Director's Report March 27th to April 8th, 2011

Student Culture Night
     On Monday, March 28th, the students gathered for their first culture night of the semester. It was a nice community event as many staff, kibbutz members and their families also attended. The evening started off with an American presentation of how to make a proper peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There were then a few presentations about Jordanian and American culture through pictures. The Israelis presented an extremely funny skit about an Israeli Passover seder and after that there was a beautiful Arab wedding ceremony. There were a few music pieces preformed and a few poems read as well. To finish the night the Arab students led us in a dabke (Arabic dance) and from there we danced the night away.It was another very successful evening and it was very nice to see the community come together and celebrate everyone's culture. Report provided by Josh Neirman

Food Sustainability Workshop
     Tali Adini, Director of EcoPaths and I attended a Food Sustainability Workshop held on March 28th and 29th at the Nes Ziona guest house in the Carmel Mountains.  The guest house is located on a mountain top that overlooks areas  that were part of the carmel forest fire disaster in the fall of last year.  The fire did not reach the guest house but came very close.
     Two years ago, the Arava Institue, together with the Heschel Center held Israel's first ever sustainable food confenrece, "Food for Thought".  Ever since then, the Heschel Center and the institute have been deliberating on how to bring in additional partners and create a real coaltion of individuals and organizations who are working together to promote a more sustainable food system in Israel.  Heschel used the funding for its annual think tank workshop MAOF to fund a 2 day coalition building workshop.  About 20 people attended including  representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Local Governments Council, a variety of non-governmental organizations working on food security, nutrition, vegeterianism, sustainable food supply as well as organic farmers and interested individuals.  The program included round-table discussions, "coffee house" discussions, "speed dating" and other creative ways to put on the table issues such as the food supply chain, the role of the major supermarket chains, government impediments to small local food supply industries, food security, nutrion, processed food, organic farming, farmers markets etc.
     The two day workshop produced an agend and a variety of projects that will be followed up through ad-hoc committees and continued coalition building. One of the important results of the workshop is the development of a Sustainable Food Covenant which will help the newly formed coalition to create a common agenda and action plan. Tali and I agreed that the conference was very helpful and that the Arava Institue must find a way to continue our involvement in the initiative.


Student Water Trip
     On Monday April 4th the students departed on a three-day field trip for the Water Management course. On the first morning the group visited the sinkholes in the Dead Sea area and learned about the Dead Sea Works company that extracts minerals and resources from the increasingly destabilized Dead Sea. Dr. Clive Lipchin, an expert in water management in the Middle East, acted as tour guide and teacher, gave information about many sites along the way and provoked discussion on issues the students are learning about in class. As they drove along the Israeli side of the Dead Sea, the students also learned about what is happening to the Dead Sea and about water resources on the Jordanian side.

     After viewing several areas near the Dead Sea, the students arrived at a swimming beach for lunch, just in time for the first rainfall of the trip. The students witnessed the rare sight of large waterfalls cascading from the cliffs of Ein Gedi and as the journey continued north many more waterfalls could be seen from the road. Very fitting for a trip designed to learn about the water systems and resources in the region, the students stopped at a large waterfall next to the road and watched the roaring water fall from the towering cliffs above, flood the road and flow into the Dead Sea. Successfully bypassing the area through the rain and floods, the bus continued and made several more stops in the Dead Sea region for more lectures from Clive. The group then stopped at the Lido Junction, which sits at the northern tip of the Dead Sea. There the group discussed issues related to the history of the Dead Sea Region, in relation to transboundary ownership and management. They  discussed the ways in which the area has changed as the waters have receded and ownership has changed hands over time. They arrived at EcoME, an alumni project in the West Bank that is easily accessed by Israelis and Palestinians, learning about a successful alumni venture and were hosted overnight by Arava Institute alumni Yair Wahle, Rina Kedem, Ilana Meallem, Jennifer Golding and the rest of the EcoME team.
     Flexibility was required of both students and staff when the planned hike had to be cancelled due to flooding in the desert, and the group set off through the lightly falling rain to a natural spring north of Jericho to hear about the spring that provides water for the settlements and villages in the area. The visit included a lecture from Clive and an improptu trash cleanup at the spring. From there the students continued to Uja village for lunch and then a visit to a family home to learn about the sewage treatment systems that individual households maintain without relying on waste water infrastructure. In the afternoon the group visited a village in East Jerusalem to understand the problems of wastewater systems related to the political situation and the interests of Palestinians and Israelis working together on wastewater management. There the group also visited a current student's home and heard from a community member about the efforts to manage water in the village.
     The group had dinner in East Jerusalem at a restaurant owned by the family of alumnus Ihab Baraket and spent the night in Nes Harim in the Jerusalem mountains. They woke up early to arrive at the Palmachim Desalination plant south of Tel Aviv and were given an in-depth educational tour of the facility to learn about alternative water resources in a region that has very few (and those are rapidly depleting). After several hours at the plant the group visited the Palmachim beach, which was recently saved from development by an environmental campaign.  One of the campaign activists came to speak with the students at Ketura earlier in the semester to teach them about activism in the Environmental Leadership course. After lunch, sand-castle building, volleyball, and swimming, the students left the beach and arrived at the last stop on the field trip: the biggest waste water treatment facility in the world, the Shafdan waster water treatement plant. After an hour of education, discussion and questions the students were able to tour the entire facility by bus and see the treatment of sewage firsthand!

