Check out our brand new WATER video which highlights all of the great environmental work were doing in Israel -- from buiding reservoirs and drip irrigation to water conversation projects and education programs.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Check Out Our Sponsors Of The Month!
Recycled Office Products - A Full Line Office Supplies Company with 48 Distribution Points in the U.S.A. It includes eco-friendly products at the lowest price.
From the company: Recycling is one of the easiest ways we can help slow climate change and global warming. By recycling at home, we help significantly lower carbon emissions associated with extracting virgin materials and manufacturing those materials into products. Making goods from recycled materials requires less energy and generates less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials, and it reduces damage to forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife.
Buygreen.com - A market leader in the sales and distribution of green and eco-friendly products, BuyGreen.com is a website that serves as an educational resource created to inform and educate the population regarding the importance of living in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, and how to transition to a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Designed to address the needs of a growing population of environmentally-conscious shoppers around thecountry, BuyGreen.com delivers a wide variety of environmentally-friendly products through its website to provide consumers with ease-of-shopping, broad selection, good prices, and great service.
From the company: Recycling is one of the easiest ways we can help slow climate change and global warming. By recycling at home, we help significantly lower carbon emissions associated with extracting virgin materials and manufacturing those materials into products. Making goods from recycled materials requires less energy and generates less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials, and it reduces damage to forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife.
Buygreen.com - A market leader in the sales and distribution of green and eco-friendly products, BuyGreen.com is a website that serves as an educational resource created to inform and educate the population regarding the importance of living in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, and how to transition to a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Designed to address the needs of a growing population of environmentally-conscious shoppers around thecountry, BuyGreen.com delivers a wide variety of environmentally-friendly products through its website to provide consumers with ease-of-shopping, broad selection, good prices, and great service.
Monday, December 29, 2008
JNF helps combat desertification - JPost Article
Many countries view Israel as a professional authority on central ecological issues, of which the primary ones are combating desertification and forest development. One only has to listen to the experts who gathered in Israel for an international seminar on combating desertification and Afforestation in arid zones to comprehend the degree of success Israel has had in this field and the true needs of the numerous countries that are struggling with desertification. [read more]
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Israel presents eucalyptus researchers with tree-saving solution
Israel presents eucalyptus researchers with tree-saving solution
Love them or hate them, since they were brought to the West in 1770, eucalyptus trees have played an important part in modern forestation. On the plus side, they grow quickly, give plenty of shade and dry the swamps; on the minus side, they're water-suckers that uproot paths and sidewalks. Nonetheless, the hardy camaldulensis "Red Gum" strain of eucalyptus is a staple component not just in landscaping and forestry but also industry, where it is a reliable, inexpensive source of wood, cellulose for paper, and oils used to produce cleaning and deodorizing products, food supplements; (such as cough drops), even mosquito repellant.
This resource has been threatened in recent years by a tiny 1mm long parasite, the gall wasp or cynipidae, whose reproductive process invades plants, causing them to form a variety of strangely shaped, colored "galls" that make the leaves drop off and leave trees ravaged and bare.
China, India, Thailand, Brazil, Central and South Africa, and the Mediterranean basin including Israel have all been infested by gall wasps. And the plague is spreading: just last month, at a course on how Israel is fighting the pest - and winning - word came in that cynipidae were identified in Florida and are likely to reach California shortly.
The course, jointly organized by the KKL-JNF Forestry and Development Department and the Department of Entomology of the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO, also known as the Volcani Institute), was held in response to requests from several countries for information to save their commercial eucalyptus groves.
Finding a natural enemy
Eucalyptus researchers and commercial growers from around the world attended a training course on eucalyptus forestry and agro-forestry with an emphasis on two invasive gall wasps and their natural enemies.
"There are 15,000 hectares of eucalyptus in Israel," says conference co-organizer David Brand, head of the JNF Department of Forestry and Development. "For the sake of comparison, in China there are hundreds of millions of hectares which are used to supply the paper industry. Thailand plants 100 million saplings every year, China plants half a billion every year, in Africa eucalyptus is used by local farmers for fuel. And we weren't aware of it but in India, eucalyptus is a source of income for hundreds of thousands of private farmers whose livelihood is the paper industry. Yet despite our small size, they told us, 'You in Israel are rescuing us.'"
