Rachel Bergstein

When her vegan summer camp counselor explained to a fifteen-year-old Rachel how the dairy industry pollutes the groundwater in poor rural communities and causes global warming, there was no turning back. Her green fire lit, Rachel became increasingly passionate about the relationship between human societies and the natural environment, particularly about the systemic injustices associated with environmental degradation. After snagging a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies at the University of Maryland, where she wrote an undergraduate thesis on water injustice in Israel/Palestine and South Africa, Rachel was awarded the New Israel Fund/Shatil’s Rabbi Richard J. Israel Social Justice Fellowship to come and spread the green gospel in Israel for the 2009-2010 academic year. She currently interns for Friends of the Earth Middle East in their Tel Aviv office. When Rachel is not having anxiety about her ecological footprint, carbon and otherwise, she can be found in hot pursuit of the best vegetarian food Tel Aviv has to offer. She also blogs about her experience as an NIF fellow and environmentalist in Israel at organichummus.wordpress.com. Rachel can be reached at rachelbergstein (at) gmail (dot) com.

'Zendegi' in Neve Tzedek Offers Highest Quality Organic, Fair Trade Clothes

The first time I entered Zendegi, a natural and organic clothing shop in Tel Aviv's historic Neve Tzedek neighborhood,...

Café Louise Serves Organic, Healthy Fare in Haifa and North Tel Aviv

A variety of healthy, homemade, organic spreads and olives at Cafe Louise in Haifa. Israel has no shortage of organic...

Parkinson’s in Arab Communities Linked to Pesticides

  Need another reason to eat organic?  Or at least pesticide-free? In a study to be published this month, Israeli researchers...

New Geo-Archaeological Study Reveals 2,500 Years of Mediterranean Sea Level Fluctuations

The Templar palace ruins in Akko (Acre), one of the sites where a geo-archaeological study was carried out. New...

Egypt's Anti-Smuggling Wall Will Cause Major Damage to Gaza's Aquifer

The current border wall between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.  According to experts, a new underground wall will cause...

Abdulla Carries Natural, Organic Textiles in the Heart of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

On a recent trip to Istanbul, Turkey I found myself in a tree-hugger’s wonderland amidst the bustling labyrinth of...
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"Cooperative for Renewable Energy" Invests in Clean Energy and Community in Israel

In Israel, kibbutzim (once-socialist agricultural collectives) have risen as a hotbed of environmental activity.  Green Prophet has covered Kibbutz...

Jordanian Activists Pilot Test Clear Thin Film PV Cells on Mideast Greenhouses

This past weekend I traveled to historic Madaba, Jordan at the first Middle East Green Bloggers Conference.  Among this...

Israeli NGOs Light Channukah Candles and Push for Government Action in Copenhagen

Last night, Israel’s NGO delegation to the Copenhagen climate talks kicked off a week of activism with a very...

Palestine’s First Solar Thermal Plant at Talitha Kumi School in Beit Jala

The prospects of solar energy are heating up in Palestine. Rachel reports on a new solar thermal plant at...

Political Drama Over Water Prices in Israel: An Update on the Drought Tax

Israel's been dragging its feet over the proposed drought tax. It’s been a pretty tumultuous month for water politics...

Untreated Wastewater Poses Huge Threat to West Bank Palestinians

A report published Sunday by the Israeli human rights group B’tselem, titled, “Foul Play: Neglect of Wastweater Treatment in...