May 2013 Bulletin - Congregation Beth Israel, Portland Oregon
Israel Environment Bulletin 2006 Vol 31
Transcript of Israel Environment Bulletin 2006 Vol 31
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volume 3
Ministry of Environmenta l Protec tion
Sta te of Israe lMinistry of Environm ental Protec tion
ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
Cove r Photo :Lake Kinne ret – Sea of G alilee
ConstructionandDemolitionWaste
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www.environment.gov.il
2
Octobe
2006
AyalonPark
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Dear Reader:
Volume 31 of Israel Environm
Bulletin is being published
the aftermath of the recwar in Israel’s North. In fu
months, Israel will invest m
efforts to rehabilitate bur
out forests, dispose of asbe
waste and treat the h
heaps of construction and demolition waste that h
accumulated due to rocket hits.
The determination to press forward has led to n
projects, many of which will focus on the area hard
hit by the recent war – the North. Thus, a cleanlin
campaign will be inaugurated in Lake Kinneret, the of Galilee, during the upcoming Jewish holiday sea
and top priority will be focused on the treatment a
recycling of construction and demolition waste, not
in the North but throughout the country. At the sa
time plans for preserving large expanses of open spa
for the benefit of the public are continuing – whe
an initiative to establish a biosphere region in an 18
hectare area in Ramat Menashe between Haifa and
Aviv or advancement of plans for the Ayalon Park in
area spanning 800 hectares just south of Tel Aviv.
The past few months have also seen some major chan
in the ministry: the appointment of Mr. Gideon Ezra
the new minister and Shai Avital as the new dire
general and a change in the very name of the min
The new name, Ministry of Environmental Protectio
meant to reflect the urgent need to actively protect
environment in Israel.
As Israel readies to welcome the Jewish New Year, we
only hope that this year will usher in better times of pe
and wellbeing for our people and our environmen
always, we invite our readers to stay informed ab
environmental developments in Israel by visiting our En
website – www.environment.gov.il/english.
Shoshana Gabb
Editor
From the Minister of Environmental Protection, Mr. Gideon EzraMinister Gideon Ezra shares his thoughts on environmental challengesand priorities.
First Look
News in brief about a diversity of environmental issues.
Cover photo: A view of Lake Kinneret - Sea of GalileeBack cover photo: Motti SelaPhotos: Ronen Alkalay, Ayelet Arad, Eitan Aram, Amir Balaban, Clean Up Israel,Yoav Hagoel, Ilan Malester, Nature and Parks Authority, Galia Pasternak, Eyal Shani,Motti Sela, Liron Shapira, Edna Shaviv, Na’ama Tessler, Gil Vaadia, Eyal Yaffe, RoiZini, Elad Zohar
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Production: Publications and Information Unit
Ministry of Environmental Protection
Targeting Construction and Demolition Waste: A Top Priority
New initiatives to rid open spaces of construction waste andtransform this waste from nuisance to resource.
Israel Launches Green Building Standard
A look at Israel Standard 5281 for buildings with reducedenvironmental impact.
Readying for Euro 4
Euro 4 standards will come into effect for heavy dieselvehicles in October 2006.
Entering the Carbon Market: CDM Projects in Israel
Fourteen projects, expected to deliver 1.9 million tons ofCERS, have been approved by Israel’s Designated National
Authority for the CDM.
Adapting to Climate Change in Israel
Towards the initiation of a national research and actionprogram on vulnerability and adaptation to climatechange.
Moving Ahead on the Ayalon Park
Establishment of a government company should advanceplans for this major metropolitan park.
Biosphere Region on the Way
An initiative to transform the Ramat Menashe area,between Haifa and Tel Aviv, into the Central Park of Israel.
Planning for Development and Conservation in the 21st
Century
National Plan 35 addresses development needs whilepromoting open space protection.
Abating Noise from Ben-Gurion Airport
A look at measures to reduce aircraft noise from Israel’smain airport.
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International Cooperation – "Deserts and Desertification
– Challenges and Opportunities"An international conference in Israel will highlight the challengesand opportunities inherent in drylands.
With a Face to the Public – Focus on Clean Up IsraelSimple actions by simple people are what Clean Up Israel is allabout.
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From the Minister of Environmental Protection:Mr. Gideon Ezra
What are your initial impressions of the Ministry
of Environmental Protection?
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has gone
a long way in promoting the subjects under its
responsibility.
Fifty eight years ago we founded a state – it was
not easy to contend with a population that dou-
bles itself at an impressive rate, it was not easy to
establish an economy, infrastructures, elementary
operational systems, and all within a reality of
continuing warfare. Environmental protection is-
sues were not top priority issues for our pioneers
– they were more concerned with fortifying the
sovereignty of the state. Today, we have reached
a stage where relinquishing environmental issues
is tantamount to relinquishing our future and that
of future generations. The road we must take to
reach our goal is long and arduous – but this is a
fascinating area and I am happy to have been
granted the opportunity to stand at the head ofa system which will determine, in many ways, the
future of us all.
In June 2005, the Israel Cabinet approved your
request to change the name of the ministry to
the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Why
the change in name?
In a country as small as Israel, we must invest all
of our efforts in protecting the environment so
that it can continue to serve present and future
generations. This has to take the form of "active
protection." At the request of the country’s green
organizations, I asked for a change in name that
would express, more powerfully, the importancethat we give to the active protection of the envi-
ronment not only for the sake of the present but
for the sake of the future. The change in name
reflects our perception of the ministry’s aims: the
environment in Israel needs protection and we
intend to do this day by day, hour by hour.
What are the main subjects you would like to
promote during your tenure as minister?
There are many and diverse subjects that I would
like to promote. Some of the priorities include
tackling such subjects as air pollution which has
become a national scourge, treatment of Israel’s
rivers – true treasures that have been badly dam-
aged in past years, solid waste and recycling and,
of course, treatment of hazardous substances.
Above all else, environmental legislation and
enforcement are the most important tool at our
disposal and I will put special emphasis on them.
But the most important subject is education for
the protection of the environment. In my opinion,
it is incumbent upon us to make every effort to
ensure that environmental studies are officially
recognized at every level, beginning with kinder-
garten and ending in high school and university.
This is the key that will allow us to effect a real
change in the quality of our environment.
What are your expectations of the government
and the Knesset with regard to environmental
subjects?
I am sure that the current government is a "green
government," a government which sees the treat-
ment of environmental issues as an important tar-
get. The issues with which we are concerned at the
Ministry of Environmental Protection relate to most
of the other ministries so that the advancement
of environmental subjects very much depends
on cooperation among the ministries. Based on
my recognition of the current members of the
government, the results will be significant.
Israel has just emerged from a devastating war
in its North. Would you like to comment on the
issue of war and the environment?
War is the foremost enemy of the environment,
causing damage to all sides, including those not
even involved. It is our obligation as environmen-
talists to do our utmost to prevent needless wars
In a countryas small as
Israel, we mustinvest all ofour efforts in
protecting theenvironmentso that it cancontinue to
serve presentand future
generations.
MMr. Gideon Ezra was sworn in as Israel’s Ministerof Environmental Protection on May 4, 2006
and has served as Acting EnvironmentalProtection Minister since January 2006.
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
4
and struggles. The issue of environmental protec-
tion best lends itself to initiating talks even among
bodies which were previously involved in wars.
Environmental agencies worldwide have much
to learn from one another. The cross fertilization of
ideas – on environmental laws and other issues – isof top importance. The Ministry of Environmental
Protection is most interested in the feedback and
suggestions of other environmental agencies and
I hope the day will soon come when we can
publish a joint Bulletin with all of our neighboring
states.
What is your central message to the residents
of Israel at this junction?
For years, we have longed for a country of our
own, for a State of Israel. We saw many casual-
ties in the difficult struggle for the fulfillment ofour rights to this land. But we have not really
protected this small piece of land – we litter our
environment and we destroy nature, at times for
no justifiable reason. We must protect this land for
it is our homeland. The protection of nature, open
spaces and the environment is the protection of
our homeland.
On July 17, 2006, the Israel Cabinet approved
the appointment of Major General (Reserves)Shai Avital as director-general of the Ministry
of Environmental Protection. Shai Avital pre-
viously served as a commander of several
army units during his long service in the Israel
Defense Forces.
Shai Avital:New Director
General of
the Ministry of
Environmental
Protection
We are intent on protecting Israel’s unique natural resources,which are the heritage of all of the world’s people and religions
– including Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee), the Jordan River
and the Dead Sea. We are seeking ways to rehabilitate these
precious sources under a reality of water scarcity, in which we
continue to supply water to Jordan and to the Palestinian Author-
ity as well. We are determined to do our utmost to protect these
sites. We will focus on cleanliness in our upcoming campaign to
clean up the Kinneret, and in the future, we will do our utmost
to allow water to flow once again in the Jordan River and to
rehabilitate the shrinking Dead Sea.
On Israel’swater
sources:
Israel generates more than 7 million tons of construction and
demolition waste, of which only about 15% find their way to
landfills and the rest defile the landscape of our country, caus-
ing health and environmental damages. We are relating to this
subject according to the "polluter pays" principle. The process
of discovering polluters and bringing them to justice is not easy,
and can take years. As part of our efforts, we have been forced
to bring criminal charges against mayors who shirked their re-
sponsibilities and allowed construction and demolition waste to
be illegally disposed in open spaces. We are now looking for
new ways to deal with the problem – tackling issues related to
landfilling costs, transport distances to landfills, recycling, and
cleanup of areas in which construction and demolition waste
has accumulated.
Onconstruction
anddemolition
waste:
Photo: Eyal Yaffe
Photo: Eitam Aram
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The Environmental Costsof War –
Summer 2006
A special report issued by the Chief Scientist of
the Ministry of Environmental Protection on the
environmental damages of the recent war in
Israel’s North reveals the following:
Environmental damages:more than 1200 square
kilometers of planted forests and 4000 square kil-
ometers of natural scrubland burned, destruction
of flora and fauna, 12,000 buildings hit by rock-
ets generating thousands of tons of construction
waste, 20,000 square meters of asbestos structures
damaged, damages to wastewater treatment
facilities and hazardous substances storage con-tainers.Environmental/economic costs: more than 20
million shekels (about $4.6 million) for extinguish-
ing some 450 fires; between 5.15 million shekels
(minimum) to 36.3 million shekels (maximum) for
crushing and landfilling hundreds of thousands
of tons of construction and demolition waste;
tens of thousands of shekels for treating asbes-
tos structures destroyed by rocket hits, including
professional removal and disposal.
"Going for Cleanliness– It’s Our Kinneret"
Cleaning up Lake Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee,
Israel’s only natural freshwater lake, is the next
target of the Ministry of Environmental Protection
within the framework of its comprehensive cam-
paign to clean up the country. Under the slogan
"Going for Cleanliness – It’s Our Kinneret," plans
are being drafted to launch the project during
the upcoming holiday season in Israel, coinciding
with the beginning of the Jewish New Year.
Minister Gideon Ezra: "The shores of Lake Kin-
neret are a national asset. The pollution of these
beaches due to neglect is unacceptable. One
million people visit these beaches each year
and expect to find them clean. I intend to do
everything necessary to ensure that the Kinneret
shores will indeed be clean and worthy of the
general public."The multi-annual Kinneret Clean Coast project,
which will include coastal cleanups, education
and information, and inspection and enforce-
ment, is targeted at cleaning up the Kinneret’s
open natural coastlines – some 23 kilometers out
of the total coastline of 55 kilometers.