Israel entered the gall wasp fray seven years ago after massive damage was caused to Israel's eucalyptus trees. "JNF and ARO identified the problem early and initiated an international project to find a natural enemy of these wasps," Brand tells ISRAEL21c.
After an exhaustive two-year search, a team of JNF-funded scientists finally found a biological adversary in Northern Australia, another 1mm long wasp called closterocerus. "We brought them to Israel, quarantined them, and after making sure this natural enemy only harmed cynipidae, we let them loose," says Brand.
The Israeli solution has a powerful booster in research partner Dr. John La Salle: head of the Australian National Insect Collection at CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. When the gall wasp reached Florida, he was contacted by the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and he advised them to turn to Israel for help.
November's training course familiarized participants with management strategies concerning eucalyptus cultivation and presented the most up-to-date uses of eucalyptus trees: propagation and use of eucalyptus in nurseries for arid land afforestation and management; disposal of wastewater through irrigation of eucalyptus plantations; and eucalyptus biotechnology.
The group was also given a presentation by CBD Technologies, part of Futuragene, an Israel-US bio-engineering firm that has developed high-performing transgenic eucalyptus for the plantation forest industry that is resistant to cynipidae.
Giving the predators free of charge
"They were stunned by our activity here in Israel. We took them to the north and the south, to see our fight against desertification, commercial forestation, water recycling for irrigation and eucalyptus to provide an ongoing supply of nectar and pollen for bees grazing in seasons where there is no fruit tree flowering," says Brand.
There are 700 types of eucalyptus in Israel, he adds, and JNF distributes 200,000 saplings a year free of charge for forestation and bee grazing.
Israel is reproducing parasites to eradicate gall wasp at ARO, offering these to other countries free-of-charge, as well as research support. At the end of the course, scientists from China, India and Italy were entrusted with sealed packages containing eucalyptus branches infested with both cynipidae and eggs of two varieties of closterocerus. More requests for such packages will come, believes Brand.
"There were participants from China, India, Kenya, Uganda, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Australia and South Africa, where the pests haven't invaded yet, but authorities are convinced they're not long in coming. The same it true for Kenya; they want to be prepared in advance."
Love them or hate them, since they were brought to the West in 1770, eucalyptus trees have played an important part in modern forestation. On the plus side, they grow quickly, give plenty of shade and dry the swamps; on the minus side, they're water-suckers that uproot paths and sidewalks. Nonetheless, the hardy camaldulensis "Red Gum" strain of eucalyptus is a staple component not just in landscaping and forestry but also industry, where it is a reliable, inexpensive source of wood, cellulose for paper, and oils used to produce cleaning and deodorizing products, food supplements; (such as cough drops), even mosquito repellant.
This resource has been threatened in recent years by a tiny 1mm long parasite, the gall wasp or cynipidae, whose reproductive process invades plants, causing them to form a variety of strangely shaped, colored "galls" that make the leaves drop off and leave trees ravaged and bare.
China, India, Thailand, Brazil, Central and South Africa, and the Mediterranean basin including Israel have all been infested by gall wasps. And the plague is spreading: just last month, at a course on how Israel is fighting the pest - and winning - word came in that cynipidae were identified in Florida and are likely to reach California shortly.
The course, jointly organized by the KKL-JNF Forestry and Development Department and the Department of Entomology of the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO, also known as the Volcani Institute), was held in response to requests from several countries for information to save their commercial eucalyptus groves.
Finding a natural enemy
Eucalyptus researchers and commercial growers from around the world attended a training course on eucalyptus forestry and agro-forestry with an emphasis on two invasive gall wasps and their natural enemies.
"There are 15,000 hectares of eucalyptus in Israel," says conference co-organizer David Brand, head of the JNF Department of Forestry and Development. "For the sake of comparison, in China there are hundreds of millions of hectares which are used to supply the paper industry. Thailand plants 100 million saplings every year, China plants half a billion every year, in Africa eucalyptus is used by local farmers for fuel. And we weren't aware of it but in India, eucalyptus is a source of income for hundreds of thousands of private farmers whose livelihood is the paper industry. Yet despite our small size, they told us, 'You in Israel are rescuing us.'"
