home Heating & Cooling webinar
2022-03-01 00:30 - 01:30 | MA
Electrifying your home’s heating system with a heat pump is one of the most effective ways to reduce your overall carbon footprint and make your home more comfortable. Come and learn about cold-climate air-source heat pumps, geothermal systems, and heat pump water heaters.
You should attend if you…

want to learn why heat pumps are climate friendly
want to add air conditioning to your home
have an aging heating system (more than 15 years old) and want to know about replacement options
want to learn about the state’s substantially expanded financial incentives
want to hear from neighbors who have installed systems.

Join us for an informative event hosted by Congregation Beth El’s Green Team, MassEnergize, and the HeatSmart Alliance
Presentation by Steve Breit Steve is a Beth El member, engineer, and self-described “heat pump geek”. He is a volunteer contributor to the HeatSmart Alliance, MassEnergize, EnergizeWayland, and Beth El’s Green Team. He has assisted many local homeowners, including Beth El members, with updating their heating/cooling systems and can assist you with greening your heating systems.
For more information, contact John Harper, Beth El Green Team, jpharper47@gmail.com

Greening Your Home Electricity
2022-01-28 00:30 - 01:45 | MA
Greening Your Home Electricity — What are your options?

Are you considering adding solar panels to your roof?
Sudbury has a community electricity aggregation program.
Wayland and Framingham are planning them. What are those?
What’s a community solar project? What do I get when I subscribe?
What’s the difference amongst these options?
I am renting my place. Trees shade my roof. What can I do?
Can I combine these options? How do I compare competing offers?
How can I help make a new renewable power project happen?

If you have questions like these, then this evening is for you!
Congregation Beth El’s Green Team, with support from MassEnergize and the Jewish Climate Action Network‐MA (JCAN), can help you sort out the possibilities.
Come learn about options for your home from our terrrific speakers:

Paul Gromer, Peregrine Energy Group (www.peregrinegroup.com) clean energy consultant for municipal community aggregation programs statewide
Barry Sheingold, New Energy Opportunities (http://newenergyopps.com/
John Harper, Birch Tree Capital (https://birchtreecapital.net/), clean energy consultants and members of the Beth El Green Team

Click Here to Register
For more information, contact John Harper, Beth El Green Team, jpharper47@gmail.com

Heating and Cooling with Electric Heat Pumps
2022-01-12 00:00 - 01:30 | on zoom, Wayland, on zoom, Wayland, Massachusetts, US
Electrifying your home’s heating and cooling system with a heat pump is one of the most effective ways to make your home more comfortable and reduce your overall carbon footprint. Learn about cold-climate air-source heat pumps, geothermal systems and heat pump water heaters. You should attend if you

want to learn why heat pumps are climate friendly,
want to add air conditioning to your home, or
have an aging heating system (more than 15 years old) and want to know about replacement options.

You will learn about suitable options for your home by talking with installers, neighbors who have installed systems, and HeatSmart volunteers. You will also learn about all the new incentives and tax rebates in 2022!
Register by clicking here and we’ll send you the zoom link.

3rd Jewish Climate Action Conference, April 25
2021-04-25 16:00 - 2021-04-26 00:00 | MA
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The JCAN-MA for the 3rd Jewish Climate Action Conference. Everything is Connected.
Free and On-line!

Sessions focused on carbon reduction, advocacy, spiritual resilience, soil and agriculture, raise up the voices of youth and address environmental justice.

The day-long event was geared toward action solutions and strengthening the national Jewish climate action network. Opportunities are available for connecting with other climate activists in your geographic region or with similar interests.

This online event engaged Jewish climate activists from across the country with specific objectives, important information and community connections.
AN-MA for the 3rd Jewish Climate Action Conference: Everything is Connected, April 25, 2021. Free & online. Sessions focus on carbon reduction, advocacy, spiritual resilience, soil and agriculture, raise up the voices of youth, and address environmental justice. The day-long event is geared toward action solutions and strengthening the national Jewish climate action network. Opportunities are available for connecting with other climate activists in your geographic region or with similar interests.
​This online event will engage Jewish climate activists from across the country with specific objectives, important information, and community connections.

A Jewish Call to Climate Action
2020-11-18 00:30 - 01:30 | MA
A Jewish Call to Climate Action: Launching our Multi Congregation Green Challenge
The Jewish Climate Action Network (JCAN) and MassEnergize are pleased to host an evening with Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, founder and CEO of Dayenu, a dynamic movement of American Jews confronting the climate crisis. This event also launches an exciting multi congregation collaboration –Rabbi Breindel of Beth El, Rabbi Rosenn, Rabbi Katy Allen of JCAN and Ma’Yan Tikvah, and Rabbi Louis Pollison of Congregation Or Atid will discuss how each of us can move forward in combatting climate change in our congregations and our household actions. Register here

Eco Landscaping
2020-09-30 23:30 - 2020-10-01 00:30 | MA
Fall is here, time to think about fall eco friendly cleanups and it’s a great time to plant for next year. Consider a redesign with less mowing and lawn care, more pollinator plants that support birds, bees and butterflies, fewer invasive species and more native plants. It’s all possible!
Sponsored by Sudbury Valley Trustees , the Jewish Climate Action Network , and Energize Wayland .
Listen to the recording here.
Resources
Native Plant Trust/Garden in the Woods
Beecology
Pollinator Preservation Garden Toolkit
Ecological Landscaping – Steps to Take

Beth El Green Challenge!
2020-04-24 13:00 - 2020-12-31 17:00 | MA
Congregation Beth El’s goal is that 1/2 of our families take at least one action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our efforts to address climate risks. Working with JCAN, we offer families lots of great options, and know each household can do at least one thing that makes a difference. Let’s be the first congregation to meet this challenge in Massachusetts!
