Today: Earth Hour * Green hour for recipients of the 2011 "Green Globe" signals

Towards Earth Hour, in which we will all turn off the light, announces the Oscar Award for Environmental Excellence awarded for the eighth time and also one Black Globe * Below: details of the day's events

Global warming is an existing fact. The need to protect the environment, to protect the planet from the damage that man causes to it, and whose destructive effects can already be seen - is indisputable. However, both the authorities and the people are not yet taking the necessary steps to preserve the environment's resources and save energy.

In order to raise the necessary awareness, the municipalities of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Jerusalem, Eilat, Ashdod, Bat Yam, Givatayim, Dimona, Herzliya, Holon, Haifa, Yavne, Yeruhem, Yakneam, Modi'in Maccabim-Reot, Nes Ziona, Netanya, Petah Tikva, Arad, Rehovot and Ra'anana in collaboration with "Haim and Environment" the umbrella organization of environmental organizations, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Tel Aviv and arc interactive, to join the global initiative and turn off the lights on March 24 of this year, for one hour, as a prominent step, involving all city ​​residents.

The intention is to turn off the lights in homes, offices, public buildings and businesses. The street lights, traffic signs and indicators will remain on all over the city. Turning off the lights and turning off other electrical devices are steps that may significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is the beginning of a campaign, accompanied by educational and community activities designed to encourage the public in Israel to save energy.

The joining of businesses, offices and companies is particularly important, since at the end of each working day, thousands of employees leave the office buildings, leaving behind lights on and computers that continue to operate. Turning off the lights, computers, photocopiers and other devices that are not in use will result in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

For a breakdown of the lights-off times in the various cities (note that the hours vary from city to city to reduce congestion)

The Green Globe
On Thursday, March 24.3, the "Green Globe" awards will be awarded to those who excel in activities for the environment. The Green Globe Awards, Israel's environmental "Oscars", are awarded by environmental organizations for excellence in environmental activities in government, the business sector and civil society. The ceremony of awarding the Green Globe signals is taking place for the eighth year in a row, led by Haim and Environment - the umbrella organization of environmental organizations in Israel, which includes over 120 organizations from all over the country.
According to Naor Yerushalmi, CEO of Haim and Environment: "The Green Globe ceremony is taking place this year against the background of the ecological and nuclear disaster in Japan, which points to the duty imposed on us to be attentive to the forces of nature that are stronger than us and to reduce the waste of resources, for the sake of future generations. The general public now has the opportunity to demonstrate its power in front of the decision-makers, and demand that they place the issue of the environment and public health at the top of their priorities." According to him, the mobilization of the media on the green issue is of first-class importance, in that it sets the public agenda and makes the issue accessible to the general public and decision makers.
The winners of the "Green Globe" are people who have led processes of change for the sake of the environment in public, business or volunteer activities. Among the areas highlighted this year are also environmental activities at the municipal level, in the education system and in the civil service. The "Black Globe" badge will also be announced at the ceremony - a derogatory designation for a person who has particularly harmed the environment.
The Green Globe signs will be awarded in a festive ceremony that will be held in Tel Aviv as part of the "Earth Hour" events, in the presence of Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai, and the heads of the environmental-social lobby in the Knesset, Knesset members Dov Hanin and Nitzan Horowitz.

The winners of the "Green Globe" for 2011 are:
• The Green Globe: Minister of Environmental Protection - Gilad Erdan
• Environmental activist: Amiad Lapidot - one man's vision becomes a reality in an entire country
• The business sector: Yuki Gil - Root Company Ltd. - a combination of commitment to the environment and society in business
• Local organization: headquarters of the struggle to save the Sassegun Valley - residents are fighting to preserve nature in the Timna Valley
• Environmental education: an environmental education project of the Society for the Protection of Nature in the Bedouin sector in the Negev
• Local sustainability: the regional environmental unit Ra'anana Kfar Saba
• Public figure: Yoram Shafer - Chairman of the Environmental Quality Committee in Ashkelon - Environmental leadership in the local government
• The Black Globe - the venture to extract oil from oil shale in the Adulam region
Minister of Environmental Protection - Gilad Erdan

The Minister of Environmental Protection Gilad Erdan led with unprecedented success a number of environmental revolutions, which have a broad impact on the economy and society in Israel. He significantly increased the ministry's budget, the volume of its activities and its public and political influence. Its activity is characterized by fruitful cooperation with environmental organizations on core issues that are on the environmental agenda.

