Jewish Organizations Can Get Funding to Help Stop Climate Chaos

A national Jewish environmental and climate nonprofit, Adamah, is working to get funding through the US Department of Energy (DOE) grant program, which will provide $50 million for energy efficiency projects that will reduce emissions and utility costs. The DOE is utilizing an aggregator model wherein larger nonprofits, each approved as a Prime Recipient, will build a portfolio of dozens of subrecipients, representing energy efficiency projects across many organizations. Adamah, on behalf of the Jewish community, is seeking to become a Prime Recipient. This can mean funding for solar and other energy efficiency projects for synagogues, day schools, JCCs and more.

If you are interested in becoming a subrecipient, please fill out the following interest form: https://adamah.tfaforms.net/wfzd5bN

Please note that submission of this form does not guarantee inclusion and/or funding. To best support Adamah in their application, they are asking that interested parties submit the form by Friday, July 21.

For more information about Adamah’s application to be a Prime Recipient, how to apply to be a subrecipient, and/or about the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, visit adamah.org/coalition.

The fact is that fighting the climate crisis will take more than money for our institutions to become more energy efficient. It’s a great start, but not enough.

All of us can be leaders on climate change.

Honestly, I was late to working on climate issues myself. But even if you have not started yet, you too can still make a huge difference. If you or someone you love are experiencing major heat waves, wind or floods, you know how vital this is.

All the way back in 2001 Hurricane Isabel give me a really big scare. We live next to the Chesapeake Bay and winds caused an enormous storm surge. The power and force of mother nature was swift and unforgiving. Our home was surrounded by water on three sides. We were lucky to get out. Since then, man-made climate destruction — caused by fossil fuels and other greenhouse gases — have only gotten worse. Around the world people are facing the consequences.

And yet, all of us are lucky – we know what we need to do to protect people and our shared planet — and have just enough time to do it.

To be honest, I hoped that other people would get climate change under control. I was busy with other issues that I saw as vital. I wanted to sit the climate battle out. But hope, while it can be helpful, is a very poor planning tool. We need action and we need it fast. Thus, I have shifted my priorities and activities to work on fighting climate change. At age 59, frankly it’s a lot to take on a whole new set of issues and networks. But I needed to do it the climate crisis means that a lot of other people are needed to make similar decisions so that we can stop the harm before it’s too late.

Every Jew and Jewish organization – just like non-Jews – can be a climate leader. You can do it and we need you! But you aren’t alone!

Recently, thanks to elected officials, philanthropists and nonprofit leaders who recommended me, the Speaker of the Maryland Senate nominated me to serve on our state’s commission on climate change. It’s an unpaid position that is enormously important. I’m going to do all that I can to be helpful.

I bet there is something large or small that you can do as well.

Fortunately, the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized fighting climate change and monumental legislation has passed nationally. Additionally, all the Statewide office holders in Maryland, like the majority of our statehouse, also are prioritizing fighting climate change. However, while passing laws are a win, it doesn’t mean we’ve won the war. We have to “win the win” and that means solid implementation. For example, in our state we passed a law to build a lot of off-shore wind farms. But we don’t yet have a trained workforce to put up the windmills. Implementation is key.

This week in Baltimore I got to sit in the front row as Vice President Kamala Harris announced a historic $20 billion dollars in funding opportunity that will help combat the climate crisis, invest in transformative environmental justice efforts, and advance clean technology projects in communities throughout America.

Joined by EPA Administrator Michael Regan at Coppin State University in Baltimore, the Vice President unveiled two new investments that are part of a first-of-its-kind Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created through the Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act. This innovative clean energy financing network will greatly support projects to slash harmful climate pollution across the country – with a focus on underserved communities – while lowering energy costs for families, creating more good-paying jobs, and strengthening climate resilience.

Vice President Kamala Harris announces $20 billion fund on climate finance. Photo by and courtesy of Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi

Said Vice President Kamala Harris, “Students, small business owners and community leaders with innovative ideas to reduce our emissions and accelerate our clean energy transition will now see their projects become reality, all while creating good-paying jobs and a clean energy economy that works for all.”

All of this is easier said than done. Our government, as well as the public, private, nonprofit and faith organizations are all going to need to lean into this quickly. This includes the Jewish community which is working hard through a number of organizations to advance progress through the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition. The Coalition aims to mobilize Jewish communities everywhere in taking climate action. Together, it recognizes the existential threat and moral urgency of climate change and are committed to building a sustainable future.

The global climate crisis is a historical inflection point for our planet, our communities, and our people. Jewish tradition compels us to respond. The Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition offers a robust structure supporting organizations to develop their own climate action plan and take action in the years ahead. To learn more and register, visit adamah.org/coalition. There is no cost to join to Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition.

Together, let us embrace our responsibility to tikkun olam – mend our planet.

By working collectively, we can make a profound impact and create a world that thrives in harmony with nature.