Ask the (environmentalist) rabbi
Rabbi Carmi Wisemon, director at Sviva Israel environmental organization successfully combines religion and environment
Wisemon stated that, “the organization’s goal is to cause the religious and ultra-Orhodox to become conscious of the environment and listen to what Jewish law has to say on the subject.”
As editor of the organization’s annual journal entitled, "The Environment in Jewish Thought and Law". Wisemon compiled 30 articles in Hebrew and in English written by rabbis and scientists from Israel and abroad.
The issues tackled in these articles include, global warming, urban planning, prevention of animal cruelty, vandalization of property, cleanliness of public property and even how the Torah views compost.
Wisemon’s article deals with modern consumerism and its problematic connection with Halachic principles. “In the last 100 years advertising agencies’ budgets increased mainly in the United State by 100%,” he said. “Gradually, advertising has taken over and teaches us to be needy and not human beings.”
Practicing what he preaches, Wisemon searched high and low for environmentally-friendly paper for the book’s publishing. His search for paper was doubly challenging since his goal was to find Halachically and environmentally acceptable paper.
Finally, after four months and numerous consultations, he found what he was looking for. The book was printed on unbleached, tree-free paper at a local manufacturer whose production did not include desecrating the Shabbat.