Minister Erdan placed the environmental issue high on the government's agenda: opposition to the construction of the coal-fired power plant in Ashkelon; Cancellation of the plan for construction on the Palmachim beach; promoting the establishment of a large public park on the banks of the Kishon; and supporting the salt harvest in the southern basin of the Dead Sea. Thanks to his efforts, the cancellation of the Committee for the Protection of the Coastal Environment was avoided in the first stages of the "reform" in the planning system.

Under the leadership of Minister Erdan, the Ministry placed the issue of the climate crisis and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the center of its activities, and led to the establishment of a national goal on the subject. The packaging law, which is an environmental leap forward, is one of his most notable achievements this year. The law is a central element in the transformation of the cycle, which also includes the increase of the levy on landfilling waste, the allocation of hundreds of millions of NIS for a program to separate household waste in the local authorities, and an extensive public information campaign on saving and reducing consumption in order to create a change in behavior on a daily level.

Yuki Gil - Root Company Ltd

The company "Shoresh" (www.sourceoutdoor.co.il), manufactures original hiking equipment, including the sandals that are a hallmark of Israelis traveling the world. The company is located in Carmel Castle and employs over 200 employees, most of whom are residents of the city.

Yuki Gil leads a worldview that sees social businesses (the "fourth sector") as a lever for independence and sustainable self-sufficiency of the community, and a device for reducing the gaps in society. Based on this belief, he works to promote two original initiatives to leverage local resources in Carmel Castle: a harvest festival that returns hundreds of olive trees to the community in the city with an annual income potential of approximately NIS 800; And a solar project to produce electricity with a capacity of 1 Megawatt from photovoltaic installations on the public roofs, which will provide a livelihood for maintenance teams, will encourage the community to promote energy efficiency, sustainability and environmental quality, and will guarantee social projects in the city an annual income of more than a million NIS for 20 years.

Yuki Gil brings his experience in the business world to the social world. He is one of the founders of the Tirat Carmel community foundation and serves voluntarily as the chairman of its executive committee. The fund was established in 2002 at the initiative of the welfare department in the municipality, and local residents and businessmen joined it. It is a groundbreaking and inspiring model of social action that brings about a significant and sustainable change in the local community.

Yoram Shafer - Chairman of the Environmental Quality Committee in Ashkelon

Yoram Shafer has been leading environmental activities in Ashkelon for over a decade. Upon his retirement from the IDF at the rank of lieutenant colonel, Yoram, an insurance agent by profession, chose the promotion of a healthy and quality environment in the city as a central goal. On a full volunteer basis, he participates in a series of struggles, chief among them the struggle against the construction of a polluting coal-fired power plant.
Shafer led many other environmental struggles such as the protection of the Korkar Kors cliff, the regulation of the Katsa complex and the controlled deployment of cellular antennas. In 2004, he was crowned by the newspaper "Zamman HaDrom" as the man of the year in environmental quality in the south and founded, still as a resident, the municipal environmental quality committee.

In 2008 he was elected to the city council and chairs the environmental quality committee, which under his baton is one of the most active and effective in the country, and is leading a real revolution in improving the city's appearance, cleanliness and waste treatment. Shafer leads the implementation of the 15th Forum Convention to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the "Environmental Tag" project, promotes a recycling and waste separation program, and initiates education and energy efficiency programs in public buildings, all with the full backing of the mayor of Bani Vaknin and in cooperation with the municipal departments.

