Eco Israel Tours: Exploring Israel in a New Way

The Eco Israel Tours program is an opportunity for tourist groups to head off the beaten-path and to experience a side of Israel rarely seen by visitors and students. Eco Israel Tour groups are exposed first-hand to both Israel’s nature, as well as its living, breathing culture of innovation. Despite its climatic challenges, Israel is a global leader in providing green solutions to environmental problems. This is a part of Israel’s vitality that is recognized by global industry, yet one which visitors and even some residents do not often have the opportunity to encounter. Eco Israel Tours provides an interactive, dynamic experience of this exciting world within Israel by exploring contemporary challenges and solutions such as water and energy.

Creating an Itinerary

An Eco Israel Tours itinerary is comprised of several elements, in the context of several ecologically-focused themes. You choose the themes and elements (depending on the length of the program and your group’s location in Israel) that you would like incorporated into your group’s Eco Israel Tours schedule. The following is a list of themes and elements from which to choose

Themes:

Intro to the Environment in Israel
Green Technology and Clean Tech
Recycling Innovation
Addressing the Water Challenge
Ancient and Modern Farming/Agriculture
Biodiversity: Plants & Animals Unique to Israel

Elements:

Interactive Site Tour
Site Encounter – ‘Roll-Up-Your-Sleeves’
Nature Hike
Bible Text Study
Eco- Volunteering
Experiential or Group-building Activities in Nature
Presentation, Talk, or Lecture

What to Expect

The Eco Israel Tours program is customized for your group’s wants and needs, according to your choice of theme and elements. The following is a brief explanation of these themes and elements.

Themes

An Introduction to the Environment and Israel: In this tour, your group will gain an appreciation for the deep roots that have connected the people of Israel with the natural world for millenia.

Green Technology and Clean Tech: Contemporary Israeli society is at the forefront of the global effort to shift from non-renewable sources of energy to safer sustainable and renewable sources. Israel is using creativity and advanced technology to address this global issue. We will see some of Israel’s most exciting projects on-site, including innovative solar facilities.

Addressing the Water Challenge: This tour will explore historical and contemporary water challenges in Israel and we will see how Jerusalem has dealt with a limited water supply for over 3,000 years. In recent years, Israel’s main aquifers and the Sea of Galilee dipped below their red lines, endangering water quality. The Israeli Ministry of the Environment warned that “Preservation of the country’s scant water sources may be the greatest challenge facing Israel today.” And the World Economic Forum lists water challenges as the top global priority facing us over the next decade.

Recycling Innovation: Like all modern societies, Israel’s consumption of resources is great, which, in turn, results in high levels of waste production. We will explore some of the new technologies and recycling projects that Israel is utilizing to deal with this issue. We will explore ancient teachings about consumption and waste.

Ancient and Modern Farming/Agriculture: Agricultural religious rituals and the yearly farming cycle have been central to the life of people in the Holy Land since Biblical times. We will explore ancient teachings, and see how some Israelis today are incorporating them into contemporary practices. You will have the option of visiting Israeli farms, and learning about Israeli efforts towards sustainable and organic agriculture.

Biodiversity: Plants & Animals Unique to Israel: The seven food species of the Holy Land and the incredible flocks of migrating birds, during the fall and spring, are just some examples of the diverse wildlife that can be seen all around Israel. We will see some of the amazing plants and animals that have thrived here in the past and present, and understand the efforts that are being made to preserve them today.

Elements

Interactive Site Tour: From a leading electric-car company’s headquarters to an organic farm to a garbage dump turned into a park and environmental education center, site tours will give your group a view into the exciting innovations happening here and now, in Israel. We choose sites based on their interactive appeal, to provide participants with a truly engaging experience.

Site Encounter – ‘Roll-Up-Your-Sleeves’: Get in on the action by participating in on-site work – Options include participating in alternative building, such as mud-house construction, and various activities on a sustainable farm, such as planting or learning to build a composting structure.

Nature Hike: Get to know the land with your feet! Being out in Israel’s natural landscape is one of the best ways to connect to Israel. A hike can be long or short, in any of the various ecological landscapes that Israel has to offer.

Bible Text Study: Explore both texts from the Bible and other sources that relate to the Land of Israel and to current ecological issues. A focused study session will allow your group to delve deeper into the wisdom of the sources, allowing for lively discussion and debate.

Eco Volunteering: Giving freely and joyfully of one’s time for the sake of something larger or simply to help one’s fellow, is an important part of Israeli life. Through volunteering, your group can connect hands-on to a specific issue, and meet individuals working in these important areas, lending participants another perspective on the situation.

Experiential or Group-building Activities in Nature: Nature provides a powerful setting for personal and social growth. These activities will help build the relationships within your group, and will deepen each person’s experience of the day.

Contact

For more information or to sign up for a tour, contact Yonatan Neril, Eco Israel Tours director, at 054-723-4973 (Israel-line), or send a message here.