GREEN INITIATIVE

KDS Green Committee Mission Statement
The King David Jewish Community Day School Green Committee believes that ecological sustainability is a fundamental Jewish value.  Our members strive to incorporate this value into daily practice in our school and homes through educational programming and action based initiatives.  We believe that every action made today to live a more responsible and tikkun olam directed lifestyle will make a better tomorrow for our children and future generations.

Community Supported Agriculture

The CSA is the first undertaking of the KDS Green Committee.  Our CSA is a partnership between The King David School, Desert Roots Farm in Queen Creek and Tuv Ha’Aretz (the Community Supported Agriculture Program of Hazon, an organization whose vision is “to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community – as a step toward a healthier and more sustainable world for all”).

Members of the KDS CSA purchase shares of a season’s harvest from a local farmer.  In turn, members receive fresh, organic produce on a weekly basis.  This partnership provides a secure market for the farmer, the preservation of Arizona farmland, education on sustainability issues and the building of a community dedicated to ecological awareness and an environment founded on health for our children to grow up in.

For more information on the KDS CSA program, as well as additional Tuv HaAretz programs across the country please go to: hazon.org

Future KDS Initiatives

• Reducing King David School’s carbon footprint by becoming a certified Arizona Environmentally Healthy School through the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

• School Lunch Healthy Initiative to provide healthier choices for school catered lunches and using environmentally friendly products for serving lunches

• Continued examination of our school environment and assessing ways in which we can create a healthier, more ecologically aware and respectful place for our children to learn
  

Simple Green Ideas for Your Home

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – these seem to be the key concepts behind the Green movement.  Becoming more “green” is really quite simple.  It’s about education; it’s about awareness; and it’s about making changes - even small changes.  Here are a few ways to get started.

1. Wash clothes in cold water.
2. Turn off lights when not in use.
3. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs and use 60% less energy per bulb.
4. Reduce your driving.  Plan your errands so you drive in a direct route.
5. Research the products you buy.  Look at labels.  Check for recycled packaging, research methods, and ingredients used.
6. Recycle paper – use the backside of school flyers to make your weekly shopping list
7. Dispose of batteries properly.  Refrain from throwing them into your regular garbage.
8. Be mindful of the plastic you are using.  Lessen it or get rid of it entirely.
9. Widen your margins when printing recipes, articles or other items that don’t have required margins.
10. Eat local, organic food.  This will help preserve farmland and cut down on greenhouse emissions…

…Join the KDS CSA!