Israel entered the gall wasp fray seven years ago after massive damage was caused to Israel's eucalyptus trees. "JNF and ARO identified the problem early and initiated an international project to find a natural enemy of these wasps," Brand tells ISRAEL21c.
After an exhaustive two-year search, a team of JNF-funded scientists finally found a biological adversary in Northern Australia, another 1mm long wasp called closterocerus. "We brought them to Israel, quarantined them, and after making sure this natural enemy only harmed cynipidae, we let them loose," says Brand.
The Israeli solution has a powerful booster in research partner Dr. John La Salle: head of the Australian National Insect Collection at CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. When the gall wasp reached Florida, he was contacted by the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and he advised them to turn to Israel for help.
November's training course familiarized participants with management strategies concerning eucalyptus cultivation and presented the most up-to-date uses of eucalyptus trees: propagation and use of eucalyptus in nurseries for arid land afforestation and management; disposal of wastewater through irrigation of eucalyptus plantations; and eucalyptus biotechnology.
The group was also given a presentation by CBD Technologies, part of Futuragene, an Israel-US bio-engineering firm that has developed high-performing transgenic eucalyptus for the plantation forest industry that is resistant to cynipidae.
Giving the predators free of charge
"They were stunned by our activity here in Israel. We took them to the north and the south, to see our fight against desertification, commercial forestation, water recycling for irrigation and eucalyptus to provide an ongoing supply of nectar and pollen for bees grazing in seasons where there is no fruit tree flowering," says Brand.
There are 700 types of eucalyptus in Israel, he adds, and JNF distributes 200,000 saplings a year free of charge for forestation and bee grazing.
Israel is reproducing parasites to eradicate gall wasp at ARO, offering these to other countries free-of-charge, as well as research support. At the end of the course, scientists from China, India and Italy were entrusted with sealed packages containing eucalyptus branches infested with both cynipidae and eggs of two varieties of closterocerus. More requests for such packages will come, believes Brand.
"There were participants from China, India, Kenya, Uganda, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Australia and South Africa, where the pests haven't invaded yet, but authorities are convinced they're not long in coming. The same it true for Kenya; they want to be prepared in advance."
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Check Out Our Sponsors Of The Month!
Each month, we'll be brining you information about environmentally friendly businesses that can be found in our Eco-Directory. Please use this as a resouce for finding out about company's that are doing their part to help the planet.
KATAN ADVENTURES
Katan Adventures provides the very best in eco-minded, outdoor adventure travel for Jews and Friends of the Jew in their 20s and 30s to the most exciting destinations worldwide. All Katan Adventures reflect the fundamental value of tikkun olam. As a result, Katan Adventures has committed itself to sustainable travel practices; what it likes to call, "EcoloJEWcal" travel. Furthermore, Katan Adventures is one of the only adventure travel providers to automatically offset all carbon omissions from its participants' ground and air transportation through its partnership with TerraPass. For more information on Katan Adventures' surfing, rafting, hiking, mountain biking and skiing trips around the world as well as its EcoloJEWcal way of traveling, please visit their website.
TIKKUN OLAM, LAC
Tikkun Olam, LAC, is dedicated to creating specialty gift bags that are environmentally responsible. Our company, meaning Repair the World in Hebrew, uses the utmost care when researching, choosing, and creating products to include in our products. Tikkun Olam's goal is to provide our customers with a product that is not only unique and daz zling, but also boasts tree-free, organic, and renewable materials. We collaborate with Fair Trade companies for a number of our custom-made products, thus helping to provide steady wages to skilled workers around the world. Informational inserts, unique to the theme of each gift bag, provide fresh and inventive perspectives on how we can consciously construct more environmentally responsible lives. In addition, a percentage of all sales profits are regularly donated to several charities with whom we are affiliated.
It is the responsibility of us all to protect and preserve our world, a sentiment exemplified by Baal Tashchit from the Book of Deuteronomy. One of Tikkun Olam's ongoing goals is to further reduce our company's carbon footprint. The use of tree-free and recycled products, the installation of solar panels on two of our office locations, and simply giving more than we take, are some of the "steps" we are making to do so. Also the use of recycled products, buying food from local organic farmers and composting our waste. Driving a hybrid car and encouraging my daughter's school to become more "green"
Tikkun Olam offers outstanding and uncommon products that bring joy to recipients while spreading the message of love, awareness, and charity.
