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This Tu B'Shevat, Decarbonize Your Life! An Interview With Hans Detweiler

February 01, 2023 Mishkan Chicago
Contact Chai
This Tu B'Shevat, Decarbonize Your Life! An Interview With Hans Detweiler
Show Notes Transcript

In anticipation of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees, Rabbi Steven spoke with Hans Detweiler, a member of the Mishkan Sustainability Team with an impressive environmental activism resume, for a conversation about small things you can do to decarbonize your life. Check out the show notes below for links to resources about decarbonization curated by the Mishkan Sustainability Team.

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So you are ready to work on decarbonizing your home? Here’s a great consumer guide to think through all the pieces:

https://www.buildingdecarb.org/store/p194/A_Pocket_Guide_to_All-Electric_Retrofits_of_Single-Family_Homes.html

What is next for decarbonization in Chicago? Chicago is exempt from Illinois’ building code, and is entirely responsible to develop its own code. This is a great opportunity, as the current code needs a lot of help! Learn more about Chicago’s decarbonization plan here:
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/progs/env/2022/Final-2022-Building-Decarb-City-Document.pdf

Why is Mishkan’s Sustainability team excited about “electrify everything?” Read this great explanation from energy guru Saul Griffith. Pour a cup of coffee first: this article from Vox is intense and captures the big picture and the urgency.

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/21349200/climate-change-fossil-fuels-rewiring-america-electrify

If you read the Vox article above, you understand the importance of switching from gas furnaces to heat pumps. Heat pumps that work well throughout a Chicago winter are now available! Consumer Reports asks the question of how well they work in cold climates in the article below, and finds they work well. By the way, if your HVAC contractor says “no,” they are wrong! The sustainability committee can recommend up-to-date firms.

https://www.consumerreports.org/heat-pumps/can-heat-pumps-actually-work-in-cold-climates-a4929629430/

Decarbonization is a great challenge. How can we do it with equity? To finish you reading list, here is a moving case study from Pembroke IL about equity and the Heat Pump Revolution in Illinois:

https://rmi.org/from-poverty-to-power-in-pembroke/

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Rabbi Steven Philp 
I am here today with Hans Detweiler, one of our amazing Mishkanites and a member of our sustainability team. Hans, I just want to begin by asking you to explain who you are. Who are you? Why are you joining us today?

Hans Detweiler 
Well, it's a delight to be here today. And just as it is always a delight to be engaged with Mishkan. And so I started out in energy as a rabble rouser, with my local Sierra Club, working on local policy issues related to climate change, in like way back in the 1990s, and have spent a career in energy I was director of the State Energy Office in Illinois 20 years ago. And, and, in particular, I'm very interested and happy to be engaging with Mishkan. Because it's such a wonderful and educated community that it feels like there's really a great opportunity for people to people who want to be making important and valuable decisions in their life with environmental decisions. But they also aren't so clearly angsting over, you know, how do we separate all of the little smaller decisions from the from the bigger decisions in our daily life, it can just be such a day Lodz of constant decisions. So I wanted to see if the Mishkan sustainability justice team, we can help to, to encourage people to figure out what some of the bigger decisions are.

Rabbi Steven Philp 
So I think circle back to some of the function of our sustainability team in a bit, but but before we go further, I'd love for you to explain a bit about what the Sierra Club is and what it does.

Hans Detweiler 
Oh, well, the Sierra Club is one of the nation's largest environmental advocacy organizations, and maybe its claim to fame or the separate niche that it carves out is that it is truly small, D democratic, the groups are quite autonomous in the issues that they choose. And policy decisions roll up through a very democratic process all the way to the top. And members can, you know, can make decisions based on sort of national referendums on on subjects. So it's a very great democratic organization, and it's a great way to get involved in environmental activism.

Rabbi Steven Philp 
I'm gonna ask that question again, just slightly differently. You mentioned being involved in Sierra Club, do you mind telling us what that is? And why you got involved?

