Saving energy helps ‘repair the world’

Friday, January 26, 2001 | by

What can we do as a community to help in California's energy crisis?

Undoubtedly, some feel the crisis was contrived so energy companies can enrich their corporate coffers. Some probably blame state government, including former Gov. Pete Wilson for approving deregulation, and current Gov. Gray Davis for failing to solve the crisis.

But we are beyond the issue of anger and blame. We are living with regular blackouts and predictions that the predicament could last up to two years.

Now is the time for the Jewish community to take a leadership role in energy conservation both in our homes and in our institutional dwellings.

This is part of tikkun olam—repairing the world and making it a better place for all. Jews have been taught to do tikkun olam from the time they started religious school. It's an obligation all of us have. So what measures can we take?

Well, Jewish community relations councils could send out their famous "action alerts," telling us what we can do in our own homes to cut down on energy usage.

Synagogues throughout the state could announce they are turning off lights during weekdays except in offices where staff work. Jewish agencies could dim their lights during the day, and make sure the lights, the heat and all other devices that use precious energy are doused each night and during the weekends.

Some of you can probably come up with other ideas for conservation. And our federations should accumulate those ideas and become a guiding force in their implementation.

Once steps like those are taken in our community, Jewish leaders throughout the state could hold press conferences to announce the measures California Jews and Jewish institutions are adopting.

Perhaps our leadership on the issue would inspire other groups to follow suit.

Will this remedy the current crisis? Certainly not. But it is our responsibility to do whatever we can. This is how we perform tikkun olam.