Israel’s Hiriya Park, also known lovingly and totally sarcastically in some circles as shi*t mountain, is the one thing you’ll notice driving from the airport to Tel Aviv. It used to be where where Tel Aviv sent all its stinky trash, and baby diapers. Now it’s becoming Tel Aviv’s Central Park.
Shut down about a decade ago because of neighbors and birds getting caught in the flight path, Hiriya is now becoming an ecological wonder. I visited the park a few months ago when some green bloggers from big media were in town, and am impressed to see its progress.
When people from far and wide think that the Middle East is a backwards, backwater place, look at marvels like this: a massive landfill site now being transformed into a 2,000 acre park that will contain bike trails, energy reclamation, and soil rehabilitation. Let’s look beyond conflict and look to a green future, hopefully for all.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
What can be done about leakage from that dump to the aquifier???