Deep in the Arava Desert in Israel lays the eco-community known as Kibbutz Lotan. Once started as a small village with the simple goal to survive, Kibbutz Lotan turned into one of the most eco-friendly places in the entire world. One of the co-founders of the Lotan, Alex Cicelsky, visited the NEIU campus on Nov. 17 to share his experiences of living, working and teaching in an eco-friendly community.
“We’re all invested in creating a community,” said Cicelsky while he discussed the basic foundation of Kibbutz Lotan. “Starting a brand new society in the middle of nowhere, I had really low expectations. Today, we’ve grown from that bunch of kids. Kibbutz Lotan is mostly all self reliant. 24 percent of their income [is derived] from their farming, 34 percent from dairy, 8 percent from eco-tourism, 25 percent from off-kibbutz salaries and 12 percent from rent-paying resources.”
He also shared how everyday life in Kibbutz Lotan revolves around community work, describing how the builders and mostly all the workers were people that had absolutely no prior experience. He then stated how teenagers do volunteer work on the dairy farms while contract work is kept to an absolute minimum. He also said how the construction of buildings are made of the elements and materials around them. One such building is 1,000 square feet large and completely built from tires and natural earth.
Kibbutz Lotan’s eco-friendly attributes are only a half of the community’s success. The other half is due to a direct democracy, where everyone has one vote and everyone comes together to decide officials and such. Also, there is no personal property in Kibbutz Lotan, the homes people live in are shared by the community, which gives a much more united aspect.
With all of the innovation Kibbutz Lotan is displaying, Cicelsky handed out an invitation to experience it in person. With the Green Apprenticeship EcoDesign courses, students travel to Kibbutz Lotan to undertake several projects while living in an eco-friendly atmosphere.
“The Earth is not ours, but it is our children’s. We must give it to them in better shape than what we had it,” concluded Cicelsky. “If kids think they can save the Earth by buying a plush toy, then we’re finished.”
Lastly, he emphasized action even in the local community to take steps towards a healthier world, which he coincided with the Jewish biblical ideal to “till and tend the Earth.”