My earliest memory of arriving in Jerusalem in 1993 is permeated with a sense of bewilderment. Coming from Queens, New York, everything was strange to me as I stared out the window of a car speeding from the airport – from the palm trees to the massive banner stretched across three buildings with an unintelligible slogan (in later months I’d discover it said, “The nation is with the Golan”).

But what stood out most to me was the beauty of the luminous stone buildings, so different from Queens architecture and seemingly so appropriate to all that the ancient holy city is and should be. Even now, after becoming jaded to the sight of Jerusalem stone, I feel a pang that is almost like pity when I visit other parts of the country and see that they – like Queens – have dull slabs for facades instead of the stone that makes Jerusalem unique.

But now that so much of our public discourse has turned to environmental concerns, it must be asked: Is quarrying Jerusalem stone sustainable or is it a resource that is finite in supply and will vanish due to our greed? Do we harm any ecosystems by mining for this stone? It feels almost heretical to ask these questions, since Jerusalem stone is such a vital source of Jerusalemite pride.

Investigating these questions led me to Ithamar Perath, retired geologist and lifelong Jerusalemite, whose special interest and field of research are the uses of building materials, particularly stone, in ancient Israel.

The answers, Perath makes clear, are rooted in thousands of years of quarrying for Jerusalem stone, a practice that has been taking place since the time of the earliest inhabitants of the city. The history and archeology of the city are closely tied with the quarrying of Jerusalem stone.

But first, to the business of the way we get our Jerusalem stone today. Quarrying generally is a mechanized process that takes place in the desert, and not just anyone can obtain permission to quarry the stone.

Rather, explains Perath, “You can’t get a quarry license if you don’t present a plan to mend the landscape – which means you have to do something with it, whether it’s to smooth the outlines of the quarry, make it into a playground, or build a swimming pool that can serve the community for recreation.”

Perath is dismissive of the idea of Jerusalem stone as an endangered resource, remarking, “Not in 10,000 years will we run out of Jerusalem stone.”

Though Jerusalemites think of it as unique, the stone is actually a very common substance, says Perath. “All the stone is limestone or dolomitic limestone, which are both marine deposits from about 90 million years ago when this whole area was sea bottom.”

As it turns out, we have the British Mandate to thank for the law that requires buildings in Jerusalem to be faced with Jerusalem stone. It instituted the law for aesthetic reasons, even though it would double building costs, and subsequently produced some very attractive buildings, the King David Hotel and the YMCA among them.

But while the British Mandate appreciated the aesthetic qualities of Jerusalem stone, using it as a building material was far from being their idea. The ancient Jerusalemites were accustomed to building their houses from the Jerusalem stone they had quarried within the city and used the hole that remained as a cistern to collect rainwater beneath the home. In this fashion, most quarrying in ancient Jerusalem took place underground and has therefore not left much of a mark on the landscape.

In fact, there are several ancient quarries around Jerusalem – the bus station in east Jerusalem is the site of an ancient quarry, as is Rehov Hamadregot Nahlaot. The Garden Tomb resembles Golgotha – loosely translated as “skull hill” and the site of the crucifixion – because it was in fact a quarry.

It was a sign of wealth in ancient Jerusalem that the city did not have to transport building materials from far away as most cities were forced to do. “A city is very lucky when it can quarry in its own yard,” Perath concludes.

“Jerusalem built itself from its own stones.”

Read more green news on Jerusalem:
Jerusalem’s Living Building Grows With the Seasons
An Unwelcome Colony of Parakeets Move Into Jerusalem
Jerusalem Exhibit Focuses on the Deep

Image via Flavio

On a recent walk through the German Colony, I was treated to a stunning sight. Filling a tree with their flapping green wings was a flock of eight parakeets, calling raucously to each other and pecking at fat red berries with gusto.

Residents of the German Colony (in Jerusalem) are apparently inured to this experience, as sightings of the gorgeous birds – officially named ring-necked parakeets – have become increasingly common in recent years. People like to theorize about the birds’ origins, speculating that they are all the progeny of an intrepid pair of escaped pets, years ago. Or that they were imported to Israel to be sold and were accidentally released into the wild. The outcome is, of course, the same: A species of bird that was once alien to the region is now right at home in the holy city, squawking and snacking on local plants like it owns the place.

