How do you start a green camp, from the ground up?  This is one of the questions we have set out to answer through the development of Ramah Outdoor Adventure at Ramah in the Rockies.  As a brand new camp, we have had an amazing opportunity to put into place green practices that will become part of our camp tradition.  As our summer draws to a close, I believe we have made steps in the right direction, but are still only beginning to become a truly “green” camp.  Perhaps the most important two lessons we have learned is that greening a camp does not have to cost additional money, and that at times good intentions do not always translate into practical solutions.

Our greening process began when we rented our first office in Denver.  Our modest offices were actually a storeroom in the Federation building.  Rather than decorate the office with new furniture and wall hangings, we found used furniture throughout the building that we could use.  Aside from buying two new desk chairs, everything else came from items that would have otherwise been discarded or donated.

Look around most offices and one will find file drawers with reams of paper.  As a new organization we decided we were going to run a “paperless” office.  We set up our registration system so that it lived in the cloud.  Rather than buy a nice laser printer, we accepted a donation of a used ink jet printer that printed only a few pages a minute.  We purposely did not network the printer so that if we wanted to print, we had to physically plug in our laptop to the printer.  By doing this, we saved 1000s of sheets of paper.  Printing did take longer than usual, but it made us think twice before we hit the print button.  In our first nine months of operation we used less than one ream of paper!  This was a savings way beyond what we had expected.   We finished the summer with one file drawer of papers.

In addition to printing less on our printer, we did not produce much printed collateral in our recruitment process.  Instead, we invested heavily in our website and produced one small paper post card to send to prospective families.  Rather than publish a DVD to include in our mailings, we placed our recruitment video online.  Not only did we save on printing costs, we also spent very little on mailing fliers to prospective families.

At camp we have continued with our greening practices.  Rather than look to costly “green” items, we looked around to see how we could run a green camp without heavy capital investments.

We started with the living area:  Our campers live in raised cabin tents made of canvas sides and waterproof tops.  By design, there is no electricity in the tents.  Campers who are awake after dark use flashlights to read.  In addition, each tent has two solar lanterns that are placed in the sun during the day and then used to illuminate the tent at night.  Finally, the tent area is illuminated with solar path lighting which cuts down on the electricity usage.

Although we have electricity throughout the main buildings in camp, we strive to use as little as possible.  One of the best ways to do this is to use the natural light of the sun.  We set our daily schedule to maximize the amount of time we are awake with the sun.  Our camp day begins at 6:00am—shortly after sunrise, and always concludes by 8:00pm just before sunset.  This means that throughout the day we do not need to use electricity to light the dining hall, the shower house or the barns.  Instead we rely on the natural light of the sun.  Even as campers are getting ready for bed, they do not have to use their flashlight.  Although I was often up way past night fall, I only used one set of batteries, as I usually was able to use either a solar lantern or the moonlight to walk around camp at night.

Throughout the camp we have attempted to recycle whatever items we can find and use them in building new structures.  For example, in our refurbished staff house, we have put in a new deck, new screens and doors using recycled materials found around the ranch.  Similarly, we found two old picnic tables on the ranch that were built years ago and abandoned.  We moved them to a more central location, painted and refinished them.  Campers now enjoy hanging out on them.  Perhaps the best example of reusing old material is the new amphitheater that our campers finished building last Sunday.  They decided to turn the old low ropes course, which had been deemed unsafe for use into our new beit kenesset (synagogue).  The teens used many of the old elements in constructing the new sanctuary.  For example, the bima was an old platform used for balancing games.  The Shulchan is a large wooden spool used for heavy grade wire.  The entrance is part of an old pull up bar.  The seats are made of logs from trees that used to live in the area and planks that use to be part of a climbing wall.  The place that was once used for one kind of community building is once again being used for a different kind of community building.

Greening a camp goes well beyond waste produced at camp.  A green community must also look at the waste produced in other places.  In particular, a camp must examine the food it consumes and the waste produced in the process.  We created a menu that was almost entirely vegetarian.  Except for a weekly bar-b-que and occasional Friday night dinners, all our meals are vegetarian.  Whenever possible we source sustainably grown food.  This meant that we ate lots of organic items.  We ate few processed foods and when possible shopped for local produce.  For most of the summer we actually sourced much of our produce from a local organic farm; twice during the summer we sent our campers to the farm to help tend the crops that we would eat in camp and bring back the food we would eat the following week in our dining hall.  Our vegetarian diet allowed our kitchen to produce fresh, wholesome and delicious meals.

I could go on with each of our projects but space is limited.  So just to name a few more: We planted over 500 trees this summer on the ranch.  We raise our own chickens.  We planted our own vegetable garden and we use reusable high grade china dishes whenever possible.

