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Lotan (kibbutz)

 
Lotan (kibbutz)

 
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Lotan (kibbutz)
 
 
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Lotan is a Reform
Reform Judaism

Reform Judaism refers to the spectrum of beliefs, practices and organizational infrastructure associated with Reform Judaism in Reform Judaism and in Reform Judaism ....
 kibbutz
Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a Intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The kibbutz is a form of communal living that combines socialism and Zionism....
 in the Arabah
Arabah

The Arabah is a section of the Great Rift Valley lying between the Dead Sea to the north and the Gulf of Aqaba to the south. It forms part of the border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east....
 Valley in the Negev
Negev

The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The indigenous Negev Bedouin inhabitants of the region refer to the desert as al-Naqab ....
 desert in southern Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
. It was founded in 1983 as Yahel Bet by twenty Israeli and twenty American youths. It currently serves as location for eco-tourism and birdwatching
Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars....
 for tourists. The kibbutz is also a member of the Global EcoVillage network, and offers seminars and workshops on earth building, watsu, and creative ecology.






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Lotam Mud Hut
Lotan is a Reform
Reform Judaism

Reform Judaism refers to the spectrum of beliefs, practices and organizational infrastructure associated with Reform Judaism in Reform Judaism and in Reform Judaism ....
 kibbutz
Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a Intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The kibbutz is a form of communal living that combines socialism and Zionism....
 in the Arabah
Arabah

The Arabah is a section of the Great Rift Valley lying between the Dead Sea to the north and the Gulf of Aqaba to the south. It forms part of the border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east....
 Valley in the Negev
Negev

The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The indigenous Negev Bedouin inhabitants of the region refer to the desert as al-Naqab ....
 desert in southern Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
. It was founded in 1983 as Yahel Bet by twenty Israeli and twenty American youths. It currently serves as location for eco-tourism and birdwatching
Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars....
 for tourists. The kibbutz is also a member of the Global EcoVillage network, and offers seminars and workshops on earth building, watsu, and creative ecology. Its members strive to balance an ecological approach to living in Israel through recycling
Recycling

Recycling involves processing used materials into new products in order to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virg...
, permaculture
Permaculture

Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agriculture systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural Ecology....
, and other projects.

Green Apprenticeship program

The Green Apprenticeship Ecovillage
Ecovillage

Ecovillages are intended to be socially, economically and ecologically sustainability intentional communities. Some aim for a population of 50-150 individuals because this size is considered to be the maximum social network according to findings from sociology and anthropology....
 and Permaculture
Permaculture

Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agriculture systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural Ecology....
 Design course is an intensive 6 week work /study experience run by the Center for Creative Ecology at Kibbutz Lotan in southern Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
. The program offers a highly practically-based immersion into the processes and challenges involved with the design, building and running of sustainable communities, linking together ecological, social, economical and spiritual aspects into a unified whole. Practical skills are developed through hands-on work in our environmental education center, organic gardens, alternative/natural building projects and the Lotan migratory bird reserve
Bird Reserve

A bird reserve is a wildlife refuge designed to protect bird species. Like other wildlife refuges, the main goal of a reserve is to prevent species from becoming Endangered species or Extinction....
, complemented by theoretical sessions in topics such as ecological design
Ecological design

Ecological design was defined by Sim Van der Ryn and Stuart Cowan as "any form of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with living processes."...
, permaculture and sustainability.

Students on the course live in the GA eco-campus—a prototype model for sustainable living that is a learning experience in itself. Living quarters are super-insulated straw-bale and mud geodesic
Geodesic

In mathematics, a geodesic [jee-uh-des-ik, -dee-sik] is a generalization of the notion of a "Line " to "manifolds".In presence of a Metric , geodesics are defined to be the shortest path between points on the space....
 domes, built on-site by previous course participants. Passive cooling systems are employed to combat the desert heat. Electricity is almost entirely from alternative energy sources. Composting toilets and grey-water systems help conserve water. The daily challenges of living together as a micro-community in this low-impact environment form an integral part of the educational experience of the course.

Participants on the course are also interwoven into the daily life of our kibbutz, an intentional cooperative community based on the principles of liberal, egalitarian Judaism. The experience and world view of Lotan is utilized as a case study for focusing on group process and community building. The ideas and ideals behind our way of life and projects are discussed, including talks about kibbutz economics and social structure. Students are encouraged to take part in cultural/religious events on the kibbutz and in the region that occur throughout the program. The Green Apprenticeship also integrates tours to local points of interest, neighboring kibbutzim and other ecological projects, and hikes in the region around Lotan.

Every practical experience on the course is reinforced by formal studies, a holistic link to permaculture ideas, and an opportunity for participants to share their ideas and past experiences to influence our projects. The activities are designed with the belief that an individual can bring these ideas to their own homes and communities, empowering them towards making positive change.

The Green Apprenticeship course is an authorized provider of the Ecovillage Design Education curriculum developed by Gaia
Gaia

Gaia or Gaea most commonly refers to Gaia , the primal Greek goddess of the earth. But it may also refer to:...
 Education. The Ecovillage Design Education curriculum is an official contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development will run from 2005 to 2014.The United Nations passed a resolution for this in 2002....
 2005–2014 and has the endorsement of UNITAR
UNITAR

The acronym UNITAR may refer to:* the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.* Universiti Tun Abdul Razak an institution of tertiary education in Malaysia....
 - United Nations Institute for Training and Research
United Nations Institute for Training and Research

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research was established in 1965 as an autonomous body within the United Nations with the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the Organization through appropriate training and research....
. Gaia Education is a program of GEN - the Global Ecovillage Network
Global Ecovillage Network

The Global Ecovillage Network is a global Voluntary association of people and communities dedicated to living "sustainability plus" lives by restoring the land and adding more to the Natural environment than is taken....
.

On successful completion of the course work, participants will receive a Permaculture
Permaculture

Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agriculture systems that mimic the relationships found in the natural Ecology....
 Design Course Certificate according to the International Permaculture standards, which will be taught as part of the Green Apprenticeship program.

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