The holiday of Tu B'Shevat (literary the 15th day of the month of Shevat) is usually referred to as the New Year for the Trees. When I was growing up, it was the holiday that reminded us of the fruits in Israel where everything was just about to bloom (as opposed to plants on Long Island, which were covered in snow around this time of year). Tu B'Shevat was the holiday when we remembered that in Israel it was warming up and the almond trees were beginning to bloom. We planted trees in Israel and ate special fruits from Israel.

Compared to holidays like Rosh HaShanah and Passover, Tu B'Shevat doesn’t stand out much. There aren’t a lot of rituals or liturgy, or even many customs that surround it. But don’t let that fool you. I want to suggest, and I’m not the only one, that Tu B'Shevat is in fact quite a significant holiday on the Jewish calendar and ought to be celebrated with enthusiasm and hope.

In fact, Tu B'Shevat is the Jewish “Earth Day,” the time in our holiday cycle when we focus on the environment and our stewardship responsibilities.

It is a time to renew our recycling efforts, to figure out ways to take fewer cabs and more public transportation, and to look for ways to save energy in our home. Like Rosh HaShanah (and our secular New Year’s Day), it is a time for resolutions. What would it look like if everyone in New York unplugged their home phone chargers while they are not in use? Or unplugged everything in their homes with an LCD light (like their clocks and cable boxes) when they went to work? What would it look like if on Tu B'Shevat we determined to use less paper, waste less electricity and gas? It would look like we cared about this earth and understood our role in protecting its future for our children and their children. It would look like we were connected deeply to the Jewish value of caring for the earth and living that value in our daily lives.

So plant trees in Israel and wherever you can. Delight in wonderful Israeli products (check out Negev Nectars, a new company creating delicious olive oils and much more, at negevnectars.com). And redouble your efforts to do your part to protect our environment. In that way, we honor Tu B'Shevat and make it the meaningful holiday it deserves to be.