Every day is Earth Day in the Jewish tradition, which teaches a deep and generational respect for the environment. In celebration of the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat in January, PJ Library conducted a “Plant for Tomorrow” matching donation campaign to help plant tens of thousands of trees for future generations. The campaign inspired more than 1,100 donors and raised more than $40,000 in donations, which were matched dollar for dollar by PJ Library. So on Earth Day (April 22), PJ Library, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, will present the National Forest Foundation with a check for the matching funds of $40,565 to fund the planting of more than 80,000 trees.
The donation fills an urgent need as America’s national forests are in crisis. Wildfires, invasive insects, and overuse have left 1 million acres of the nation’s precious land in urgent need of reforestation.
“Part of Jewish tradition is taking care of the world that’s here and now, but there’s also great emphasis on creating a better world for the generations to come,” says Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library’s parent organization. “The ‘Plant for Tomorrow’ donation-matching campaign introduced more than a quarter of a million children to the idea that trees are crucial to the Earth, and that we’re all responsible for taking care of nature, today and long into the future.”