FIRST LOOK
Litter left behind
on Kinneret coasts
Photo: Elad Zohar
Kinar coast
on Lake Kinneret
Photo: Ilan Malester
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
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Marine TurtlesReleased to Sea
With the conclusion of the nesting season
for marine turtles, which saw an impres-
sive number of marine turtle eggs laid
along Israel’s Mediterranean coast, the
new hatchlings were released to sea in
the summer of 2006. This year’s release is
part of a national program for the pro-
tection of endangered marine turtles, in
which nests discovered during the nest-
ing season by rangers of the Israel Nature
and Parks Authority are relocated to a
hatchery. The rangers, accompanied by
volunteers of the Ministry of Environmental
Protection and other enforcement bod-
ies, visit the hatchery each morning to
release the new hatchlings to sea.
Reading Power PlantConverted to Natural Ga
Tel Aviv’s Reading power plant was conve
to natural gas during a ceremony, attended
the Minister of Environmental Protection and
ister of Infrastructures, on July 3, 2006. Minister
stated: "The transfer to gas is cause for celebra
for the residents of Tel Aviv and its metropo
area, but it is only the beginning. It is necessa
act quickly and seriously to solve the air pollu
problem in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area wh
for the most part, originates in the huge numb
cars entering the city center on a daily basi
The Reading power station produces about
MW of electricity or about 5% of the total prod
tion of the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). It is
second IEC plant to run on natural gas, afte
Eshkol Power Plant in Ashdod.
Minister Ezra with marine turtles.
Photo: Nature and Parks Authority
Reading power plant.
Photo: Ilan Malester
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the option of choosing to drive hybrid vehicles
available in Israel. In a letter to Dalia Itzik, Minister
Ezra stated: "You are spearheading a process in
which we, as public representatives, can set a
personal example in a subject as important as
the protection of the environment. I believe thatothers will opt for the solution of "clean" vehicles
and I thank you for the speed and seriousness
with which you addressed this subject."
30 Experts to Check AirPollution in Haifa
Minister Gideon Ezra has initiated the establish-
ment of a professional team to assess air pollution
in Haifa Bay and its impact on public health. The
team is to present its conclusions and operativerecommendations for action on abating air pol-
lution in the near future. The 30 member team
includes experts in atmospheric sciences, health
and chemical engineering and is coordinated
by the Neaman Institute for Advanced Scientific
and Technological Research. Prof. Yoram Avnime-
lech, who served as the first Chief Scientist in the
Ministry of Environmental Protection, heads the
team. Dr. Peter Preuss, Director of the National
Center for Environmental Assessment in the US
Environmental Protection Agency voluntarily as-
sisted the committee in his field of expertise inearly September 2006.
25 Schools CertifiedGreen
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and
the Ministry of Education granted Green Schoolcertification to 25 schools in a June 8, 2006 cer-
emony.
The project, initiated some three years ago, is de-
signed to encourage schools, with the coopera-
tion of administration, students, parents and com-
munity, not just to teach environmental subjects
but to act in a sustainable manner. Only those
schools which meet three criteria – integration of
environmental subjects in the curriculum, rational
use of resources and contribution to the commu-
nity - are eligible for Green School certification.
New Regulations on NoiseRestrictions in Banquet
Halls and Gardens
New regulations on restricting noise in banquet
halls and gardens were promulgated on June
14, 2006. According to the regulations, the maxi-
mum noise level in the seating area of the guests
during events will be 85 decibels. The regulations
establish the physical means necessary to assure
compliance. If noise levels exceed 85 decibels,a warning light, installed in the hall, will flicker for
thirty seconds, followed by a cut in electricity sup-
ply to the amplifier system in the hall.Dr. Stelian Ghelberg, director of the Noise Abate-
ment and Radiation Safety Division, has stated:
"Promulgation of the regulations is a breakthrough
in protecting the health of the public, in essence
a "captive audience" exposed to excessively high
noise levels, as well as in protecting sensitive popu-
lations such as the elderly and children.
Knesset Members May
Drive Hybrid Vehicles
Speaker of the Knesset Dalia Itzik has complied
with a request of Environmental Protection Minister
Gideon Ezra to provide Knesset Members with
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
8
Treating municipal, industrialand agricultural waste
crushing and treatment of construction w
were inaugurated in Israel’s central region,
operational since August 2005 in Bareket and
second operational since January 2006 in Hi
The plants are expected to reach a recyccapacity of 100,000 tons per year and 150,000
per year, respectively. Other plants are alre
operational in other parts of the country
Ashkelon, Ramat Zvi in the Beit She’an Valley
Dudaim in the south, complemented by mo
on-site facilities throughout the country.
Working on Solutions
Finding a comprehensive solution to the proble
construction waste is not easy, largely becaus
the large number of stakeholders involved in e
part of the chain, including waste genera
waste transporters, waste contractors and lo
authorities. What’s more, basic infrastructure
collection, transport and transfer are inadequ
and vital parts of the system are unregulate
Yet, despite the difficulties, stakeholders bel
that the time is ripe for market forces to play t
part in ridding the country of unsightly heapconstruction waste and promoting environm
friendly solutions. Building contractors
beginning to discover the economic poten
inherent in using recycled aggregates f
construction waste as fill in construction or
road base, and efforts have been initiated
formulate appropriate standards.
Local authorities, too, should be intereste
solving the problem. Not only does such wa
detract from the aesthetic appearance of c
and their environs, but it takes up valuable la
with an economic value for real estate purpo
It is in the interest of local authorities to m
derelict land available for building and to cl
up these spaces.
Upgrading the Role of Local Authorities
Local authorities should play a key role
coordinating the safe disposal and treatm
Clean Coast Project:Facts And Figures
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
wasteGrowing piles of construction waste along
roadsides and open spaces are a grim reality
in Israel. Their association with landscape blightand environmental problems is indisputable. Yet,
to date, despite a three year old government
decision to regulate the treatment of construction
waste, little has been done to solve the problem.
Out of some 7.5 tons of construction waste thatare generated in Israel each year, only 1.5 million
reach authorized landfills. Yet the problem cannot
be solved by landfilling alone. Israel does nothave sufficient land resources to absorb the ever
growing amounts of dry waste that are generated
annually. Steps are urgently needed to turn
construction waste from nuisance to resource.
Over the past year alone, two plants for the
Targeting Construction andDemolition Waste: a Top Priorit
Composition of Waste Generated on
Residential Construction Sites
A research study commissioned by the
Ministry of Environmental Protection and
conducted by Dr. Hadassah Baum and Dr.
Amnon Katz of the Technion – Israel Institute
of Technology in 2004 has found:
• Construction waste generated on resi-
dential construction sites includes such
materials as concrete, iron, wood, bricks,
tiles, plastic and paper.
• Non-inert materials, such as plastic, alu-
minum and gypsum, constitute some
36% of the waste.
• Nearly two thirds of the waste may be
recycled, consisting of 12% paper, 8%
iron and 44% inert materials.
• Residential building generates an esti-
mated 20 tons of waste for each 100
square meters of built space.
TTransforming construction waste from
nuisance to resource is at the top of the
ministry’s "to do" list
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9
of construction waste – but they don’t. While
municipalities are legally bound to collect municipal
solid waste, they are not obligated to dispose and
treat construction and demolition waste.
To overcome this barrier, the following amendments
to planning and building regulations have been
promulgated:
• Local planning and building
committees must require buildingpermit holders to transfer their waste
to an authorized site for disposal.
• Contractors applying for a
building permit must prove to localplanning committees that they
have contacted an authorized
construction waste landfill for the
purpose of disposing of all of the
waste expected to be generated
by the project.
• Occupancy permits for building
must not be issued until proof is
provided that all of the waste
stipulated in the building permit
was transferred to an authorized
site.Yet, despite the regulations, local
planning committees have largely
continued to issue building permits
without addressing the problem of
construction and demolition waste.
And when it comes to small homerenovations, building permits are not
required at all.
The Model Bylaw for the Disposal of Dry Waste
To help address the problem, the Ministry
of Environmental Protection has drafted a
model bylaw on the disposal of construction
and demolition waste which is currently being
"marketed" to local authorities. The bylaw relates
to the obligations and powers of local authorities
in establishing both the necessary infrastructures
and the necessary systems for supervision and
control including permits and fees.
In parallel, the possibility of having municipalities
publish tenders for authorized transporters ofconstruction waste that will serve the city is being
examined. Today, this is one of the weakest links in
the chain leading from generation to disposal since
the transport sector is inadequately regulated.
The goal is to select, by tender, a number of
official municipal transporters, thereby also giving
residents who renovate their homes the option of
choosing an official transporter, at a lower priceand with the assurance that the waste collected
will indeed reach an authorized site.
The timeis ripe for
market forcesto play their
part in riddingthe countryof unsightly
heaps ofconstructionwaste andpromoting
environment-friendly
solutions.
What is the Ministry of Environmental
Protection Doing to Effect a Change?
• Promoting the establishment of standards
for recycled construction waste through
the Standards Institution of Israel;• Advancing legislative changes: an
amendment to the Maintenance of
Cleanliness Law imposing responsibil-
ity on local authorities for the transport
and disposal of construction waste and
a model municipal bylaw on the disposal
of dry waste;
• Initiating a pilot project, with the par-
ticipation of all stakeholders, based on
the Environmental Problem Solving Ap-
proach;
• Stepping up enforcement: catching of-fenders "in the act," launching investiga-
tions, filing criminal charges and, at times,
seizing offending vehicles to be used as
evidence during trials.
• Providing financial support to local au-
thorities for planning and establishing
infrastructures for dry waste: in 2005, 11
million shekels in financial aid were al-
located to about 45 local authorities.
• Identifying abandoned quarries which
may be used for the disposal of con-
struction waste, in cooperation withthe Quarry Rehabilitation Fund and the
Israel Lands Administration. Once filled
and rehabilitated, the quarries may be
transformed into parks for the benefit of
the population.
• Issuing warnings and Cleanup Orders
for the clean up of open spaces to the
owners of land or to the polluters them-
selves. If not implemented, a contrac-
tor is hired and the owner or polluter is
charged double the expenses.
Photos top to bottom:
Ilan Malester,
Ayelet Arad,
Galia Pasternak
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
10
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
What has changed for
the better since the
government decision of
2003 to regulate the treatment of construction
and demolition waste?
The issue of construction and demolitionwaste is the realm of responsibility of numerous
stakeholders, including the key players in the field
of building and development in Israel – the Ministry
of the Interior, local planning authorities, the
Ministries of Construction and Housing, Transport
and Defense, and the Israel Lands Administration.
Three years ago, these bodies were not sufficiently
aware of the magnitude and consequences of
the problem. Today, both government ministries
and agencies and local authorities are beginning
to recognize the high price that they are paying
– environmentally and economically. The waste
which finds its way to open spaces and roadsides
affects more than our environment and our health
– it impacts on land values, hurts tourism and
harms our economy.
What has changed to make you more
optimistic about the possibilities of
improvement today?
As far as the Solid Waste Division is concerned,
this is our greatest challenge. We succeeded in
regulating the area of municipal waste. Now
we must turn all of our efforts to the problem of
construction waste.
We are seeing progress. Firstly, within the Ministry
of Environmental Protection, the subject has been
upgraded in priority. In fact Minister Gideon Ezra has
identified this as the highest priority. Secondly, local
authorities are much more aware of the seriousness
of the problem and are ready to cooperate.Thirdly, our regional offices, in cooperation with the
Enforcement Coordination Division, have issued
hundreds of cleanup warnings in recent years,
which have both raised awareness and made adifference in the field. When this was not enough,
warnings were followed up by cleanup orders. In
cases where cleanup orders were ignored, we
ourselves undertook the cleanups and charged
the municipalities double the sum, as per the
provisions of the law.
It’s important to mention that the Green Police
has played a critical role in discovering offendersin the very act of dumping construction waste
in prohibited areas, collecting evidence, seizing
dump trucks when necessary as part of the
evidence gathering process, and issuing cleanup
warnings and orders.
What else is being done to bring about a
solution to the problem?