Amiad Lapidot, "Artez Carmel" association
Amiad Lapidot's activity is an example of an environmental-social vision that becomes, with the help of faith, determination and talent, a reality. Amiad developed and proved the idea that household waste can be separated through training, support and a small household bin, and is largely responsible for the fact that Israel is moving towards a revolution in waste separation at source.
After a series of positions in environmental organizations, Lapidot, who has a bachelor's degree in geography and a master's degree in urban planning at the Technion, founded the association "Erts Carmel" with the aim of promoting the vision of proper treatment of the waste we produce. Lapidot started with field work with local activists, while mobilizing the communities and finding creative solutions to the practical problems such as the types of bins, the collection methods and the handling of the end solutions. In November 2004, garbage separation began in 12 households in Moshav Kerem of Israel, and within a year all 170 families in the settlement joined. The growth was rapid, and each year more communities joined, and today dozens of cities join the waste separation project at the source led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

An environmental education project of the Society for the Protection of Nature in the Bedouin sector in the Negev
Over 3,000 students and teachers participate in the environmental education programs of the Society for the Protection of Nature in the Bedouin sector in the northern Negev. The purpose of the project is to work together with the Bedouin residents to promote the quality of the environment, and to promote among the children the sense of belonging and responsibility for the environment. Through diverse activities and the formation of a local team of guides, it is possible to lead significant environmental processes among the Bedouin residents of the Negev. The programs operate in approximately 85 classes in 27 schools.
The community of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Be'er Sheva trains guides in the Bedouin settlements, who lead environmental processes in Berhat, Hora, Segev Shalom, Kasifa, Arara and the Abu Basma regional council. Teachers in the sector participate in training to promote the quality of the environment and a sustainable lifestyle in the schools and in the community. Among the programs implemented in this framework: "Children lead change", "Children plan a park" and the development of environmental social leadership.

The headquarters of the struggle to save the Sassegun Valley

Until three years ago, almost no one knew the Sassegun Valley in the Timna Valley. Far from our eyes, in the heart of the open area, a plan was hatched to build a huge hotel complex that includes four hotels and a host of artificial "attractions" including a tropical island, 2.5 km of canals where gondolas will sail, an adventure park, an amphitheater, a shopping center and more. An article in a local newspaper was the opening shot for a persistent struggle by a group of residents from the localities of the area to save the valley, which, like similar civil struggles, was conducted "against all odds." The struggle succeeded in attracting about 35,000 supporters who joined the petition, and the activists mobilized the major environmental organizations, the environmental-social lobby in the Knesset and even caring artists who created a song and music video in the spirit of the place. Activists of the headquarters of the struggle followed a moderate propaganda line all along, promoted an open public discussion and maintained a proper discourse culture.

The persistent, consistent and creative activity led, meanwhile, to the halting of the plan, and a professional opinion commissioned by the state recommended moving the hotel development to a less sensitive area and preventing damage to the valley. These days the project is facing a dramatic decision, and the decision makers have an opportunity to correct a fundamental mistake made in the planning stages, before it is too late. The headquarters to save the Sassegun Valley is a prominent example of civic organization for the open spaces and nature of all of us, however far and hidden it may be, and it is an inspiration for other civic initiatives.

Raanana Regional Environmental Quality Unit

The regional environmental unit serves about a quarter of a million residents in Ra'anana, Kfar Saba, Hod Hasharon, Kochav Yair-Zur Yigal and the regional councils of South Sharon and Hoof Hasharon. The managers of the unit and its employees are motivated by a sense of mission and belief in their ability to change reality, which places them at the forefront of environmental action while striving for excellence. The unit works in fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Local Government Center and the Center for Local Sustainability.

