‫בית הספר לתלמידי חו"ל‬
International School
Green Technologies: Sustainability and the Environment in Israel
Dr. Andrea Ghermandi
Course Number: 702.2111
Class Location: To be confirmed
Class Time: To be confirmed
Office Hours: By appointment
Location: Room 509, Jacobs Building
Phone: 04-828-8542
E-Mail: aghermand@univ.haifa.ac.il
Course Description:
Israel is rated as one of the most advanced countries in the world for the management of water and
renewable energy resources, and as a leader in developing innovative and sustainable technologies.
This course focuses on environmental challenges in Israel and the innovative solutions that were
developed to protect the natural environment and make efficient use of the limited available natural
resources. Particular emphasis is given on sectors in which Israel achieves global excellence, such
as water conservation and recycling, desalination, solar energy and advanced agricultural
technologies such as drip irrigation. The focus of the lectures is on the critical assessment of the
environmental, economic and social implications of implementation of the presented technological
solutions, and on the discussion of the potential role and limitations of (green) technologies in
achieving the wider objectives of sustainable development in the Israeli context. Although the basic
concepts for understanding the functioning of the presented green technologies are presented, a
technical background is not required to fully profit from the course. Upon completion, the students
are expected to have a good understanding of the basic principles of sustainable development and
the potential role of the currently available green technologies to promote its achievement in Israel
and similar contexts.
Course Requirements:
The course is executed by means of a sequence of frontal lectures, guest lectures, and classroom
discussions based on reading assignments. When feasible, classroom learning is supplemented with
study trips to familiarize the students with the technologies and their application in Israel.
Mandatory reading assignments are posted weekly on the University’s eLearning Portal. Students
are required to post once a week a written response to the mandatory readings and are expected to
participate in the ensuing class discussions. The course also includes a midterm and final written
exam, which test students on the fundamentals learned throughout the course. The midterm exam
is in the form of multiple choice testing while the final exam will include both a section of multiple
choice questions and an essay question.
Attendance requirement: at least 80% of classes
Final Grade:
Weekly reading and writing assignments
Midterm exam
20%
35%
‫ חיפה‬,‫ הר הכרמל‬,1 ‫שד' אבא חושי‬3498838 Abba Hushi Blvd 199, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Tel: 972 4 8240766 Fax: + 972 4 8240391 EMAIL terez@univ.haifa.ac.il
‫בית הספר לתלמידי חו"ל‬
International School
Final exam
45%
‫ חיפה‬,‫ הר הכרמל‬,1 ‫שד' אבא חושי‬3498838 Abba Hushi Blvd 199, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Tel: 972 4 8240766 Fax: + 972 4 8240391 EMAIL terez@univ.haifa.ac.il
‫בית הספר לתלמידי חו"ל‬
International School
Course Outline and Reading List
The course contents are subdivided into six sections, each of the approximate duration of two
lectures. Reading assignments are specific for each section, as detailed in the following table.
Section
1
2
3
4
5
6
Subject
The environment in Israel: resources and challenges
Sustainable development and the role of technology
Israel as a leader in green technology
Technologies for sustainable water management
Energy and renewable energy in Israel
Advanced agricultural technologies
Readings
[1,2]
[3,4,5]
[6,7,8]
[9,10,11]
[12,13,14]
[15,16, 17]
Bibliography
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
Tal, A. (2002). The Promised Land. University of California Press (extracts).
Orenstein, D., Tal, A., and Miller, C. (eds.) (2013). Between Ruin and Restoration: an
environmental history of Israel. University of Pittsburgh press (extracts).
United Nations (2012). The Future We Want. Resolution 66/228 adopted by the general
assembly. Final document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20).
Ministry of Environmental Protection (2005-2010). The path toward sustainable
development in Israel.
Vollenbroek, F.A. (2002). Sustainable development and the challenge of innovation.
Journal of Cleaner Production 10: 215:223.
WWF and Global Cleantech Group (2014). The Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2014.
Ayalon, O., & Lavee, D. (2007). Promoting the role of Israel's environmental technologies
in the international market. International Journal of Business Environment 1(4), 428-441.
Li, W., Rubin, T.H., & Onyina, P.A. (2012). Comparing solar water heater popularization
policies in China, Israel and Australia: The roles of governments in adopting green
innovations. Sustainable Development, DOI: 10.1002/sd.1547.
Tal, A. (2006). Seeking sustainability: Israel's evolving water management strategy.
Science 313(5790), 1081-1084.
Becker, N., Lavee, D., & Katz, D. (2010). Desalination and alternative water-shortage
mitigation options in Israel: A comparative cost analysis. J. Water Resource and Protection
2, 1042-1056.
Feitelson, E., and Rosenthal, G. (2012). Desalination, space and power: The ramifications
of Israel’s changing water geography. Geoforum 43: 272-284.
Karakosta, C., Doukas, H., & John, P. (2010). EU–MENA energy technology transfer
under the CDM: Israel as a frontrunner? Energy Policy, 38(5), 2455-2462.
‫ חיפה‬,‫ הר הכרמל‬,1 ‫שד' אבא חושי‬3498838 Abba Hushi Blvd 199, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Tel: 972 4 8240766 Fax: + 972 4 8240391 EMAIL terez@univ.haifa.ac.il
‫בית הספר לתלמידי חו"ל‬
International School
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
Rokach, J.Z. (2012). Israel’s zero-emission energy paradox. The Electricity Journal 25(2):
54-62.
Teschner, N., McDonald, A. Foxon, T.J., and Paavola, J. (2012). Integrated transition
toward sustainability: The case of water and energy policies in Israel. Technological
Forecasting & Social Change 79: 457–468.
Tielbörger, K., Fleischer, A., Menzel, L., Metz, J., & Sternberg, M. (2010). The aesthetics
of water and land: a promising concept for managing scarce water resources under climate
change. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and
Engineering Sciences 368(1931), 5323-5337.
Tal, A. (2007). To make a desert bloom: The Israeli agricultural adventure and the quest for
sustainability. Agricultural History 81(2): 228-257.
Shuval, H. (2013) The agricultural roots of Israel’s water crisis. In: Orenstein, D., Tal, A.,
and Miller, C. (eds.) (2013). Between Ruin and Restoration: an environmental history of
Israel. University of Pittsburgh press.
‫ חיפה‬,‫ הר הכרמל‬,1 ‫שד' אבא חושי‬3498838 Abba Hushi Blvd 199, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Tel: 972 4 8240766 Fax: + 972 4 8240391 EMAIL terez@univ.haifa.ac.il