I had an up-close-and-personal encounter with ring-necked parakeets at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo years ago. They are comical birds, quick to engage with people, insistent in their shrill calls. Self-confidence is not their problem.

Their problem, explains Dr. Salit Kark of the Hebrew University, is their despoiling of our ecosystem. Kark’s research specialties include biodiversity and biological invasions and, unfortunately, the ring-necked parakeets are endangering the former and qualifies as the latter. They compete with indigenous Jerusalem birds, as well as with the birds migrating from Europe and Africa that pass through Israel twice a year.

Responding to In Jerusalem’s questions via e-mail from Australia, where she is serving as honorary reader of the University of Queensland, Kark explains that the ring-necked parakeets are all too comfortable in our climate and ecosystem, where the work is being done by others to nurture them. They live on fruits and seeds produced by agriculture – that is, by our farmers. To clarify, feeding parakeets is not what the farmers have in mind when they grow their cash crops of sunflower seeds and fruits, and the ravages of foreign birds on these plants is disastrous for them.

The average exotic bird you buy in the pet store will die from the slightest temperature change or draft, so I was surprised to discover that although their origin is probably India, the ring-necked parakeets are quite happy in Jerusalem winters.

According to Kark, they can even thrive in cities as far north as London and Berlin.

They are also quite the little freeloaders, nesting in the cavities of trees that were created by Syrian woodpeckers. This drives the woodpeckers out of their habitats, thus endangering that species and, with it, biodiversity in the region.

All in all, from an environmental perspective, the ring-necked parakeet is a beautiful nuisance at best. The experience of learning this struck a familiar chord in me, reminding me of the time I first learned that Jewish tradition considers the rainbow a sign of ill fortune. To this day, the lesson is profoundly incongruous – that something of such exquisite loveliness should be regarded as a threat. But in matters of environmental concern, this is a theme that seems to arise again and again, and nowhere more so than in matters of biodiversity.

Yet I hold out hope that environmentalists will find a way for us to compromise with the ring-necked parakeet so we can somehow coexist together.

For more rare bird observing, you can visit the Jerusalem Bird Observatory behind the Knesset.

Image via andis

The relationship between ecology and worldwide religions has taken center stage recently. Islamic leaders are speaking out and two traveling Americans found all manner of environmentally aware Muslims in their country.

Also, if it ever lifts off, the famous “Ground Zero” mosque will be built according to LEED building principals. Ilana explains how Jewish leaders in Israel are also contributing to a growing eco-centric ethos.

Shir Hadash, founded by Rabbi Ian Pear in 2000 and located in Katamon, is planning a new, eco-friendly building as part of a greater campaign to raise awareness about environmental issues in the Jewish community.

The $6 million project, which will be located in Talbiyeh near Rehov Dor Dor V’dorshav, has the support of private funders and the Jerusalem municipality.

Urban green

“Most of the world lives in cities, and we have to somehow create sustainable institutions within our urban areas,” explains Pear. “It’s one thing for individuals to create gardens or take fewer showers, but public institutions should be taking the lead in that regard. Certainly if it’s a synagogue committed to spreading God’s message, expressing a love of Eretz Yisrael – if we believe the land is holy, we have to learn how to treat it in a more sustainable way.”

This idea is in line with the philosophy of Shir Hadash as expressed by Pear, which is to emphasize the positive aspects of Judaism – the shir (song) – and the excitement of rebuilding Israel. It’s a philosophy that attracts visiting groups to the synagogue, including clergy of other faiths, even in its current humble location in a rented gym.

Pear’s goal is therefore to educate visitors – local and international – by example.

“We don’t want to just build a green building. We want to show that Judaism and environment are really connected to each other as a form of education.”

Spiritual enviornmentalism

This might mean implementing some green techniques that are more showy than practical, such as a dance floor that activates the air conditioning as people dance. Water will not only be drawn from rain collectors and recycled but will also be visibly channeled throughout the building so that people, especially children, can see the process.

