Mid-Willamette Valley Jewish Community
Dear fellow Kol Ha’am readers,
I enjoyed Sara Finkle’s sustainability tips in the December issue of Kol Ha’am, encouraging us all to go be- yond our individual efforts towards good habits that minimize climate change, and get involved with others in some way, to boost our efforts. It made me think about the work that Beit Am’s sustainabil- ity committee is doing, including writing monthly letters to Congress.
My first thoughts about writing letters to Congress on climate change included the following: Why would I spend an hour writing letters once a month to my Oregon representatives who are likely already on board sponsoring bills that support cli- mate crisis action?
And why wouldn’t I do it on my own time rather than having to go to yet another meeting with a group? And, with my limited knowledge on each subject, how can I compose a letter that would make a difference?
I wrote my first letters in November, and we met again in December to write a second batch. I was at first reluctant, but wanted to support my friends on the sustainability committee. The sub- ject of the November letters was “land and agri- culture solutions to climate change.” Jewish Earth Alliance supplied us with an action alert containing factual information and a sample let- ter, and we were asked to include our own person- al experience and our Jewish perspective. It was- n’t exactly comfortable at first, but working to- gether made it easier and more fun. I left that writing session more informed, feeling supported and not alone in my efforts.
Together our group wrote 12 letters to our mem- bers of Congress (Merkley, Wyden and DeFazio), that were then scanned and emailed to Jewish Earth Alliance. Local volunteers in Washington, DC, amplified our voices by hand-delivering cop- ies of our hand-written letters to Congress, along with others from around the nation. The volun- teers deliver our letters on a monthly Advocacy Day and meet with members of Congress.
We had hoped for a larger crowd of participants, so the December meeting was held at New Morn- ing Bakery. We did get one more participant, a friend of Maureen’s from New York, to join us. In our 15 December letters, we thanked our congres- sional representatives for supporting the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2019, and specifically asked for efforts to stop the current threat of de- forestation in Tongass National Forest — the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest, which stores more carbon per acre than any other forest on the planet. I had no idea! But I do now, and I feel good for taking action. Rep. De Fazio was not yet listed as a co-sponsor, so I encouraged him to get on board with this bill.
Our representatives in Congress need to hear our concerns and they need a show of our support. Thanks to Jewish Earth Alliance for making this process so easy, timely and effective.
I am not sure what January’s letter-writing ses- sion will bring, but I do invite you to join the meeting. You will likely walk away with some new information and a good feeling of being part of a critical movement to help the planet. Look for an announcement in Beit Am’s What’s Up.
By Joni