KATAN ADVENTURES
Katan Adventures provides the very best in eco-minded, outdoor adventure travel for Jews and Friends of the Jew in their 20s and 30s to the most exciting destinations worldwide. All Katan Adventures reflect the fundamental value of tikkun olam. As a result, Katan Adventures has committed itself to sustainable travel practices; what it likes to call, "EcoloJEWcal" travel. Furthermore, Katan Adventures is one of the only adventure travel providers to automatically offset all carbon omissions from its participants' ground and air transportation through its partnership with TerraPass. For more information on Katan Adventures' surfing, rafting, hiking, mountain biking and skiing trips around the world as well as its EcoloJEWcal way of traveling, please visit their website.
TIKKUN OLAM, LAC
Tikkun Olam, LAC, is dedicated to creating specialty gift bags that are environmentally responsible. Our company, meaning Repair the World in Hebrew, uses the utmost care when researching, choosing, and creating products to include in our products. Tikkun Olam's goal is to provide our customers with a product that is not only unique and daz zling, but also boasts tree-free, organic, and renewable materials. We collaborate with Fair Trade companies for a number of our custom-made products, thus helping to provide steady wages to skilled workers around the world. Informational inserts, unique to the theme of each gift bag, provide fresh and inventive perspectives on how we can consciously construct more environmentally responsible lives. In addition, a percentage of all sales profits are regularly donated to several charities with whom we are affiliated.
It is the responsibility of us all to protect and preserve our world, a sentiment exemplified by Baal Tashchit from the Book of Deuteronomy. One of Tikkun Olam's ongoing goals is to further reduce our company's carbon footprint. The use of tree-free and recycled products, the installation of solar panels on two of our office locations, and simply giving more than we take, are some of the "steps" we are making to do so. Also the use of recycled products, buying food from local organic farmers and composting our waste. Driving a hybrid car and encouraging my daughter's school to become more "green"
Tikkun Olam offers outstanding and uncommon products that bring joy to recipients while spreading the message of love, awareness, and charity.
Monday, November 10, 2008
National Clean Up Day Bill Approved - Clean Up Israel 2008
Click here to see where some of the money collected from GoNeutral is going.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Israel Builds It's First Eco-Friendly Town
Israel builds its first 'eco-friendly' town
It's one thing to adopt environmentally conscious behavior, such as recycling, taking public transportation, and saving water or electricity. But that's not enough for the future residents of the now developing community of Nurit. They plan to live green.
That's because the Mt. Gilboa town of Nurit is set to be the first planned, eco-friendly community in Israel, with infrastructure and services designed not just to encourage, but to actually enforce environmentally responsible behavior. If you're planning on living in Nurit, says Danny Atar, chairman of the Gilboa Regional Council, you're by definition willing to go out of your way to save water, avoid excess waste, and in general reduce your carbon footprint. "Otherwise, Nurit is not for you," he says.
The idea for Nurit stemmed from discussions conducted by Gilboa Regional Council officials nearly a decade ago, as they were seeking to build tourism in the area, as well as comply with new government requirements to introduce environmentally responsible educational programs and activities.
"We are also considering putting up a new town to attract more residents here from the center of the country, and the whole project just sort of made sense," Atar tells ISRAEL21c. "Thus was Nurit born."
First homes ready in a year
And, after intense study and consultations with environmental experts around the world, the town is ready for prime time; work has begun on infrastructure, and the first 100 homes will be ready next year. By 2012, there will be 400 families living in Nurit, Atar says.
Located on Mt. Gilboa itself, Nurit will take advantage of the mountain's wind and sun to generate power, and will install dozens of wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, enough to provide electricity for all the public buildings in Nurit - and then some.
"We recently got approved for a program by the Israel Electric Company, where residents and public buildings will be able to mount solar PV units on their roofs and sell the electricity to the IEC," says Atar.
"Together with turbines to generate electricity from wind, we expect that the electricity we generate will be enough to light most of the schools, offices, streetlights, and park lights in Nurit - as well as save homeowners money on their energy bill, since they can get credits for the power their roof PV systems generate that they don't use, selling it back to the IEC." Atar says.