We are sitting with local authorities to help them
implement a comprehensive solution – from the
level of local planning authorities which mustensure that building and occupancy permits are
not issued until solutions to construction waste
are implemented to the level of transporters of
construction waste which must be more strictly
regulated. Local authorities are not familiar with
the legal tools which are available to them to
tackle the problem. We are helping by providing
them with guidelines on such tools as licensing and
permit systems and fees for different aspects of the
treatment of dry waste. Once rules and regulations
are set in bylaws, and are accompanied by fees
and fines, progress would be possible.
At the same time, we are continuing to promote
the establishment of infrastructures for crushing
construction and demolition waste. The huge
amounts of construction waste which were
generated in the North following the recent war
are catalyzing the process.
Ilan Nissim Director,
Solid Waste Division
Treating municipal, industrialand agricultural waste Solving
the Problem of Constructionand Demolition Waste
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11
Applying the Environmental Problem Solving
Approach to Construction Waste
To further expedite a solution, a pilot project, based
on the Environmental Problem Solving Approach,
has been initiated by three departments in the
Ministry of Environmental Protection (Solid Waste,
Business Licensing and Enforcement Coordination)
along with regional solid waste coordinators. The
main aims of the project, which will be conductedin three cities – Modi’in, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,
with additional cities such as Haifa, Rehovot,
Ramat Gan and Bat Yam showing an interest
as well, are to regulate the work of renovators
and building contractors and to assure that they
comply with business licensing conditions.
Top Priority to Construction Waste
Soon after entering the office, Environmental
Protection Minister Gideon Ezra declared his
intention to place the subject of construction
and demolition waste at the top of his agenda:"I intend to spearhead a comprehensive program
that will integrate greater allocations of funds for
enforcement, on the one hand, and cooperation
with local authorities and other government
ministries in preparing an immediate work plan,
on the other hand."
Clearly, a comprehensive approach is vital in order
to deal with the complex problems associated
with the generation, disposal, transport, recycling
and reuse of construction waste. As obstacles are
overcome, chances are good that a market for
recycled construction waste can be developedfor the good of both the environment and the
economy.
Illegal dumping of dry waste is one of the major problems of solid wastemanagement in Israel, largely because generators of dry waste are often
tempted to seek "free" ways to dump their waste.
The Green Police of the Ministry of Environmental Protection is responsible for
the bulk of inspection and investigation activities. When an environmental
nuisance is discovered and the identity of the owner of the waste or of
the land is known, an enforcement procedure is initiated – from calls and
letters, to public hearings, to cleanup orders (under the Maintenance of
Cleanliness Law 1984). Yet the procedure is cumbersome and may take up
to six years: from finding evidence on the origin of the waste, to identifying
the offender, to opening a criminal case, etc. Another possibility is to trace
the owner of the land and order him to clean it up, a procedure that, if
contested, can lead to a lengthy trial.
Over the past five years, criminal charges were filed against about 15
out of the 30 large waste transporters working in the Haifa district, which
encompasses 970 km2 and a population of one million. Enforcement was
targeted at every pile of waste larger than 40 m3 and criminal investigations
were initiated against mayors for illegal waste dumping. Yet, the problem
has not disappeared.
On September 2004, a new step was initiated – truck seizure. This is based
on a provision in the Penal Law, which permits the seizure of the tool used
to commit an offense until trial and, in case of conviction, may allow this
tool to become state property. The truck is seized for 30-40 days and the
owner pays storage fees, or, if determined to release the truck, bail. Truckseizure is only possible if a member of the Israel Police (blue-uniformed
police office) is present. As cooperation is good between the green and
blue police in the Haifa district, shared supervisions were held for the
purpose of discovering waste offenders. In the past year alone, eleven
trucks were seized and transferred to state custody pending trial.
The impact of this experiment is significant, resulting in:
• Less administrative enforcement – in the first seven months of 2006, we
opened 8 cases of illegal dumping in comparison to the parallel period
in 2004 when 22 cases were opened – a drop of 60%.
• 30% more dry waste reaching landfills.
• Less waste in open fields.
The deterrent effect of this procedure is evident in the attitude of waste
transporters. While previously they knew that a criminal investigation and
trial could take years and result in a fine, today they know that if they
illegally dispose their waste, they risk losing their trucks and an identical
or larger fine in just 30 days. While this is not the final solution, the new
technique has been shown to save time and increase deterrence.
Truck Seizure as a Tool forStopping Illegal Dumping:
Case Study in the Haifa DistrictShai Ilan and Abed Mahamid
Photo: Eitan Aram
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
12
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
There’s good news and bad news. The bad
news is that buildings are major consumers of
energy (reaching some 40% of total energy
consumption in some countries), water and
raw materials and significant generators of
greenhouse gas emissions and waste. The good
news is that green building is helping to overcome
these problems. In Israel, and worldwide, green
building initiatives are helping to provide
higher quality of life and the environment to
residents, while reducing the building's negative
environmental impact. When properly run,
green buildings, also known as sustainable
buildings, will conserve natural resources and
reduce waste, cut down operational costs
and improve the health and well-being of
residents, while providing a safer and more
effective living and working environment.
A Green Building Standard for IsraelWhen setting out to draft its own green building
standard, based on international experience, Israel
recognized that "green building" is a multidisciplinary
subject, which is widely dispersed among acade
governmental, institutional and private framew
Clearly, the multiplicity of subjects inherent in the
concept of green or sustainable building – inclu
energy, water and other environmental subj– necessitated close cooperation and coordina
among such professionals as architects, engin
and environmental experts and the formulatio
uniform criteria, methodologies and review
classification mechanisms for "green buildin
This is how Israel Standard 5281 for buildings
reduced environmental impact (green buildi
was born.
Green Building Standard and Rating System
The green building standard, approved
November 2005, is a voluntary standard whis awarded to new or renovated residential
office buildings that comply with the requ
requirements and criteria. The standard
comprised of four chapters: energy, water, l
and other environmental subjects. A build
which meets the prerequisites in each chapter
accumulates the minimum number of credit p
in every environment-related sphere is elig
for "green building" certification. A cumula
score of 55-75 points entitles a building t
"green building" label, while a cumulative sc
of more than 75 points allows it to be certifie
an "outstanding green building."
Following are some specifics:
• Energy (29 points, of which 14 are thresh
conditions): The energy chapter has the m
points and therefore carries the most weig
includes a climatic review of the building an
Why Build Green in Israel?
• Households in Israel consume some 30%
of the total electricity production.
• Households in Israel consume about 12% of
the total electricity production for heating,
cooling and lighting.
• The commercial sector consumes some
30% of the total energy consumption,largely for heating, cooling and lighting.
• Israel generates some 7.5 million tons of
building waste per year.
• Households consume some 30% of the
total quantity of fresh water produced
each year.
Israel LaunchesGreen Building
StandardI Israel’s recently approved green building
standard offers environmental, social and
economic benefits
Treating municipal, industrialand agricultural waste
Weizmann Institute
of Science building.
Photo: Edna Shaviv
Natural lighting in Haifa courthouse.
Photo: Yehuda Olander
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13
environs and calls for planning the building to provide thermal comfort
in all seasons of the year. It relates to such elements as orientation of
the building, use of passive techniques for heating, cooling and airflow, improvements of air conditioning/heating systems, use of natural
light and insulation and energy efficiency and conservation.
To comply with the energy chapter, it is also necessary to fulfill some
of the requirements set in the recent Standard 5282 on the energy
rating of residential buildings, especially with regard to insulation
and windows.
• Land (19 points, of which 8 are threshold conditions): This chapter
relates to such elements as average density of the building,
maximization of land use (both aboveground and underground),
land conservation and ground contamination.
• Water, wastewater and drainage (17 points, of which 5 are threshold
conditions): This chapter deals with the conservation of fresh water,
reuse and recycling of drainage and grey water, and preservation
of runoff from unpolluted areas.
• Other environmental subjects (27 points, of which 10 are threshold
conditions): This chapter relates to seven different subjects:
environmental management of the building process and of the
construction waste, air quality and ventilation, noise, radiation,
separation of solid waste into components, bicycle stands, and use
of "green label" materials and products.
• General Assessment: The person responsible for assessing compliance
with the provisions of the standard, both at the planning and
implementation stages, is authorized to grant additional credit points
for subjects that reduce adverse environmental impact but are not
included in the previous chapters. These may include roof gardens,
renewable energy systems and more.
Green Building: A "Win-Win" Situation
Green building is a true "win-win" situation. The standard will provide
developers with a marketing advantage and will serve as a measure
of the quality of the building for consumers. Studies show that green
Growth of Electricity Consumption by Sector
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
million kwh
Residential Consumption Public & Commercial Consumption Industr ial Consumption
Green Buildings in Israel
The principles underlying green building are not
new to Israeli scientists and researchers. Nearly all
of Israel’s academic institutions engage in differentaspects of research on the subject. Some prominent
examples include the National Building Research
Institute in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technol-
ogy and the Desert Architecture Unit of Ben-Gurion
University’s Desert Research Institute. In these and
other institutions, research findings are being trans-
lated into actual design projects in an effort to apply
accumulated expertise to specific problems.
The International Center for Desert Studies in Sde
Boker is one notable example of the application of
such "green building" principles as energy efficiency
and conservation through natural and innovative
techniques for heating, cooling and lighting. An-
other is the Environmental Sciences Building at the
Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot which was
planned in conjunction with a Technion expert in
climatic-energetic building, Prof. Edna Shaviv, and
includes 12 different technologies for electricity con-
servation.
Following the recent publication of the green build-
ing standard, four requests for a green building label
have already been submitted – for the Intel Corpo-
ration’s Research and Development Center in Haifa,
the offices of the Dan Region Association of Towns for
Sanitation, a private house in Israel’s south, and the
visitor center of the Yad Hanadiv Gardens in Zichron
Yaakov on the coastal plain, south of Haifa.
buildings can generate savings ranging from 20%-50%
of electricity and gas bills. According to Nir Kedmi of the
ministry’s Economic Division, investment in green building
should not necessarily be greater than in conventional
buildings since most of the effort is concentrated in
the planning stage, prior to actual building. Additional
investment, if any, should not amount to more than
one to two percent, and will certainly be recovered in
a reasonable amount of time, due to savings in energy
and water.
Source: Israel Electric Corporation
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
14
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
How to determine acceptable limits for exhaust
emissions of vehicles? Israel’s policy is to com-
ply with European Union Directives which define
emission standards for vehicles sold in EU member
states. In fact, some 97% of all of the vehicles
comply with European directives and the other3% with American regulations.
Israel has made a decision to comply with Direc-
tive 70/220/EEC and its attendant amendments,
which introduce increasingly stringent standards
– with stages ranging from Euro 1 to Euro 5. The
Euro 4 standards, introduced in Europe in 2005,
will substantially reduce the levels of nitrogen
oxide gases and particulate matter emitted by
cars – with demands for nitrogen oxides stricter
by some 30% and particulates by some 80% com-
pared to Euro 3.
In Israel, the standard for new models of light ve-
hicles was adopted in January 2005 and since
January 2006 all new light vehicles are imported
according this standard. Heavy vehicles will be
subject to the standard beginning in October
2006. In Europe, new vehicles were subject to the
standard beginning in October 2005 and exis
vehicles beginning in October 2006.
How to comply with Euro 4?
Compliance with Euro 4 requires a combina
of advanced engine technologies and effec
systems for the treatment of exhaust gases
meet the standard, two technologies are a
able: Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) te
nology, which satisfies both Euro 4 and the fuEuro 5 standards, and Exhaust Gas Recircula
(EGR), which meets the Euro 4 standard only.
former reduces the particle matter at the
ment of combustion in the engine and use
catalytic converter and a urea-based solu
to transform nitrogen oxides passing through
exhaust system into nitrogen and water.
