A Message from WJC’s President

Hello WJC friends,

Ah summertime—the great outdoors, ocean breezes, time with friends, and days filled with sunshine (when there is no smoke or thunderstorms!) Since we’re on the topic of sun and climate, I want to loop you in on some exciting things that are happening behind the scenes here at WJC.

Over many years, WJC has been actively reducing our impact on the environment, including a considerable effort to reduce our energy usage and to embrace composting. On May 22, WJC’s trustees voted to step this up a notch and join the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition. As part of this membership, WJC will create a Climate Action Plan to guide us as we move closer towards becoming a carbon neutral organization. Although the coalition has gathered many members (including United Synagogue), we are the first temple in our area.

WJC has more than an acre of flat rooftop. I am excited that one our first actions in this direction will be the installation of more than 500 solar panels on the roof of our building, as approved by our Trustee’s at the June 26 meeting. We are one of the first synagogues in our area to take this step and that the panels are expected to generate nearly 100% of WJC’s electric needs. I hope we can be an influence for others to follow us.

There will be many ways for you to get involved in this effort, and although we have a strong and passionate (house committee and green committee) team, we are also looking for people with facility, marketing skills and creativity to help execute and communicate while these efforts roll out. If you would like to assist with this or our other green efforts, please reach out to me or the WJC office.

Summer also means active planning for the coming year. I am pleased that our staff has established a rigorous programming coordination process to balance our activities across all our membership constituents/demographics. We have an action-packed plan for the coming year. If you would like to be involved, please consider joining the committees that guide our social programs, SIR/Adult education mission, membership/welcome and inclusion efforts. We would love your help.

Wishing you a wonderful summer.

L’hitraot,

Larry