Green Links – Mar. 2 – Mar. 9, 2007

• More air pollution means less rain in hilly areas – Jerusalem Post
• Private highways for the rich – Haaretz
• Environment Ministry proposes alternate location for Dibbeen tourism complex – Jordan Times
• Journalists filming report on organized crime role in recycling attacked – Haaretz
• Herzliya’s hidden wildlife wealth – Haaretz
• Jerusalem Zoo oryx moving to the Arava – Haaretz
• Looking for a national bird – does the bulbul fit the bill? – Haaretz
• Twenty seconds to hide under the table – Haaretz
• HMO data: Lebanon war lead to baby boom – Haaretz
• Israel’s green technology leads world, but not at home – Jerusalem Post
• New publication: A wall, water and power: the Israeli ‘separation  fence’

See an article you think should be included? Email it to AravaNetwork@gmail.com – APEN members can also register to be regular blog contributors.

APEN Steering Committee Meeting

APEN Steering Committee Meeting

29 – 30 March, 2007  Sde Boker

Friends,

The next meeting of the Alumni Steering Committee is only one month away! 

The meeting will take place at Sde Boker from Thursday evening through Friday afternoon.  For those who wish, you will be able to stay on through the weekend.

We will be housed by AIES alumni during the meeting. Please remember that our hosts are current students, and be respectful of their needs.  

Important technical details: 

We need 30 NIS from each participant to help cover the cost of food, which includes dinner, coffee and snacks, and a late breakfast. 

You must pay for your own transportation.

We need to know that you are coming by Thursday, 15 March.  – Sending an email is enough.

Please don’t just show up unannounced – we will be planning rooms, places to sleep, food, and the program in part based on the number of people we expect.

Please “RSVP” (let us know if you are coming) to: sharónb@arava.org, or yonatan@arava.org

Looking forward to taking our next step together, 

Sharón and Yonatan

Workshop: NATO Advanced Research Workshop

Advanced Research Workshop
http://www.natodeadsea.org/

19, 20, 21 November 2007, Kibbutz Ein Gedi, Dead Sea, Israel

Registration Deadline: August 31st
Candidates will be contacted by the end of September regarding their status

Objectives :
The objectives of this Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) are to provide an academic forum for the implementation of sustainable development and management options for transboundary waters and other resources occurring in areas of conflict and arid and/or extreme environmental conditions using the Dead Sea as a case study.

The workshop will provide a forum for the identification of-and solutions to-overcoming barriers to effective conflict resolution and cooperation over transboundary waters and other resources occurring in arid and/or extreme environmental conditions.

Who Should Apply?
This Advanced Research workshop is targeted to professionals from respective NATO, Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries that are primarily involved in policymaking and the science and engineering aspects of water resources management.

Internship Opportunity: AIES Research Intern 2007

Arava Institute Research Intern 2007

The Research Intern will help the Director of Research at the Arava Institute implement daily tasks as well as strategic plans for the Institute’s Research Programs. The Intern may have the possibility to work on the current programs: Transboundary/ Stream Restoration, Ambient Concentrations and Chemical Composition of Particulate Matter 2.5 across borders, the Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and The Center for Sustainable Energy.

The areas, in which assistance is required include:
Fundraising tasks and grant writing
Human Resource Management
Research and academic work including assistance in paper writing, editing, and reference citing
Representation of the Institute

The Intern’s specific responsibilities will include:
Research
Email filtering and communication
Data entry
Filing
Logistics for research programs
Trip planning

The position is available on a rolling basis, starting in February 2007.
Requirements for the position are:
English language fluency
Hebrew and Arabic language fluency preferable
Computer skills in MS Word, Excel and Outlook
Must own a laptop and cell phone
Organized, energetic and enthusiastic
Environmental background preferred
College Graduate

Conditions of Internship:
Ideally the Intern will be fully funded from an outside fellowship or organization.
The Institute will provide support in finding living arrangements on the AIES campus or on Kibbutz Ketura. The intern may be subsidized for housing and placed in a room with another Institute intern or with an AIES student.

