Shalom, Salaam and eco-Peace from the Middle East
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv 
on 05.31.06
It's a bit sad that environmental awareness in the middle east is years behind that of Europe and the US. But then again, have you ever tried hugging an olive tree or cactus? Although it may be an adventure, being ecologically aware in Israel is not always so simple. National security and defense most often takes precedence over cleaning up a river; a good chunk of the society is focusing on survival (not yoga classes and organic farming!); and the social barriers between Israeli Arabs and Jews make it hard for communities to band together and demand certain basic rights from industry and the government. Environmentalism in Israel is lagging about 15 years behind that of Europe and North America, many say, but things are changing. Thanks to an influx of eco-ambassadors, like environmental planner Stephanie Firestone from the United States, Israelis are learning how to clean up their act. One such success story is LINK to the Environment, an NGO, based in the Galilee which is grappling the task of teaching both Israeli Arabs and Jews why an individual should be responsible for what happens to the environment.
Each group has their own specific problems. In Arab towns, there is one issue of illegal slaughterhouses and how to dispose of animal remains- dogs can be found parading down the street with rotting animal carcasses dug up from local olive groves, says Rachel, one LINK staffmember. Both Arabs and Jews are dumping toxic chemicals from their garages into backyards- the oils and other nasties are literally running into shared streams. LINK's staff has created a small network of volunteers that speak the local's language, in Arabic and Hebrew, to show people why they should be mindful of their immediate environment. The Galilee is a mixed community in Israel's North. It is lush, green and precious and used by many different people for farming- even organic farming. LINK is showing communities, one person at a time why sometimes individuals need to make sacrifices for the greater good. Raef Shmali from an Arabic village, Arabeh, said that he invested hundreds of dollars in an oil separator to clean used oil from his garage. Before LINK's Arabic-speaking volunteer approached him, he hadn't thought much about the environment as environmental awareness is low in the Arab sector, he said. Now he has converted and is spreading the word to his neighbors! If you are planning a trip to Israel and looking to volunteer, contact LINK. If you speak Arabic or Hebrew all the better. They could use the help cleaning up a river or two.
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Hi, just a quick note:
If you count North Africa as part of the Middle East, take a look at what Tunisia has been doing for years!
Tunisia has been performing well in an environmental perspective, from sustainable urbanism, agriculture, and tourism practices to environmental protection.
Part of this is for practical purposes, part is out of care for their country's landscape and health, and part is because Tunisia is the first Mediterranean country to sign an Association Agreement with the EU which requires stringent environmental legislation and practices.
Plus it was a real great place to live and visit!
Quick question.. sort of off topic but the "dumping chemicals" part made me think of it. What is the environmental impact of waste oil heaters? I will be building a garage apartment soon and was wondering if a waste oil heater would be an acceptable way to heat it? I know it probably burns dirty but what do they do with oil otherwise?
Here in Canada (and the States) we have the "luxury" of focussing on the environment and could still be doing much, much more. Imagine how tough it is to focus on anything but security, living in Israel? Good on any effort they can make.
Wow!
Wait a second! A recent documentary on Deutsche Welle showed the miracles done in Israel. It claimed the country is #1 in the world by the amount of reprocessed (i.e. reused) water (I believe ~80%!), has computerized irrigation (thus controlling the amount of water for each individual plant !!!), has developed desalination technologie and exports fish from the DESERT !!!
So I wouldn't sign on the 15 years lag you mentioned.
I personally was excited to see how far AHEAD Israel is compared with many country in the world, including Europe.
***
evGREENy, to respond to your comment above:
You are right. Israel IS a leader in advanced water technologies. I was at a conference on this issue a few weeks ago where they boasted 60% of Israel's water is being reclaimed. Israel (you are doing your homework!!), according to some sources has the largest desalination plant in the world, and has pioneered the much-beloved low-pressure drip irrigation system.
The issue with water and technology has arisen out of a national need, not environmental idealism I am afraid. Israel, for the last 50 years or so, has been an agriculture heavyweight and needed to manage its limited water sources. As a result in water tech (also hitech and biotech) Israel is a known world leader.
However, when it comes to social awareness and environmental issues, Israelis would get a very low score, in my opinion. There are no blue box collection programs for the home, no recycled newspapers (the Israeli weekend paper weighs about a kilo), composting is not widespread, the air quality in the cities is atrocious, and the number of times sewage has been quiety dumped near the swimmer's beach in Tel Aviv has convinced me to stop swimming...
I will be blogging about some of the country's achievements and shortcomings. Stay posted and feel free to send me suggestions.
Karin