Tomorrow I depart Atlanta for Tel Aviv, and in a few days, I will begin a ten-month environmental research program at the Arava Institute, which is located at Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel. I am both excited and nervous for this new adventure. I do not completely know what to expect, but here is a bit of information about the program and what I will be doing:
About the Arava Institute:
The Arava Institute describes itself as, "a leading environmental studies and research program in the Middle East. It houses academic programs in partnership with Ben Gurion University, research centers, and international cooperation initiatives focusing on a range of environmental concerns and challenges .... Here, the idea that nature knows no political borders is more than a belief. It is a fact, a curriculum, and a way of life."
The Arava Institute houses five research centers: centers for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Transboundary Water Management, Sustainable Agriculture, Hyper-Arid Socio-Ecology, and Sustainable Development. Program participants are comprised of Israelis, Palestinians, Israelis, Americans, and students from around the world.
My work at the Arava Institute:
I will be contributing to a Track II Environmental Forum and helping the director of the Institute with logistics and background research for environmental transboundary working groups. The hope of the Institute is to bring together leaders from Israel, Jordan, and Palestine/the West Bank to address different transboundary environmental concerns, such as climate change adaptation and water management. I will also participate in a peace-building leadership seminar, an environmental leadership seminar, and a Hebrew class as a program participant at the Arava Institute.
Thank you for reading my blog, and I hope to keep you posted about my work and adventures at the Arava Institute!
Here is a picture of the Red Sea in Eilat, Israel. I interned in Israel in the summer of 2014 and visited Eilat. Eilat is 30 minutes south of Kibbutz Ketura, and I look forward to visiting again soon. I love how the desert cascades into the sea.
