Going Green: Jewish Organization Remodels its Offices to Combat…U.S. Foreign Oil Dependence?
- Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:23pm by
Billy Hallowell
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Can remodeling an office truly assist in alleviating the United States’ reliance upon foreign oil? According to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the nation’s largest Jewish advocacy group, it can.
Built more than 50 years ago, the organization’s Manhattan headquarters has traditionally been less than environmentally-friendly. Like other aging buildings, there were a variety of older technologies responsible for running the air conditioning, the elevator and other much-needed operational items.
But, recently things changed when the AJC received a “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” award for its advances in making its 10-story building more “green.” While some would give the group a small pat on the back and carry onward, the organization’s leaders are immensely impressed with their own environmentally-friendly advances. According to the Jewish Daily Forward, AJC Executive Director David Harris explains:
“That was, for me [receiving the award], one of the most significant moments of my professional life. This was an expression of living our values, not just talking about them. This is keeping with Jewish tradition — as my father planted for me, so will I plant for my children.”
Certainly, the environmental benefits (not to mention cost-savings that the changes will provide in the long-term) are worth celebrating, but there was an entirely different, more policy-driven reason for Harris and his organization to make these changes (extra-absorbant carpet, wood paneling from a sustainable forest, etc.).
The AJC, among other Jewish groups, believes that “going green” isn’t just a fad or a religious requirement; they contend that it‘s a way to combat America’s ongoing dependence on foreign oil. The Forward continues:
The AJC and other Jewish groups see going green as a way to combat U.S. dependence on foreign oil, a dependence, say AJC officials, that keeps the country beholden to Arab oil states whose policies imperil the United States, Israel, and Europe. To decrease that dependence, the AJC supports measures lauded by environmentalists, such as increasing car fuel efficiency. But it also promotes off-shore domestic drilling and new, purportedly cleaner coal technologies.
This latter part — the reliance on domestic drilling — isn’t going over well with environmentalists who claim that any reliance on oil (or coal, for that matter) is damaging to the environment. Still, Richard Foltin, the AJC’s director of national and legislative affairs, best explained the group’s goals:
“It’s not all or nothing, and we don’t have to buy into the entire [environmental] agenda. With oil development, it is not ‘drill, baby, drill.’ There is a smart way to do it, to develop energy sources that are clean and safe.”
…we want to be less reliant on foreign oil in the event someone seeks to use oil against us as a strategic weapon.”
In the end, this remodel suits numerous goals — cheaper bills for the organization, better treatment of the environment and the potential to better influence international policy, among them. But, perhaps most important to the AJC, is the notion that the group’s environmental office changes can serve as an example and a beacon to others so that dependence upon foreign sources can eventually be alleviated.
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Comments (61)
MartyTr
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:35pmIf is has the words green, smart or sustainable I just laugh at the marxist propaganda!!! They are brown, stupid, expendable.
Report Post »republic2011
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:31pmhmmm… I have a better plan. Stop letting bureaucrats dictate our energy policy.. Let the private industry do that. Drill at home and we won’t need so much from foreign lands. Invest in more nuclear plants. Cut the tax burden by cutting spending so that real entrepreneurs, not bureaucrats, pave the way to a more energy efficient and less energy dependent future.
Report Post »Jenny Lind
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:26pmDay late, dollar short. Dimwits.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:24pm.
Report Post »Going Green is something my grandson does in his pants….And it is powerful, damn near make you cry sometimes………..
Canada_Goose
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:18pmWhy is this a story?
Some organization decided to modernize its building to make it more energy efficient and God forbid they were actually proud of the fact that they were actually walking the walk rather than just preaching environmentalism – the Blaze crack staff reporter is taking them to task.
Making good use of the idiotic question mark at the end of the headline to boot.
Could it be because it happens to be a liberal Jewish organization??????????
I am sure if some mega church in Texas installed high efficiency air conditioners and windows Mr. Hallowell would be taking them to task as well?????????
Report Post »Tretka
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 1:06amIf you understood this site you would understand they are reporting as a matter of balance. Whether we agree with this or not, it is the type of thing they report because it is relevant to our understanding of complex issues in the US. The “Green” market is somewhat of a joke so this article pointed out many hypocrisy’s playing out here in the US with matters social,religious, political, and economically. You have to have watched issues play out for the last 10 years to get it.
Report Post »TEIN
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:17pmEnvironmentalism is natural resource control….And what made coal and oil in the first place, man or mother earth? So, how can using it destroy what created it??? If not used, mother nature will cycle it into something else sooner or later….
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:14pmFraud + Scam = Green .
Report Post »it’s the same thing with diet , buy diet products only eat diet food only & now it’s green this & green that .
Whenever I hear a green project or a green product I run away from it .
Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:09pmWhat a misleading title. They went green to try to save money. I’ll bet they spent more, in the end, than they will gain.
Report Post »Doom2022
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:06pmThe American Jews think they are safe in America and that nothing could happen like it did in Europe, but world hatred is building against not only Israel but Jews everywhere. It is time they remember who they are and quit blending in with the corrupt elements of society.
