The issue of sustainability/environment/climate is becoming increasingly imperative, which is why Dan Noam and I decided to check out how this important issue impacts the shared life of Arabs and Jews. We investigated matters in Israel and in the occupied territories of Judea and Samaria, we even explored the impact on our neighbors, as nature doesn’t recognize political borders. We discovered organizations that are investing considerably in this issue. Here’s a list that will hopefully raise awareness and teach us about shared projects happening in the public arena. Please note that clicking on an organization leads you to a Hebrew summary about it including its relation to shared life, the service it provides, its intended audience, areas of activity, contact people, etc. The organizations are listed according to their names in Hebrew alphabetical order. We’d appreciate it if you’d add any organization that we’ve missed that specializes in climate/environmental/sustainability issues with an emphasis on shared life. Write to us and we’ll add it to the list. We wanted to distinguish the organizations listed as those who devote a large part of their vision to Arab-Jewish coexistence. Since this site prides itself on being dynamic, we would be happy to add any relevant organizations that you may suggest.
Citizens for the Environment – this organization works with locals to protect the environment as well as protect people from environmental hazards. Among other things, they promote public awareness of environmental and climate-related issues, encourage active environmental leadership in the community, support action committees in local conflicts, gather and publicize information and boost environmental legislation and policies. Their vision is that they believe that man is a part of his environment, it’s his right to live in a healthy environment and his duty to act to protect the environment, for the good of humankind and future generations. Citizens for the Environment was established in 1990 by Galilee residents, both Jews and Arabs, to work together and protect the environment, natural resources and public health.
EcoPeace – Middle East – an organization of Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian environmentalists whose purpose is to develop and strengthen cooperation in conservation of the environmental legacy of the three nations, emphasizing water resources in the area.
One Climate – working to advance climate justice between the Jordan river and the sea, stopping the harsh effects of the climate crisis in our area and the violation of human rights suffered by native populations due to distributive and environmental inequality. We act in correlation between the ecological and climatic deterioration and the injustice of the ongoing occupation and military rule that lead to both human and environmental injustice.
The Association of Environmental Justice in Israel is an organization that has taken it upon itself to act in the arena of environmental justice and promoting active citizen involvement. Its vision is to take part in decision making processes in the social and environmental areas and promote activities to strengthen and empower people from weaker communities particularly among minorities and in peripheral geographic locations. We recommend you check out the link and peruse the three goals that they’re promoting, from research advancement to issues that relate to climatic security, immigration and nutritional security for Mediterranean countries.
The Council for a Beautiful Israel – CBI is synonymous with environmental education. The Center for Environmental Education is a pillar of environmental education in Israel. During its long years of activity, the center has contributed to the assimilation of environmental values among the hundreds of thousands of students who attended and turned it into a leading educational brand in its field. The council’s environmental education activities have gained a sterling reputation, commencing with the development of experiential and challenging educational programs through workshops for students of all ages throughout Israel, and all the way to running inter-sectoral programs that combine joint research activities for Jewish and Arab students, thus potentially bringing the parties closer through their common work with the environment.
The Israel Urban Forum was established with the aim of creating a broad platform for inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary dialog on urban issues. As part of the international discourse, the Israel Urban Forum’s platform will contribute to the promotion of sustainable urbanism in Israeli society.
The Green Network emphasizes multiculturalism on issues of education-oriented sustainability: a new pedagogy that will acquire an in-depth understanding of environmental-social issues, cultivate values of caring and responsibility, increase the sense of belonging and the ability to lead change. Preschool and school must serve as vibrant incubators of change and seeking alternatives, demonstrating the transition to a safe, beautiful and fair world, showing that living according to the values of sustainability is possible.
Green Course is a grass roots movement emphasizing leadership development, democracy, sharing, transparency and working closely with the various communities in which we operate. We choose our battles and modes of action from the bottom up. We are active in the public sphere in a variety of ways, including non-violent direct action, environmental and social injustice prevention all while producing maximum public resonance to help advance our goals and create a just and sustainable agenda in Israel. Our activities are carried out in broad collaborations with environmental and social organizations, at the regional and global level, and with the communities in which we operate.