Gasoline (petrol) and diesel fuel also comp
with the requirements of Euro 4, which calls f
maximum diesel and gasoline sulfur content o
ppm and a reduction in aromatic hydrocarbfrom 42% to 35% in 2005. In this case, Israel actu
preceded the date set for Europe and redu
the sulfur content of its diesel fuel from 350 p
to 50 ppm since January 2004.
The problem, according to Avi Moshel, in cha
of vehicular emissions in the Environmental
BBeginning in October 1, 2006, all new diesel
vehicles will have to comply with stringent
Euro 4 standards
Readying for Euro 4
Reducing air pollution fromtransportation and industrial sources
Photo: Roi Zini
Photo: Ilan Maleste
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15
tection Ministry, relates to the availability of both
urea and 10 ppm sulfur diesel fuel, a prerequisitefor reducing emissions from heavy diesel vehicles
to the level required by Euro 4. Adoption of SCRtechnology will require a regular supply of urea.
Compliance with EGR will require the introductionof even cleaner fuel, with a sulfur content of 10ppm or less. Problems related to the supply of both
very low sulfur diesel fuel and urea have delayed
the implementation of Euro 4 for heavy vehiclesby a year, although, as stated, the delay relatesonly to new models – which are a minority of themodels in use in Israel.
In order to facilitate the establishment of the nec-
essary infrastructure in gas stations, an intermin-isterial coordination team was set up includingrepresentatives of the relevant government min-istries – Transport, Environmental Protection andInfrastructure, the Association of Car Importers, the
oil refineries, gas stations and the urea importer.Its aim: to ensure availability of the urea additiveand of the 10 ppm sulfur diesel fuel.
As of October 2006, the Ministry of Transport willrequire importers of diesel vehicles, above 3.5 tons,
to comply with Euro 4 standards, with some ease-
ments for multistage assembly vehicles, for which
the standard will come into effect in April 2007.
And as for the future, light vehicles equipped withdirect fuel injection will be required to use gasoline
with a 10 ppm sulfur content, leading to a decision
by Israel to reduce the sulfur content in 98 octane
gasoline to 10 ppm by October 2006.
Compliance with Euro 4 standards, with its attend-
ant reduction in vehicular pollutant emissions, isexpected to gradually reduce pollutant emissions
from transportation sources. At the same time,however, the continuous increase in Israel’s ve-hicle fleet and number of kilometers traveled will
mitigate the efficiency of this reduction, requir-ing complementary steps within the frameworkof transportation policy. Such steps should ensure
transportation efficiency and respond to the needs
of the population and economic development,on the one hand, along with low pollution andreduced adverse impacts on the health of thepopulation, on the other hand.
Motor Vehicles in Israel
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
199219911990 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
1,015 1,0751,176 1,261
1,3731,459
1,543 1,6171,675
1,7301,831 1,915 1,960 1,982
2,038
NOx Emissions from Vehicles by Fuel
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
tons
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Gasoline
Diesel
Stricter Emission Testing during Annual Car Registration
As of March 27, 2006, all gas-powered vehicles in Israel,
beginning with 1995 models, are undergoing more stringent
air pollution checks within the framework of the annual car
registration test. The new test is significantly different from its
predecessor and calls for concentration measurements of
pollutant emissions from gasoline vehicles at higher engine
speeds of at least 2000 rpm.
The new emission test checks the roadworthiness of the vehicle
and its air pollution control systems, especially the catalytic
converter and the oxygen sensor. It checks CO content andlambda value (the air/fuel ratio injected to the motor).
The new requirements are based on the provisions of European
Council Directive EC 96/96 on the approximation of the laws
of the member states relating to roadworthiness tests for motor
vehicles.
Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
16
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sourcesMuch has happened since Israel first established
its Designated National Authority (DNA) for the
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in 2004.Interest in CDM projects has risen, consultancies
specializing in CDM services were established and
fourteen projects were presented to the DNA for
approval.
Israel’s entry into the global carbon market
was highlighted in a May 2006 conference on
the CDM and emissions trading as means of
financing greenhouse gas reduction projects.
The conference organized by Israel’s DNA
featured presentations by representatives of
the Ministry of Environmental Protection and of
companies specializing in the development andimplementation of CDM projects.
Although never glossing over the bureaucratic and
financial complexities that are part and parcel
of the required procedures for preparing CDM
projects, conference participants emphasized
the unique possibilities that this mechanism offers
for turning greenhouse gas reduction projects into
attractive economic opportunities. According to
the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries have the
possibility to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions,
inter alia , through the purchase of carbon credits
from developing countries. Since Israel is classifiedas a developing country under the Kyoto Protocol,
entrepreneurs who implement emissions reduction
projects in Israel will be able to sell their carbon
emissions credits to developed countries.
According to the head of the Air Quality Division
in the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ms.
Shuli Nezer, greenhouse gas emissions in Israel
currently exceed 80 million tons per year,
80% of the emissions generated by the ene
and transportation sectors. Therefore, Ms. N
utilized the conference to urge industrial pl
and entrepreneurs to identify CDM projecIsrael so as to advance the reduction of pollu
emissions and to earn benefits in terms of reven
generated from the sale of certified reduc
credits (CERs). "Within the framework of discuss
on the Kyoto Protocol’s second commitm
period (2013 and beyond), the State of Israel
find itself obligated to comply with some kin
emission target; therefore, anyone entering
market in advance of this date only stand
profit," she added.
Why Israel?
Israel, which is classified as a non-Annex I cou
under the Climate Change Convention, prov
an especially attractive option for CDM proj
for a wide variety of reasons, including:
• Technological and scientific expertise, in
ding wide experience in the field of "cle
technologies.
Reducing air pollution fromtransportation and industrial sources
Entering the Carbon
Market: CDMProjects in IsraelCDM Projects Worldwide
• More than 1000 CDM projects in the pip
line
• More than 1.2 billion tons expected CE
by the end of 2012
• 278 projects registered by September2006
• 76 projects requesting registration by Se
tember 1, 2006
• 640 million tons of expected CERs fro
registered and nearly registered proje
by the end of 2012
IIsrael’s entry into the carbon market promises
a winning combination: greenhouse gas
reductions and revenues
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17
• Open access to a wide range of environmental
data, including monitoring data.
• Availability of local professionals, including
scientists, engineers and lawyers.
• Stable democratic and economic climate which
is favorable for investment.
Israel’s CDM offers investors from Annex I countries
numerous opportunities for implementing projects
in a wide variety of subjects, including energy,
transportation and waste projects. In fact, the
carbon credit market from CDM projects in Israel
is estimated at about 15 million Euros per year.
These funds will play a pivotal role in advancing
environmental projects in Israel.
To date (September 2006), fourteen
projects, relating to such fields aslandfill reclamation, renewable
and clean energy, production
efficiency and waste treatment,
have been submitted to Israel’s DNA
for approval. They will be assessed
according to nine sustainable
development indicators. Onceapproved, they should deliver about
1.9 million tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent (CERs) per year.
Adv. Lior Shmueli, Israel’s CDM-DNA Coordinator, expects additional
projects to be submitted to the DNA by the end of 2006, mostly in thearea of renewable energy. According to Shmueli, "Israel presents an
excellent venue in which to develop CDM projects because, although
categorized as a developing country under the Kyoto Protocol, it has
all the characteristics of a developed country."
For updated information on the CDM in Israel, please see the website of the
Ministry of Environmental Protection: www1.sviva.gov.il/e_cdm
Electricity Production and CO2 Emissions
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
19921991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Electricity Production (MMWh/yr)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
Annual Emissions (1000 tons/year)
Electricity Production (MMWh/yr) Emission (1000 tons/yr)
Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Emissions – 1996-2000
8,000
-2,000
18,000
28,000
38,000
48,000
58,000
Energy Industry Agriculture Land Use Change& Forestry
Waste
103 tons1996
2000
Hiriya Landfill Project: Israel’s FirstRegistered CDM Project
The Hiriya landfill was the main disposal
facility for the municipal solid waste of the
greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area (Dan
Region) between 1954 and 1998 when it
was finally shut down. The waste which
accumulated in this "garbage mountain"
for more than two decades led to serious
environmental degradation as well as to
the emission of methane gas as a result of
anaerobic degradation. Methane (CH4)
is a powerful greenhouse gas whose glo-bal warming potential (GWP) is 21 times
greater than CO2.
The Dan Region Association of Towns for
Sanitation, which operates the Hiriya landfill
site, has set up a methane gas collection
system at the landfill. Gas collected from
some 63 drills is concentrated in a central
transport pipeline and transferred to a flare
at the base of the mountain for treatment.
The biogas is being used as an energy
source in a nearby industrial plant.
The Hiriya Landfill Project was officially
registered on February 2, 2006 and is the
first project in Israel to be registered by the
Executive Board of the CDM. It is expected
to generate 93,000 CERs per year.
Contribution of Sectors to CO2
Equivalent Emissions (100 years)
Waste12%
Agriculture3%
Industry4%
Energy81%
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
18
Reducing air pollution fromtransportation and industrial sources
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Climate change should be addressed in three
ways:
• Developing climate change scenarios and
models that look at such parameters as
temperature, precipitation, extreme weather
events, winds and humidity.• Developing mitigation options for reducing
the factors responsible for climate change,
specifically greenhouse gas emissions.
• Developing mechanisms for adaptation to
climate change.
In Israel, all three components have been at
the center of scientific research. Yet, as extreme
weather events occur and recur worldwide, Israel
recognizes that the wheel cannot be turned back.
It has therefore begun to focus on adaptation
measures to diminish the risk of damage fromfuture climate change and from present climate
variability, on discovering the most optimal and
environment-friendly ways of adapting to the
consequences of climate change.
Adaptation or Maladaptation?
How best to adapt to the consequences of
climate change? Israel recognizes that some
adaptation methods are better than others.
The idea is to move away from such possible"maladaptations" as building a desalination plant
in order to compensate for inadequate rainfallor constructing yet another power plant to meet
growing demands for air conditioners due to global
warming. Adaptations – or maladaptations - such
as these continue the vicious cycle of producing
ever-increasing quantities of greenhouse gas
emissions. Today’s efforts try to focus on innovative
tools that will get to the root of the problem – tools
that will give top priority to such goals as ene
conservation, green building, water sens
construction and creation of floodplains
suitable riverbank vegetation.
Israel is no stranger to technological innova
In fact, the very scarcity of natural resou
Adapting to Climate
Change in IsraelI
Israel is readying to embark on a national
research program on adaptation to climate
change
On the Israeli Front
Several initiatives have been spearhead
by the Ministry of Environmental Protecti
over the past year to increase knowled
about the potential impacts of clima
change:
• In 2005, the Chief Scientist of the Minis
of Environmental Protection issued
call for proposals for research studies
the impacts of climate change in Israand means of adaptation. Ten resear
projects were approved for funding
subjects as diverse as the impacts
vegetation on the urban microclima
to changes in biodiversity as a result
climate change.
• In 2005, the Chief Scientist of the Minis
of Environmental Protection catalyz
the establishment of an interdisciplina
steering committee on adaptation
climate change.
• On June 21, 2006, the Ministry Environmental Protection along w
the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry
Science and Technology organized a w
attended conference on "The Impa
of Climate Change in Israel – Towa
a National Action Plan." Presentatio
focused on climate change trends a
scenarios and their anticipated impa
on energy demand, hydrological chang
in the Kinneret watershed basin, rise
Mediterranean Sea level, agricultu
health and economy.
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19
has catalyzed the country to seek – and to
implement – cutting-edge technologies in such
fields as water treatment, recycling and reuse,
seawater desalination and desert agriculture
and afforestation. Although Israel has much
to learn from the worldcommunity, it also has
much to contribute in
numerous fields – forest
management and re–
duction of forest fires,
combating desertification
or water conservation, to
name but a handful.
