A Jewish Response to Environmental Stewardship: LEEDing the Way

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism welcomes the opportunity to uplift the stories of our congregations. We are excited to share the story of Temple Israel of Minneapolis, which, through a multi-year and congregation-wide effort, achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification. We are inspired by their leadership and their commitment to doing Tikkun Olam. 

At Temple Israel of Minneapolis, Pikuach Nefesh, or protecting life, guides many of our actions. We engage in this sacred commandment in myriad ways. We work alongside asylum-seeking families, bringing resources and care to protect their lives. We help unhoused individuals and families with their immediate needs and advocate for deeply-affordable housing. We champion reproductive rights for all who seek safe care through volunteering and voting efforts.

Yet, we also recognize that protecting life means creating a sustainable earth for ourselves and future generations to flourish. While many great commandments lead us toward climate justice, Pikuach Nefesh serves as a central guiding light for all in our community to engage in this crucial work. We express this commandment through a three-pronged approach to sustainability and climate action: greening our building, inspiring collective action in our homes and transportation, and organizing to change systems.

An exciting achievement is Temple Israel's attainment of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification - the second-highest LEED certification - in fall 2023. This multi-year effort needed buy-in from all areas of the synagogue and was led by Melissa Rappaport Shifman, a LEED Accredited Professional, congregant, and former Temple board member. Notably, we are the first synagogue to achieve LEED Gold certification for an existing building, some sections of which are nearly 100 years old. This milestone underscores our community's unwavering commitment to sustainability.

LEED, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council and used worldwide, is the most widely used green building rating system for buildings, homes, and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. Temple Israel was accepted as a USGBC Legacy Project, a program designed to support projects that will have a lasting impact on a community.

The journey to LEED Gold began in 2019 and spanned several years. Key improvements included:

1. Water efficiency: Upgrading to low-flow plumbing features, saving precious water resources.
2. Energy and atmosphere: Installing LED lighting, which paid for itself in almost a year.
3. Materials and resources: Revamping our waste disposal process to divert more trash through composting and recycling.
4. Indoor environmental quality: Adopting eco-friendly cleaning and pest management policies to enhance the building's atmosphere.

But LEED certification is not a one-and-done endeavor. To maintain our renewable LEED certification every five years, we have committed to monitoring our energy and water usage, trash diversion rates, purchases, and indoor air quality.

For Rabbi Marcia A. Zimmerman, Temple Israel's senior rabbi, this is another example of the congregation's long-standing commitment to interpreting an ancient tradition in a way that has present-day impacts. "Judaism teaches us that God created human beings to be mindful stewards of our planet, not careless consumers. Working to achieve LEED Gold Certification was truly holy work, and our highest expression of Jewish values," said Zimmerman.

Beyond building improvements, we are working to empower congregants to reduce their carbon footprint outside of Temple. Led by a working group of lay leaders and staff, we hope to bring resources through various means to bring members of our synagogue into personal, neighborhood, and community climate action. This could be through home energy audits, changing transportation habits, or even to help coordinate solar energy on homes. Many in the congregation have already taken steps to make rigorous progress wherever they work, play, learn, and work. Some have switched to solar energy, some to electric or hybrid vehicles, and some just taking action. Our working group is dedicated to building excitement for all age groups and joining in actionable, measurable ways. We are planning a climate action resource fair, which will help bring ideas to the community. Reducing our carbon footprint is one of many ways we have taken part in and will continue to take part in Tikkun Olam as Earth stewards. We hope to do this through resource fairs, commitment asks, and honoring the points in the Jewish calendar, like Tu B'shevat, where we highlight these commandments. 

Furthermore, we are proud to be in a state with many sustainability initiatives. Temple Israel collaborates with climate, environmental restoration, and justice organizations. It was recently named a Climate Justice Congregation by Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light. In each legislative season, we are fortunate to have this wonderful partner who helps guide our passion as we build power for a more eco-healthy world. In addition to state projects, we hope to work nationally and globally for a better future where we guard all life.

Through building improvements, collective action, and organizing, we strive to fulfill the commandment of Pikuach Nefesh. We know we are commanded to do this by our tradition. We are fortunate to have many means to improve the world. By co-creating a better Earth future, we reduce environmental degradation and continuously implement the changes required to flourish in more places. Our sustainability and climate action work represents the ultimate fulfillment of this sacred mitzvah. For any further information, please reach out to Rabbi Ricky Kamil or Brian Zakem.