Our Story
The Teva Learning Center is North America's foremost Jewish Environmental Education Institute. Working with Jewish Day Schools, Congregational Schools, Synagogues, camps, and youth groups, Teva's programs touch the lives of over 6,000 participants of all denominations annually. The Teva Learning Center is a program of Surprise Lake Camp.
This spring, Teva is heading south on a mind-bending adventure to open minds and stretch imaginations, showing communities all along the east coast the power we have as individuals to change the course of history and flip the environmental damage we see around us on its head! And what better way is there to spread this message than on a Topsy-Turvy School Bus that runs on used vegetable-oil collected from restaurants along the way?
On our tour we'll be building, celebrating, and strengthening the communities we visit through innovative learning methods and grassroots action around Jewish values and renewable energy topics. We'll stretch mind muscles, dream big, connect to ancient ecological wisdom, and discover creative ways to re-think energy and conservation issues, from worm composting to human-powered bicycle generators.
The Impact
We live in a world where limited resources are overused and quickly discarded, where pollution poisons waterways and the air we breathe, where our food production methods are unsustainable and unhealthy, and where people are losing their connection to the natural world. On this tour we will show people that things don't have to be this way, and that the power of positive, forward thinking individuals of every age can impact the entire planet.
We'll be travelling during the season of the Jewish holiday of Purim, a time when our tradition tells us of a young girl who saves a nation through the simple act of asking the king for permission to rally the people together. With us, we'll be carrying a scroll, reminiscent of the scrolls on which the Purim story is written. On this scroll we'll be collecting the names of every person we visit, and a one-line description of what that individual is going to do to help the planet. Recycling more, building a compost, or even eating one meat meal fewer a week, look a lot more impressive when you can see that hundreds of other people just like you are doing the same thing!
What We Need & What You Get
In order to support a successful bus tour, we have estimated a minimum of $36,000 to cover the costs of repairs, staffing the tour, creating program materials, fuel for when vegetable oil is unavailable or unusable (such as in cold weather), and administration.
It's a big number, but don't let it get you down! 60% of our expenses - things like staff salaries, insurance, and program materials - comes from program bookings and sponsors, and most of that has already been collected. What we're looking for now is the last $2800 needed to cover things like food for staff, bus repairs on the road, and emergency fuel and housing, that will allow us to make this tour a reality!
We're offering some unique perks for donations, including postcards from each city we visit during this tour! Unfortunately, you will not be able to receive a tax deduction through this site. For a fully tax-deductible gift, please visit
http://tevalearningcenter.org/support.php and specify the "Topsy Turvy Teva Bus" in the additional comments section.
Other Ways You Can Help
Don't have the money or the desire to donate? No problem! Join our facebook page to show your support! Connect us with people or organization you know that might be interested in booking or sponsoring the tour! And tell your friends about what's happening - the more people know, the greater our impact!
Nili Simhai
Alexandra Kuperman