Joining the World
Community
The realization that certainimpacts of climate change are unavoidable
and that countries will need to adapt to these
impacts has led to the establishment, in 2004, of
CIRCLE – Climate Change Research Coordination
for a Larger Europe. CIRLE seeks to coordinate
European research on climate change impact,
assessment and adaptation in a way that will
provide decision makers with the informationthey need to design effective and economically
efficient and feasible adaptation strategies. This is
being done by networking and aligning national
research programs in the 18 CIRCLE partnercountries, including Israel.
Preparing for Climate Change
Israel’s climate change conference, held in June
2006, put the question of adaptation on the table.
Its goal was to increase public awareness and to
identify subjects for further research on means of
adapting to climate change. And it did just that.
According to the Chief Scientist of the Ministry
of Environmental Protection, Dr. Yeshayahu Bar-
Or, European countries are spending millions of
euros on preparing national programs for climatechange, vulnerability and adaptation. The time
has come for Israel to do so as well.
Preparatory steps would include wide public
discussion on climate change issues in Israel
and worldwide, identification of major impacts,
literature surveys and research on means of
preparing
for and
adapting
to the im–
pacts ofclimate change in different areas. The goal
is to implement a national research program
and action plan which would encompass such
subjects as energy, agriculture, the coastal aquifer,
coastal infrastructures and archaeological sites,
biodiversity and ecosystem services, intense floods,
public health, climate-sensitive public gardening,
climate-sensitive building and tourism.Preparedness for the consequences of climate
change should prevent large-scale economic,
environmental and social damages while facili-
tating the development of innovative technologiesand the export of such technologies to high-risk
countries in terms of climate change.
Israel isdeterminedto discover
the mostoptimal andenvironment-friendly waysof adapting
to theconsequences
of climatechange.
Climate Change in Israel: Findings of a 40 Year Comparative Study
• Minimum and maximum summer temperatures have increased
by one degree.
• There is no net change in annual temperature because winter
temperatures have declined.
• The probability of very hot summer days has increased threefold
– with temperatures exceeding 35º C in Jerusalem.
• Rainfall has increased in the center and south of the country andhas decreased in the Kinneret basin.
• The frequency of extreme events – major rainfalls, very hot days
and years which are either exceedingly wet or exceedingly dry
– has increased.
• Evaporation rates have decreased in the north and center (by
some 14%) and increased in the south (by some 19%).
Flash flood in the Judean desert
Drifted rock fragments on the Dimona –
Dead Sea highway
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
20
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
Improving the environment andpreseving open spaces
In mid-June 2006, Israel’s Registrar of Companies
approved the establishment of a government
company to plan, develop, manage and maintain
the Ayalon Park, to preserve it as an open
public space, to rehabilitate the Hiriya garbage
mountain and to promote solutions to propertyrights issues in the park area. The approval was
accompanied by an agreement between the
Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Prime
Minister’s Office to allocate 50 million shekels from
the state budget to the company over the next
five years. These funds will be matched by the
Beracha Foundation, a philanthropic foundation
dedicated to promoting environmental and social
issues in Israel, bringing the total budget of thegovernment company to 100 million shekels over
the next five years.
Members of the company will include repre–sentatives of all stakeholders - government
ministries, mayors or representatives of surrounding
local authorities, and representatives of green and
academic institutions. According to Dr. Martin
Weyl, who heads the Beracha Foundation and isa key figure in plans for the park, "This is a winning
combination which will allow the company to go
forward and to initiate and implement detailed
plans. We have reached a point of no return and
will continue to invest major efforts to raise the
awareness of all stakeholders, especially in the
surrounding communities."
Major Components of the Park
The major element in the design of the Ayalon Park
will be the rehabilitated Hiriya landfill on the eastern
part of the park. The southern part of the park, within
the area of the floodplain, is designated mainly for
an urban wild and wetlands. The northern area
will include an urban terrace with a promen
boasting coffee shops, park areas, and wal
paths. Additional elements will include agricul
fields, the Talmudic Bnei Brak archaeological
the historic Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school
a recycling park and visitor center.
Facts to Remember
• On April 20, 2005, the Israel governme
decided to establish the Ayalon Park in
area spanning 800 hectares surround
the Hiriya landfill and to allocate million shekels of state funds for the pa
development, on the basis of matchi
funds: a shekel of budgetary allocati
for a shekel of donation.
• The area of the park has been reserv
as a floodplain for the Ayalon aShafirim Streams, which explains why
has remained an open space in one
Israel’s most densely populated areas
• Statistically, the Ayalon River will flo
once every twenty years and will overflo
once every fifty years. Extreme floods a
expected once every 100 years, whi
would fill up the stream’s floodplain.
• By 2020, the population of the Tel A
metropolitan area should reach som
3.3 million, of which 1.2 million will resi
in the Tel Aviv region itself – half of thein the area surrounding the Ayalon Pa
• The park will serve as a vast, season
reservoir with a containing volume of abo
4 million cubic meters, creating a flo
buffer, and protecting the surroundi
population from flood damages.
• The Dan Region Association of Tow
Sanitation and Waste Disposal, wh
receives waste from 14 local authoriti
spearheaded the Hiriya landfill restorati
project and plans for a recycling park
the site.
Moving Aheadon the Ayalon Park
Ayalon River.
Photo: Amir Balaban
AA government company to administer the
Ayalon Park, backed up by governmental
and private funding, should go a long way
toward transforming the vision of Ayalon Park
into a reality
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21
Focusing on Different Elements in the Park:
Rehabilitated Hiriya Landfill: Plans call for
transforming Hiriya’s waste into a resource
for recycling and reuse, with the leachates
transformed into water to irrigate the park (using
constructed wetlands) and the biogas transformed
into energy to meet the energy needs of both the
park and other facilities. To stabilize the slopes,
supports will be placed along the lower part
of the slopes and aggregates from the on-site
recycling of construction waste will be used to
complete the rehabilitation and stabilization of
the mountain. A 25 meter high terrace will support
the mountain, while an axis to the summit of the
landfill will allow visitors to enjoy an impressive
view of the park, the Tel Aviv metropolitan area
and the Mediterranean Sea.
Recycling Park: A 30 hectare recycling park, inan area which currently includes a waste transfer
station, is under construction in Hiriya. Facilities
include:
• Bio-treatment of municipal waste: A biological
waste treatment plant, developed by Arrow
Ecology, handles about 200 tons of waste
per day, separates recyclable materials from
unsorted household waste and biologically
transforms the organic fraction of the waste
into biogas.
• Garden waste recycling system: The system
handles about 100 tons of garden waste perday, with the recycled material used to cover
land and gardens.
• Biogas production: A system of gas wells for
pumping the methane gas trapped in the
Hiriya landfill is being established for electricity
production.
• Treatment and recycling of construction waste:
A construction waste recycling factory is
expected to treat some 2000 tons of waste
per day. Metals will be separated from the
concrete and the crushed waste will be used
for rehabilitating the garbage mountain.• Additional facilities: These will include a used
battery collection center, a facility for tire
recycling, a biogas fueling station for cars and
anaerobic treatment (gasification).
Constructed Wetlands: The constructed wetlands
will harvest and treat alternative water resources,
including leachates and wastewater, helping to
stabilize environmental problems such
as flooding and pollution. Parts of the
area will include trails and bridges for
the pleasure of the public.Visitor Center: At the foot of the landfill
to the east of the park, a visitor centerwill serve as a lobby into a total visitor
experience, including the wetlands,
observation points, and the recycling
center. Even prior to its inauguration,
some 3000 schoolchildren visit the site
on a monthly basis.
Moving Ahead
Plans for the Ayalon Park are going
ahead, both on the drawing board and
in the field. With the help of the Beracha
Foundation, the Botanical Garden atthe Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school
has been renewed and will be opened
up as part of the park. Bicycle paths
are already serving avid cyclists, and
different ways of covering the paths
to accommodate winter and summer
cycling are being examined. As night
descends, experiments on different
lighting possibilities are conducted to
highlight Hiriya’s standing as a gateway
to the Tel Aviv metropolis. And most
importantly, detailed plans are beingdrawn up in areas as diverse as floodwater
protection and transportation access,
in collaboration with such bodies as the
Drainage Authority and the National
Roads Company.
The foremost concern, for all involved, is a
commitment to transform this open space
into a place of refuge from the hustle and
bustle of city life, an environmentally
friendly public space and a model for
resource conservation and efficiency.
Hopefully, at a point not too far in thefuture, residents and tourists will be
able to look up at what was once an
eyesore and will see, instead, a magical
mountain surrounded by green areas,
serving all sectors of the population
– environmentally, aesthetically and
recreationally.
"Hiriya landfill is thesymbol of the park. It isthe symbol of healingand regeneration forthe polluted areas.
It is the symbol for therehabilitation of the
water system.It is the symbol for the
creation of wildlifecommunities andit is the symbol forpeople's spirit andemotional state."
(From the Ayalon Park International
Charrette, published in 2004.)
Photos top to bottom:
Arrow Ecology reactors. Photo: Eyal Shani
Green Waste. Photo: Gil Vaadia
Gravel in front of Hiriya. Photo: Gil Vaadia
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
22
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
How to attain a sustainable balance between
human and environmental needs? This is the
classic dilemma, a major challenge, and there
is no magic solution. One possible answer,
currently advanced by the Regional Council of
Megiddo in the Ramat Menashe region, is the
establishment of a biosphere region (reserve) in
the 18,000 hectare green lung between Haifa and
Tel Aviv. According to "The Statutory Framework
of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves" of
UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB),
biosphere reserves are created "to promote and
demonstrate a balanced relationship between
humans and the environment." This is what the
plan for Ramat Menashe is all about.
A Biosphere Region in the Making: The Cas
Ramat Menashe
Recognition of the high landscape value of RaMenashe, a unique geographic entity betwthe Lower Galilee, the Jezreel Valley, the Um
Fahm mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, is
a new phenomenon. In fact, all of Israel’s natio
master plans, including the recently appro
National Outline Plan for Building, Developm
and Conservation (National Plan 35) identify
region as an area with the very highest landsc
sensitivity, designated for conservation.
However, plans aside and reality aside. In rec
years, the area has been subject to continu
threats – from infrastructure development, ncities and communities, a high-tension line of
Israel Electric Corporation, a solid waste disp
site, the Trans-Israel Highway, an industrial p
an employment center, and more. Stakehol
realized that if something is not done, amendm
and easements to plans of all kinds could
change the unique rural character of the a
They decided not only to guard against th
potential threats, but to do something pos– to come up with a set of rules for managing
area which would optimally balance betw
human needs and environmental needs.
A strategic plan for the Megiddo Regio
Council, together with plans for a park span
about half the area of the regional council, w
the basis for advancing a biosphere regio
the Ramat Menashe region. During the cours
drafting the strategic plan for the regional cou
some six years ago, a process based on bro
Biosphere Regionon the Way
AA biosphere region is in the making in the
Ramat Menashe region just south of the
Lower Galilee
Biosphere Reserves:
Israel and Worldwide
• In the summer of 2006, there were 482
biosphere reserves in 102 countries
within the framework of UNESCO’s MAB
program.
• In Israel, one biosphere reserve, Mt.Carmel was declared in 1996.
• Two more biosphere reserves are planned
for Israel: in Ramat Menashe, south of
the Lower Galilee and in the Judean
Hills in the transition zone between the
Mediterranean and desert biomes.
Improving the environment andpreseving open spaces
Tabor oak landscape. Photo: Liron Shapir
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23
public participation, it was discovered that what
united all stakeholders was the desire to preserve
the special character of the open space in this
region. Based on this, decisions were made about
activities in different areas of life – from tourism
to culture to development to environment. Mostimportantly, the strategic plan gave broad public
backing for plans for an 8,400 hectare park within
the jurisdiction of the council, which is populated
by nearly 10,000 people living in 13 communities,
mostly moshavim and kibbutzim.
