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Institutional Food – How Green is Your Synagogue?

by Leah Koenig · October 27th, 2008

Advice, Cooking, Family & Kids, Grocery, Hazon, Health, Obesity, Participate!, School Food, Sustainability, Synagogues

Deciding what to eat for lunch can be a challenge – but deciding what hundreds (or thousands) of other people should eat for lunch is decidedly harder. But such is the charge for the many hospitals, schools, and other institutions across the country that feed people, en masse, on a daily basis.

In the past few years, a growing handful of institutions (e.g. Yale University and Kaiser Permanente) have attempted to bring institutional food away from Lunch Lady Land – sourcing produce from local farms, offering less junk food in favor of more fruits & veggies, increasing the number of homemade meals (vs. “heat-n-serve” foods) etc. The Jewish community has jumped on the institutional food reform bandwagon too as synagogues, day schools and JCCs across the country begin to question their dependence on Styrofoam coffee cups and greasy kosher pizza.

As a Jewish organization committed to health and sustainability, Hazon is currently in the process of creating our own Organizational Food Purchasing Guidelines. But we want to hear from you! Let us know:

1. What “green food practices” does your synagogue, JCC, day school, Hillel (etc.) currently practice? Anything is fair game, from swapping the Styrofoam for glass mugs, to ripping up a corner of the parking lot to plant an organic garden.

2. On the contrary, in what ways could your Jewish institution do a better job at bringing health and sustainability into your corner of the Jewish community?

Share your ideas below – we’ll compile them (along with others) – into a resource guide that can be shared with the larger Jewish community. Here’s to eating better, together, in 5769.

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7 Responses to “Institutional Food – How Green is Your Synagogue?”

T is for Tomato Says:
October 27th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Well, I can tell you this much.. My synagogue sure ain’t serving a package of milk on top of a meat dish! THat graphic made me LOL. My shul couldn’t be less green, unfortunately. But I am glad to see other people in this general community where I live becoming more concerned about environmental issues. I’m excited to see the institutional buying guide.
T is for Tomato Says:
October 27th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
PS I adore that Chris Farley sketch – I watched it the other day (own it on DVD) and it made me smile so much I thought my face would break.
Leah Koenig Says:
October 27th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
That is too funny – I didn’t even make that connection! (I think I thought the milk was soy milk) :)

Looking forward to other comments/ideas…
Tara Says:
October 28th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I have no good comments or ideas, but I do want to say that the food in that picture looks delish! my stomach is rumbling now :)
judi Says:
October 28th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
My shul has a wonderful kiddush lunch nearly every Shabbat. A rotating crew prepares everything- salads, soup, etc., mostly from scratch and usually in a very healthy (and delicious) way. I am lobbying for a composter to turn all the scraps into food for our gardens.

We also make a conscious effort to recycle all of our plastic and glass. And finally, at last weekend’s Bat Mitzvah, the dad was going around the tables collecting up the (catered vegan) leftovers and biodegradable plates to throw in his compost pile.
Debs Says:
October 28th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
I like the idea of incorporating local foods.

In addition to changing their menu, a shul might consider organizing a CSA drop-off point on site and get members to participate in the CSA. Unless the farm needs to deliver on Saturdays or something. Workplaces do it, why not a synagogue?

Debs
Food Is Love/Seattle Local Food
Rabbi Bruce Says:
October 29th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
At Smith College, our student-run Shabbat dinner has a long history of being concerned about the source of food and waste produced each week. In the seven years that I have worked with them, these have been some of their green practices: serving dairy meals with vegan alternatives on real plates and metal utensils; serving tap water over other drinks from real glasses; not using paper napkins; composting; making sure all leftovers are eaten/donated; made all items from scratch; purchased as much locally-grown and organic food as possible. This fall, I purchased a fall-only CSA share for them. I am proud of our student and I continue to learn more about these areas from their leadership

Come visit Smith’s Kosher K if you are in Western MA over Shabbat.
Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer
Smith College – Chaplain to the College, Advisor to the Jewish Community