Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
Environment
Adopted by the 101st Annual Convention of
the Central
Conference of American Rabbis
Seattle, Washington, June
1990
WHEREAS in the Garden of Eden God
said to humanity, “See My works, how beautiful and
praiseworthy they are. Everything I have created has
been created for your sake.
Think
of this, and do not corrupt or destroy My world; for if you corrupt
it, there
will be no one to set it
right after you” (Ecclesiastes Rabbah,
Chapter 7, Section 13), and
WHEREAS we are heirs of Bal Tashchit
, an environmental ethic that ever
commands us to preserve and not to destroy God’s
world, and
WHEREAS economic, industrial, and governmental forces have
combined to create an international
society blinded to such an environmental ethic, to the point
that has come to threaten
our
physical security.
THEREFORE, BE
IT RESOLVED that the Central Conference of American Rabbis:
l. Reaffirm its commitment to
previous resolutions addressing specific threats to
the environment and human well-being;
2. Encourage institutions, congregations,
families, and individuals to take it upon
themselves to:
a) recycle
as much of their waste as possible,
b) reduce the amount of waste produced.,
c) reuse as many of their resources as possible
before consigning them to the waste
stream,
d) dispose of
hazardous waste products in as safe a way as possible,
e) encourage mandatory recycling laws in
their communities, cities, states, and nation,
f) educate
family, friends, associates, and members as to the means by which to
meet
the above goals.
3. Encourage rabbis, religious school
educators, and social action committees to seek
out and disseminate through their respective means
the wisdom of our tradition pertinent
to the preservation of God’s world in order to foster and
nurture a Jewish environmental ethic.
4. Recognize that while each individual bears a responsibility
for living in such
a way as to
preserve and repair God’s world, it is industry and government that
are
the primary corruptors and
destroyers of the environment and that it is these sectors
of society that therefore bear primary
responsibility for repairing the damage already
done and preventing further damage from
occurring.
5. Promote industrial
and governmental practice in accord with the ethic of Bal
Tashchi
t (Thou shalt not
destroy) through such means at our disposal, including
a) letters to local, state, and national
leaders in both industry and government,
b) organized consumer boycotts,
c) participation in local, state, and national coalitions,
d) votes for candidates to local,
state, and national office that demonstrate commitment
to environmentally sound practices.
6. Take the necessary steps as to
convey to the leaders of this nation
a) the ethic of Bal Taschit,
b) the need
for strong and effective legislation concerning:
i. the reduction. reuse, and/or recycling of all
waste including that produced by
the military and
industry,
ii. the encouragement of markets
and uses for recycled
products,
iii. air, water, and land
pollution,
iv. the further development of
public lands,
v. the use of dangerous pesticides
and herbicides,
vi. the overuse of our natural
resources,
vii. any other environmental issues
that may arise with the advance of technology
and human
capability.
viii. global issues such as, but
not limited to, acid rain, global warming, the development
of Antarctica, ozone depletion, and rain
forest destruction.
7. Join those
national coalitions with similar agendas.