Taking off

At the Jacksonville Airport and ready to go!

Exodus

My bags are just about packed.  I have heaps of t-shirts, work gloves, a mosquito net, and biodegradable soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste.  I have my pink rain boots and cowboy hat.  When Sunday comes, I will be boarding a plane in Jacksonville to begin my journey to Hava & Adam Eco-Educational Farm in Modi’in, Israel.  It won’t be an easy trip.  I will first fly to Charlotte, then Munich, and then Tel Aviv.  After that, I will take the train to Modi’in, and then a taxi to the farm.  Still, it will be worth it.

I came across the Eco-Israel program while teaching organic farming and sustainability at Camp Ramah Darom, a Jewish summer camp in northern Georgia.  I loved working on the farm, spending my days caring for (and eating) beautiful vegetables outside in the sun.  Most of all, I loved the community that formed around the farm, an appreciation for working together to achieve something, especially when we were already bound by the connection of our Jewish heritage.  It was all so different from the cutthroat, competitive academics of my college career.  I ended the summer wanting to learn and experience more. 

Eco-Israel is an intensive five-month program on permaculture, sustainability, communal living, Israel and Jewish peoplehood.  The farm is extremely sustainable, with solar power, compost toilets, geodesic dome living spaces, and organic gardens from which food is gathered to feed the whole community.  About half of my time will be spent working outside on the farm, preparing meals and completing other projects with my classmates.  The other half will be in classes, learning about permaculture design, studying Israel’s history, current events and the Hebrew language, as well as exploring others areas, such as medicinal herbs, natural building, and more.  At the end of the program, I receive an internationally recognized certificate in permacuture design (PDC). Along the way, I will also be taking weekend trips, going on hikes and visiting friends around Israel.

My decision to participate in this program was a little bit spontaneous.  Within a two-week period I applied, was accepted, and am now leaving for Israel.  But why waste time?  This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really test myself and what I am passionate about.  Throughout my classes for my environmental biology major at Barnard, I was told about the desperate need for protection of our water, land and air resources from pollution and exploitation.  It’s time I lived what I was taught.  I need to experience what really works and doesn’t work for myself, so that I can pass on this knowledge to others and formulate creative solutions to today’s environmental crises. 

This blog will follow my life on the farm, as well as in my travels, as I experience everything I can in sustainable living and Israeli culture. Thanks for reading!