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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Israel's Achievement in Greening the Desert

Israel is a world leader in sustainable development. The Israelis harvest solar energy from their barren lands and create man-made reservoirs to provide water for their farmlands. They also build desalination plants along their coastal region to supply drinking water to the whole population. The Jewish people have even recycled almost all of their sewage water for reuse in agriculture. An Israeli company, Emefcy, develops Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) system that generates electricity and produce hydrogen while at the same time treat sewage water from food, beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The company received investment from General Electrics and Conoco Philips for the development of this fuel cell technology that directly harvest electrical energy from sewage water. With the water which they have successfully reclaimed, they are able to water the trees and plants which they plant in the desert using drip irrigation technology. 
Israel's achievement should be seen as an inspiration to all of us to develop our countries and conserve our environment. Desert is not seen as an obstacles but as opportunities in creating better life. Israel develops solar power plants that collect solar energy to generate electricity.
Jewish National Fund is an organization that plays an important role in greening the promised land. JNF collects donations from Jewish communities around the globe and use the money on various projects in Israel including the construction of reservoirs and the planting of trees. In its official website, JNF said that its volunteers have planted more than 240 million trees making Israel as the only country in the world to enter the 21st century with more trees.
The afforestation of the Negev desert is an ambitious project that JNF is going to do in the coming years. JNF plans to build more reservoirs, open farmlands, and bring more settlements to make Israel's land bloom again.

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