In keeping with his spiritual approach to environmentalism, Pear sees an underlying ethical value to recycling. “That everything can be reused and redeemed is reflective of our value of people,” he explains. “We’re not looking for one type of person to come to this shul; we’re looking for the contribution that each individual person can make.”

Photovoltaic cells will be installed in the windows to provide solar-powered electricity.

The landscaping of the surrounding garden will be designed with an environmental sensibility by placing trees where they will provide shade for the building in the summer so that less air conditioning is needed. And, of course, the garden itself will be sustained with recycled water.

Orthodox obstacles

Pear is honest about the challenge of promoting environment as a value in the Orthodox Jewish community, though he also maintains that his own community has been supportive. Obstacles in the Orthodox Jewish community include the association of environmental causes with left-wing politics and the symbiotic relationship between meat and Orthodox Jewish celebrations.

“Meat taxes the environment more than most things, and the value within Orthodoxy is that simha means meat,” explains Pear. “That is going to become a tension.”

But Pear is optimistic, seeing an inherent harmony between environment and Judaism that simply needs to be brought to the fore through educational initiatives.

He concludes, “We believe in Israel’s role of being a light unto the nations. We just want to make sure that it’s a sustainable light unto the nations.”

:: image and story via Jerusalem Post

More Architecture and Urban News:

Mud Structures in the Muslim World: Spectacular And Sustainable

Top 5 Arab Sustainable Designers

Intel Israel Is LEED’s Golden Child

“People haven’t been looking at photovoltaic systems from a holistic point of view,” Sella tells ISRAEL21c. “Panel manufacturers care only about the panels and panel conversion efficiency. The people that develop classical inverters only care about the efficiency of the inverter. I asked: can we create a system that is better than we currently have?”

The answer, according to SolarEdge, is yes. The Herzliya-based has created “intelligent panels” that work together with a central Power Box, which would replace the passive panels that are the current norm. These new panels provide 25 percent more energy as well as solutions to some of the serious problems that plague current systems.

No feedback, no function

Today’s photovoltaic systems have a number of major disadvantages, according to Sella. For instance, there is no feedback from individual panels. If a panel is broken or not functioning properly, there is no monitoring system to detect the problem.

“In fields today you have hundreds of thousands of panels,” says Sella. “Even if some of them are not working, they don’t have any monitoring level, so you as the field owner can’t know if they are working. After a big hailstorm, people habitually walk through the field with a notebook, visually checking each panel and writing down its condition.”

Another problem with having no monitoring system is that people can easily steal the panels, which are worth between $600 to $800 each. These antediluvian conditions would be abolished by SolarEdge’s technology.

Turning passive panels into intelligent devices

In current systems, all the panels in a photovoltaic system are connected to an inverter box, which in turn connects the system to the power grid. SolarEdge, however, has taken all the technology in the inverter box and put it into an electronic chip, or ASIC.

Each photovoltaic panel contains its own ASIC chip, turning each panel into an electronic device that can alert the owner both to its functionality and possible theft. The system will also be connected to the internet, so the owner can go online to check the status of each panel.

These intelligent panels also provide more energy than current photovoltaic panels. “The panel can now optimize its energy output, and can verify that it is converting the maximum energy that it has,” explains Sella.

An additional advantage is that the very different voltage system created by this technology is much safer, says Sella. Current systems use thousands of volts in their DC lines, and are impossible to turn off, a serious hazard in cases of fire. The inability to shut off powerful voltages also makes these systems potentially dangerous to install.

With the SolarEdge system, the panel-embedded electronics can be shut down individually, either through the central power box or via the panel itself.

An excellent rate of growth

Confidence in SolarEdge is high. Founded in 2006, by Sella and co-founders Yoav Galin, Lior Handelsman, Meir Adest and Amir Fishelov, who met in an elite technology unit of the Israel Defense Forces, the 70-member company has raised $23 million in the past year, despite the poor economic climate.

It plans to start shipping products from mass production lines in Israel late this month.