I wish I could say that we ran the greenest camp possible.  But we have more to do in the coming years.  We currently have a sustainability committee who is working hard on making us even greener in 2011.  Here are a few of the projects on which we are working:

- Sourcing local organic meat

- Recycling more of our waste (with the goal of being zero waste by 2013)

- Enlarging our garden and chicken coop so that we can grow more of our own food

- Placing photovoltaic sensors on all lights so that lights automatically go off at dawn (often we would forget to turn off the lights in the bathroom/showers until later in the morning)

- Sourcing at greater percentage of our food from suppliers who practice sustainable agricultural techniques.

- Composting our food waste

We attempted to achieve some of these goals this summer but did not achieve the success we were hoping for in all these areas.  For example, once we arrived at camp we discovered that composting for a large community is far more difficult than composting in ones backyard.   Not to mention, as licensed child care facility we need to use rat proof/ bear proof containers which are very costly.  Similarly, while we attempted to run a recycling program for metal plastic and paper, we could not find anyone willing to haul the waste for us to a recycling plant.  Instead much of it ended up in the garbage.  For next year we will have to purchase a bear proof hauler and take it down to the recycling plant ourselves.

Despite the tasks that lay ahead of us in preparing for 2011, I feel that we ran one of the greenest camps in the country without making major capital improvements.  Our campers have left with a new appreciation of the luxuries they have in their life (like electricity) and we also helped our campers realize that to live green does not require one to but an expensive hybrid car or install solar panels on ones roof.  Even small steps can make a difference.

- Rabbi Eliav Bock, Director, Ramah Outdoor Adventure

Over Shabbat I had a chance to reflect on the summer that has passed.  However, in this final blog post of the summer, I have decided not to attempt to recap an entire summer’s worth of stories, but instead focus on three vignettes that capture the spirit of Ramah Outdoor Adventure.

Vignette #1:

For those of us present during our first session, we will never forget Josh’s Bar Mitzvah.  Having arrived at camp only hours after his family moved from their house, Josh was going to be returning to a new city on the last day of camp.  Because his parents were in a new city, they had decided to postpone celebrating Josh’s Bar Mitzvah until they had found a home community.  When we learned about this at camp, we asked Josh and his parents whether they wanted us to mark his Bar Mitzvah at camp.  The answer was a resounding YES.  And celebrate we did!  This was one of the finest examples I have seen of a community coming together to celebrate one of its own.  Members of our staff worked with Josh in the two weeks before his Bar Mitzvah to help him learn all of his parts. The entire camp came to our 6:30 Shacharit service to see Josh called to the Torah, and to also join in the festivities and dance together as a community.  Josh’s bunk mates dressed in their finest (clean) clothes for the occasion, and presented him with a piece of topaz that they had found on the “chava,” or “ranch.”  His counselors then spoke to him about what this moment meant for them and hopefully for him.

As I have written numerous times, Ramah at its core is a place to experience intense and intentional Jewish community.  Josh’s Bar Mitzvah celebration was an unforgettable way to experience the transformative power of this community.

Vignette #2

Ask any of our chalutzim, and most will tell you that the highlight of their camp experience was going on their “masa,” or excursion.  These masa’ot were a chance for a small group of chalutzim to go out into the backcountry and experience the magic of the outdoors and the bonds that one makes with peers when one is on the trail.  As the director, I was not able to go on any of these masa’ot as I needed to stay back at the Chava to work on administrative matters and to stand ready should any of the masa’ot need help.  But remaining at base camp did not mean that I was not able to experience the sheer excitement present on these masa’ot.  On Fridays around 11:30 am, I would begin to hear singing and cheering.  As each group arrived back at the chadar ohel, they would march into camp singing the song that they learned on the trail or cheering as a group for having made it back to camp.  I loved listening to these sounds – these were the sounds of happy chalutzim who had just completed one of the most intense and challenging weeks of their lives.  Each time, I would run out and greet them, and ask them about their trips.  Invariably, the chalutzim would say “amazing” or “incredible” and then start talking at 5000 words per minute about all that had happened.  Their excitement was palpable, and almost contagious, even if I could barely make out a single word of what they were saying!!

Vignette #3

Our summer was successful for many reasons:  the program, the campers, the site, etc.  But above all, it was our staff that made our first camp season a success.    From the trainings that we began via phone months before camp started, to the last hug goodbye on Wednesday morning, our staff never ceased to amaze me!  Comprised almost entirely of upper class college students and professional educators, our staff worked tirelessly to ensure that our chalutzim had a transformative experiences both at base camp and on the trail.  While I could write pages about our staff, I will mention just two comments I heard at the staff banquet that I believe encapsulate the spirit of our team.

We ended the staff banquet by sitting in a circle and sharing one lesson we learned during our summer.  One counselor commented that this summer was the first time she had been a member of a “community of individuals.”  I understood her comment to mean that at our camp, each person was encouraged to express his or her own individuality in such a way that was supported by the broader mission of the community.  We all were working for a common purpose, but we remained at our core strong individuals with unique personalities.    The second comment was made by one of our first time counselors (entering junior year of college).  She said that this was one of the only times she has been so completely dedicated to the mission of an organization that she was able to put her entire self into making it a success.  She was willing to work the crazy hours and continue to give 110% because she so wanted to see our community succeed.  As I listened to these two counselors, I smiled inside knowing that we had achieved one of the main goals of our camp: creating intense and intentional community where each person is valued for their contributions to the greater good.

