At the end of 2008, Teva was generously gifted the Topsy Turvy School Bus. Teva has since converted the bus to run on used vegetable oil and outfitted the interior to serve as a Jewish environmental education learning space.
A Brief Teva Topsy Turvy Bus History
Over the last three years, Teva conducted three epic bus programs for over 2,500 participants of all ages. The first tour in 2009 was in honor of Birkat Hachamah, the birthday of the sun, and traveled across the Northeast and also to Cleveland. The second tour, in partnership with Hazon, went across the country to California and back, to raise awareness for the Jewish Climate Change Initiative. Teva’s 2011 bus tour went to the Southeast from February to April and was entitled from Purim to Freedom.
These mind-bending adventures have stretched imaginations, showing communities 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 with Teva educators?
If you're interested in booking a program, email , or call her @ 212.807.6376 x114.
Read more below and follow the bus on the Topsy Turvy Bus Tour blog here.
- Originally commissioned by Ben Cohen, of Ben & Jerry’s
- Built by Tom Kennedy and his partner, Haideen at Tom Kennedy’s Art Cars shop, in San Francisco, CA, in 2007
- First mission was to reduce Pentagon spending waste with “True Majority” and “Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities”
- Second mission was to advocate for the White House Organic Farm project
- Next mission was to transform Jewish education through experiential learning around Jewish and ecological sustainability with Teva Learning Alliance
At Teva
- The Teva Learning Alliance–a non-profit Jewish environmental education organization-- acquired the bus through a grant in fall of 2008
- Our first tour (Spring of 2009) toured the Northeast and Cleveland, teaching students of all ages about solar energy and the Jewish holiday of Birkat Ha-Chamah (blessing of the sun)
- Our second tour went cross-country, to California and back (Nov. 2009 – March 2010), teaching students of all ages about renewable energy during and after the Jewish holiday of Chanukah
- Our third tour (Feb. – April 2011) toured the Southeast to the Florida Keys, during the Jewish holidays of Purim and Passover, teaching people from pre-school to seniors
