Turning Air Miles into Climate Action

How One Donor Offsets Emissions for Local Impact

Each time Debby Kornfeld thinks about taking a flight, she considers the cost — not in dollars, but in tons of fossil fuels. With extra wait time in the airport one day, Debby called Mary Hartstein, director of donor engagement and impact, looking to donate to the RENEW Climate Fund to offset the carbon emissions from her trip. “I’m going to help somebody stay warmer in the winter or cooler in the summer. That’s tangible,” Debby says.

RENEW, or Rochester ENergy Efficiency and Weatherization, is a Community Foundation initiative that helps income-qualified homeowners with improvements that make where they live more efficient, safer, and more comfortable, all while reducing carbon emissions in our community. People who can least afford to contribute to climate change’s causes often bear the brunt of its effects. RENEW aims to address that injustice.

As a Jewish Rochesterian and an environmentalist, Debby cares about clean air and water, life in all its forms, her large extended family, and the next generation. Her faith tells her to take care of strangers and the Earth, and offers a model for turning abstract ideas into everyday actions. She enjoys feeling the concrete impact of her gifts to RENEW each time she flies.

Debby is savvy about the tax benefits of giving to charity using required minimum distributions from her IRA. “We’re not incredibly wealthy, but on January 4^th, I feel like Rockefeller. I say, make checks to this organization and that one. There’s a lot of joy in that.”

Learn more about RENEW and how you can turn environmental concern into action through the Climate Fund.