Green Apprenticeship
The Green Apprenticeship is a 4-week intensive hands-on training program in sustainable agriculture, natural building, ecological design and community living on Kibbutz Lotan in the southern Arava desert. The course work is divided between theoretical studies and practical application.
Join us for a 4 week practical training program in sustainable agriculture, natural building, appropriate technologies, whole-system ecological design and community living at Kibbutz Lotan, an intentional community and developing eco-village in Israel’s southern Arava desert. We’ll be learning about designing, building and running sustainable projects that link together ecological, social, economic and cultural aspects into a unified whole. We’ll develop skills through hands-on work in our environmental education center, organic gardens, and alternative/natural building projects. You will live in Lotan’s unique EcoCampus, a sustainable neighborhood comprising beautiful, hand-crafted earth domes. At the end of the course you will receive an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certificate.
Certificate granted: Permaculture Design Certificate
This Onward Israel program is operated through a partnership between Onward Israel and the Kibbutz Lotan Center for Creative Ecology.
Basic breakdown of course: Alternative Technologies, Natural Building, Regenerative Community Development, Permaculture & Ecological Design, Sustainable Agriculture
No prior knowledge is required to participate in the program. Because of the emphasis on practical work and a creative, bottom-up approach to developing ecological solutions, the program attracts participants from diverse professional and academic backgrounds, including those with little or no relevant experience in sustainability.
Dates
May 13 – June 11, 2019
Cost
$600 USD
Participants are responsible for arranging their own flights to and from Israel.
Program includes
Ecological Design, Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Building, Building Regenerative Community, Renewable Energy & Appropriate Technologies
Accommodations
Participants live in our Eco-Campus and experience ecological living first hand.
Room and board (3 meals a day) for the duration of the program.
Rooms are equipped with beds, air conditioning, shelves, pillows, linens, and towels.
Shared accommodation (maximum 3 to a dome).
Meals are served in the kosher kibbutz dining room (vegan/vegetarian options always available). Some evening meals will be prepared by participants together in our Eco-Campus kitchen (vegan/vegetarian).
For more information
Contact Mark Naveh +972-54-979-9033, admissions@klotan.co.il
This program is aimed for young people seeking to develop practical skills in sustainability and ecological design, immerse themselves in an intentional community and experience a kibbutz lifestyle.
The program is open to young adults aged 19 – 27 years old who have NOT spent 3 or more months in Israel as part of an educational or peer-program (this includes semester abroad, gap year or any other MASA or Onward Israel program).
Participants must be fluent in English
Previous participation in Taglit-Birthright Israel is encouraged for any eligible applicants.
USA participants may receive three university credits for the Green Apprenticeship via Paul Smith’s College. The Registrar’s Office at Paul Smith’s College will assist you with the transcript necessary for transferring the credit. $960 for 3 credits ($320/credit hour). For more information, please contact Dr. Kenneth Cohen at cohenk@cortland.edu
The course includes theoretical and practical lessons as well as guided hands-on work in the following topics:
Alternative Technologies
Renewable energy systems
Grey water and black water systems
Composting toilets
Biogas
Solar cooking
Natural Building
Earth mix for building projects
How to test soil for building
Straw bale construction
Hands-on building projects using natural and recycled materials
Building Regenerative Community
Holistic worldview
Group dynamics
Reconnecting to nature
The global economy and the dilemma of growth
Localization and the economics of happiness
Permaculture & Ecological Design
Structural engineering for hand built houses
Passive solar & energy efficient design
Permaculture ethics and principles
Design techniques including: zone and sector, input and output analysis
Needs-based design projects
Sustainable Agriculture
Local food production through bio-diverse small scale farming
Companion planting, natural pest control
Sheet-mulch, container & square foot gardening
Composting: theory & practice
Seed saving: theory & practice
Transplanting & sowing seeds
Weekly gardening and harvesting
