BALTIMORE BULLETIN

April has arrived, more flowers are growing, more birds are singing, and all the fantastic Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition member organizations have more opportunities for cost and energy savings!  

A few weeks ago, I joined the Beth Israel Owings Mills community for Shabbat and got to speak with passionate congregants about climate action! I was asked a question that I hear often, “where do I start?”. My answer to that question is classically Jewish: another question! “Before you can figure out where you want to go, do you know where you currently are?”  

One way you can go about figuring out where you are is to get an energy audit. See below for more information on how you can learn more and attend a webinar.

All the best,

P.S. As always, feel free to forward this bulletin to your colleagues and/or congregants!

View all past Baltimore Bulletins here.

Energy audits assess how efficiently your building and operations use energy and make recommendations for improvement. Audits will often include the estimated cost of implementation, return on investment timelines, access to rebates, and suggested contractors for project implementation.  

 After you receive the results from your audit, you can decide how you would like to proceed with the energy efficiency suggestions they have made. Some auditors may offer an additional contract to implement the changes they have suggested, but it is always wise to get bids from multiple contractors.  

To learn more, you can find the Adamah “Energy Efficiency” Resource guide here.   

Now, the question becomes how to get an energy audit with as little cost to your organization as possible. There are a few options here:

• With enough interest from organizations in the area, Adamah can facilitate a group discount on professional energy audits from our partner, Energy for Purpose. If you are interested, fill out this form. Know other Jewish organizations or faith-based nonprofits in the DMV who might want an audit? Share the form with them (we only need 3 more organizations to receive a bundle discount)! 

• For organizations that are 35,000 square feet or larger, BGE can cover up to 85% of the cost for Energy Star benchmarking, a level II audit, and no to low-cost adjustments based on recommendations from the audit. 

• Your organization can apply for funding from Adamah’s Climate Action Fund to reimburse the cost of an energy audit, so long as you are also implementing a project that stems from the audit’s suggestions. The application would be for funding to cover both the audit and the project. The next round of applications for the Climate Action Fund will open this fall (more details to come).

Webinar Recording

Want to learn more about energy audits and our group discount opportunity with Energy for Purpose? Watch the recording of our recent webinar, where founder Colby May walks you through what an energy audit actually is and how to find the right one for your organization. 

Sustainable Dining Training E-course 

Ready to bring sustainable food practices to your Jewish community? Sign up today for the Center for Jewish Food Ethics’ NEW Sustainable Dining Training E-course! 

In this 3-week self-paced email course, you’ll learn the basics of why our communal food practices matter and how to create a dining environment that promotes sustainability and Jewish food justice values. 

Each week, you’ll receive an email with a video lesson, recommended reading and sources for further learning, and an interactive activity to help you test your knowledge. 

No Building? No Problem: A Roundtable Discussion for Organizations Without Buildings 

Thursday, April 30, 4pm ET/1pm PT (60 minutes)

Join us for a community discussion about the unique opportunities and challenges when taking climate action without a building and how to make and implement the most impactful plan possible.