Welcome to the Temple Beth El Green Committee
Who We Are?
The mission of the Temple Beth El Green Committee is to address the sustainability issues, procedures, and policies of Temple Beth El and to advocate for environmentally responsive practices. It is a goal of the committee to educate and motivate congregants to take action as Jewish individuals and TBE members, and to join with other community groups working to become better stewards of the earth. To be successful on an institutional level we need a broad base of support and input for paving the way to make our sustainable choices easier choices. We welcome your comments, suggestions and participation . Join us in our mission. Contact Marlainebd@gmail.com.
Lighting Audit
In January the Green Committee had Enerpath, who contracts with NYSEG, conduct a lighting audit, at no cost, on our temple facilities. The Temple Board approved the work that Enerpath suggested be done, and it was completed on February 25th. Approximately 210 old fluorescent tube fixtures and a few incandescent lights were changed over to a more efficient warm light bulb and some of the exit signs were fit with LED retrofit kits. No work needed to be done on the annex. The total project cost $12,604. All bulbs and ballasts were recycled by a licensed recycling company to keep the chemical residue from the materials out of our environment. The cost to TBE was $3,781 and NYSEG put in the remaining $8,823, The cost savings is estimated to be about $2,088/year, which translates to a 23 month payback. The payback does not include reduced maintenance expense. All the bulbs and ballasts in the old part of the building have been replaced so we will not need to buy another bulb for two or three years.
Energy Audit
The Green committee arranged for TAITEM Engineering to conduct an energy audit of the facilities. There was no cost to TBE for the audit. The Temple Board approved the air sealing of the attic doors, pipe insulation, and weather stripping and thresholds on doors. A longer term project will be the replacement of the boiler. It’s a matter of when, not if. The boiler is 40 years old.
Compost update:
It took some fine tunning but we now have a cleaner and healthier compost and recclying system for our kitchen. The big blue Cayuga Compost tote that gets picked up weekly now lives outside of the side kitchen door. There is no longer a compost pail in the kitchen. It was a love fest for the fruit flies. There is a compost bucket on the sink for food scaps. Empty and rinse the bucket each time you use it. Empty it into the tote outside. If you are doing a lot of prep or cleaning up from an event, just roll the tote inside. Please rinse all recyclables before you put them in the pail in the kitchen. This is necessary for odor and fruit fly control. Compost: Food scraps, soiled paper including all paper plates and waxed cups, compostable items. Recyclables: Plastic bottles #1-7, widemouth containers such as yogurt tubs, glass bottels, metal cans, aluminum foil, clean paper.
Thank you for your help and cooperation, Marlaine Darfler, Green Committee MarlaineBD@gmail.com
Marlaine Darfler, Chair
Marlainebd@gmail.com or 607-533-7013