The Sun Shines on Israel

See the Plenitude?

Most of Israeli is hot and sunny—the typical Mediterranean and desert climates.  The city of Tel Aviv receives more than 300 sunny days per year!  In this climate, it makes complete sense to rely heavily on solar energy.  However, photovoltaics are not yet a trend here. 

A Solar Water Heater

What Israel lacks in solar panels, it makes up for in solar hot water heaters.  When I visited Haifa, I was shocked at the plenitude of bizarre protuberances on the roofs.  All the buildings appeared to be having a bad hair day.  Although the visual effect was messy, I was delighted when I realized that each building was covered in solar hot water heaters.  Once I had recognized the structures, they  became an exciting and pleasant sight—no longer an eye sore.  It is funny how my opinions can change so fluidly depending on the circumstances with which I formed them. 

A View of the Old City in Jerusalem

Since that day in Haifa, I have begun noticing solar hot water heaters everywhere.  In the Arab villages, silhouettes of water heaters mingle with the views of minarets.  The white water canisters sprout like fungi from roofs in Jerusalem.  The sight is so ubiquitous that no one mentions their presence anymore; they have been common in Israel for at least 25 years.  In fact, there are a staggering 0.56 m² of solar water heaters per person.  By comparison, the US only has 0.01 m² per person. 

Surprisingly though, North America is farther advanced than Israel in terms of plastic awareness.  While plastic bags are being phased out from large megastores in Canada, plastic bags are still proffered everywhere in Israel.  Each type of fruit needs its own plastic bag.  Then, after everything is weighed and bought, it is all stuck in another plastic bag.  Don’t worry though; this bag is a different colour so it will make the garbage pile look cheerful. 

Cats Are Ubiquitous and Feed on Human Garbage

At Adamama, we meticulously sorted all our garbage into different categories: recycling, compost etc.  We produced very little garbage destined for the landfill.  But this, I’ve realized since re-entering mainstream culture, is highly unusual for Israel.  This observation came as an almost physical shock to me.  I keep looking for the recycling bins.  Outside of the hippie permaculture movement, everything appears to be tossed carelessly in the garbage: organic waste, metal, plastic, and glass.  I know the recycling systems do exist here, but there seems to be limited cultural awareness or drive to utilize them.  Reuse, Reduce, Recycle—there seems to be no catchy translation.