Dear Hazon Seal Sites,
A new UN report came out this week that had some seriously grim content. One million species now face extinction, and all of this will harm human health. One of the biggest ways that we can make help fight Climate Change is by individually doing our parts and leading by example. Diverting food waste and working with our institutions to do the same is one way that we can help propel change.
Below is a collection of recent resources to inspire you on your journey. All of these are also available and searchable on our Hazon Seal Resource Bank.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions for resources to share with the network in the future.
Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat,
Merav and Ariel
Announcing the next webinar: FOOD WASTE!
Mark your calendars! The next webinar for participating Hazon Seal sites will take place on Wednesday, June 5th from 1-2:30pm EST and be all about food waste. The webinar will be led by Gary Oppenheimer, founder of AmpleHarvest.org and creator of Food Waste Weekend. Both resources are so valuable and helpful – we encourage you to check them out and see how you can make use of them.
Read up on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Fact Sheet to learn about the scope of our food waste issue.
We know that many of our Hazon Seal site institutions are doing amazing work to reduce food waste, including donating excess food to shelters and to those in need. Yasher Koach! Please join the webinar to learn how to broaden your impact even more.
Did you know this week is COMPOSTING AWARENESS WEEK?
Some of our Hazon Seal Sites have already implemented composting this past year, with Detroit and NYC cohorts both having taken on collective composting initiatives, but we’d love to help get all of our Hazon sites on board. We invite Hazon Seal sites to check out our resources and to email us any questions you have about composting in your area so that we can help you get set up!
At Hazon’s NYC location, we compost in our office by saving our food scraps and compostable items in the freezer and then bringing them to a local farmers market. Many of our Hazon Seal Sites compost in a similar fashion, while larger institutions and schools often get their compost picked up from their location. Some of our Hazon Seal sites compost on-site in their community gardens, linking composting to their farming and tables through educational programming for various age groups. At home, most Hazon staff compost food scraps near our respective homes. Whatever method suits your institution best, we hope that you will all take on this simple and crucial initiative. Where are you in your composting journey? We’d love to help you find the resources that you’ll need in your area to make a difference today.
Be sure to check out Hazon’s very own Wren Hack who made the news when discussing composting on Earth Day! Check out these videos to learn more: Earth Day: What to Compost (FOX) and Earth Day WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7
Watch Kiss The Ground’s The Compost Story to learn about why composting is so important.
Learn more about Composting Awareness Week.
MAKING THE OMER COUNT
Today is the 20th day of the Omer. Hazon Seal sites can use the resources online to access a Counting for the Climate Omer Calendar by Interfaith Power and Light and our friend Rabbi Rain Zohav. This beautiful resource will give you tips on living sustainably for a meaningful count towards receiving the Torah.
SHAVUOT RESOURCES
Hazon’s website is full of Shavuot resources that we invite you to use throughout the upcoming holiday. It includes amazing non-dairy alternatives to help us celebrate a cruelty-free and compassionate holiday. Check out this recent favorite addition: Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Pie.
If you were inspired and would like to share your thoughts and ideas, please email seal@hazon.org.