Anyone who is interested to transition to a more sustainable way of life will benefit from Kibbutz Lotan’s comprehensive eco-guide app.
Many socially and environmentally conscious citizens dream about leaving the grid for good and getting back in touch with nature, but the general lack of sustainable infrastructure and available information in the Middle East – especially compared to the United States and Europe – makes that task seem completely insurmountable.
In response to this problem, Kibbutz Lotan’s Center for Creative Ecology in Israel, which is recognized as one of the world’s most advanced pioneers in all aspects of sustainable living, recently launched a fantastic eco-guide that covers everything from composting to earth architecture and how to get along in an ecologically-minded community.
Best of all, the techniques described in the application have all been put into practice in the Middle East, so instead of being an imported solution that has no relevance to our climate or circumstances, this is an exceptional homegrown resource created by and for ecologically-minded people in the Middle East – like our very own Green Sheikh. And did we mention that it’s free?
Some of the topics covered in this guide include:
- Permaculture
- Organic Gardening
- Earth Building
- Minimum to Zero Impact Cooking
- Water Conservation
- Compost Toilets
- Passive Design Techniques
- Community and Ecology
The app – which is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires an iOS of 4.3 or later – was designed by a Kibbutz Lotan intern named Eli Gregory, who according to the Director of Research and Development Alex Cicelsky is “minded and talented” and “combined [Lotan’s] work and Permaculture/ Sustainable Communities curriculum into this free resource.”
(As of 2025 the app was discontinued but we are keeping this article up for the archives).
Within each chapter are subchapters devoted to all of the small details of sustainable living. For example, under the organic gardening section, readers can learn about composting, vermicomposting (with worms), natural liquid fertilizer, seed balls, mulching and more. It’s possible to find recipes for earth plasters, straw bale construction, and other natural materials.
This is an extremely accessible and practical resource which demonstrates that living the good life – what’s good for both humans and the earth – is less out of reach than most people would believe. There’s only one snag… even though the app is free, you have to have iTunes in order to make it yours.
