Covered in the JTA today, the Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer Hillel Forum on Social Justice and the JCPA annual plenum donated $2,000 to negate their carbon impact, requested that no toiletries be delivered to conference goers unless asked, and all paper was recycled.

This is encouraging for a number of great reasons. Last year’s conference was an abominably empty attempt at any environmental awareness, as covered by yours truly and Ilana Sichel in an open letter to Hillel in The Forward, such as the lack of any recycling efforts and the overwhelming amount of complimentary bottled water. It is great to see Hillel (hopefully after that op-ed peice of prodding) take the next step forward.

But noticably, little mention was made of the food at the Spitzer Forum. In the new dawn of the “Ecological Age,” as coined by Michael Pollan and John Mackey (see Alix’s coverage of their debate), food is everything. Fully 1/4 of the fuel consumed (i.e. carbon produced) in America is involved in the farming, manufacture and transportation of our food. And of that 1/4, only 11% is due to transporation — making 89% of the question how we make what we eat. Hillel is just behind the learning curve, however laudable their progress has been.

Combined with greening efforts throughout the Jewish community, one can say that progress is being made. Kudos to Spitzer’s organizers. But carbon payouts and recycled paper are only part of the solution. I look forward to next year’s Spitzer Forum and perhaps it’s sustainable food acheivement.