Statutory Recognition for the Ramat Menashe Park
The Ramat Menashe park plan was initiated by
the Regional Council of Megiddo, the Jewish
National Fund, and by residents of the area
themselves. The process of declaring about half
of the area of the Regional Council of Megiddoas the Ramat Menashe Park, with a set of rules
and regulations on planning and building, was
crowned with success in June 2006. The primary
aim of the park, according to its planners, is to
preserve the land unit in such a way as to assure
the optimal coexistence of humans, flora and
fauna and agriculture, on the one hand, and
the preservation of the provincial atmosphere,
rural intimacy and feeling of open spaces, on
the other hand.
The park itself is being developed as a unique
forest reserve of both man-planted and naturalTabor oak woodlands (Quercus ithaburensis) ,
mixed pine forests, cypress, open spaces, fields,
orchards, springs and brooks. Some of the areas of
the park are already protected by law as forests
or nature reserves; others are designated for the
development of tourism and recreation. The plan
divides the park into regions with different levels
of conservation/development, based on the
carrying capacity of each area, such as nature
reserves and their environs, areas designated forconservation, forests, agriculture, livestock pasture,
rural open areas and rural settlement areas.According to Shlomo Brand, the director of the
Menashe region in the Jewish National Fund and
the coordinator of the project, "the plan for the
park doubles the areas which will be statutorily
protected in comparison to the situation prior to
the plan’s approval. The plan will protect open
spaces against government plans to establish new
communal settle–
ments." The plan will
ensure that all future
development in the
park area will be
contiguous to existingbuilding and "every
plan will comply
with environmental
stipulations on the
protection of open
spaces and preven–
tion of pollution, which
were determined in
the park plan."
Following the
Biosphere ReserveModel
As one of the largest
expanses of open
space in Israel, in–
cluding a wide diver–
sity of natural assets
alongside human
settlements and ag–
ricultural areas, Ra–
mat Menashe is an
ideal candidate for
the development ofa biosphere region.
Although efforts are
currently invested
in transforming the
entire jurisdiction
area of the Megiddo
Regional Council – some 18,000 hectares – into a biosphere region, the
overall objective is to eventually include the entire geographic area of
Ramat Menashe (which includes the town of Yokne’am and the Alona
Regional Council) within one biosphere region. The hope is that the future
will see a continuous open space in the area which will encompass the
Ramat Menashe Park, the Alona Park to its west and the Carmel Parkto the north.
In retrospect, the process initiated by the Megiddo Regional Council and
by the Jewish National Fund unconsciously followed the concept of the
biosphere reserve developed by UNESCO, both in terms of the differentprotection levels given to different areas (zones) of the park and in terms
of the democratic process which was an integral part of the process.
For the Megiddo Regional Council, the biosphere reserve model is guiding
Photos top to bottom:
Vineyards, wheatfields and oaks. Photo: Liron Shapira
Yokneam against backdrop of open space. Photo: Liron Shapira
Megiddo's green association cleans up. Photo: Na'ama Tessler
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Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
all development. According to Hanan Erez, mayor
of the council, "the intention in Megiddo is to
reach agreements through a process similar to
mediation, which is based on the good will of all
of the partners, rather than coercion from above
by means of legislation or court sentences."
Master Plan for a Biosphere Region for the
Megiddo Regional Council
Since 2005, a steering committee, composed of
different stakeholders including members of the
Megiddo Regional Council, the Jewish National
Fund and representatives of grassroots and
government organizations, has been working to
advance UNESCO’s declaration of the area as
a biosphere region.
Today, a formal process is under way: preparation
of a master plan for the development of a
biosphere region in the Megiddo Regional
Council. Its major objectives:
• To formulate policy and guidelines for planning
the regional council as a biosphere region,
balancing betw
natural resource p
tection and respo
to human needs.
• To create wide pu
consensus about council’s vision
the year 2030 an
define the significa
of the region as pa
a biosphere regio
According to Joel Sie
the strategic planne
the Megiddo Regio
Council, the master p
for a biosphere reg
will result in four primproducts:
1. Designation of l
uses including ma
2. Preparation of po
papers, based o
consensus build
approach and agreements betw
the political eche
professionals, communities and resident
issues as diverse as agriculture, infrastruc
development, education and social
ecological justice.
3. Development of the necessary munic
frameworks to facilitate the flexible
dynamic advancement of the process.
4. Transformation of some of the plans statutory plans and bylaws while allowing ot
to remain in the form of covenants and j
understandings.
Partnerships: At the Heart of the Plan
The process of formulating the plan tow
a biosphere region is based on the forgingpartnerships with all stakeholders. Today, part
include the Jewish National Fund, the Megi
Regional Council, government ministries s
as the Ministry of Environmental Protect
Interior, Agriculture, Tourism, Government Tou
Company, UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Prog
(MAB) and Haifa University. During the proc
24ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Improving the environment andpreseving open spaces
Hagit power plant. Photo: Liron Shapira
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work teams will be set up, in which residents will be involved to the greatest
extent possible. The goal is to set up a community-municipal partnership
for sustainable development.
Challenges along the Way
While there is no hiding the excitement of the stakeholders, all are fully
aware that the process will not be easy. This is partially because the
process itself, in the words of the head of the council’s environmental
unit, Liron Shapira, "constitutes the very antithesis of the current system of
legislation, enforcement and court sentences. In the case of the Megiddo
Regional Council, the local authority is ready to relinquish its power and to
share it with the residents. The idea is to transfer responsibility to residents
themselves in an ongoing process, which will not be dependent on the
municipal administration in office at any specific time, or officials who
might be replaced in the next election."
What are some of the challenges? Joel Siegel believes that one of the
main difficulties is finding ways to transform an abstract vision into practical
reality – for example, to plan industrial areas and infrastructures, withouttaking the soul out of the process. Ways will have to be found to maintain
voluntary involvement in the long term, to keep the pioneering spirit alive.
In more practical terms, human and financial resources will be needed to
move the process along. And further down the line, means will have to be
found to enlist the support and partnership of adjacent local authorities so
that the biosphere region would encompass the entire Ramat Menashe
region.
Why Promote a Biosphere Region?
The establishment of a biosphere region has a price tag, but the price
should be well worth it - economically, socially and environmentally.
Quality of life in such an area for present and future generations is a given,
but more than this, green branding of agricultural and industrial initiatives
should provide a competitive edge, both nationally and internationally.
With international recognition, improved business opportunities, quality
of life, and community pride and empowerment, biosphere regions have
much going for them.
Liron Shapira has labeled the Ramat Menashe area the "Central Park ofIsrael," a large expanse of space bounded by the two population centers
of Tel Aviv and Haifa. Within this biosphere region, communities will beable to act according to commonly agreed rules which define what they
should and should not do and in what fashion within each of the zones in
the biosphere region – core area, buffer zone and transition area.
The mayor of the Megiddo Regional Council, Hanan Erez, is fully convinced
that the bottom-up approach, which is part and parcel of the biosphere
region concept, works. September 2006 should see the selection of theplanning team that will prepare the master plan for a biosphere region in the
regional council, but already today, steps are being taken to raise public
awareness, through community meetings, websites, and an information
kit. In short, everyone is gearing up to transform vision into reality.
Shlomo KatzDirector,
Northern Region
of the Ministry of
Environmental
Protection
The Ramat Menashe
region is not only rich in
natural assets, but it is equally "rich" in national
infrastructures, whether a planned 400 kV high-
voltage line of the Israel Electric Company, the
Hagit gas turbine, the Trans-Israel Highway (Road
#6), plans for a solid waste disposal site and plans
for a new city of Eron. Our challenge is to find
ways to allow essential infrastructures to exist withminimum damage to the environment.
There are many dilemmas in planning biosphere
regions, including how to encourage high-density
building while preserving a rural atmosphere or
how to enable the coexistence of essential natio–
nal infrastructures and open space conservation.
To help answer these critical questions, a new
environmental unit was established for Yokneam,
Megiddo and Ramat Yishai, which should help
increase public awareness and promote a
comprehensive vision of future development in
this ecologically sensitive area.
Perhaps what is most distinctive is the level of
public participation and activism. Just last week,
at the end of August 2006, a first of its kind public
hearing was held on an initiative to transfer lands
from the Megiddo Regional Council to the town
of Yokneam in order to allow the latter to expand.
The greens of Megiddo did an impressive job of
raising public awareness of the issues at stake.
Residents made their voice known on behalf
of the conservation of open spaces through
thousands of petitions and participation in the
hearing.
I have no doubt that the process initiated by
the Megiddo Regional Council for establishing a
biosphere region, in which public participation
plays such an important role, is a healthy
process, which will prove effective in finding
the right balance between conservation and
development.
Balancing Conservationand Developmentin Ramat Menashe
25
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
26
Catalyzing economic growth andnational interests
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
The Comprehensive National Outline
Plan for Building, Development and
Conservation (TAMA 35), approved
by the government at the end of
2005, addresses Israel’s development
needs in the first two decades of the
21st century. Its approval constitutes
an important milestone in the history
of physical planning in Israel.
Outline Plan 35 consists of a series of
statutory maps which give expression
to a new planning language - the
language of "textures." The plan
identifies five "textures," two of whichare development worthy – urban
and rural, and three of which are
conservation worthy including coastal,
mixed conservation and national
conservation, the latter two relating to
the conservation of continuous areas
of open space, agriculture, natural
assets, landscape and heritage.
The plan consolidates physical
development into a concentrated
set of urban centers and strengthens
four metropolitan areas – Haifa, TelAviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba – while curbing
suburbanization and urban sprawl and preserving
a continuity of open spaces.
Special protection is granted to previously
unprotected areas such as open spaces along
watercourses, buffer zones between built-up
urban areas and the urban shoreline as a pu
open space. In these areas, development
be severely restricted except for leisure
recreation purposes. Areas of development
conservation are linked together with a pu
transportation infrastructure.
Planning for Building
and Developmentin the 21st Century
RResponding to Israel’s buildingand development needs whilepreserving open spaces and landreserves for future generations
National
Outline
Plan 35
Urban texture
Rural texture
Coastal texture
Mixed conservation text
National conservation te
Landscape ensemble
Built space
River strip
Coastal strip
Landscape strip
Large special settlemen
Special settlement
National installation
Port
Existing airport
Proposed airport
Border crossing
Roads and interchanges
Railway tracks and statio
Subdistrict boundary
Plan boundary
Map of Textures
Legend
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27
Objectives of National Outline Plan 35
The mega goals of National Outline Plan 35 are based on the princi-
ples of sustainable development, including economic growth, social
equity and quality of life and the environment.
Its major objectives:
• Responding to the planning and building needs of the State of
Israel, while directing the bulk of development to urban "textures"
and reducing suburbanization.
• Organizing Israel’s spatial environment into five distinguishable types
of textures (development-worthy and conservation-worthy) and
consolidating urban areas into four metropolitan areas (Haifa, Tel
Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba) while emphasizing the principle
of open space continuity.
• Giving priority to the development of Jerusalem, as the capital
of Israel, the Galilee and the Negev – while emphasizing the
development of Beersheba.
• Promoting the development of public transportation.
• Responding to the varied demands of different sectors of the
population while narrowing gaps between different sectors and
regions.
• Preserving land reserves for future generations while protectingnatural assets, agriculture, landscape and heritage and the rural
character of agricultural settlement.
• Improving urban entities through gradual renewal, relatively
high density building and development of infrastructure systems
emphasizing public transportation, as a driving force for urban
development.
• Reducing environmental deterioration and nuisances, according
to sustainable development principles.
• Encouraging cooperation among local authorities and promoting
coordinated regional planning.
• Advancing outline plans and policy papers and following up on
development and conservation.