“SolarEdge has partners all over the globe – in the US, Germany, Spain, France, and Japan,” explains Sella. “Through our partners we have access to 40-50 percent of the world market, which is basically wherever there is solar energy.”

This market is in the range of $30-40 billion; and Sella estimates that the worth of his own product is somewhere in the region of $3 billion.

Not surprisingly then, Sella is optimistic about the solar energy market even in the current recession. “The growth rate of the solar energy market makes it interesting. I’m not aware of any market since bubble days that has had this level of growth rate,” he says.

Eventually, Sella predicts, “Solar energy will be cheaper than fuel cells, and energy harvested from photovoltaics will either be cheaper or the same as fossil fuels.”

(This story was first published on ISRAEL21c – www.israel21c.org)

Want to know more about solar energy efficiency? Read:
BP and SolarEdge Develop Power Harvesting Systems
Tigo Energy Squeezes More Power From The Sun

::SolarEdge website

According to Bat-Zion, the war being fought in the area is not just with rockets.

“This is an ecological war zone,” Benjaminson told the Jerusalem Post.

We are on the edge of the desert here and our goal is to make it recede. This is a very logical place. That is why I am here. Because it is less expensive, I can achieve sustainability quicker. We are on the cutting edge of ecological living.

Bat-Zion hopes that she and her children will be the start of an eco-village within the existing moshav. Right now Eden’s Herbs Farm, as she has named it, is tended by Bat-Zion and volunteers from abroad. They grow herbs that are native to the region as their main cash crop, as well as bananas and other cultivations–all without pesticides, of course. Chickens roam free of any chicken coop.

Water conservation is adhered to the utmost–not merely using all grey water for irrigation, but even using a waterless toilet and a shower that is open to the sky.

Before moving to Israel, Bat-Zion studied permaculture. But when she moved to Shokeda, she wasn’t necessarily bargaining for a war with Gaza. The house she and her sons live in has no shelter, and the nearest shelter is 50 meters away.

Bat-Zion comments on the war experience:

We hear and see a lot of helicopters and smoke. The windows rattle…We’ve learned to distinguish between the sound of Kassam rockets and IDF fire. This conflict has heightened our sense of Jewishness and has given us courage in the face of a fierce enemy.

But she continues with the wry observation that her little farm is “not a very interesting target” for Hamas, who are more interested in bombing the cities. Two of her sons are currently in Netivot, and despite their newness to Israel have already adjusted quickly to security procedures.

To Bat-Zion, being Jewish and environmentally friendly go hand in hand, as she says, “The Torah is my basis for environmental living.”

:: Jerusalem Post

Continue reading about more eco-village projects in Israel:
Eco-Village Kramim: A Green Ray of Light in the Negev
Neot Smadar: An Eco-Village in the Southern Negev
Adam and Eve: An Eco-Farm Paradise in Modiin

(Top image credit: Jonathan Pulik, for the JPost)

Miya president and CEO Baruch Oren and B. Gaon Holdings Ltd. Chairman Moshe Gaon have presented a new forum: The U.S.-Israel Binational Cleantech Forum, which they announced at the Israel America Chamber of Commerce Conference in Washington. The goal of the forum is to create a cohesive network that connects environmental organizations to businesses and political organizations that can implement cleantech solutions.

The forum will meet twice a year, once in Jerusalem and once in Washington, and will engage in public relations, lobbying of the U.S. government and Congress, and the establishment of joint business ventures. Members of the forum will comprise figures from government, environmental organizations, industry, academia, and financial institutions.

In an exclusive interview with Globes Online, Gaon explains that the impetus behind his new initiative is based on his perceptions of the cleantech industry as a whole:

There’s a lot of activity, but no leadership, and everyone is operating alone, each country for itself, each company for itself. There are huge differences between industrialists and environmental organizations, and everyone is remote from the funds. Financing for academe is almost non-existent.

Gaon also adds that the forum will focus on the development of existing infrastructures rather than seeking to build new ones–an imperative during this time of crisis.

Water is an especially grave concern for the forum, as Gaon reveals that Israel’s water crisis could be dealt with now, if Israel’s government were to deal with the problem efficiently.

