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Eco-Kashrut

Eco-Kashrut, also called the Eco-Kosher movement, is a movement to extend the Kashrut system, or Jewish dietary laws, to address modern environmental, social, and ethical issues, and promote sustainability.

Begun in the 1970s among American Reconstructionist Jews, eco-kashrut or eco-kosher approaches enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s with the work of Reconstructionist rabbi, author, and activist Arthur Waskow. A third wave of the eco-kashrut or eco-kosher movement began in the mid-2000s, spurred on in part by a series of kosher production facility scandals.

History
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, a founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement, is credited with coining and developing eco-kashrut in the late 1970s. He articulated eco-kashrut as an evolving set of practices that extend beyond traditional kashrut by taking the human and environmental costs of food production and consumption into account when deciding what to eat or not eat.

The Torah teaches us that Adam was created from the ground itself, as Adam comes from the Hebrew word for ground, "אדמה". If one believes that they are descendants of Adam and Eve, one may recognize that they are directly related to our earth. The most important relationship in Judaism is the relationship between oneself and the earth.

What is Kashrut?
Kashrut is a set of Jewish dietary laws. Kashrut is first tangibly introduced in the book of Leviticus, chapter 11 verse 3. The text reads as follows, "כֹּ֣ל | מַפְרֶ֣סֶת פַּרְסָ֗ה וְשֹׁסַ֤עַת שֶׁ֨סַע֙ פְּרָסֹ֔ת מַֽעֲלַ֥ת גֵּרָ֖ה בַּבְּהֵמָ֑ה אֹתָ֖הּ תֹּאכֵֽלוּ:" or in English, "Any animal that has a cloven hoof that is completely split into double hooves, and which brings up its cud that one you may eat". In chapter 11 there are numerous other verses outlining the laws of Kashrut, and the laws are reiterated throughout Jewish commentary, texts, and teachings.

Contemporary movement
More recently the movement has been championed by other Kosher-keeping Jews who strive to eat only food that has been ethically and sustainably produced, and ideally, locally sourced. Eco-Kashrut also finds expression in the sharing of sustainable shabbat meals.

Eco-Kashrut is connected with Magen Tzedek ("Shield of Justice"), an additional certification for food advocated by the Rabbinical Assembly and others within the Conservative movement that aims to address health, safety, and other labor issues in food production. Amid opposition from the Orthodox movement, no products have been certified to carry the seal as of August 2017.

With the rise of fleeting societal trends comes a rise in small movements related to a greater cause. One of those devotions is the environment. The fusion of environmental concerns and the principles of Kashrut manifest in this movement, with a focus on global climate change, animal rights, and humanism. Due to strict Kashrut laws on the consumption of animals, eating meat is not taboo in Judaism or looked down on, so long as they are slaughtered in the way the Torah deems most humane. Some who practice Eco-Kashrut do research on the source of their meat, to make sure they are supporting the most ethical conditions, such as smaller scale farms that treat animals humanely.

Eco-Kashrut spans beyond dietary laws. Rabbi Allen emphasized in a 2007 Washington Post article that merely following the laws of Kashrut are not enough when "the way the workers were treated was degrading and contrary to Jewish" beliefs. This movement includes promoting a fair trade agenda, analyzing products holistically before buying them, and of course, Kashrut itself. This movement is far more than eco friendly eating through Kashrut, this movement is planting the seeds of change.

Why We Need Eco-Kashrut
Throughout the past few decades, particularly in the 2010s, the state of the earth has been rapidly changing. The average temperature and sea levels, among other things, have been exponentially increasing at an alarming rate. These changes are part of a greater phenomenon called Global Warming, though a more fitting term is Global Climate Change.

With Arctic ice caps melting harming polar bears, and California's worst drought on record, it is hard to argue against the legitimacy of global climate change. There is a water crisis in Cape Town, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American family uses over 300 gallons of water each day. In one way or another, these changes affect most people, yet few take matters into their own hands.

Other Ways to Help
There are ways to help the environment outside the realm of food and Kashrut. A website called "50 Ways to Help" is dedicated to showing how easy it is to help the world by doing small things such as recycling glass, taking showers rather than baths, thrift shopping, and more. WikiHow has an article about 7 ways to help the environment, with several methods and various acts within each method one can take. More ways to help out are found on the Ohio EPA's website.

Helping the environment can be as simple as turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth, bringing reusable bags to the grocery store and refusing straws. Every little thing helps.