VIVA SARAH PRESS

February 22, 2020

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently announced a new $10 billion fund to help fight climate change and save the planet, and scientists, environmental activists, farmers, and sustainability organizations the world over – including in Israel – are paying attention. Israel’s ecosystem is home to hundreds of groundbreaking green and clean technologies and research-on-the-go to meet the impacts of climate change and would love to draw more attention to these solutions.

“I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share,” Bezos wrote in an Instagram post when announcing his commitment to fund climate change research and awareness.

July 21, 2019

Industrial designer Ezri Tarazi speaks excitedly when telling about the first time he saw an orange fish hiding in a blue bioplastic coral reef that he and fellow members of an Israeli research group had installed in the Red Sea. The research group – made up of marine biologists and designers – 3D printed the world’s first bioplastic and ceramic tile coral reefs to shed light on the complex relations between coral architecture and fish recruitment.

“It was very exciting to see the fish on our corals. I remember the first time I went diving near the corals and there was an orange fish shining through our blue bioplastic coral. It was amazing,” Prof. Tarazi, head of the Industrial Design Graduate Program at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, tells NoCamels. “What is important is that this fish, when we dove again, was there a week later. It made a home in our corals and this was very exciting.”

By Viva Sarah Press

It is summertime and that means there is oodles of time to enjoy the outdoors, get a hands-on feel of the environment, and learn about nature. And in Israel, getting a feel for the land is essential.

“Israel is rich with environmental organizations, local community groups committed to the environment, neighborhood and school efforts that involve opportunities for kids to literally get their hands dirty in the mud, in sand, with trees and with nature,” says Gidon Bromberg, Israeli Director of EcoPeace Middle East.

There is no shortage of environmental activities on offer. Field schools around the country, KKL-JNF, botanical gardens, Israel Nature and Parks Authority and others offer a host of outdoor activities year-round highlighting local nature and the environment.

Many Israeli trees date back hundreds of years. If the trees could talk, they’d probably tell us stories about why they were planted, what historical events they’ve witnessed and how many times they’ve been drawn or photographed.

You don’t need to traipse into forests or fields to enjoy these majestic wonders of nature, however. Yaacov Shkolnik — a tree surveyor and author of the book 101 Amazing Trees in Israel – says that while urban trees are often overlooked, they are easily reached and have important tales to tell.