Components of the Outline Plan
The statutory component of the plan highlightssuch principles as contiguous development,minimum density for residential purposes, urbanrenewal, and open space protection which goes
beyond the protection of nature reserves, national
parks and forests and includes the protection oflandscape ensembles, coastal strips, river strips and
landscape strips. At the same time, it promotespublic transportation, reduces social gaps, callsfor the integration of infrastructure corridors andemphasizes the protection and improvement ofthe environment.
The environmental regulations of the plan, which
are also displayed in map form (see above),define more than half of the country as an areaof high landscape sensitivity, where additionaldevelopment is conditional on the performance
of landscape/environmental assessments. Theenvironmental requirements also define areas for
the protection of water resources and aircraft noise
impact areas and call for assessments of eachdevelopment plan which may threaten to harmthe environment. Additional requirements relateto risk assessments in different areas, including
seismic risk areas, and contaminated land.
National Outline Plan 35 – Milestones in the Approval Process
29.12.04 Approval by the Committee for the Protection of the Coastal
Environment
3.1.05 Approval by the Committee for the Protection of Agricultural
Land and Open Spaces
4.1.05 Approval by the National Board for Planning and
Building
27.11.05 Approval by the Israel government
Side by side with the statutory guidelines, the plan includes recommendations
on complementary policy measures which should be taken by the authorities
to assure the fulfillment of the planning goals: socio-economic policy, urban
renewal, preservation and improvement of open spaces, accelerateddevelopment of public transportation, accelerated development of theNegev and Galilee, accelerated development of Arab communities and
strengthening of cooperative ties among adjacent municipalities.
Environmental Guidelines Map
Map depicts areas of high landscape-environmental sensitivity (green), water conservation areas (blue), aircraft noise impacted areas and main infrastructures.
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Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
How to minimize aircraft noise and yet provide the
public with safe and efficient aviation services?
The question is not unique to Israel, but represents
a major challenge in the environs of Israel’s major
airport, Ben Gurion International Airport, situated
in the midst of the densely populated Tel Aviv
metropolitan region.
In Israel, as elsewhere in the world, the response
is based on a multi-faceted approach based
on reducing noise at source (the aircraft itself),
imposing restrictions on airport operations, and
controlling development in the noise impacted
area through compatible land-use planning and
noise mitigation (soundproofing).
Minimizing Noise at Source
In accordance with noise standards set by the
International Civil Aviation Organization, which
have been incorporated into Israel’s Aviation Law
and its regulations, Stage 2 civilian aircraft have
been banned from Israel’s airports since April
2002. Today, with the exception of military flightswhich still include previous generation planes, only
Stage 3 civilian aircraft operate at Ben Gurion
Airport, and, in fact, in 2005, an increasing portion
of the planes landing and taking off actually
complied with the more stringent Stage 4 noise
requirements.
Operational Restrictions
In order to minimize the generation of noise from
Ben Gurion Airport, the Israel Airport Authority
has adopted a noise minimization policy, which
addresses the following aspects, among others:
• Controlling takeoffs at night.
• Using a preferred model of operation
(optimizing use of flight paths and routes).
• Placing operational restrictions on different ty
of aircraft according to their noise output
• Acoustic protection.
• Monitoring aircraft noise and flight tracks.
Noise Abatement Provisions under the Ben
Gurion Airport Master Plan
In view of its size and impact on the populat
a separate master plan (National Plan 2/4)
drawn up for Ben Gurion Airport, which defines
BBen Gurion International Airport is Israel’s main aerial gateway, with more than 73,000 land
and takeoffs – of which 56,000 were international flights - in 2005. More than 8,917,531
sengers passed through the airport in 2005, of which nearly 413,000 were internal passeng
Environmental Provisions of the Master
Plan for Ben Gurion Airport
• Establishment of noise contour ma
which delineate the area in which lan
use and building restrictions apply.
• Commitment of the Israel Airpo
Authority to minimize the impacts aircraft noise, through such means as
preferred operational system for takeo
and landings and provisions on acoust
treatment for present and future buildin
which are exposed to aircraft noise.
• Setting of specific provisions o
environmental control and supervisio
based on advanced technologic
mechanisms (including a noise monitorin
system) and public mechanisms (includin
a Public Committee, with representativ
of residents from the impacted areand a Professional Committee, w
representatives from the Ministry
Environmental Protection, Interior and Isra
Airports Authority, to prepare update
noise contour maps and recommen
them to the Public Committee).
Abating Noise from
Ben Gurion Airport
28ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Catalyzing economic growth andnational interests
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The noise and flight track monitoring system is in operation since 1996.
The system continuously measures the intensity of all aircraft noise, using
ten monitors located along the takeoff flight paths, with real-time data
collection capability and a central control and monitoring system to
correlate noise violations with flight data.
The system is designed to monitor and prevent excessive noise levels in
the populated areas under the westerly departure corridors. Maximal
noise levels are set for each noise monitoring terminal at each locality
in dB(A) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection receives monthly
reports on-line.
To further improve the monitoring system and to identify deviations
from the flight path, a radar-based path enforcement system has been
installed which enables correlation of noise events recorded by the
stations with flights along the flight path.
For any deviation from the noise levels at the monitoring stations which
is automatically identified by the system, a warning letter is printed and
sent to the airline company, demanding a detailed explanation of
the reason for the deviation. The system’s findings are discussed by an
interdisciplinary team responsible for dealing with excessive aircraft noise.
In case of deviations from permitted noise levels, the team takes steps
Noise Contours Around Ben Gurion Airport
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
60 dBA
square kilomters
65 dBA 70 dBA 75 dBA
1997
2005
noise impacted areas and includes a nuisance
abatement plan with specific directives on
land use and noise abatement. The master
plan, approved in July 1997, is unique in that
the boundary specified in the plan is the actual
boundary of the noise impacted area.
Acoustic Treatment
According to the master plan, acoustic treatment
is required for sensitive noise uses in areas
exposed to noise between 60 dB(A) and 65
dB(A) and sensitive land uses in areas exposed
to aircraft noise above 65 dB(A) are prohibited.Unacceptably high aircraft noise is defined as an
average cumulative noise level of 65 decibels
or higher based on the Day-Night Sound Level
(LDN) method, as calculated by the Integrated
Noise Model.
As per the terms of the statutory master plan,
the Israel Airports Authority is required to provide
acoustic protection to residents in the environs of
Ben Gurion Airport. Eligibility for acoustic treatment
is determined by a legal expert based on a noise
contour map which is prepared each year. A
17-member public committee is responsible forimplementing the environmental provisions of the
master plan, including matters related to acoustic
treatment.
Ben Gurion Airport Noise Monitoring System
The noise abatement provisions under the master
plan are enforced through a monitoring system.
29
Photo: Ilan Malester
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
Reducing airpollution fromtransportationand industrial
sources
Treatingmunicipal,
industrial andagricultural
waste
Improving theenvironment
and presevingopen spaces
30
Catalyzingeconomic
growth andnational
interests
to stop the deviations. The possibility of introducing
some form of penalty, whether fines or fees based
on the noise level generated, is currently being
considered. In general, the number of violations
of noise standards has been less than 1% of the
total number of takeoffs from the airport.
A Look at Noise Contours around Ben Gurion
Airport in 2005
According to National Master Plan 2/4, an
updated noise contour map is required every
year "to determine eligibility for treatment inexisting residential dwelling units for the purpose
of reducing noise in them."
A look at results over the past seven years shows
the following changes in the noise contours from
1999 to 2005:
• Reduction of 17.4% in the Ldn=60dB(A) noise
contour area;
• Reduction of 22.6% in the Ldn=65 dB(A) noise
contour area;
• Reduction of 34.4% in the Ldn=70 dB(A) noise
contour area;
• Reduction of 32.5% in the Ldn=75dB(A) noisecontour area.
The combination of measures taken in Ben Gurion
Airport appears to be working as evidenced by
the actual decrease in the population exposed
to noise in the vicinity of the airport despite the
significant increase in international air traffic
which characterized the last decade. Based on
Airport Noise and Operations Monitorin
System
The noise monitoring system at Ben Gurio
Airport is a sophisticated, acoustic syste
which monitors aircraft flight tracks, fle
mix, and noise levels by time of day, seaso
and annually.Among the basic capabilities of the system
• Identification of flights that deviate fro
permitted noise levels.
• Identification of noise events and fligh
according to residents’ complaints.
• Identification of the location whe
aircraft pass in relation to specifi
areas (up to the level of streets an
buildings).
• Storage, display and analysis of aviatio
data.
• Production of automatic reports, such letters of complaints to airline compani
for deviating from the noise threshold
airway routes.
• Retrieval of system data by vario
criteria and their display on maps an
photos.
Treating municipal, industrialand agricultural waste
the results of the LDN 65 dB(A) noise contours
new residential units were added to the eligib
circle for acoustic treatment in 2005.
Photo: Ilan Malester
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31
Steps to Reduce Noisefrom Ben Gurion Airport
Stelian Ghelberg
Director,Noise and Radiation Abatement
Department
What is the size of the area
impacted by noise from
Ben Gurion Airport today as
opposed to ten years ago?
The master plan for Ben Gurion Airport, which was
approved in 1997, equates the boundaries of the plan
with the boundaries of the noise impacted area –60 km2. According to the most recent noise contour
map, there were 48.5 km2 which were impacted by
noise exceeding 60 dB(A) from the airport in 2005. The
reduction in the area exposed to aircraft noise over the
years is largely due to the new mix of aircraft, which
includes a larger percentage of quieter aircraft. Other
factors include reduced activity by the Air Force, which
was in the past responsible for major noise nuisances in
this central area of the country.
What role has the Ministry of Environmental Protection
played in reducing noise exposure from Ben GurionAirport?
Most of the environmental provisions in the Master Plan
for Ben Gurion International Airport were initiated by
the ministry. These included the provision of acoustic
protection to residential units exposed to noise above
65 dB(A). As a result, some 1000 residential units were
found to be eligible for acoustic treatment, including
treatment of windows and doors and installation of air
conditioners.
In addition, the ministry played an important part in
implementing the decision of the National Board for
Planning and Building regarding assistance to localauthorities in the noise impacted area. In this case, it helped
initiate a plan, along with the Israel Airport Authority, to
provide acoustic treatment to schools and kindergartens
in the area. As part of the program, acoustic protection
was granted to 23 schools and 77 kindergartens.
How is the problem of night flights being tackled?
The situation today is different than it was in 1997 when the
master plan for the airport was first approved. At that time,
aircraft were louder and there was no monitoring and
tracking system at the airport. Therefore, the restriction of
nighttime takeoffs was an important element in the noise
reduction program. Today this restriction bans nighttime
takeoffs between 01:40 am - 5:50 am, although some
exceptional takeoffs are allowed with the prior approval
of the Minister of Transport.
In practice, since November 1998, when implementation
of the government decision on limiting nighttime takeoffs
from Ben Gurion Airport began, there has been a sharp
increase in the number of takeoffs just before and
immediately after the banned hours, which are very
sensitive times from the point of view of the residents.
Therefore, we have been working with the Civil Aviation
Authority to advance an alternative program that will
allow the airport to operate at night but under the strict
stipulation that only fourth generation aircraft will be
permitted between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. Thus, only
aircraft which generate 10 dB(A) less noise than today
will be allowed to take off from the airport during these
hours – 77 dB(A) instead of 87 dB(A), with the former
equivalent to the noise generated by a bus while driving
in an urban environment.
How is the Environmental Protection Ministry kept
informed about noise violations in Ben Gurion Airport?
We are connected online to the noise and flight track
monitoring system at the airport and its vicinity so that we
are updated in real time about noise levels. This information
allows us to conduct analyses and assessments, to review
the current situation, to discover weak points and to makerecommendations for improvement.The monthly reports
are also circulated among all relevant local authorities in
the area to assure maximum transparency so that there
is good cooperation between the Airports Authority, the
ministry and the surrounding municipalities.
