Growing up, I never would have connected Sukkot with the environmental movement. For me, it was a time to help my father connect worn particle boards around a metal frame, then stand on a ladder and put tree branches over the top (the original green roof?) to make a hut that was supposed to remind us of where the Jews slept when crossing the desert.

We never slept in ours, as some Jewish people do, but we had many a fine meal in there, and my sisters and I enjoyed decorating the place with paper chains.

Now, The Associated is making the green connection. On Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Pearlstone Conference Center in Reisterstown, the umbrella group of Jewish groups is hosting "It is Easy Being Green," a series of workshops about food, pesticides, and what the Torah tells us about environemtnalism. For more information, you can visit their web site  here.