The environmental unit accompanies the authorities in writing strategic master plans for sustainable cities, in the implementation of the climate convention of the 15th forum and the "Environmental Tag" program. The unit led Ra'anana to become the first city to adopt an ISO 14001 environmental management system, and in Kfar Saba it is helping to promote the first neighborhood in Israel that is built according to green building principles. In addition, she is a partner and professional consultant for the waste master plans in Kfar Saba and Ra'anana, the leading cities in Israel in this field, and is working to establish a regional facility for the treatment of organic waste.

A special emphasis is placed on environmental education, and the education section includes 11 employees who promote waste reduction and recycling, urban nature research and a database for documenting the diversity of species, and the development of unique tools for schools.

"The Black Globe": the project to extract oil from oil shale in the Adulam region

Under the auspices of archaic legislation from the 238,000s, a project is being promoted to establish an oil industry from oil shale in the Judean Lowlands. The American-owned IEI company received from the Ministry of Infrastructure a license for the exploration and production of oil shale fuels in an area of ​​400 dunams in the Judean Lowlands, without a detailed plan and environmental impact review being prepared. The entrepreneurs intend to apply underground heating technology to a temperature of about XNUMX degrees, and to condense the emitted gases into high-sulfur fuels.

This is an experimental technology "to scrape the bottom of the oil barrel", which has not yet been applied commercially in the world, and there is great uncertainty regarding the environmental consequences and risks involved in its application. The implementation of the plan could turn the entire region into a space for a chemical industry with a lot of infrastructure and pollution, and it contradicts the government's commitment to reduce Israel's greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the discovery of the gas reservoirs off the coast of the country and the large investments in alternative energy sources and energy efficiency, the Ministry of Infrastructure supports the project, without a real public and professional discussion about an overall energy policy of the State of Israel.

The Adolim region in the Judean Lowlands is a rural area with many natural and heritage values, which is a candidate for declaration by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site "Land of Bar Kochba Caves". This is an open and natural area of ​​land located on the axis of the national ecological corridor, which also includes important KKL-Junk parks - Britannia Park and Adulam Park, which attract many hikers, vacationers, and cyclists. A local residents' committee is leading professional and public opposition to a huge industrial project, whose consequences for health and the environment are still shrouded in fog.

Despite the opposition of the Mate Yehuda Regional Council, many members of the Knesset and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the entrepreneurs continue to advance their business goals at the expense of the landscape, the quality of the environment and public health. Heavy pressure is exerted on the decision makers, using the word "Zionism" and the term "renewable energy" cynically. Against the project, a broad coalition was formed, shared by the residents of the area, the regional council, environmental organizations and members of the Knesset, which works hard to ensure that the Judean Lowlands does not become a polluting industrial area, but remains a green, prosperous and flourishing area.

Green trend - focus on public transportation today

This Thursday, 24.3.11, is Earth Hour Events Day. The environmental organizations, including 'Green Movement', 'Life and Environment' and 'Israel for Bicycles', will hold a colorful and first-of-its-kind march: "For the sake of the globe - turning to green transportation!" The march will leave at the end of the Green Globe ceremony at the Gat Cinema in Tel Aviv, towards the nearby Rabin Square and surround the square. A brass band and drums will accompany the march, costumes and of course signs calling on the Minister of Transportation to prioritize public transportation over the private vehicle.

Tel Aviv, like other metropolitan cities, suffers from a heavy load of private transportation. Along with the immediate effects: the noise, the roads, the dirt, and the traffic jams, serious air pollution is created that harms the quality of life and the health of the residents, and causes breathing difficulties and cancer. Over the years, the Ministry of Transportation worked to solve the problem of traffic congestion by building new interchanges and roads. These actions in fact later led to a further increase in the amount of private transportation and aggravation of the transportation problem in Israel. At the same time, municipal plans to improve public transportation were not actually carried out as they were delayed or stopped altogether at various stages of the process.
Public transportation is a solution to the disease and not to the symptom. Large cities in the world have long realized that the solution to these problems is an integrated solution centered on the establishment of an efficient public transportation infrastructure.