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
32
Treating municipal, industrialand agricultural waste
It may be a well-kept secret or just a general
misapprehension, but the fact is that desertification
does not generally take place in deserts. A
conference titled "Deserts and Desertification:
Challenges and Opportunities," scheduled to take
place in Israel’s Negev desert on November 6-9,
2006, will set out to prove just this.
According to the concept document prepared for
the conference, “policy-makers and stakeholders
need to remember that the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
is an agreement to combat desertification,
not deserts. Indeed, the same conditions that
make deserts ostensibly inhospitable for human
habitation also endow them with special, often
unexploited advantages, due to their distinctive
agricultural potential (longer or multiple growing
seasons), access to solar radiation and eco-
tourism opportunities.”
The conference, sponsored by the Blaustein
Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion
University, and the United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification - Annex IV Nations,
will bring together some 300 experts from about
20 countries, including scientists, government
officials, practitioners and local community
representatives.
Conference Objectives
It is widely recognized that desertification is an
acute problem, responsible for a wide variety of
environmental, economic and social ills, including
loss of agricultural productivity, famine, population
displacement and escalation of poverty. The
conference will deal with the natural and human
drivers of desertification and the steps that can
be taken to confront and ameliorate them. At
the same time, it will deal with the flip side of the
challenge of "combating desertification," nam
the opportunity to develop productive
sustainable economic alternatives in dryland
will consider the effectiveness of different initia
to combat desertification and will high
available opportunities for ensuring quality o
and sustainable livelihoods in drylands.
Academic and professional sessions will
complemented by field trips, focusing
local efforts to combat desertification andagricultural and economic development initia
in the local semi-arid and arid regions.
Why Israel?
Israel is a unique venue for an internatio
conference on deserts and desertifica
When the state was first established 58 y
ago, much of its semi-arid region was degra
and the Negev desert in the south pushed its
northward. A combination of drylands agricult
water management technologies, afforesta
and economic initiatives has helped to m
much of this land productive.
Israel’s leading desertification institute, The Ja
Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research of
Ben Gurion University of the Negev, enga
in a broad spectrum of desert research an
a world leader in desertification research.
renowned institution, located in Israel’s Ne
desert highlands, is the perfect setting fo
international conference on desertification.
Why Now?
2006 marks the tenth anniversary of the ratifica
of the United Nations Convention to Com
Desertification. 2006 also marks the Internatio
Year of Deserts and Desertification, declared
the United Nations General Assembly. Israe
one of the first countries to sign and ratify
Desertification Convention in 1996, heededcall of the General Assembly to celebrate the
and to support public awareness activities rela
to desertification by hosting an internatio
convention in its own Negev desert.
"Deserts and Desertification:Challenges and OpportunitiesINTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION
AAn international conference in Israel will
distinguish between deserts and desertifica-
tion as it highlights the challenges and op-
portunities inherent in the world’s drylands
esert landscapes top to bottom.
Photos: Ronen Alkalay,
Motti Sela, Yoav Hagoel
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33
Alon Tal
Blaustein Institutesfor Desert ResearchChairperson, LocalOrganizing Committee
of the internationalconference on "Desertsand Desertification:Challenges andOpportunities"
When the Earth Summit convened in 1992,
two world treaties which address "first-world"
concerns of climate change and biodiversity
preservation were initialed. Yet many of the
developing nations demanded a third treaty to
attack the real obstacle to sustainability in their
countries – poverty. Combating desertification
was considered a compromise surrogate. Thefact is that over forty percent of the indigent
people on the planet live on drylands, and
desertification is decimating the economies of
dozens of indigent nations throughout Africa.
This dynamic is manifested in the full name
of the 1994 treaty that ultimately emerged
– the "United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious
Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in
Africa" – or typically the "UNCCD".
Israel, long heralded as an international leaderin innovations to prevent desertification, signed
and ratified the UNCCD in 1996. As one of the
only nations that had seriously embraced
the issue of "rolling back the desert," its viewswere highly influential in the initial negotiations
and its opinions were sought out and
respected in subsequent efforts to expedite
implementation.
While some 190 nations ultimately signed the
treaty and joined the UNCCD framework,
progress over the past decade has beendisappointing, due for the most part to
inadequate funding. According to the treaty,
wealthier nations are expected to support the
specific activities outlined by poorer nations to
combat their desertification problem.
The lack of progress was highlighted this
past October in Nairobi when a thousand
representatives of the parties to the convention
convened for the third meeting of the “COP”
(the Conference of the Parties) to focus on
implementation. Yet initial signs of progress
emerged: China is making enormous efforts,
planting millions of hectares of trees a year,
some 49 African nations submitted programs lastyear with measures to stop desertification with
special funding from the Global Environmental
Facility, several African nations presented
impressive projects. But the general absence of
funding leaves most African countries with little
improvement in trends during the past decade,
with most progress relegated to paper – rather
than restored or healing drylands.
Since the initial period of negotiations, Israel has
been represented by Professor Uriel Safriel – an
internationally renowned ecologist and oneof the two authors of the Millenium Report's
Drylands section. Thanks to his personal expertise
and integrity, the country still enjoys reasonable
stature and recognition among the community
of UNCCD diplomats. But as opposed to other
Western nations, Israel has not yet drafted an
action plan, has not dedicated additional
resources to assisting developing countries and
has not established a coordinated government
framework for addressing the issue locally.
The United Nations General Assembly declaredthe year 2006 to be the International Year of
Deserts and Desertification. This constitutes an
opportunity for Israel to reinvigorate its efforts
to address local desertification issues and to
provide more meaningful assistance to the
many destitute drylands nations throughout the
world. An international professional conference
will be held at Sde Boqer in November 2006showcasing Israel's innovations in afforestation
and agriculture. This is not enough. At the
very least, an inter-ministerial task force should
be established and an Israeli "Action Plan"
launched. As much as any other country on
the planet, Israel has indeed made its desert
bloom. But it is time to move forward to ensure
that these achievements are not lost, but
consolidated in a systematic, multi-faceted
national policy. Moreover, the lessons learned
should be shared with a planet thirsty to benefit
from the many blossoms emerging from Israel's
desert experience.
An estimated 344 million
people live in the world's
deserts, but a full 1,765million make their homes in
non-desert drylands (semi-
arid and dry subhumid
climates). The challenge of
sustainable development is
therefore twofold:• To exploit the opportuni–
ties inherent in desertdrylands without compro–
mising the ecosystem
services that support
their inhabitants or theirunique characteristics;
• To achieve economic
expansion for the benefit
of the population while
avoiding development
decisions that can lead
to desertification in non-
desert drylands.
Hopefully, the experts andstakeholders that will gather
in Israel in November 2006will pinpoint some ways in
which this double challenge
can be met.
For further details,
please see: http://www.
desertopportunities.org/site/
Combating Desertification –Reviving an Environmental Commitment
Photo: Motti Sela
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ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN vol. 31
34
It takes vision to transform a tragedy into an
opportunity for change, for making things better.
In 1997 four Australian athletes who had come
to Israel to participate in the Maccabiah Games
lost their lives when a footbridge over the Yarkon
River collapsed. In Israel, the disaster brought the
issue of water pollution to the top of the publicagenda and led to a flurry of research studies
and surveys about the river. Yet the impacts of
the disaster were not confined to Israel alone.
Upon returning to Australia after the games,
Phillip Foxman, a member of the Australian Jewish
community, met with Ian Kiernan, Chairman of
Clean Up the World, to discuss the possibility of
setting up Clean Up Israel within the framewo
the international organization. This is how Cl
Up Israel was born.
What is Clean Up Israel?
Clean Up Israel is a non-profit organization
a member of Clean Up the World, a commu
based environmental program that inspires
empowers individuals and communities f
every corner of the globe to clean up, fix up
conserve their environment. Since the first Cl
Up the World event in 1993, millions of volunt
have pitched in to make the world a clea
place.
Focusing on Clean Up Israe
Publicto the
a FaceWith
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35
In Israel, building partnerships between
business sponsors, governmental and
non-governmental organizations, local
authorities and educational institutions is
of top importance. As General Director
of Clean Up Israel, Israeli-born Eli Hadar
is intent on devoting his second career
to raising environmental awareness by
helping to build such partnerships after
retiring as a colonel from 27 years ofarmy service.
The Vision
The vision of Clean Up Israel is simple:
to raise environmental awareness
and education, especially among the
country’s youth. Cleanups integrated
with ecological education and local
environmental activities are the tools
used to achieve this goal. During
the course of each cleanup, young
and old, civilians and soldiers areintroduced to some of the country’s
major environmental issues, including,
among others, pollution, coastal
Phillip FoxmanPresident
and Founder
Clean Up
Israel
a wide variety of bodies – army and
navy units, local authorities, government
ministries and green organizations.
An especially worthy partnership
was launched with the Ministry of
Environmental Protection within the
framework of the Clean Coast Project.
Officials of Clean Up Israel are quick to
point out the excellent relations and the
welcome cooperation that exist betweenthe organization and the ministry for the
benefit of the environment.
Major Campaigns
Members of Clean Up the World are
encouraged to organize cleanup
events on or around the 3rd weekend
in September (Clean Up the World
Weekend), but any time of the year
is considered the right time for the
environment. In Israel, activities do
indeed take place all year round butwith a focus on the period before
the Passover holiday (March-April),
traditionally a time of physical cleaning
for the Jewish people, and during the
time of the High Holy Days (in September),
a time of spiritual cleansing.
Every year, Clean Up Israel invites the
public to join the international cleanup
campaign in September and to take
an active part in additional events
throughout the year. Preparations are
often coordinated with such bodies as
the Ministry of Environmental Protection,
the Nature and Parks Authority and the
Ministry of Education. The response to the
simple call "Clean Up Israel!!! Do the Right
Thing" has been excellent, with numerous
campaigns focusing on local cleanups
and beach cleanups, recycling and
resource recovery projects, educational
campaigns, competitions, exhibitions
and much more – all aimed at raising
environmental awareness among the
public and motivating all sectors of the
population to do something about theenvironment.
For more information and a photo–
graphic history of just some of the
events that have been organized in
Israel in recent years, please click on
www.cleanupisrael.org.il
damage, protection of animals and
local history. The rationale behind this
approach is that a person who takes
part in such activities will be exposedto vital environmental issues and will be
motivated to protect and enhance the
quality of the environment.Partnering with Other Organizations for
a Cleaner Israel
Side by side with the events and
campaigns directly initiated and
organized by Clean Up Israel, the
organization responds to requests from
Simple actions by simple people – thisis what Clean Up Israel is all about.
Simple actions, such as cleaning up
a street or a local park, can have a
snowball effect, as proved by the
Australian example. I have seen
what people power can do to make
changes in Australia, drawing in not
only volunteers, but politicians, indus-
trialists and the media. The same can
happen – and is already beginning to
happen – in Israel. In fact, over the
past six months alone, some 10,000people took part in cleanup cam-
paigns throughout Israel – whether
students, soldiers or ordinary citizens.
There is no doubt about it – if you be-
lieve, you can make things happen.
Special
Environmental
Award to Mr.Phillip Foxman
In December 2005, Mr. Phillip Foxman
was awarded a Certificate of
Recognition for Special Activity as
part of an annual award ceremony
to voluntary organizations, groups and
individuals organized by the Ministry
of Environmental Protection and the
National Council for Voluntarism in
Israel. The certificate was awarded to
Mr. Foxman in recognition of his special
contribution to Israel’s environment
as expressed in the establishment of
"Clean Up Israel," in his extraordinary
voluntary activities and his personal
investment of both time and money in
promoting environmental education
and awareness in Israel.
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Acacia in a desert landscape.
Photo: Motti Sela
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