In short, our inaugural summer was a wonderful success!  After a week off, we will be back in the office preparing for 2011.  Registration is open (we already have over 10 chalutzim registered for next year!)  If you’d like to register now, please click here.

The dates for 2011 are: 

n Session I: Tuesday, June 21st -Monday July 4

• This session is open to Chalutzim entering grades 5-11

n Session II: Wednesday, July 6th – Monday, August 1^st

• This session is open to chalutzim entering grades 5-11.

n Session III: Wednesday August 3rd – Monday, August 15^th

• This session is open chalutzim entering grades 3-8.  In the fall we are likely to be adding additional programs during these two weeks, so please check back soon or call the camp office for more information

Enjoy the last few weeks of August. Please be in touch if you want to talk more about camp. Our next blog post will be going out before Rosh Hashana.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Eliav

This weekend, our ranch has been filled with life!  All of our chalutzim returned from their Masa on Friday.  Overall, they had a wonderful time on their hike.  Like so many of the past few days, it rained for a few hours on their Masa, and the chalutzim had the opportunity to use their tarp building skills to stay dry.  I was told that they all slept out under tarps rather than put up tents.  Ironically, in rainy weather, a tarp will keep you dryer than a tent, and because we are so high in the mountains there are almost no mosquitoes to worry about.

In addition to the regular Metayalim (6^th/7^th grade program), we also have been running a small family camp here for the past few days.  For the most part, our two programs have remained separate, except for meals and some of the services (family camp sleep in a different part of the ranch about a 7 minutes walk from our chalutzim’s tents).  One of the nice aspects of having a family camp here at the same time as our chalutzim is that we really do feel like a big family.  Throughout the summer, the unifying element of every session has been the sense that we are one big Kehillah (community).  Even though many members have changed, the feeling has remained the same.  It is wonderful to see this same sense of community continue when we have so many “real” families here as well.

In what is perhaps a record for a Ramah Camp outside of California, we were able to conduct every Friday night service outside on our field, and not have to go to our rain plan even once for Kabbalat Shabbat.  This Friday, it looked as though we would be davening under our large white circus tent as it rained on and off all afternoon.  But about 20 minutes before services, when the sun broke through the clouds,  Stevo, our Rosh Shira, said that he would get some counselors to go and dry all the benches if it meant that we could conduct services outdoors.  And so sure enough, as the rest of us were up at the tents dancing our preshabbat Israeli dances, our staff readied our benches.  By the time we all danced down to the field, the sun shone brighter than it had all day, and the benches were completely dry.

In addition to the usual eating, singing and resting one of the highlights of Shabbat was the “Lorax” debate that the Metalyalim had about who should be responsible for the damage done by the people who cut down all the Truffela trees.  We actually had to cut off the debate after an hour and fifteen minutes because it was time to move to the next activity.  Given the pace of the camp on most other days, on Shabbat the chalutzim all appreciated being able to sleep in (until 8:00am) and having down time to sit and play cards or just to hang out and chat.

Today was a full day of programming including: paper making in arts and crafts, slack line and team building exercises in the low ropes, relay races in shmirat hagoof, soccer/ ultimate (our unique Ramah Outdoor Adventure sport) during sports, service projects on the farm (including time with the chickens) and much much more.  Tomorrow we have another full day– filled with biking, horseback riding and climbing– our last of the summer.  Our hope is that by the end of the session, each chalutz will have had a chance to experience each of the activities offered at camp.  Hopefully next year they will be able to return for a longer session and actually be able to choose a few activities in which to go in depth.

Over the past few days, I have also had an opportunity to speak with each member of our staff individually to hear about how they would like to continue with Ramah Outdoor Adventure.  It warms my heart to know that most of our staff want to return for another year, and many of them are planning on doing so (“sadly” some of our older staff members are beginning fulltime jobs that will not allow them to return for 8 weeks next summer).  As I have written so often in these blog updates, the success of this summer is due in a large part because of the extraordinary staff we have here at the Chava.  Our staff are some of the most committed group of camp counselors I have ever seen.  They each see the success of this camp as being part of the legacy they would like to leave.  And therefore, so many of them are working late into the night putting down their ideas and programs on paper so that on the off chance they do not return next year, whomever takes over their position will be able to continue the work they are doing, and not have to worry about recreating the programming that the inaugural staff already implemented.

The next update I will send, the last of the summer will be a much more nostalgic one.  For now, we are working to ensure that our last day of full programing is as well run, challenging and meaningful as our first few days.  We operate at 100% until our last chalutz leaves the chava  on Tuesday morning.