ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
PROBLEMS WITH PROGRESS
Environmental problems on our planet are
universal. A solution is needed to bring back into existence a proper balance
between man and his environment. This is an important mission that involves an effort
from each one of us. For thousands of years, humans lived in harmony with their
various 
habitats. "Progress" with its' new
inventions and technology birthed industry and in turn, industry brought about
pollution.
Pollution of every type conceivable
impacted our oceans, land and even the air we breathe. Today, endless gases are
being sent into the atmosphere, pesticides are sprayed on crops and fields
which end up in our food and water supply. Harmful by-products of factories are
dumped into our rivers and oceans. Inadequate sanitation facilities, rubber
tires, and even trash from the garbage can also end up in the ocean, but many
times a new landfill is dug and the harmful toxins from these things eventually
leach into the soil and water table. Radiation, nuclear by-products, oil spills
and noise are a few more examples of pollution; the list goes on and on.
"Progress" also brought about a
population explosion, which is another reason why we are using more of the
earth's resources at an ever alarming rate.
EDUCATION
The Environmental Department of Nitzana
strives to arouse the awareness of students and staff concerning the problems
of the environment. This process starts on a personal level with education
which causes a change in the way we think and by establishing new habits that
are incorporated into our daily lifestyle.
We teach that one way to help our
ecological situation is to cut back on consumption. When we consume as little
as possible in all aspects of our lives and develop an awareness of waste, the
next step is to look for a way to reuse the by-products of what we have
consumed.
The next course of action is recycling.
An exhibit that shows the process of recycling different material such as
glass, plastic and metal - from beginning to end is in the making. Once this
exhibit is finished, it will be full of visual aides that will help students
and visitors understand the importance and the benefits of the recycling
process.
At Nitzana, each year we recycle
thousands of glass and plastic bottles, aluminum and metal cans, batteries,
newspaper, white paper, cardboard cartons and oil. Appliances, electronics and
all types of metals are collected in a central location and then taken to a
factory that makes iron bars and rebar building material out of our 'garbage.'
This process helps to keep these metals from ending up ultimately as toxins in
our soil and water supply.
Food scraps and grass clippings are used
to create compost soil so that it can be used in gardens and scattered over the
sandy soil of Nitzana, creating a rich earth that easily grows grass, shrubs and flowering plants.
"Recycling at Nitzana."
FUTURE GOALS
Many other projects are planned for the
recycling and environmental department such as visitor stations where students
and visitors learn about the environment and how to utilize our waste that we
create everyday. Structures built from tires, art projects and a children's
park with many fun activities that promote environmental awareness as well as
green building, water savers, use of grey water and 
use of green soap instead of toxic cleaning chemicals
are just a few other projects from our growing list of ideas that we want to
accomplish.
We hope to promote an
environmental friendly region here in the