Camp JCA Shalom used their Gendler Grapevine grant to fund a staff fellowship position called the Gendler Grapevine Fellow. The fellow’s primary focus was to infuse Jewish environmental education into all aspects of the summer program. Working with all the specialty areas (e.g., bunk programming, dining hall practices, evening Judaic programs, farm/garden programs, camp culture, health [...]
Ramah in the Rockies is a Colorado-based camp that is deeply committed to reducing their carbon footprint. In 2012, they designed and installed an innovative solar hot water system. Using commercial grade 500-gallon drinking-water bladders and a solar hot box, the 2012 system already successfully increased the water temperature of 45 degrees to upwards of [...]
Marks Jewish Community House (JCH) is located in Brooklyn, NY, with a woodland campus on Staten Island. The Gendler Grapevine Project helped Marks JCH initiate environmental programming through their project “Green and Me.” Through “Green and Me,” over day and overnight campers were taught about the connection between Judaism and the environment via engaging activities [...]
Many of us know that simple changes, such as using energy efficient light bulbs and adding weather stripping to doors can improve a building’s energy efficiency. Camp Young Judaea at Sprout Lake focused on their water consumption and how they could, with a one-time investment, dramatically reduce their resource use. Sprout Lake's toilets were old [...]
Over the years, Everett Gendler has inspired many people to celebrate holidays in unique and special ways. He does it again with his new take on the traditional Chanukah menorah, as he describes below. Please let us know if you try this and feel free to send pictures! Chanukah lends itself to many emphases, [...]
Camp Shemesh, a summer day camp of the Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA), used their Gendler Grapevine Project grant to expand the JCA’s garden and hire a garden specialist and a stewardship coordinator to assist the camp in developing its environmental programming. Camp Shemesh hired a gan specialist for the summer to run programs and [...]
URJ Camp Coleman, located in Cleveland, GA, has always been committed to being good stewards of the environment, but this past summer they decided to devote a Shabbat each session to looking at what building a sustainable future means by creating a Sustainability Shabbat program. The project was incredibly successful. The campers internalized the concept [...]
The Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center used their Gendler Grapevine Project grant to create the Cycles of Seven Garden in the middle of their 400-acre campus in the Berkshires. The seven raised beds, made of cedar reclaimed from an old water tower, connect guests to Judaism and growing food. Every element in the garden teaches [...]
With warm wishes, here is an autumn greeting from Rabbi Gendler. I hope that these photos of the Annual Jacob’s Lantern Sabbath Evening Service at Temple Emanuel of the Merrimack Valley, celebrated on the last Shabbat Evening each October, will stir memories and add to your joy on this Yom Tov. And if spooks and [...]
Eden Village Camp’s Gendler Grapevine Project called T.I.R.E. (Tire Inflation for the Retrieval of Energy) uses a solar-powered generator and air compressor to inflate the car tires of those visiting the camp with the goal of improving gas mileage. Eden Village Camp staff inflating tires Located in Putnam Valley, NY, Eden Village Camp [...]
