By Benjamin Tressler and Ami Greener

Perched high atop the American Jewish community’s agenda are several ironclad commitments: supporting Israel’s quest for peace and security; fighting against anti-Semitism, bigotry and discrimination; and ensuring Jewish continuity. At this time of year, as we celebrate the birthday of the world at Rosh Hashanah, it is time to add another item to the list: advocacy for energy and environmental security.

Why is this a Jewish issue? First, our tradition commits us to the protection of the planet and its inhabitants. Our rabbis taught that among the first times God spoke to Adam he implored him to be a wise steward of the earth.  If people destroy this world, God said, there will be no one else to repair it for them.

In the realm of realpolitik, development of a serious energy policy is essential to the economic and social future of our country and its continued national security. Effective energy policy also intersects with the core Jewish issues cited above, as leading oil exporters are also leading exporters of anti-Semitism, anti-Westernism, and terror. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has noted, “We’re in a war with people who are now fueled by our energy purchases. We’re funding both sides in the war on terrorism.”

For these reasons, the American Jewish Committee supports as a primary national goal a comprehensive energy policy aimed at a substantial reduction in U.S. dependence on imported oil, with the goal of energy flexibility and near independence.

The policy should be pursued with urgency and a commitment of resources comparable to that of NASA's Apollo project to land a man on the moon in the 1960s. The American public has shown a strong interest in it, the political establishment on the local and national level has taken notice, and the private sector is putting considerable resources toward research and development.

We applaud the Senate energy bill that calls for tougher CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards – from 27.5 miles per gallon to 35 mpg by 2020. If enacted into law, these new standards could save 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2025 – more than we import from the Persian Gulf. Sadly, no such language appeared in the final House energy bill. The Senate’s language should be included in the bill resulting from conference this fall.

The private sector, also, must begin to work together work with government toward research, development and commercialization of alternative sources of energy, especially for vehicles, such as hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology, fuel cells, and synthetic fuels..

As an agency, AJC is doing its part to advance the issue at this critical time, taking concrete steps toward meeting the goals we ask of others. Some of these steps can be easily replicated, and we hope other Jewish communal organizations take similar action.

• AJC is working toward compliance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating Systems and is determined to become one of the first Jewish non-profits in the country with green certification for its national headquarters.
• We are purchasing “green power” to cover 100 percent of the electricity used by the agency and its 33 offices nationwide. By purchasing Renewable Energy Credits from suppliers of renewable electricity we support the production of domestic, non-polluting, and inexhaustible power in a marketplace traditionally weighted towards fossil fuels.
• AJC created two new staff positions; Energy Specialist, in our Office for Government and International Affairs in Washington, DC, and Green Projects Manager, in our National Headquarters in NY, to provide expertise in energy and environmental policy and assist in efforts to press for U.S. energy security and conservation.
• Our Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Bonus Program provides cash incentives to full-time employees to purchase hybrid cars. AJC was the first non-profit to offer incentives of this kind.

A window of opportunity exists that must not be wasted. Now is the time, with the shofar blast soon to ring out in our communities, to bring about much-needed change. We call on the American Jewish community to make the goal of energy security a reality.

Benjamin Tressler and Ami Greener are, respectively, Green Projects Manager and Energy Specialist, for the American Jewish Committee.