KU Hillel is “going green.” As part of KU Hillel’s Jewish values, the concept of repairing the world is on the forefront as staff spend the summer preparing for their new location and a new school year.
They plan on becoming a green Hillel with composting, biodegradable dishware and increased access to recycling.
Starting with Rock Chalk Shabbat in the Park, which brought together their community at Ironwoods Park in Leawood, Kansas, KU Hillel emphasized the importance of sustainable events through composting and recycling.
The KU Hillel team made careful choices to reduce waste and protect the environment. KU Executive Director Suzy Sostrin said that as part of Hillel’s mission to prepare the next generation of Jewish leaders, it is also critical to repair the world that the next generation will inherit.
“While planning Rock Chalk Shabbat in the Park, we researched ways our event could be more environmentally conscious from composting to lessening typical event waste,” Sostrin said. “Following the success of our Shabbat, we are now working with our students to add more green initiatives in our new Hillel space this fall.”
KU Hillel staff learned more about composting by partnering with KC Can Compost, a Kansas City-area nonprofit. All plates, utensils and beverage cups at the event were biodegradable and compostable. Special trash cans were set up to collect these along with food scraps, which then break down in a few months to become compost. Over 150 pounds of compostable materials were diverted from landfills following Rock Chalk Shabbat in the Park.
Many of the arts and crafts activities after dinner at the event were designed to be reused at home. Children decorated wooden tzedakah boxes and Shabbat candlesticks to bring home for future Shabbats.
KU Hillel staff also looked for ways to reuse materials such as creating chalkboard signage throughout the event to be utilized for future Hillel programs. Each chalkboard was handpainted by Bree Katz, a freshman from Overland Park, Kansas.
Ella Atlas, a freshman from Minneapolis, helped brainstorm green choices to make at Rock Chalk Shabbat in the Park. Her ideas for eco-friendly options included helping future Jayhawks paint their own crafts and teaching what items were recyclable.
“Rock Chalk Shabbat in the Park was such a fun evening for so many reasons, but I really appreciated thinking more about tikkun olam (repairing the world) with composting and recycling,” Atlas said.
In addition to composting, leftover cans and bottles were able to be recycled locally.
After testing the initiatives at Rock Chalk Shabbat in the Park, KU Hillel staff plan to bring them to their new space on a larger scale. Over the next several months, they plan on adding more sustainability initiatives to welcome in the new school year.
