A word of Torah:    

         On the holiday of Sukkot, we are asked to leave our homes and eat in the sukkah (booth), whose unusual element is its roof. Open to the elements rather than providing protection from them, the tradition is to put enough branches with leaves to provide shade but still be able to see the stars and get wet if it rains. Why this practice? One contemporary answer is to remind us of the natural world in which we live, which can be easy to forget, particularly if you live in a city where there is more concrete than grass. The branches remind us of the dual quality of nature, which both offers great benefits to us and sometime danger as well.
        After the Flood, God promises Noah that God will never destroy the world again. Implied in that promise is that humans are now responsible for the world. Climate change has made clear to us that we have lost sight of our responsibility. The fires in California and the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico have brought home how much damage we have done to the eco-system of this planet.
        On Sukkot, we are to remember that we cannot build our homes in a manner that they can withstand the most powerful forces in nature. The truth is that our homes are ultimately as fragile as the temporary structures we build for the holiday. We sit in our sukkah and look up to see the stars in the heaven in order to remember our place in the universe. We reflect on the s’khakh that forms the roof, which can be made only from natural materials (branches or bamboo) to teach us the limits of human power. We leave our warm and solid homes and camp out in nature so we won’t forget that we are the protectors of this planet.
        A Sukkot Environmental Practice: For this one week in the year, try to live with as little carbon impact on the world as possible. You do this knowing that for the other 51 weeks a year, you can’t or won’t live that way. Yet, you want to acknowledge that this issue may be the most important challenge to the future of life on our planet. You are not claiming that by living for a week with a lessened impact that you have slowed global warming even in an infinitesimal way. Rather you believe that living closer to the ideal even for just a week is an expression of your commitment to work for a better future.                       
        There are a variety of actions you can take in order to reduce your carbon footprint. You can be a vegetarian for the week, reducing the environmental consequences of raising meat for human consumption. You could lessen your use of fossil fuel by walking or taking public transportation to more places than you normally do.

 For in the end, we are Shomrei Adamah—the keepers of this Earth.