Spring Eco Tours in and near

This spring Eco Tours offers open-enrollment, ecologically-focused tours in and around Jerusalem. The tours will be conducted in English, and are open to the public. Participants may join each individual tour or come for multiple tours, which take place between March and May 2014. Pre-registration is recommended and accessible by clicking here or at http://bit.ly/1ftvi6C

For questions, please contact Liel Maghen at [email protected] or 052-529-9102. The meeting place for all of the tours is the Davidka light train station on the corner of Yafo and HaNeviim Streets.

An Ecological Lens on the Machane Yehuda Market

Thursday, March 27th – 10:00 a.m –12:00 noon, 50 NIS /$15

The Machane Yehuda Market offers an incredible window into modern environmental issues, and this tour will explore the market through an ecological lens. This two-hour tour will explore the significance of eating local and globalized food in the context of broader Israeli society and global environmental issues. The guide will also discuss the emergence of organic produce and health food stores in the market in recent years. Finally, the tour will include an exploration of local and global food through the lens of Bible teachings.

Eco Hike at the Sataf Spring Nature Reserve

Wednesday, April 2nd – 9:50 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 150 NIS/ $45, lunch and transportation included in price.

The Sataf Spring Nature Reserve is one of the natural gems of the land of Israel, located just 20 minutes outside of Jerusalem. Through a guided hike, we will explore about water, trees, and Biblical agriculture. The site contains a natural hewn-out spring, an orchard of fruit trees indigenous to Israel, an ancient wine press, and organic garden plots cultivated using traditional techniques. The tour will also offer to explore religious sources on water conservation in relation to the contemporary challenges, and consider possible solutions for Israel in the 21st century.

An Environmental Tour of the Kidron Valley

Wednesday, April 9th, 10 a.m. to 3p.m, 120 NIS/$35, lunch and transportation included in price.

The Kidron Valley reveals some of Jerusalem’s most pressing environmental challenges. This tour looks at the environmental history of the Kidron Valley until modern days. The Kidron Stream flows from the northern part of Jerusalem past the eastern side of the Old City, into the Judean desert and to the Dead Sea. The tour will begin by observing the valley from one of its lookouts, continue with a discussion about its history and religious background and end with a walk along the stream to the north while discussing its modern pollution and current environmental initiatives to overcome it.

On Foot from Spring to Ramot

Wednesday, April 23th, 9.30 a.m. to 2.30p.m, 120 NIS/$35, lunch and transportation included in price.

On a guided hike, this tour explores a range of environmental issues in the hills surrounding modern Jerusalem. From Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station, we will hike to Lifta, a former Arab village on the just outside of Jerusalem. During our hike in the Jerusalem forest, we will pass an organic farm, and a series of tunnels and bridges that will make up the new Jerusalem-Tel Aviv high speed rail line. The tour will examine issues like land use, access to nature, and the green-belt surrounding Jerusalem.

From Ein Kerem to the Trail of Natural Springs

Wednesday, April 30th, 9.30 a.m. to 2.30p.m, 120 NIS/$35, lunch and transportation included in price

This guided hike will go from , an ancient and quaint village on the outskirts to Jerusalem, through several springs to Hadasah Ein Kerem. This tour in parts of the Jerusalem forest will explore the natural environment just outside of Jerusalem, and look into issues of water, trees, and urban expansion.

Ein Lavan – Aminadav

Wednesday, May14th, 9.30 a.m. to 3p.m, 120 NIS/$35, lunch and public transportation included in price. EinLavan is a spring in the Refaim river nature reserve in Jerusalem that flows out of a cave with an arched stone entrance. This walking tour will explore this spring and its surrounding nature reserve which agricultural terraces, bike trails, and beautiful views.