Hans Detweiler 
Why did I get involved? So I think I joined the Sierra Club in 1986. And I got involved because it was a democratic organization, small d democratic organization that you could get engaged with and participate in sort of policymaking discussions. And it was also there was a strong professional staff that at that point in my career, I could I could learn from, and really, you know, find some of the basic building blocks of what are, you know, Energy policy decisions that matter more than others, and and there were some good guideposts that could pick up through through the organization. And I still think 25 years later that it's still true today.

Rabbi Steven Philp 
So as somebody who has been involved in national and international organizations working towards solutions for climate change, as somebody who has spent your life working in the field as well, why did you decide to also bring that work into your community being part of Mishkan and not only joining but becoming a leader of our sustainability team? For those who don't know, our sustainability team is one of several justice teams. I'll say it again. For those who don't know, our sustainability team is one of several justice teams that we have that all focus on different issues of importance, bringing our Jewish values into the field of social justice as part of our community.

Hans Detweiler 
Well, what I love about Mishkan is it's such so well educated and curious community, people are really committed to trying to do the right thing. And yet it's, it's it's funny, as well educated as everybody is everybody. A lot of people that I talk to are still sort of angsting over the constant deluge of small decisions that they need to make on environmental questions. You know, what, what sort of salad container do I need? Does it need to be compostable? You know, so how do they sort through all of these myriad decisions, and I thought maybe we could help to focus people on some of the decisions that that mattered most.

Rabbi Steven Philp 
So understanding that climate change, and in particular, combating climate change is such a complex issue with so many different facets to it. Where do you begin? How do you even begin to make that decision on where to focus?

Hans Detweiler 
Yeah, yeah, great question. I mean, I think, personally, how I kind of approach it decisions, in my own life is to look just to think about, am I spending a lot of money with this decision? Or am I only spending a little bit of money, right? So if, you know, I'm trying to decide where to have lunch, and there's a compostable container that costs $12? You know, or not like that? That's not the kind of decision that moves the needle very significantly. However, you know, what about major appliance purchases, like if I'm buying a washer or dryer, or like a car, our I think we've learned a lot from COVID, about supply chains over the last couple of years. And, you know, one of the things that we've learned is that it takes a long time to move the needle in terms of what are types of goods our society is producing. And so I think that when we as consumers, when we're purchasing things like stoves, and furnaces, and cars that are still utilizing fossil fuels, we're really committing not only the sort of economy to that for the lifetime of those appliances, but we're also kind of sending a signal to the manufacturers of those appliances that, hey, if you're going to still, if you're if you're still selling a gas car, now, it's probably going to be easy for you to still sell a gas car and another 10 years, and it will discourage them from making that. You know, in a way, that's not beneficial. So I do think that the general high level guidance for folks is if you're spending a lot of money, pay a lot of attention to what the environmental attributes are, and like, if you're spending less money, then I think you're free to, to relax a little bit more. I think that one thing that's been really interesting for for my own family is we bought an electric car a number of years ago, and and when you're an early adopter with something like an electric car, then there are sometimes inconveniences that come with it. Like there are a lot of ways where having an electric car is just better and easier. Because, you know, it's like, for us, we have a place to charge it in our house. So it's like easier to never have to go to a gas station again. And it's cheaper than gasoline. So that's, that's all good. But certainly when you're on the road, like there are road trips, and there are times where it's been inconvenient. And one of the things that we've found is that even when the whole family stops on vacation, and we kind of like to get where we're going, they're being forced to stop and be in a different community. Often, the Chargers these days are, you know, in the middle of a city and not by the highway. And so we've actually had a whole new set of experiences of good time together. You know, as we wait to charge the car, and I feel like there's there's some sort of lesson there in terms of the wisdom of slowing down as we all live our lives. And sometimes things that may be a little bit inconvenient, may also have, you know, other benefits.