Gaon explains, Instead of supporting Gaon Agro’s desalination plant at Palmachim, the government wants to invest in a new plant that will take three years to build, when the [water shortage] problem can be dealt with now. The whole world knows that investment in existing infrastructures, such as leakage prevention, renovation of present installations or expanding pipeline networks, is the cheaper and faster way to deal with immediate water problems.”

Miya is Israeli billionaire Shari Arison‘s new venture in water technology: Arison has invested $100 million in the development of technology to conserve wasted water, a growing industry amid the demand for efficient water systems. B. Gaon Holdings Ltd. invests in water technologies and cleantech through AquAgro Fund, LP.

Gaon concludes the interview by noting that Israel’s cleantech industry at home is largely held back by a lack of government incentives, as well as lack of collaboration between Israeli companies and businesses abroad. Therefore the forum’s creation of an international network may facilitate the exposure of Israel’s clean technologies to a global market.

::Globes Online

More about cleantech at Green Prophet:

Clean Tech Incubators from Israel and California Sign Water Deal
2008 a Big Year for Israel Cleantech Investments, Says Ernst & Young
Israel’s Innowattech Harvests Wasted Energy from Trains, Planes and Automobiles

Before the economic crisis made the question of investments something of a joke, venture capital investments in green technology worldwide saw a huge increase in 2008. Compared to the same investment period in 2007, venture capital investments increased by 82%, totaling $4.6 billion.

While America still leads the pack in investments in green technology, there has also been significant growth in Europe, China, and Israel. In Israel, venture capital investors have heavily favored solar companies and water treatment technologies. This has been true of investments in Israeli cleantech as a whole: the vast majority of investments ($4 million out of a $5 million total) have poured into only two companies: established solar companies Solel and Luz II, which already have facilities in various parts of the world. And of course, another huge recipient of investments was Shai Agassi’s Project Better Place, which raised $200 million in its first round of funding.

But Ernst & Young also reports that we will witness a sharp downturn in investments in light of the economic crisis. It remains to be seen whether government incentives and the profits derived from renewable energy ventures can salvage the next year in cleantech investing.

::Greentech Media

See more Green Prophet articles about cleantech in Israel:

REVA Electric Cars May Soon Be for Sale in Israel
Hillpoint Energy’s Israeli Design Team is Soon to Announce Wind Turbine Design
Quick Guide to Israeli Solar Energy Companies

Following the ongoing saga of Project Better Place‘s steady process of world domination, we can now add a new country to the list: Japan.

The news just in is that the Japanese Environment Ministry is inviting Better Place to take part in their feasibility project for building a network of charging stations in Japan. Better Place is the only foreign company that was invited to participate in the project, which will begin in January in the port city of Yokohama and last for three to six months.

Better Place has already signed on to implement its project in places as diverse as Hawaii, Israel, California, Denmark and Australia.

Founder and chief executive of Better Place Shai Agassi commented, “Better Place is honored to participate in this groundbreaking program in a country with so much auto-manufacturing expertise and history.”

::International Herald Tribune

Read more at Green Prophet about the growing phenomenon of Project Better Place:

REVA Electric Cars May Soon Be For Sale in Israel
Project Better Place Unveils Prototype of Electric Car Recharging Station
Israel’s Electric Car Guru Shai Agassi Gets Wired

Image credit: jorgeml

Ilana Meallem of Arava Institute has helped initiate a project to install a bio-gas facility in the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev, to provide the villages with electricity and to help them dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly manner.

A donation party will be taking place on Friday December 19th at 10:00pm in the pub in Kibbutz Lotan, for a requested donation of only 10 NIS.

Just to whet your appetite, here’s a sample quote,

…Everyone who visits Jerusalem goes to the Old City, the Kotel, the churches, mosques, the museums. But it’s in the Jerusalem forests where you can actually smell Jerusalem, and in its pine needles hear the faint whisper of King David.

Check out the rest of the Jerusalemite article, which also discusses new Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat and his green right-hand woman Naomi Tsur.

For nostalgia’s sake, check out this interview with Karin back in May, when Green Prophet was just six months old: Green Prophet in the News