Yesterday Zalul took a trip up the coast to the Alexander River, Beit Yanai Beach, Gesher Tsavim (Turtle Bridge), and Kfar Veetkin. We had heard that this past weekend beachgoers had noticed dead fish, as well as other reasons to cast suspicion that there could be problems with the water in the area of Beit Yanai Beach, where the Alexander River meets the Mediterranean Sea.

However, on our tiyul the Mediterranean didn’t appear to have any dead fish, murky water color, or strange odors. People were out kitesurfing as usual and the sea looked as it normally does. Nevertheless, the Alexander River was not looking its best.

It is not clear what the quality of the water is. Check out the pictures to see how it looks to you.

The project “Creating a Clean Sea” is a partnership project between Billabong Surf Clothing Company and Zalul Environmental Association. Together we are raising awareness for the environment, specifically the need to protect the seas and rivers of Israel from polluters.

During the past few months, over 40 blank white Billabong board shorts were sent to some of Israel’s most famous celebrities, singers, and artists who, using their unique creativity, “gave life” to the shorts.

The project’s culmination is a special exhibition of the artists’ creations, with an audio-video presentation on the subject of protecting the marine environment.

As part of the exhibition, the shorts will be available for purchase in a silent auction as well as online. All profits will go towards Zalul’s campaign to protect Israel’s Mediterranean coastline from land-based pollution.

The exhibition is open to the public!

Come view the fruits of creation by some of Israel’s best artists and biggest celebrities

Saturday, May 17, 2008

10:00 – 17:00

Rehov HaNamal 26, Yaffo

Click here to view the full collection.

For more information on purchasing shorts as a donation to Zalul, please contact: info@bhaus.co.il

A sample of the artists involved:

Gila Almagor, Uri Lipshitz, Asi Dayan, Ayelet Zorer, Ram Oren, Eli Phinish, Eyal Kitzis, Limor Goldstein, Yael Goldman, Tovale, Galit Levi, Naama Hasin, Naama Kasar from “Survivor”, Noam Toor from “Survivor”, Israel Aharoni, Nir Tzuk, Yaron Castenbaum, JIN G, KNOW HOPE, Shlomi Bracha (Mashina), Shaanan Street (Hadag Nahash), and Bar Rafaeli.

Together we can make the next 60 years greener than ever!

Here are 60 ways to get you started on the path to a cleaner future:

1. Turn off the lights: Save electricity.

2. Unplug: When electric gadgets are done charging and not in use unplug them. Even when turned off appliances still draw power.

3. Turn off your computer: Instead of leaving on your screensaver you could save 83% of your computers CO² emissions.

4. Print less: Reuse the other side of paper you don’t need.

5. Use compact fluorescent bulbs: CFLs use 1/4 the electricity and last several years longer.

6. Laundry: Only do laundry when you have a full load; using warm or cold water, not hot.

7. Dryer: Hang clothes to dry instead, this will reduce the CO² of your laundry by 90%. Over its lifetime a t-shirt will add 9 lbs of carbon dioxide into the air.

8. Vintage clothes: Try to buy vintage clothes, which do not use the energy concerned with producing and shipping. Try having a closet swap with friends, get some new outfits for yourself while recycling things you no longer use.

9. Defrost fridge/freezer regularly and dust the coils: Your fridge will work more efficiently and its temperature will be more accurate.

10. Fridge settings: Keep refrigerators set to 4^○C and freezers at -15^○C.

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Last Thursday afternoon the Hillel Day School came all the way from Detroit to join us in Acco. Even though they had only arrived in Israel the previous day, they jumped right into their tikkun olam on the Agaman Beach.

As the day cooled off all 40 students began walking down the beach armed with their own trash bags and plenty of trash to fill each one. Everyone’s spirits were high as they saw that their help was truly needed to collect the trash other people had left behind.

Some brave students took on a shopping cart buried at the edge of the tide, to add to the pile of garbage for the municipality to pick up. A few fellow beachgoers even lent their help picking up the huge amount of rubbish just sitting in the sand. All in all over 70 bags of trash were collected!

All the students left the beach with stickers and ready to continue to see the rest of Israel. Have a great trip and thanks for all your hard work!

We’re in and out of the office during Passover this week, but from all the staff at Zalul we wanted to wish you a happy Earth Day!

Take a little time today to do something green for yourself and our future.

For Earth Day events happening near you, visit the Earth Day Network’s web site.