Location
Kibbutz Lotan is a young community situated in the Arava Desert in the south of Israel, 55km north of Eilat, far away from urban Israel in a quiet area in beautiful desert surroundings. Lotan was established in 1983 by graduates of the Reform Jewish youth movements from Israel and overseas. They came together to create a community based on a modern liberal approach to Judaism that strives to fulfill values of equality between the sexes, equality in work, and genuine communication between people. Lotan's population is equally divided between native-born Israelis and immigrants from all over the world. Kibbutz Lotan maintains a co-operative lifestyle in which means of production and resources are shared. In 2006 Kibbutz Lotan received the Global Ecovillage Network's award for Ecovillage Excellence in recognition of its work in promoting practical ecology.
About the project
The eco-volunteering program on Kibbutz Lotan is a complete and practical introduction to both ecology and cooperative living. As a participant on the program you will be interwoven into the daily life of the kibbutz and volunteer for the Center for Creative Ecology (CCE).
The CCE is a unique ecological center that combines hands-on, experiential environmental education within the framework of a living community.
Utilizing creative recycling and alternative/natural building techniques, the center now includes an ecological theme park, migratory bird reserve, nature trails, recycling center, and constructed wetlands for treating the waste water of the entire kibbutz.
Volunteer work and contribution
As a volunteer you will be exposed to the 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, complemented by theoretical sessions in topics such as ecological design, permaculture and sustainability. Practical work includes:
- Organic gardening
- Natural, alternative building with mud, straw and straw bales, tires, and junk
- Creative recycling -creating art and usable objects with discarded materials
- Expansion, maintenance and running of the Center for Creative Ecology
- Development and upkeep of the bird reserve and nature trails
- Setting up workshops for educational tour groups
Work hours are 5:00 -13:00 (Sunday - Friday) with a break for breakfast in the middle. Some hours will be spent working closely with a supervisor, other times the volunteers will be working in a group on their own. One day a week will be a shorter work day in order to make time for an ecological-educational lesson.
Accommodation
Volunteers live in the 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 domes, built on-site by previous course participants. The domes are shared by 2 people and have mattresses and linens. Passive cooling systems are employed to combat the desert heat. Electricity is almost entirely from alternative energy sources. Composting (no water) toilets and showers are shared and gray-water systems help conserve water. A communal kitchen is available if you prefer to cook some meals or store food and drinks. 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.
Travel Highlights
Throughout the entire Eco-volunteering program students are encouraged to take part in cultural / religious events on the kibbutz and in the region that occur throughout the program. The program also integrates tours to local points of interest, neighboring kibbutzim and other ecological projects, and hikes in the region around Lotan. The Kibbutz has a pub open two nights a week and swimming pool to cool off in the afternoon (during summer). The tourist city of Eilat and the Red Sea are only 55 Km away.
Minimum requirements
- Min age 18 - Max age 70
- Basic English or Hebrew
- Good physical fitness
- Motivation to work in practical ecology
- Able to work in harsh desert climate
- Full travel & medical insurance
- Immunizations (please consult your doctor)