Lotan, Israel
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| Lotan | ||
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| Founded | 1983 | |
| Founded by | Reform Movement | |
| Region | Arabah | |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement | |
| Coordinates | 29°59′7.79″N 35°5′17.87″E / 29.9854972°N 35.0882972°ECoordinates: 29°59′7.79″N 35°5′17.87″E / 29.9854972°N 35.0882972°E | |
  Lotan
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| Website | www.kibbutzlotan.com | |
Lotan (Hebrew: לוֹטָן) is a Reform kibbutz in the Arabah Valley in the Negev desert in southern Israel. It was founded in 1983 as Yahel Bet by twenty Israeli and twenty American youths. It currently serves as location for eco-tourism and birdwatching for tourists. The kibbutz is also a member of the Global EcoVillage network,[1] and offers seminars and workshops on earth building, watsu, and creative ecology. Its members strive to balance an ecological approach to living in Israel through recycling, permaculture, and other projects.
[edit] Green Apprenticeship program
The Green Apprenticeship Ecovillage and Permaculture Design course is an intensive 6 week work /study experience run by the Center for Creative Ecology at Kibbutz Lotan in southern Israel. The program offers a highly practically-based immersion into the processes and challenges involved with the design, building and running of sustainable communities, linking together ecological, social, economical and spiritual aspects into a unified whole. Practical skills are developed through hands-on work in our environmental education center, organic gardens, alternative/natural building projects and the Lotan migratory bird reserve, complemented by theoretical sessions in topics such as ecological design, permaculture and sustainability.
Students on the course live in the GA eco-campus—a prototype model for sustainable living that is a learning experience in itself. Living quarters are super-insulated straw-bale and mud geodesic domes, built on-site by previous course participants. Passive cooling systems are employed to combat the desert heat. Electricity is almost entirely from alternative energy sources. Composting toilets and grey-water systems help conserve water. The daily challenges of living together as a micro-community in this low-impact environment form an integral part of the educational experience of the course.
Participants on the course are also interwoven into the daily life of our kibbutz, an intentional cooperative community based on the principles of liberal, egalitarian Judaism. The experience and world view of Lotan is utilized as a case study for focusing on group process and community building. The ideas and ideals behind our way of life and projects are discussed, including talks about kibbutz economics and social structure. Students are encouraged to take part in cultural/religious events on the kibbutz and in the region that occur throughout the program. The Green Apprenticeship also integrates tours to local points of interest, neighboring kibbutzim and other ecological projects, and hikes in the region around Lotan.
Every practical experience on the course is reinforced by formal studies, a holistic link to permaculture ideas, and an opportunity for participants to share their ideas and past experiences to influence our projects. The activities are designed with the belief that an individual can bring these ideas to their own homes and communities, empowering them towards making positive change.
The Green Apprenticeship course is an authorized provider of the Ecovillage Design Education curriculum developed by Gaia Education. The Ecovillage Design Education curriculum is an official contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005–2014 and has the endorsement of UNITAR - United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Gaia Education is a program of GEN - the Global Ecovillage Network.
On successful completion of the course work, participants will receive a Permaculture Design Course Certificate according to the International Permaculture standards, which will be taught as part of the Green Apprenticeship program.
[edit] References
- ^ Heart and Soil Science & Spirit, 2002
[edit] External links
- Official website (English)
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