Pumpkin Smash  — Too late now, but keep it in mind for next year!

What is the Pumpkin Smash?

The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by local communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop-off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. It is held each year the Saturday after Halloween.  

Don’t Trash it, Smash it!

SCARCE and the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst hosted the first pumpkin collections in 2014, diverting 9.31 tons of pumpkins from landfills and helping to improve composting laws in Illinois. By 2021, the Pumpkin Smash grew to over 59 sites across the state.  Click here or on the flyer to find your nearest Pumpkin Smash.

Family Fun /Kef Mishpacthi for all ages

And in the afternoon, Sunday, April 24, 1–3 PM, a Thatcher Woods Earth Day Cleanup for groups of all sizes and ages. We will meet at the waterfront pavilion west of Trailside Museum in Thatcher Woods; snacks will be provided. Please email Amy Guralnick at amysg@hotmail.com if you would like to help.

Click here to send email to Amy.

Aluminum Can Pop Tabs  Collection for Ronald Mac Donald House

Little things like pop tabs can make a big difference! Help support families and children through our Pop Tab program by collecting and donating the aluminum tabs you pull to open soda, soup, and other cans.

There is a collection bin on the table near temple’s the preschool entrance.

Contact Amy Guralnick at amysg@hotmail.com if you have questions on any of these programs.

Sneaker Collection

The temple has paired with Got Sneakers, a sneaker recycling organization. Donate any sneakers you aren’t using; Got Sneakers will either recycle them or redistribute them to secondhand markets, depending on what shape they are in. When you join our sneaker recycling community, you will be making a global environmental impact and you will earn money for the synagogue for every pair of sneakers you contribute. Bags to put your shoes in will be in the foyer.

Tie the pairs you are donating together if you can. And also include their footliners if you have them; shoes without footliners are automatically recycled, no matter how good shape they are in.

Contact Amy Guralnick at amysg@hotmail.com if you have questions on any of these programs.

Plastic Collection: Plastic Bags

Plastic Bags: Continue to bring in your plastic so we can get our free Recycled Plastic Bag Bench from Trex. We are more than halfway there! Thanks for bringing in only soft, clean plastic.

For more information, call or email Phyllis Rubin, 708.848.6168, phyllis.rubin@comcast.net.

Plastic Collection: Bottle Caps and Lids

Continue to save your bottle caps and lids up to 7 inches in diameter and other plastic containers that are #2 and #5 plastic. Clean caps only and no caps with other materials in them like metal. We save them for Cody James Norman, a local Oak Park artist, who melts down the plastic to create unique sculptures Or you can drop them off on the porch at 120A, Lake Street, Oak Park.

For more information, call or email Phyllis Rubin, 708.848.6168, phyllis.rubin@comcast.net.

Virtual Dinner with Pamela Tate, a Climate Reality Leader from Al Gore's Climate Reality Project

Click here to watch the recording on YouTube.
 

Celebrate Earth Day with us at dinner time! Join Pamela Tate, a Climate Reality Leader trained and certified by Al Gore and his Climate Reality Project, who will talk about the climate crisis and what individuals can do in their homes, communities, and at the federal and state level, while we still have a chance to stop the worst effects of global warming. According to the project, we have only until 2030—barely more than eight years—to reverse the worst effects of the warming of Earth’s atmosphere. This is why it is imperative that everyone learns about the extent of the crisis and what can be done now!

Another Food Ingredient to Watch Out For

We can impact climate change by avoiding foods made with palm oil because the way it is grown leads to deforestation. A lot of foods use palm oil, including candy. But dark chocolate does NOT! Note the ingredients in the foods you are purchasing!

See how your food consumption impacts the global environment at Stacker.com for much more information.

Earth Week Mini Film Fest

And there will be an Earth Week Mini Film Fest, April 18-24. Go to Earth Day — One Earth Film Festival—https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/—for more information.