Amutat Tzel Hatamar - Center for Creative Ecology

Partial sponsorship of Kibbutz Lotan’s Center for Creative Ecology in partnership with Kibbutz Lotan. Recent accomplishments include - 
1. Development of the Lotan Nature and Migratory Bird Reserve including Hides in Lotan’s bird reserve for observation of migrating birds constructed from recycled and natural materials.
2. Subsidies to enable low-budgeted special groups to particapte in educational programming at the Center. Groups include Beit Hagalgaim – a center for young adults with CP, Beit Dafna – a center for teens with autism, Zaka summer camps for children affected or injured by terror incidents, Beit haShanti – a home for troubled youth in Tel Aviv, and more.
3. Subsidies to enable school and kindergarten groups from the region, Eilat and the rest of Israel participate in the Center’s programming.
4. Sponsoring the Center’s professionals’ work as supervisors and trainers in the building of a health clinic built with alternative building methods at the Bedouin unrecognized village of Wadi-El-Naam. This sponsorship was made at the request of the NGO Butan L’shalom, with whom future projects are being developed.
5. Active engagement in establishing the Israel regional network of the Global Ecovillage Network, and participation in developing the curriculum of Gaia Education Foundation's Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) program. The Center for Creative Ecology was the first to community based organization in the world to teach this program which is now being used worldwide.
5. Reseach and development of energy efficient housing including sucessful fire rating testing of materials (earth plastered straw bales), hand-engineering of earthquake proof house structures, purchase of photovoltaic panels for the Center's EcoCampus and energy monitoring of its performance. 
Sponsorship of two long-term educational programs on Kibbutz Lotan:
1. Shnat Sherut - A year of service before the army. 8-15 Israeli high school graduates participate in Lotan's shnat sherut program. The yearlong program, now in its eighteenth year, includes work on Lotan, gemilut hasidim/social justice projects in the greater region, and educational programming based on Lotan's Reform Zionism ideology.
2. Green Apprenticeship Program - An intensive month-long work /study experience, which links together practical skills for environmental sustainabilty along with an engineering methodolgy for developing human habitats while protecting human rights and conservation of natural resources. Participant learn business skills  while helping to build and maintain the Center for Creative Ecology, its facilities and educational programs. Practical experience 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 new projects. This unique work / study experience is also interwoven into the daily life of Kibbutz Lotan.
▪ Partial sponsorship of alternative building projects on Kibbutz Lotan via the Center for Creative Ecology, including –
1. A day care center, outdoor play area from recycled materials.  The work on the play area was performed by students in the Green Apprentice program. 
2. Israel's first recycling center (together with funding from the Environment Ministry and the first bus station constructed from earth plaster and used tires in Israel.
3. The EcoCampus - housing for Green Apprenticeship participants using passive solar, straw-bale, earth plaster building methods integrated with solar power and urban gardening as a living example of energy and resource efficicent housing appropriate for low-income communities in hot, arid regions.