Rabbi Steven Philp  
I love that even, you know, four or 5000 years later, the the lesson of the spiritual technology of Shabbat still holds true that sometimes pausing and looking around us can have really amazing benefits and value in our lives. I think a lot of times people will say, Well, why do my decisions matter? Really, we know, quote, unquote, that for climate change to be solved, it's governments and corporations that need to change their policies and procedures. But you did mention the idea of being an early adopter, which feels like something that only an individual in some ways can truly do. And so I would love for you to just say more about the importance of individuals or groups of individuals being early adopters, for the solutions to climate change.

Hans Detweiler  
Yeah, yeah. So first off, I totally agree with you that, in an ideal world, government policy is the single most important thing that needs to happen. And, you know, we've made some progress on that. Nationally recently, though, not nearly as much as, as we would have liked, but that is, in a preferred world, that is a great way to go. That being said, Yeah, we are in a different time now, where individual actions are available and do matter in a way that they didn't like, you know, 20 years ago, because people didn't have options, right. So. So, you know, I mentioned electric cars earlier, you know, that is one option. But also, so for example, furnaces, one big change now, don't realize that Chicago, people's gas is the most expensive piped gas in the nation. And it's, as a result, the long term cost overruns that people's gas has had. And so heat pumps, which are basically like the same technology as is in your refrigerator, or an air conditioner, or a very efficient replacement, and even a cost effective replacement for gas furnaces in Chicago. And they bring all the benefits of electrification, which is you can use a renewable energy source to create the electricity and then eliminate all of the pollution that's associated with the product. So, you know, individuals do have an opportunity to decarbonize their own homes, in a way that, you know, 15 or 20 years ago, that technology just just exist, so it isn't second time, I

Rabbi Steven Philp  
think something that you are hitting on as well, is the idea of modeling or living out our values is so central to what it means to be Jewish, since we are talking about this, particularly in a Jewish context. And I was thinking a bit about, one of the ways in which we pursue justice in the world is through the gift of sadaqa. And often sadaqa, is translated as charity, but really the core of the root of the word sadaqa aesthetic, and Setec, which means justice is not only something we do, but it's also something we embody something we model for other people. And in I think becoming an early adopter, one can serve as an example, and maybe even educate folks on the different options that are available for them. So it's really not only an individual's action that is important in that moment, but also the way that can resonate or ripple out from them through the community.

Hans Detweiler  
Yeah, I really couldn't agree more. There are when you when you make the decision to sort of be an early adopter with some of these appliances or an electric car or something like that. It can bring an inconvenience, but it also can, can can pave the way to benefit others over the long term. So it's great to put that in a in a Jewish context.

Rabbi Steven Philp  
I'm curious if you have any examples where there have been early adopters of a technology or, or something else? I'll say it again, I'm wondering if you have any examples of people who have been early adopters of some sort of solution to climate change, or maybe another example that you have, where those early adopters played an important role in the development of that solution.

Hans Detweiler  
Oh, I think it happens. Like really very commonly, and you know as as as new, energy efficient appliances or items appear, like at first, they might be the really expensive or really hard to use. And then, as more and more early adopters use them, they're they come down in price and they get, you know, more widely used. So it's funny when the when the very first, like compact fluorescent light bulbs came out, they were incredibly expensive, you know, it was insane, right? It was like a $20 lightbulb. And you don't you don't see that anymore, because because people decided it was important and sort of move that move that supply chain support those over time. So we know how to do that, we just need to do more of it. As we move forward.

Rabbi Steven Philp  
It's interesting, because the examples that you've used and thinking of, of more efficient light bulbs, I'm also thinking of things that we see everyday in Chicago that we use regularly, you know, bike paths, public transportation, things that were much rarer at one point history, and because of people choosing to use it first, maybe a few and then more and more. Those are things that we actually don't even recognize as rare or extraordinary. When once upon a time, they probably were

Hans Detweiler  
Oh, absolutely. You know, I think we're not too long from a world where we might even start to see like, you know, pay shoveled bike paths. City. It certainly is the case that, you know, how many bikers were there in December, cyclists were there in December and Chicago a couple of years ago, like, not really very many at all, but after COVID Like so many people have learned that, oh, actually, I get a little bit of the right gear. You know, it's it's a very doable thing to cycle around Chicago, in the winter. And and that has been responded to with a huge burst of new bypass that make it easier for everybody else to do that. So now we just need to, you know, get them get the city to start plowing, and we'll be, we'll be better off. I would love that.

