Single Stream מִחְזוּר (Recycling) Today! Kochavim & Ilanot
Our indefatigable Tzevet Limud (Education staff, pictured above) presented an excellent program this morning on the subject of מִחְזוּר and Environmental awareness, with a special focus on the Jewish perspective and texts, to all edot. The experience of Kochavim and Ilanot, the two youngest edot, illustrates the creative and engaging learning that went on.
The program elements included teaching the Hebrew word for recycling, an interactive play, Torah and Rabbinic texts, a video about the environmental devastation wrought by plastic trash, and a video about Israeli technological innovations for environmental conservation. The play included the characters of God and Adam. In addition, there were large group scenes including “animals”, “trees”, and “angels”. All the actors, our Kochavim and Ilanot chanichim (campers), engaged in the dialogue, movements, and sound effects of their characters — and the audience was supportive and appreciative. The moral of the play was that the fate of the earth and its resource is now in our hands — to preserve and conserve, or to exploit and destroy.
Following the play, the Kochavim and Ilanot chanichim were divided into small groups for further study and discussion of this subject. Of special note: every tzrif (bunk) now has its own single stream recycling bin (cans, plastics, paper, metal, paper) and there are three locations for larger recycling items: Moadon Magshimim, Bet Am Aleph, and the Sifriya complex. There are no excuses to not recycle!
We are delighted that this program was made possible and supported by a generous donation from Lillian and Richard Gray.They have been long-time proponents and supporters of our efforts to recycle, compost and get more “green.” The Grays generously provided us with a donation that enabled the camp to purchase the many recycling bins around camp, which will help greatly in our renewed efforts for machane (camp)-wide recycling.
In addition, we are integrating our recycling efforts and our educational program for maximal impact. We want our chanichim to understand how recycling – and being environmentally sensitive and aware – is a Jewish value. Also, by making it part of the educational program, we hope that campers will take to heart the need to recycle as much as possible – as well as to reduce the waste that we produce. Pictured below: Rosh Limud Shara Siegfeld, next to the 3 large recycling receptacles, adjacent to the Sifriya complex:
One of the texts that was taught was this section from Kohelet Rabba:
Look at God’s work – for who can straighten what He has twisted? (Ecclesiastes 7:13). When the Blessed Holy One created the first human, He took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: “Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! And all that I have created, it was for you that I created it. Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: if you corrupt it, there is no one to repair it after you.