The sixth year of the Heschel Center's Environmental Fellows Program
was launched on September 6th. Once again, the directors of the program, Lia and Jeremy, report that they are humbled by the human and professional richness and clout of the group. This year we seem to have more geographical diversity, a younger median age, a first Vice Mayor, a Major in charge of environmental issues in the IDF, community, social, and feminist activists, an Arab expert on environmental justice in Israel, and the usual mix between people who influence the system from the inside and from the outside. Participants range from a department head in a government ministry to an activist for feminism, civil rights and peace (Women in Black).
Click for short bios of 2004-2005 Fellows |
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Fellows on tour: examining social-environmental conflicts in Jerusalem |
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The Israeli Environment book series
was launched in October by the Heschel Center and Bavel Publishers. The first three books in the series, already greening the shelves of leading bookstores in Israel, are Democracy, Justice and the Environment - by Prof. Avner DeShalit; An Alternative Look at Economics, Society and the Environment - by Prof. Arie Arnon and Dr. Dov Khenin; and Walking Distance - about Consumerism - by Orna Cussin. Upcoming volumes in the series include books on eco-feminism, biotechnology, globalization, and the precautionary principle. The series establishes the first body of knowledge on sustainability in Hebrew, about Israel, by leading thinkers in the field.
To order books (Hebrew only) click here
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New communities join Rikma and learn how to implement sustainability projects:
Rikma is the Hebrew word for embroidery, as well as an acronym for National Network for Local Sustainability. We believe that the Rikma program - training advocates in local municipalities - instigates a snowball effect that over the course of several years will help make sustainability the organizing principle for local communities in Israel. New programs are currently running in the local authority of Emek Hefer, in the neighboring Jewish and Arab authorities of Lev Hasharon and Kalanswa, and one is soon to begin in the coastal town of Zichron Yaakov.
The Rikma project is supported by the Heinrich Boll Foundation.
Read more about Rikma
The first local sustainability academic program
was launched at Tel Aviv University in October, as a joint project of the Heschel Center, the Porter School for Environmental Studies and the Faculty of Social Sciences. 20 students from varied backgrounds enrolled in the Clinic for Urban Sustainability in its first year, with the intent of applying the knowledge and tools they acquire towards Local Agenda 21 projects.
Read more about the program (Hebrew only)
The Israeli Ministry of the Environment has recently published a status report on the Government resolution to incorporate sustainable strategies throughout its ministries.
The Paths to Sustainability coalition of NGOs
organized and coordinated by the Heschel Center, is now in the process of preparing its own, critical, shadow report. In addition, the Coalition will soon be publishing a special insert in the daily Ha'aretz newspaper, informing readers about the government resolution and its implications - among which is the vital element of public participation.
Hakadur Beyadenu - the fifth annual conference for social-environmental education
will take place in Holon this year, on the second day of Chanukah, December 9. Organized by the Heschel Center and the Green Network, this year's conference is dedicated to education in local municipalities. In the program: a keynote address on locality and local identity; seminars about locality and environmental education that will also include a tour and a lecture; an exhibition where organizations will present environmental education tools and materials; and seminars for principals and directors. Last year, 500 educators attended the event.
For more details (Hebrew only)
This year's Maof seminar - the planning and networking retreat for leaders of the environmental movement - will take place on February 8-10, at the Galilean resort village of Vered Hagalil. Returning to the original forum of directors and deputy directors of non-governmental environmental organizations, this year's sessions aim to design a clear agenda and build a joint action plan.
More about Maof
The second Annual JGEN Seminar - the study tours and conferences that bring Jewish environmental experts from around the world to examine Israel's environmental concerns - is scheduled this year for the middle of December, to coincide with Chanukah. With dedicated coordinators now in place both in Israel and in North America, the Jewish Global Environmental Network is slated to become a significant creative resource in the environmental movement in Israel, and a natural route for professional Jews who haven't connected to Israel before to strike roots in the Holy Land.
More about JGEN
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