Climate Action

“New Year, New Tree: My New Year’s Resolution is to plant more trees!”

This past Monday, January 25, was the Jewish Holiday of Tu B’Shvat, also known as The Jewish New Year for Trees. Trees are of great importance in the Jewish religion, because they represent man’s relationship with the natural environment, our life-support system. Unfortunately, though, nowadays we tend to take advantage of trees and the natural world, instead of treasuring it. We need to find a way to remember the important roles trees play in our lives and environment.

One of the Earth Day Networks largest goals is to plant 7.8 Billion trees (one for every person on the planet) by our 50th anniversary in 2020, so any holiday that celebrates the life of trees we can get on board with. It represents the start of a new agricultural year, and is commonly seen as a celebration of nature and the environment.

As we celebrate the New Year of Trees, whether we are Jewish or not, we should all take a minute to reflect on the impact that we have on the environment, especially in a world so heavily affected by climate change and deforestation. There are many ways to honor the values Tu B’shvat represents, whether it be planting a few trees in your neighborhood, cleaning up your local park, or donating to the Canopy Project.

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate this new year of the trees, please do celebrate. We are all in this together. And trees are here to help. Mazel tov!