Rabbi Steven Philp  
This is a fun fact about Rabbi Steven is that during the polar vortex of I believe that was the winter of 2013 2014. I was the second highest Divi user in the city of Chicago. But to your point, and the way things changed, Divi being a relatively new system, at the time, is I'm a regular Divi user now, and I am nowhere near the top of the leaderboard, because so many more people use it. And it's so much more ubiquitous in the city.

Hans Detweiler  
Bravo, I did not know about that about you, Rabbi Steven, I'm so honored to be on this podcast with you. And in that regard,

Rabbi Steven Philp  
I even received a virtual silver medal in my inbox. So speaking of transportation, folks who came to services over the summer, probably saw at the welcome table, there were a bunch of buckets, and you could take a stone, and you could put it in one of the buckets saying how you got two services that day, as part of a campaign called Mishkan moves. I was wondering if you could say a little bit more about that.

Hans Detweiler  
Yeah, no, that was one of our first efforts. And our idea was simple that we wanted to ask people, how they were transporting themselves to get to Mishkan. So that we could start to build that awareness of, of the decision. So that people would start to think about oh, okay, I want to be holistic in my approach to Mishkan services, and how can I improve sustainability in terms of my motor transit there as well. And we also wanted to establish a baseline so that we would know how many people were taking which different types of, of transportation in 2022. And then we could circle back as we continue to have these these dialogues in this discussion over several years, and compare how we did and see if you know, more people have switched to more sustainable modes of transit since then, so. So we were very happy to collect all those beans in those jars and appreciate the time everybody everybody took

Rabbi Steven Philp  
that was a really great way to also familiarize people with the sustainability team and the work that you're doing. I'm curious, because somebody might say, Well, hey, Hans, I, I can't bike or I can't walk to services because of accessibility needs or I can't afford to buy an electric vehicle. Because of my financial situation. What would you encourage those folks to do?

Hans Detweiler  
Well, that's a that's a great question. And it's, it's based on a true price, right, which is that if you have more economic resources, it's it's There are easier choices for you to make. I think that one thing that we're we're looking at as we move in the future is, is is getting more engaged in some local policy discussions, is a is a great way that absolutely everybody can get involved in this. I mean, certainly, in terms of Mishkan moves, you know, taking transit and, and walking and things like that can, can can be options that can be available for everybody. Biking can be available for everybody, although, you know, even then not necessarily. So depending on somebody's geography, it can still be a challenge. So, so we recognize that as a limit. But I do think that that's, that's one of the things in our mind, as we, as we look towards, you know, what sort of new efforts do we want to engage in in 2023? So, you know, actually, maybe Rabbi Steven, you want to say a little bit about some of the other justice teams and what they've done on policy.

Rabbi Steven Philp  
Absolutely. So for those who are unfamiliar, Mishkan runs several justice teams. Over the past year, these included our refugee resettlement team, our public safety team and our economic justice team. And one of the areas of focus for really each of these teams, in addition to any direct action they were doing was to also consider the policies that affected the area that they're focusing on. A great example of this is our public safety team, worked tirelessly to lobby for educate people about and help pass the empowering communities and public safety legislation, which was successful. And now we're gearing up to help elected district councils, which are advisory committees to oversee the Chicago police force and provide oversight and insight from a civilian perspective on how we create a safe environment and the city for everybody. I think it's really amazing to backup. I think sometimes we think it's the DACA. Again, we think of charity, and certainly, donating money, goods are really important at times. And of course, there are moments when that's the most appropriate thing to do. But again, going back to the roots of DACA, Setec, the idea of pursuing justice is to also focus on creating just an equitable structures of changing policy of putting pressure on our governments, both federal and local, to be better reflections of our ethical commitments. And so I think on that note, I'd really love to hear what's coming up for the sustainability team, where are you going to focus next?