The regional council has a program that provides loans for residents to buy and install the PV panel setup, or residents can design the systems into their construction plans, he adds.
Trees as cooling canopy Residents will also be asked to grow tall, leafy trees around their homes, creating a natural "cooling canopy" that will help cut down on the need for artificial cooling and heating systems, "saving electricity and reducing pollutants in the atmosphere," Atar says. And, residents will be asked to build their homes using effective insulation systems, to further reduce the need for air conditioners or heaters. "We hope to be able to limit the use of artificial heating and cooling solutions to the hottest or coldest days of the year," Atar says.
Nurit residents will be required to save water - naturally. "In theory, Israel gets more than enough rainfall, but much of the rain is lost to evaporation or runs off to the sea," Atar says. "We are requiring all residents to build rain collection systems and mini-reservoirs to store rainwater. The water will then be funneled into the town reservoir, allowing us to cut down significantly on our use of water from Mekorot, which is drawn from either the Kinneret or Israel's underground aquifers."
With the Kinneret [the Sea of Galilee] at an all time low, and Israel scrambling to build desalination plants to make up for projected water shortages, Nurit's efforts could serve as a model for other, non eco-friendly communities as well.
Saving rainwater is important, but saving "gray water" is even more important, say many environmentalists - and Nurit is requiring all homeowners to install a gray water collection system, which will store waster water from dishwashing, bathing, and other non-sewage ("black water") sources.
The storage of gray water entails building a separate drainage system, which funnels the water into a tank - and is then used for a variety of purposes, such as watering gardens, decorative fountains, etc. "No one in Nurit will be permitted to use fresh water to water his or her lawn," Atar says. "Residents will use gray water to water their lawns and run watering systems for plants or orchards."
Unfortunately, Nurit won't be able to encourage its residents to trade in their cars for commuting by train, because there is no Israel Railways line in the area, at least for now. But the town will have a complete complement of local and inter-city bus service for those who need to travel. Actually, it is expected that most of Nurit's residents will work in the area, either at home businesses, in tourist-oriented services such as bed and breakfasts or restaurants, or at one of the industrial zones in the area.
"Many of the homes have been zoned for use as businesses as well, so a resident can operate a small business in their backyard," Atar says. "There is an industrial zone three minutes out of town, mostly with light manufacturing or agriculture industry allied services. And tourism in this region is expected to skyrocket when regular horse racing begins at the Afula Hippodrome, only a few minutes from here," he adds.
Nurit is open to anyone willing to live by the town's eco-friendly ethos - and many Israelis are willing, apparently, because there is already a long waiting list for lots.
"We've already got about 700 families who have made a deposit to get into the lottery for a chance to buy a plot, with more signing up all the time," Atar says. "The lots, which will have extensive infrastructure to support the gray water drainage and reservoirs system, cost $120,000 to $150,000 - not particularly high for people coming from the center of the country, where many of the Nurit hopefuls come from, and certainly not expensive, when you consider the cost of the infrastructure."
Most applicants are from big cities - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and its suburbs. A few people from the kibbutzim in the area have signed up as well, but the majority are new to the lower Galilee. Which already makes Nurit a success, as far as Atar is concerned. "This is a beautiful part of the country to live in, and thanks to Nurit, hundreds of families are going to get the opportunity to find out just how beautiful it really is," Atar says.
It's one thing to adopt environmentally conscious behavior, such as recycling, taking public transportation, and saving water or electricity. But that's not enough for the future residents of the now developing community of Nurit. They plan to live green.
That's because the Mt. Gilboa town of Nurit is set to be the first planned, eco-friendly community in Israel, with infrastructure and services designed not just to encourage, but to actually enforce environmentally responsible behavior. If you're planning on living in Nurit, says Danny Atar, chairman of the Gilboa Regional Council, you're by definition willing to go out of your way to save water, avoid excess waste, and in general reduce your carbon footprint. "Otherwise, Nurit is not for you," he says.
The idea for Nurit stemmed from discussions conducted by Gilboa Regional Council officials nearly a decade ago, as they were seeking to build tourism in the area, as well as comply with new government requirements to introduce environmentally responsible educational programs and activities.
"We are also considering putting up a new town to attract more residents here from the center of the country, and the whole project just sort of made sense," Atar tells ISRAEL21c. "Thus was Nurit born."
