Tu B'Shvat Check-In

Last Tu B'Shvat I discussed how I ecologically impact the world. I developed goals to achieve by Tu B'Shvat in 2012. Since the lovely holiday just passed, it seems important to weigh how much I set out to do against what I actually accomplished. Tu B'Shvat honors the environment, especially the trees. While the ground remains far too cold at this time of year to plant any crops in the United States, Israel's spring begins with Tu B'Shvat. On this day, Israelis all over the country begin the farming season by planting trees and sowing their fields. American Jews often celebrate by sending money to the Jewish National Fund's tree planting initiative, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, or enthusiastically reading Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. My family and I successfully executed many of the endeavors we set out to achieve in 2011. in

In order to protect the environment, my family and I revolutionized how we lived over the past year. In comparison to how I planned to revive our recycling efforts, my sister worked wonders to make this initiative really surpass my expectations. Initially, I imagined my family to begin recycling paper in mass quantities. Instead, we rarely throw anything into the trash. Most weeks we filled our recycling bins to the brim. The regular trash occasionally lacked so little substance, we simply skipped bringing it to the end of the driveway for the garbage truck. Although this family still wastefully discards a few items, such as paper towels, this small idealistic dream of mine developed into a working reality.

Now that we recycled much of our paper, plastic, and metal waste, I noticied the trash consisted of mostly food and paper towels. My camp composted all of its food waste during the summer, and I presumed it was possible to do at home. The process to install a composter was not easy. My parents understandably doubted the rewards of owning a bucket full of rotting food and placing it in their yard. I promised that when it came to composting, I would take all responsibility. They skeptically agreed. We bought one small composter for daily scraps, and then I emptied that bin into a much larger tumbler. To their surprise, my parents found composting much easier and less smelly than they expected. This spring, I hope to use the compost to plant a new garden in my yard. I wonder how a garden with regular soil compares to that of one with compost. While composting remained a fairly easy process, I struggled to empty the compost when the weather was poor. Luckily, I started during this snowless winter, but I recognize this as an obstacle in future years. Instead of heaps of food wasting going to a landfill, the compost helps recycle a substance many find non-reuseable. I advise anybody who reads this to compost, for it is an easy, very effective method to save the world.

Over the course of the next year, I wish to further improve how I impact the environment. Most of all, I intend to greatly reduce how much water I use on a daily basis. As Jew, I find it especially important to conserve water. Israel's climate lacks sufficient precipitation for the Jewish homeland's population. All of the country's fresh water comes from one reservoir, the Kineret, and that body is currently drying faster than ever. Israel aside, the much of the remainder of the world needs more water than available to them. Even the United States' water supply seems vulnerable in accordance to the United Nations. The UN subsequently states that 1 in 6 people (about 17% of all humans on Earth) can not access safe fresh water. I plan to limit myself to one daily shower that never exceeds ten minutes in length. Additionally, I seek to research and implement as many water conserving methods as possible. By taking a part in my school's environmental club, I also aspire to achieve change in school as well as in my town and the surrounding areas. The world needs more water, and I intend to do my part in helping the Israelis and anyone else whose thirst inhibits their ability to live a happy, fulfilling existence.