Hans Detweiler  
Yeah, so first, on the DACA. The, it's a great point, when we think about what policy efforts we want to engage in and what has been done the past, but when you're, when you're engaged in a policy effort. The it is, in most instances, anonymous, to the person who is the beneficiary of the of the policy, advocacy, right. So that also fits highly in that in that hierarchy of, of sadaqa, that you were you were mentioning earlier. In terms of what comes next, for Mishkan, we at the Justice sustainability team, are really excited about opportunities to engage in a couple of things that are going to be developing at the City of Chicago. One, the city of Chicago, in statewide, Illinois is completely exempt from the state building code. So the city has its own building code and can get, you know, as home rule in that and can set its own code. And actually, right now, if you want to build, say, or a builder, say wants to build a house to the to the sort of tightest standard, there's a there's a standard by actually Chicago based organization called the Passivhaus Institute in the United States. Where if you want to build a house that certified to meet that standard, it's actually illegal under the Chicago Code, because the Chicago like the bathroom ventilation standards are so high that they that they like blow out you know, the the benefits of the higher insulation and air sealing within within the theist standard. And so there is a major effort brewing to to make it much easier to build sustainable housing in Chicago and in fact to require sustainable housing in Chicago. So that you know, as again as the process of using more efficient construction and techniques become standardized, the costs of that will drop. And the beneficiaries of that will expand so that low income residents in the city would have much greater access to energy efficient housing, which, which then, of course, has the benefit of those in our community who are least able to afford their, you know, incredibly spiking natural gas bills are going to have less of a need to be able to pay those extremely unreasonable natural gas bills, because the energy efficiency helps avoid some of that consumption. Right. So so there will be great opportunities to engage to push the city forward with a new building code standard, both for residential and in commercial buildings. There also will be an opportunity to city as what's called a franchise agreement with Com Ed, which expired a couple of years ago, and, and is a great opportunity for the city to get comed to pay for a lot of energy efficiency improvements, as well. So that is an exciting opportunity. And in general, as you know, as I mentioned before, Chicago has this spectacularly unaffordable natural gas issue where people's gas has had cost overruns for 30 years in replacing leaking gas pipes around the city. And the result of that is that we have the most expensive pipe gas in the country. And and people's response to this has been to want to spend ever more and more and more to update system, when in fact, what we need to do is stop using gas and move towards electrification and, and heat pumps. And so so that is just going to be an enormous debate that is going to take a long time. But it's absolutely one where the city has authority over how it handles those decisions. And so like we in our own community, need to need to have a reckoning there. So so we're looking forward to beginning to engage in that discussion and identifying some partners in the community more broadly that we can work with in that discussion.

Rabbi Steven Philp  
I'm really excited for all of the work that is coming up for the sustainability team and for everybody at Mishkan. You're reminding me that one of the very first commandments given in the Torah is for humankind to be stewards of the earth, that we are given this planet as a gift both to sustain us, for us to use its resources, but for all of but that this planet is given to us as a gift both to use its resources, but to also use its resources sustainably and ensure that there is still a planet there for future generations. And this is something that applies not only to the Jewish people, there are many, many roles in the Torah specifically for the Jewish people. But this is one of those commands that is given to all people. And so regardless of who you are, the opportunity to get involved with our sustainability team is open to everyone. And people can find out more information on our social justice page on the Mishkan website. Or you can always reach out to me at Rabbi Stephen at Mishkan chicago.org. So I just want to thank you Hans for joining us today. It was really great engaging in conversation with you and finding out more about you and also the work that our sustainability team is doing.

Unknown Speaker  
Well, thank you so much. It's been great to be here with you, Rabbi.