First homes ready in a year
And, after intense study and consultations with environmental experts around the world, the town is ready for prime time; work has begun on infrastructure, and the first 100 homes will be ready next year. By 2012, there will be 400 families living in Nurit, Atar says.
Located on Mt. Gilboa itself, Nurit will take advantage of the mountain's wind and sun to generate power, and will install dozens of wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, enough to provide electricity for all the public buildings in Nurit - and then some.
"We recently got approved for a program by the Israel Electric Company, where residents and public buildings will be able to mount solar PV units on their roofs and sell the electricity to the IEC," says Atar.
"Together with turbines to generate electricity from wind, we expect that the electricity we generate will be enough to light most of the schools, offices, streetlights, and park lights in Nurit - as well as save homeowners money on their energy bill, since they can get credits for the power their roof PV systems generate that they don't use, selling it back to the IEC." Atar says.
The regional council has a program that provides loans for residents to buy and install the PV panel setup, or residents can design the systems into their construction plans, he adds.
Trees as cooling canopy Residents will also be asked to grow tall, leafy trees around their homes, creating a natural "cooling canopy" that will help cut down on the need for artificial cooling and heating systems, "saving electricity and reducing pollutants in the atmosphere," Atar says. And, residents will be asked to build their homes using effective insulation systems, to further reduce the need for air conditioners or heaters. "We hope to be able to limit the use of artificial heating and cooling solutions to the hottest or coldest days of the year," Atar says.
Nurit residents will be required to save water - naturally. "In theory, Israel gets more than enough rainfall, but much of the rain is lost to evaporation or runs off to the sea," Atar says. "We are requiring all residents to build rain collection systems and mini-reservoirs to store rainwater. The water will then be funneled into the town reservoir, allowing us to cut down significantly on our use of water from Mekorot, which is drawn from either the Kinneret or Israel's underground aquifers."
With the Kinneret [the Sea of Galilee] at an all time low, and Israel scrambling to build desalination plants to make up for projected water shortages, Nurit's efforts could serve as a model for other, non eco-friendly communities as well.
Saving rainwater is important, but saving "gray water" is even more important, say many environmentalists - and Nurit is requiring all homeowners to install a gray water collection system, which will store waster water from dishwashing, bathing, and other non-sewage ("black water") sources.
The storage of gray water entails building a separate drainage system, which funnels the water into a tank - and is then used for a variety of purposes, such as watering gardens, decorative fountains, etc. "No one in Nurit will be permitted to use fresh water to water his or her lawn," Atar says. "Residents will use gray water to water their lawns and run watering systems for plants or orchards."
Unfortunately, Nurit won't be able to encourage its residents to trade in their cars for commuting by train, because there is no Israel Railways line in the area, at least for now. But the town will have a complete complement of local and inter-city bus service for those who need to travel. Actually, it is expected that most of Nurit's residents will work in the area, either at home businesses, in tourist-oriented services such as bed and breakfasts or restaurants, or at one of the industrial zones in the area.
"Many of the homes have been zoned for use as businesses as well, so a resident can operate a small business in their backyard," Atar says. "There is an industrial zone three minutes out of town, mostly with light manufacturing or agriculture industry allied services. And tourism in this region is expected to skyrocket when regular horse racing begins at the Afula Hippodrome, only a few minutes from here," he adds.
Nurit is open to anyone willing to live by the town's eco-friendly ethos - and many Israelis are willing, apparently, because there is already a long waiting list for lots.
"We've already got about 700 families who have made a deposit to get into the lottery for a chance to buy a plot, with more signing up all the time," Atar says. "The lots, which will have extensive infrastructure to support the gray water drainage and reservoirs system, cost $120,000 to $150,000 - not particularly high for people coming from the center of the country, where many of the Nurit hopefuls come from, and certainly not expensive, when you consider the cost of the infrastructure."
Most applicants are from big cities - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and its suburbs. A few people from the kibbutzim in the area have signed up as well, but the majority are new to the lower Galilee. Which already makes Nurit a success, as far as Atar is concerned. "This is a beautiful part of the country to live in, and thanks to Nurit, hundreds of families are going to get the opportunity to find out just how beautiful it really is," Atar says.
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