This is an unpaid Internship.
Contact Clive Lipchin at Clive@arava.org

Green Links – Feb. 27 – March 7, 2007

• Greece to co-finance feasibility study for Dead-Red project – Jordan Times
• Pollution adding to Gaza’s woes – Al Jazeera
• Greenpeace protests at Hadera power plant – Jerusalem Post
• Chouf Cedars Reserve teams up with goats and their masters to protect greenery – Daily Star
• Tel Aviv mulling London-style congestion fees – Haaretz
• If you build it, they will come – Jerusalem Post
• One Stop Health takes campaign to Environment Ministry – Jordan Times
• AL-BIA WAL-TANMIA – March edition – The Leading Pan-Arab Environment Magazine
• Biblical roots at Neot Kedumim – Jerusalem Post

See an article you think should be included? Email it to AravaNetwork@gmail.com – APEN members can also register to be regular blog contributors.

Green Links – Feb. 21-27, 2007

• Solar power station to be established near Jericho – MA’AN
• Israel to get its first solar plant, at last – Haaretz
• On Location: A sustainable development – Jerusalem Post  <— Arava alumni related!
• Palestinian Authority proposes building new city in West Bank – Haaretz
• Subject: IDF begins mobilizing on ‘training camp’ town in Negev – Haaretz
• King reiterates importance of land use plan – Jordan Times
• Peace Now: W. Bank settlements annexed nature reserve land – Haaretz
• Legitimization of land theft – Haaretz
• Green agencies oppose construction for Gaza evacuees – Haaretz
• Only the pollution was not privatized – Haaretz
• Chouf residents protest waste shipments from Beirut -  Daily Star
• Quarries do damage you can see – and some you can’t – Daily Star
• Wall of silence helps keep sector immune to government regulation – Daily Star
• An Environmental Stand – Asharq Alawsat

See an article you think should be included? Email it to AravaNetwork@gmail.com – APEN members can also register to be regular blog contributors.

Green Links – Feb. 17-21, 2007

• Cabinet to approve Electric Corp. reform – YNet
• Egypt tries harnessing Solar Power – Arab Environment Monitor
• Gulf to get first solar-power plant – Al Jazeera
• Greenpeace calls for a Nuclear Free Middle East – Greenpeace
• Turkey to host 5th World Water Forum – Arab Environment Monitor
• Guidelines for Improved Local Water Governance in 3 Arab Countries – Arab Environment Monitor
• Azraq eco-lodge offers history and local flavours – Jordan Times
• Eco-tourism sector struggles to recover from wounds of war – Daily Star
• Green Star of David isn’t backed by solid criteria – Haaretz
• History of Environmental Policies in Jordan – Arab Environment Monitor
• Khalaf: The Environmental Blogger – Arab Environment Monitor

See an article you think should be included? Email it to AravaNetwork@gmail.com – APEN members can also register to be regular blog contributors.

Share your Arava memories on Flickr.

Now available: Upload your favorite photographs to the APEN Network Flickr group!

Nothing gives us more warm, fuzzy feelings than seeing pictures of past semesters, get-togethers, and current alumni projects… could be good for publicizing your latest venture.

For example:

This group is available to join by invitation only for friends and members of the APEN Network.

Please contact aravanetwork @ gmail dot com for an invitation.

Green Links – Feb. 14-16, 2007

• Greater Tel Aviv area riddled with serious groundwater pollution – Haaretz
• Toll-busting trick provides car leasers with a free ride – Haaretz
• The architectural conspiracy of silence – Haaretz
• Hirchson delivers threat to cancel roads projects – Haaretz
• Offshore gas talks smell fishy to legislators – Haaretz
• Breathe in the sulfur dioxide – Haaretz
• Environmental awareness-raising campaign launched in Ramallah Thursday – Ma’an News Agency
• 2,000-year-old date seed grows in the Arava – Haaretz <— AIES related!

See an article you think should be included? Email it to AravaNetwork@gmail.com – APEN members can also register to be regular blog contributors.

Steering Committee Meeting March 30, 2007

Hey everyone -
I just want to make sure that you know that there is a meeting for the steering committee at Sde Boker on March 30th, and we are working out the details now – but the idea is to build a plan for the Arava Network for the year ahead – and a long term vision. This organization is being birthed as we speak and we need some practical skills and development tools to get to a working point.

Alumni of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies who wish to take part should contact Yonatan@arava.org or Sharonb@arava.org and let us know.

Also – if you are an Alum (whether or not you are in the Middle East) you can always write us for help with anything to do with Peace and Environment in the Middle East. If you need recommendation letters, job possibilities, help editing your new NGO’s grant proposals, or help finding the best training program or graduate school for what you want to learn – tap in to our network and let us know how we can help you!

All the best!
Sharón