Report Post »Cesium
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:06pmThis is the only valid reason though for going Green. pushing for technology that only americans can sustain and not middle eastern countries will leave them out in the cold.
Report Post »crazyloon
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:04pmI actually agree with this groups strategy. It makes sense to reduce how much oil we use so that we don’t have to depend on folks who hate us. I also agree that green is bs. Use it better and you’ll use less. I still remember 1973 when the arabs were pizzed at us and getting gas was a pain. We’ve got all the coal and natural gas we could ever need to fuel us for hundreds of years. Lets figure out a way to use that effectively. If only so we can flip the bird at the house of saud and to good ole hugo. I don’t mind paying $10 a gallon to drive my 327 Chevy on the weekends. Bottom line is we don’t have an energy plan and we seriously need one. Since when do Americans not intelligently plan?
Report Post »sbenard
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:04pmI’ve spent the money to put solar panels on my house. They don’t produce much beyond plenty of hot water. If all you want is one light in the entire house, OK! But you won’t be able to have a refrigerator, oven, computers, television, etc.
Better yet, just go live in a cave.
What will they want next? That we revert to grunting, too?
Report Post »junior1971
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:02pmSomeone please invent the dilitium crystal so I can stop having to pay 250 a month!
Report Post »fitsgibbons
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:00pmTried to post.. declared that I already made that statement…..This site is beginning to IRK
Report Post »fitsgibbons
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:57pmWe all can combat dependency on foreign oil by drilling for oil here in America. It’s as simple as that. While we’re doing that, we can advance technology on going green. To ignore the resources we have here now that are much cheaper and push the green agenda is totally irresponsible. Another obama agenda to destroy America. Our pres is supposed to prop us up, not tear us down. God help us.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:54pmEnvironmentalism is Satans tool for man to preserve the earth for after the coming of Christ, which is only temporary because this place will explode into a ball of fire, the place we call Hell.
Report Post »TADTAD
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:53pmTired of American Jews. I am no longer going to support the backing of Israel. I know, I know; cutting my nose off to spite my face, but I’ve had it with the GD morons. Time to hold them accountable with blackmail and extortion as neccessary, reason certainly does not work. SOBs.
Report Post »morioka
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:26pm@tadtad,
Report Post »I am also tired of American Jews.
I understand exactly what you’re saying.
I am sure that if I was an American, I would do the same.
but I’m here in Israel. I can’t understand my Jewish brothers overseas and their actions frustrate me every time I read the news.
I just don’t get it.
Netsurfer2
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:47pmHold on, become strong! Many of us stand behind Israel and always will.
Report Post »Doom2022
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:50pmAmerican Jews seem to be more loyal to Obama and his commie friends than to Israel.
Report Post »notmeatglennbeckdotcom
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:49pmHow much did the “award” contribute to their coffers? Buying votes again, I’d bet.
Report Post »republapig
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:48pm@JIM
Report Post »Don’t confuse American liberal “chews” with Israelis. Chews can’t remember what Hitler and the nazis did 70 years ago. They still think the govt will take care of them.
jim
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:38pmAJC should worry how Israel is supposed to defend against Obama. American Jews are a disgrace to agree with him on the pre-1967 border issue.
Report Post »rose-ellen
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 4:49pmAJC should pressure israel to abide by international law and UN resolutions242 and cease occupaying gazans and return to the 67 borders-the only legal and just borders.This latest ploy spotlights their anti-arab genocidal prropaganda campaign.They have no integrity.
Report Post »yosemitefan
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 6:08pmRosie -what alternate universe do you live in? It is the ARABS who want wipe out all Jews everywhere. If you love the Arabs so much move your happy butt to Syria and get that place straightened out.
Report Post »Louie Louie the Progressive
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 7:34pmThey held those views before he was POTUS
Report Post »YUCON
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:36pmVan Jones should like this
Report Post »jblovesAmerica
Posted on July 8, 2011 at 8:40amVan Communist Jones does not care about “green” he cares about stealing from those who are the makers and give to the takers of color.
Report Post »and yes I’m a Racist-Bigot-Homophobe-and anything else you can think up.
JRook
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:35pmOk, Blaze staff what is with all the tracking cookies???
Report Post »chirodoc007
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:35pmThis is exactly the type of belief system that leads the majority of Jewish voters to still back Obama.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:34pmGoing green is going brown and buying into a corrupt system… do you know who the “first environmentalist” was? Carl Marx…. yes, it was his way to make the “evil capitalists” look like polluting, stealing, greedy misers!
The “devil” is never clever enough to use new ideas… he keeps using the same over and over.
Report Post »dudeman4
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:55pmAfter the fall of the Soviet Union, what did Mikhail Gorbachev do? Founded an enviromental organization. Strange…
Report Post »JRook
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:11pm@cessna152 or you could ask Brazil, which has is leading the world in replacing gasoline with biofuels. Their economy is doing pretty well compared to the world. So you see it is always an issue of execution.
Report Post »Therightsofbilly
Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:33pm@JROOK
You are delusional.
Very little research will prove that.
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