NIF joint programme with Tel Aviv University -The Porter School For Environmental Studies

A new Porter School initiative, the Environmental Internship Program, brings together eager and capable young students and established Israeli environmental organizations – for the substantial benefit of all parties and the country's environment.

Presently in its first, pilot year, the new program is supported by the Porter Foundation and the New Israel Fund UK, and conducted jointly by PSES and Shatil - the New Israel Fund's empowerment and training center for social change organizations. “The students work with the environmental organizations on specified projects,” explains Shachar Bookman, the program's coordinator on behalf of Shatil. “They receive a generous scholarship, plus professional guidance from the organization, and they gain hands-on fieldwork experience in advocating environmental causes. The organizations, on their part, enjoy the assistance of knowledgeable, serious-minded and motivated graduate students, who do an excellent job.”

This year the Environmental Internship Program has matched six PSES students specializing in different disciplines, with six leading environmental organizations, addressing a vast range of environmental issues: research on industrial air pollution for Adam Teva V'Din – the Israel Union for Environmental Defense; a No More Subsidies for Polluters campaign by Zalul – an association committed to the protection and maintenance of Israel's rivers and shorelines; a Toolbox for Renewed Urbanism for MIU (Merchav) – the Movement for Israeli Urbanism; a Community Garden in Bat Yam for SPNI – the Tel Aviv Center for Environmental Action; Israel's Sustainable Transport E-Newsletter & website for Transport Today and Tomorrow; and the Environmental Fellows Alumni project of the Heshel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership.

So far the project has met and even exceeded the expectations of all participants from both sides:

Says Orit Cohen Bar Joseph, an architect with a B.Arch from TAU, who is presently writing her Master's thesis at PSES on “Transformation and Renewal in the Urban Fabric - reused and recycled urban spaces”, while serving a fruitful internship with the Movement for Israeli Urbanism: “I collect data and case studies for a Toolbox for Renewed Urbanism – a useful guidebook for architects, urban planners and municipal & government authorities, that can help us create sustainable communities and improve the quality of urban life in Israel. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to bridge the gap between the academic and “real” worlds, to learn more about the urban environment, and to contribute my knowledge and expertise to something I strongly believe in.”

Environmental Intern Yoav Guterman is conducting research on collecting and composting organic wastes for his Master's degree at PSES, and gathering data on water polluting industrial plants for the Zalul Association. “I'm very interested in water issues,” he says. “I've studied Israel's water policies and the rehabilitation of polluted water sources, and I find the work at Zalul both fascinating and challenging. My project there will be used in a campaign to define and enforce strict environmental criteria for companies that request government subsidies. For me, it's an excellent starting point for future involvement in crucial environmental issues.”

Tamar Keinan, Managing Director of Transport Today and Tomorrow, has some very warm words to say about Rinat Butbul, the intern working with her organization: “She's smart, she's dedicated, and she knows the Internet through and through. Thanks to her, our presence and exposure on the web has increased enormously, with links to all the relevant sites and forums – and public awareness of our activities has grown with it. We get so much more feedback now. The critical Internet scene has come alive for us. We're endlessly grateful to Porter School and their Internship Program.”

“The program's success and the participants' enthusiasm are heartwarming,” says Shachar. “We hope to continue and probably expand the project in coming years. We firmly believe that this program provides very fertile ground for cultivating Israel's future environmental leadership.”