     Despite a rain cloud following the bus around the country, the trip was successful in educating the students on the many issues of water in the region. The discussions had during the trip are relevant to Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians and students from around the world because it's clear that no water source or treatment system can be considered without thinking of the other people who rely on the same bodies of water to provide fresh water. The trip was also an opportunity for the AIES community to travel together, visit alumni, visit  student's homes, and recognize the borders that are sometimes overlooked while learning in a classroom on campus. Report provided by Lindsey Zemler

Weekly Report January 2nd-14th, 2011

2011 has started off with a flurry of activity:

• On January 3^rd a group of alumni and AIES staff members met in Amman, Jordan to plan the 2011 AAPEN Conference that will take place in Jordan on February 3-5^th. Suleiman, a former student and Program Associate, and the Chair of the 2011 Conference Organizing Committee, hosted the group at restaurant in Amman for a planning session to discuss the conference schedule, speakers, workshops, and logistics. In attendance was Organizing Committee made up of Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian alumni,  as well as AIES staff; Sharón,  the Director of the Alumni Department, Lindsey, the AAPEN intern, Khaled, who does Jordanian recruitment, and Elad, the current Chair of AAPEN, and myself. The team eventually moved the meeting to Suleiman's apartment in order to continue working late into the night, taking advantage of a time in which those from different regions could share a space. The night ended successfully with a feeling of progress and with a visit to a local sweet shop that provided us with their last piece of kanafeh.
• On Tuesday, January 4th, Taal Goldman, Sababa Coordinator and I met with the Management Committee of Park Timna. The purpose of the meeting was to receive an overview by Yuval Peled, from the Israeli Parks and Nature Authority, of the process for listing Park Timna as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The leadership of Sababa and Park Timna have been discussing this issue and the management of the park in general for sometime.  It was decided to jointly review different international recognition programs and management techniques. After a complete review, a decision will be made as to which direction to go.
• The intergenerational meeting at ECO-ME Center at the Jericho Junction.  If you are on your way to the Dead Sea from Jerusalem, please take a few moments to stop at the newly established ECO-ME Center just after the turnoff to Jericho on the left side of the road.  From the road, it doesn't look like much and admitedly, once you are inside the compound it doesn't look like much more, just a collection of tents, shaded areas, compost toilets, solar panels and camp fires, but I believe that for those who look carefully, you will realize that you are seeing a revolution.  I had the opportunity to visit the ECO-ME Center, established about 4 weeks ago by 4 Arava Institute Alumni, Ilana Meallem, Rina Kedem, Jennifer Golding and Yair Wahle and one non-alum, Itamar Cohen, for the first time at the intergenerational meeting on Friday January 7th.  In addition, to the 5 founders, a number of Israeli, Palestinians and internationals have joined the center for a stay of from a few days to a few weeks. The goal of ECO-ME is to create a space in the Middle East which is easily accessible to Israelis and Palestinians for meetings, workshops and ongoing contact.  Eventually, the goal is to find a space which is also easily accessible to Jordanians.  The current location, makes it possible for both Israelis and Palestinians to reach with no need for permits.  The intergenerational meeting included about 40 people, obviously young and old representing different generations of peace and environmental activists. The purpose of the meeting was for the younger generation to learn from the experience of veteran activists in order to build a permanent center and eventually an eco-village.  Though ECO-ME is not a specific Arava Institute project, through the Alumni Programs Department, the institute is providing some support.  I personally was incredibly proud to see how our alumni have taken the lessons learned at the Arava Institute and are turning them from theory into reality.  
• This week the Arava Institute hosted a delegation from Dickinson College who came for a three day site visit from Sunday Jan 9th – Tuesday Jan 11th . The Arava Institute is partnering with Dickinson College on a 4 week program called "Across Borders", which will bring 17 environmental professionals from the United States to the Arava Institute in the summer of 2011.  The program is funded by a large grant from the US State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.   The purpose of the program will be to learn about our local environmental resources, to study the connections between environment and security, and to consider the contributions that environmental studies, economics, political science, policy studies, as well as social, cultural and religious history can offer to resolving these issues effectively and sustainably. The visitors, Steve DePaul, Dr. Andrea Lieber, Dr. Doug Edlin, Dr. Ed Webb, and Bryan Bartosik-Velez, spent their time meeting with Arava Institute staff, attending AIES night, and having lunch with the European Ambassador and his delegation.  
• In parallel to the visit of the delegation from Dickison College, Professor Yaakov Karni, the new Chair of the Arava Institute Board of Directors, and head of solar energy research at the Weizmann Institute, http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ESER/People/Karni/spent three days at the institute getting to the staff, students and our program. Yaakov has already served on the Arava Institute Board for one year and is the head of the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Steering Committee.  The timing of his visit was fortuitous because it coincided with a number of exciting events that took place this week.  
• On Sunday evening, January 9th, the Academic Department held the end of semester AIES Night, when students present their independent study projects and masters research.  This is an evening when the students get a chance to  showcase the fruits of their academic labour and demonstrate exactly what they have learned through their independent study and research projects.  Those students who are taking the independent study course choose a topic and a methodology at the beginning of each semester and then spend once a week doing research.  The students work together with advisors, who provide knowledge and guidance for the mini-research projects.  As Dr. Clive Lipchin, teacher of the course and host of the evening noted this year, 4 of the advisors were Arava Institute alumni.  The kibbutz community center played host to the event which included a combination of Powerpoint and poster presentations to a wide audience of fellow students, staff and faculty and kibbutz members. It was certainly inspiring listening to not only the phenomenal research projects the students are involved in, but also witnessing their dedication to promoting environmental and social change in places where it is sorely needed.

