When I introduce myself and explain that I study Environmental Studies at university, Israelis will smile and say I have come to the perfect place. Israel is an incredibly advanced country, with amazing agricultural production and is hard at work to develop technologies like desalination (Do you know what desalination is?). However, it can be hard for the average person to find this innovation and ingenuity in their daily lives here.
Judaism and the Israel-Palestine conflict are the overwhelming topics of interest here. It is true that Israel has contributed significantly to environmental studies and environmentally-friendly developments and inventions, including improved drip-line irrigation for orchards and crop fields. But there is nothing advertising these impressive feats as prominently as the billboards promoting Judaism, or bookstores supporting the liberation of Palestine.
Luckily, I recently started an internship at the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) in the hopes of getting more hands-on experience with environmentally-friendly movements and ideas. Already, I have noticed how much has been hiding under my nose, as well as under the noses of many others! The ICSD works to raise awareness about the connection between religion and ecological/environmental issues.