The Heschel Center for Sustainability determined its strategy of action through a systemic change requiring a double process, from both above and below. This insight generated the Heschel Center activities: influencing decision makers through researching and developing ways for a righteous transition to a low-carbon economy; extensive activity on the local level demonstrating that life improves when conducted sustainably; networking and connecting people from all walks of Israeli society working towards renewal and repair, since without civilian pressure and demand from the within, there will be no change in policy. The health and economic crisis caused by the Corona plague illustrates that members of society aren’t separate – we are connected and dependent upon each other, just as we rely entirely on nature’s life-supporting systems, which are deteriorating. Together, we can change the rules of the game, build a fair and democratic economy, and enable all humans, as well as nature to thrive.
Peres Center for Peace & Innovation’s project “Green Roofs” is a unique project teaching shared life through sustainability. Training Jewish and Arab tenth graders (girls and boys) in both Hebrew and Arabic to be young leaders, together to teach seventh graders about peace and sustainability. The young leaders will go through a dialog seminar and three training sessions after which they will teach together at mono-cultural get-togethers. Through the educational program, students take part in varied activities that will enrich their knowledge and promote the values of tolerance and acceptance. Teaching sustainability, environmental responsibility, the climate crisis, consumerism and so on, will form a connection between the two communities, will create understanding among the young people since their activities influence each other, and will promote activism for sustainability and shared life. The young leaders will gain experience through the program as well as the social and educational values of giving back to the community, these are the main goals of this program and will surely serve the young leaders as they continue through life.
Sustainable Development for the Negev – this organization views the wholistic connection of all systems to create a sustainable lifestyle as the heart of a sustainable Negev, which means that municipality, community and education cannot be separated. These three factors must be combined in any environmental project with a hope for longevity, consistently and in close cooperation. In the modern world most of the population, daily and business activities take place in urban settlements, where municipalities have an important and even central role in leading a true civil revolution for the quality of life and environment of their inhabitants. The organization is trying to involve the public in decision making and implementation in light on its view of environmental justice, utilizing local human capital and creating affinity and identification between the public and the community.
NAKI Association for the Cleaning Culture in Israel whose goals are to create a ‘home’ and supporting environments for all entrepreneurs and those working for the ultimate goal, ethical, process and essential education to assimilate the value of cleanliness and its implications for our future. Publicizing and raising awareness of a clean environment with an emphasis on nature conservation. Promoting research and implementing the use of measures to determine the level of cleanliness. Increasing enforcement and promoting relevant legislation. Assimilation of advanced technology as well as increasing the use of social networks. Increasing budgets from government ministries and utilizing them as best as possible. Creating collaborations with local and global authorities and organizations with similar goals. The association has representatives from all walks of Israeli society.
Healthy Cities Network in Israel promotes health and the environment in urban settings according to the concepts of ‘health for all’, the ‘Ottawa Convention’ and Agenda 21 for sustainable development. The network is run as a unit of the Israeli local government, it’s aided by the Health Ministry and is Israel’s authorized representative in the European network of ‘healthy cities’ run by the World Health Organization. Its role is to disseminate and implement the idea of “healthy cities” in Israel and to be a platform for inter-city teamwork (networked), for information exchange and experience and to offer support, training and professional guidance to the member municipalities.
Sha’ar LaAdam – Bab L’ilInsan located in the lower Galilee region of Israel, in a forest between Kibbutz Harduf and the Arab village of Ka’abiyye. It’s an international center for educational, ecological and spiritual activities, striving to provide answers to the complex reality between the Jewish and the Arab communities in the Galilee, through the creation of a common Jewish-Arab ecological sustainable culture. Some view it as an ecologic ranch.
15 Minutes Public Transportation Alliance promotes accessible, green and fair transportation for all Israelis. The organization represents public passengers and acts on their behalf opposite the state and local authorities. Its purpose is to increase transportation options as alternatives to private transportation, thus making public transportation a fitting alternative to private cars by shortening travel time in public transportation, improving and adding services, improving comfort and connectivity between different modes of transportation, and so on. The organization sees sustainable public transportation as a key tool to minimize disparities between the center and the periphery, significantly reducing pollution in Israel and advancing a healthy lifestyle for all its inhabitants.
