Early last month, seventh graders at the Temple Sholom Learning Center participated in a composting workshop with volunteers from Waste Free Greenwich, a local organization that promotes waste reduction in the Greenwich community. As part of their social action curriculum, the students formed an ad hoc Green Committee to explore various sustainable practices. After conducting research and interviewing staff, the students recommended that Temple Sholom pilot a composting program to cut food waste and create a nutrient-rich material for use in the campus garden.
Assistant Rabbi Kevin Peters, who heads Jewish Education and Youth Programs, engaged Waste Free Greenwich to teach the students the ABCs of composting and design a composting system. The pilot reflects the Jewish value of “tikkum olam” or “repair the world,” which teaches the importance of environmental stewardship and the responsibility of leaving the world a better place for future generations. “The Jewish people are rightly known as ”˜the People of the Book.”™ Learning from our sacred texts is a core component of Jewish education. However, we are also a people of action. It”™s not enough to simply learn about Jewish values, we must live them. Waste Free Greenwich has given our 7th graders another tool to do just that,” explained Peters.
This month Waste Free Greenwich, in partnership with the town of Greenwich and the Center for EcoTechnology, also launched the Greenwich Food Matters Challenge for businesses.
For more, visit https://www.wastefreegreenwich.org or contact wastefreegreenwich@gmail.com.
