Ecology

It is essential that we teach the next generation how to grow their own food using methodology that will preserve resources. In a country like Israel where there exists tension and continual conflict concerning water and land, we must teach our Jewish and Arab children to live in cooperation with each other and with the environment so that they can help create a sustainable, healthy and productive world. Under the guidance of Dan Zukerman, a veteran teacher in the field of ecology and permaculture, students are building a greenhouse which they will use to research and learn about advanced technologies for growing edible plants in ways that protect the environment. Students from grades 1-6 are growing vegetables, spices and fruits using recycled grey water and fertilizer made from compost that they have created from food wastes. They are learning about urban agriculture and how to grow food without soil in plastic containers as well as hydroponic growth methods; how to purify and use waste water and how to collect rain water for watering the garden. Students are conducting experiments to determine the best growing methods for particular plants, and as a result of their experimentation, they will create a beautiful and sustainable garden in the school yard. The school’s vision is to become the leader in the entire Misgav area in ecology, urban agriculture, and sustainability and ultimately to build a visitor’s center that offers workshops to children from other schools as well courses for adults.