Jewish Sustainability Initiative
The Jewish Sustainability Initiative (JewSI) draws on Jewish tradition to promote the sustainable use of Earth’s natural resources. Our volunteer-led group works with individuals, leaders, organisations and councils to mobilise the Sydney Jewish community to take urgent action on climate change.
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Help us mobilise Sydney’s Jewish community to take urgent action on climate change.
Make a contribution to help transform Sydney into a fairer, more sustainable home for us all.
Upcoming Event
The Jewish Sustainability Initiative and Inner West Community Energy, with support from Woollahra Council, proudly present:
GO SOLAR IN THE EASTERN SUBURBS!
Tuesday, August 29, 2023, 7:00-PM - 8:30 PM
A free event offering advice on how to install quality rooftop solar
with minimal hassle and for a fair price.
Thinking of going solar but don't know where to start?
Feeling daunted by the process and all the technical stuff?
Fear not! Help is at hand!
Come along to get your questions answered
and learn how Inner West Community Energy (IWCE)
can help you install quality rooftop solar for a fair price.
Venue: The Golden Sheaf, Double Bay, 429 New South Head Rd
(Yummy finger food provided and the bar will be open for purchases)
This will be a lively, friendly event, especially targeted at people who own their house and want to go solar to take personal action on climate and to cut their power bills.
Inner West Community Energy is a not-for-profit community group dedicated to increasing the uptake of solar energy in Sydney’s Inner West and Eastern Suburbs. In their five years of operation they've helped more than 246 households go solar.
This event is presented by JewSI in collaboration with IWCE and is proudly supported by Woollahra Council.
Numbers are limited, so book early to reserve your place (and help us with planning and catering).
Our last lively information night, at Paddington RSL in June 2023, saw 27 households keen to start the rooftop solar journey with ICWE’s help! (And one Lucky Door Prize winner left with their own copy of Saul Griffith’s The Big Switch!
Get to know JewSI!
Our Work
We listen to the multifaceted Jewish community to identify the barriers to reducing our carbon footprints and energy bills. Then, working in collaboration with experts in the field, we assist our community to be part of the movement towards zero emissions.
We do this through:
Community education events
Solar House Parties - small gatherings in people’s homes to share practical information about whether and how to go solar
Working with Jewish institutions and businesses to reduce energy consumption and switch to renewable energy
Advocacy
Partnering with like-minded organisations
As a part of Sydney Alliance’s Voices for Power campaign, we also collaborate with diverse cultural, religious and other civil society groups to support access to clean and affordable energy for all communities.
Initiatives
Princess Gardens B’nai B’rith Retirement Village
We assisted Princess Gardens management to secure Waverley Council support for a free energy audit of their entire complex. The results so far: full switch to LED lighting! Other energy saving measures are to follow.
Energy Audits for Social Housing Tenants
We are assisting the Randwick Sydney Alliance group to carry out energy audits for social housing tenants in the Randwick Council area. This is a pilot project in collaboration with Randwick Council, Australian Energy Foundation, social housing tenants, Bridge Housing and Public Housing. The project aims to assist people experiencing significant barriers to accessing affordable energy, energy rebate, etc.
Webinars
(1) Shmita - Reset, Renew, Rethink: A Jewish Sabbatical for our times (23-09-21)
Shmita is a once-in-seven-year, biblically ordained, year-long Sabbath for the land, in which agricultural lands in Israel are to be left fallow and anything that grows left for the needy, and all debts are forgiven. For us today, Shmita represents a powerful opportunity to rethink our roles as stewards of the planet, reset our commitment to social justice, and renew ourselves individually.
In this webinar we reimagine the idea of Shmita through spiritual, environmental, and social justice lenses and explore ways that each of us can embark on a Shmita journey by adopting simple practices throughout the year.
This webinar was offered during the Jewish calendar year of 5782 (September 2021-September 2022), which was a Shmita year, but it’s full of great ideas for caring for ourselves, our fellow beings and the planet in any year.
Presenters:
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio, Emanuel Synagogue
Dr. Susan Banki, Program Director, Master of Social Justice, University of Sydney
Dr. Michal Frankel, Greening Australia and Jewish Sustainability Initiative
(2) Eco-Friendly Investing through a Jewish Lens (16-11-21)
Our investments can be a significant force for Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) and for delivering solutions for climate change.
Speakers:
Rabbi Benjamin Elton, The Great Synagogue
Blair Palese, Climate & Capital Media
Trevor Thomas and Justin Medcaf, Ethinvest
(3) Light-en Your Carbon Footprint this Chanukah (01-12-21)
With simple changes we can all make at home, it won't take a miracle to make one day's supply of oil last eight days today! Learn the many ways, big and small, that we can make our homes more energy efficient and reduce our carbon footprint.
Speakers:
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio, Emanuel Synagogue
Adam Corrigan, Your Energy Friend
JewSI at the global climate strike March 2022
Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio speaking with IWCE’S Gavin at our September 2022 Go Solar information evening.