Roy Zaidenberg, student shows his poster with Yonatan Chesler, staff member



• On Monday, January 10th, the Arava Institute was privileged to host the Head of the Delegation to Israel from the European Union, Ambassador Andrew Standley.  Ambassador Standley was accompanied by Rober Krengel, the Head of the Scientific Section and Alexandra Meir, Policy Officer for the Scientific Section.  The visit was initiated by Uri Nusinow our Financial Director who invited the Ambassador to visit the institute last year when Uri attended the Europe Day celebrations held in Tel Aviv at the home of the Ambassador. The visit was flawlessly coordinated by Rutie Kaplan-Roth.  Ambassador Standley was very moved by the mission of the institute, the programs and the students.  The final meeting was our traditional student panel where the Ambassador had the opportunity to hear from 4 students about their experiences at the Arava Institute. The Ambassador asked questions and then summarized his visit by praising the students and the work of the institute.  I believe that we now have a new and influential friend of the institute.  As I accompanied the Ambassador and his colleagues back to their car for their 4 hour trip back to Tel Aviv, it occurred to me that the EU Ambassador to Israel had made this trip especially to see the institute.  He did not stop by on his way to Eilat.  He got in the car, drove 4 hours to Ketura and when the visit was over, got in his car and drove back to Tel Aviv!



Ambassador Standley addresses the students

• Solar for Gaza and Sderot Workshop - from January 11 to 13, 2011, over fifteen energy and environment experts from the academic, non-profit and private sectors in Israel, Palestine, the United States and Europe convened at the Arava Institute for the initial workshop of the Solar for Gaza and Sderot (S4GS) project. The workshop, "Exploring the Role of Renewable Energy in Addressing Humanitarian Concerns," was distinctive for enabling residents of the Gaza Strip and Israeli border region, among others, to meet. The workshop agenda was designed to facilitate discussion, networking and planning among potential partners for research, education programs, technical trainings and applied projects focused on addressing the humanitarian and energy crises in the Gaza Strip and contributing to a more sustainable and peaceful cross-border region.

Discussion of next steps

• The first five panel sessions and video-conference presentations explored the current conditions in the Gaza Strip and Israeli border region; potential roles for renewable energy in achieving better living conditions in Gaza; the threats of non-renewable energy and climate change to the region; the state of the Palestinian energy sector; and the value and feasibility of cross-border, civil society cooperation. The final session of the workshop, facilitated by two students of Tufts University, resulted in a list of next steps, long-term objectives and potential joint projects, including providing a clinic in Gaza with solar power, building household-scale solar desalination applications and bringing Gazan students to the Arava Institute.While the current political situation, regional instability and siege on Gaza produce formidable challenges to enacting any educational, research or applied projects, the workshop was a significant, first step toward understanding the need and feasibility of these efforts as well as the interest in pursuing them among potential partners. The S4GS workshop also included a regional tour of local renewable energy initiatives in the southern Arava and informative evening discussions on conditions in Gaza and the Israeli border region with Institute staff and students and members of Kibbutz Ketura. The workshop was organized by the Arava Institute, the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University and the Sustainable Spatial Development Group at the University of Liechtenstein, with the integral support of the Merrin Family Fund and the Israeli Ministry of Regional Cooperation.

 David Lehrer