Jessi’s Journey

In just a few short days Jessi Swann will be joining us at camp as the Assistant Sustainability Coordinator. Jessi is so passionate about sustainability and green living that in the short break between school and camp she decided to hop a plane to Israel and spend time living and learning on Kibbutz Lotan. Her days are filled with organic gardening, composting, and learning other sustainability techniques that she will come back and apply to Greene.

Below you’ll find excerpts from updates Jessi’s been sharing with us. Enjoy!

Traveling – “Where in the world is Jessi Swann?”

So I arrive at the Austin-Bergstrom airport bright and early for my 6:40 am flight to Newark, to a check-in line that is literally outside the door. Not much to do but wait, right? So that’s what I did. Wait…for about 4.5 hours.

Anyways, we discover that the ridiculously long line was the product of bad weather the day before – everyone who was trying to fly out yesterday was unable to and was thus flying out the next morning. By the time I get up there to check-in, the flight agents were more frazzled then some of the passengers – booking flights left and right, relentlessly. The agent re-booking my flight goes to town and decides that instead of trying to keep the straight shot I had (Austin to Newark, Newark to Tel-Aviv) decides I should go on a detour; Austin to Houston, Houston to Newark, Newark to Zurich (zur-what?), THEN Zurich to Tel-Aviv. No other option, so I had to take it.

When I got to Houston, I went to the customer service desk and they re-booked my flight again, this time from Houston to Newark, Newark to Tel-Aviv. Thank goodness. Keeping track of my luggage was another story, but long story short-I have it with me right now!

So after a very adventurous journey, I finally made it to Eilat, where I was graciously picked up by Nuphar, an Israeli counselor who will be working at camp this summer. I arrived at Kibbutz Lotan around 10:30 pm, and everything was dead silent. Mike, one of the educators at Lotan, met me at the entrance to the “Bustan” (the eco-village, pictures soon to come!) and showed me to my room, where I immediately got ready for bed and passed out – I was pretty exhausted and had a big day ahead of me.

Day 1: The fun begins!

My day started at 8:30 am with Shahaf, an Israeli whose doing a “shin-shin,” which is a volunteer program Israeli youth can do for one year before going to the army. We had a delicious breakfast with french toast, veggies (my favorite), all kinds of cheeses, yogurts, and of course Israeli coffee. Nothing like a filling Israeli breakfast to start your day!

After breakfast, I went on an amazing tour of the Kibbutz, which was packed with information – my jet-lagged brain was like a sponge, attempting to soak up as much as possible. It started in the Bustan, which is the eco-village where all of the eco-interns live. I learned about the base structure of all the buildings, which is clay, straw, water, and old trash the kibbutz recycled in order to make the skeletal frames. I find the trash part to be the most inventive – they use old tires, plastic bottles, glass, soda cans, and just about anything else you would normally throw away or recycle. This is the base of all of their structures, not just the living quarters – solar ovens, benches, tables, light structures, other buildings, just about anything. This could TOTALLY be done at camp too. We would have to adapt a few things because there’s a different climate, but that’s very easy. One of the number one things to keep the structure together is to coat the final product in oil, which keeps it from deteriorating from rain/water. On the kibbutz, they use the left-over cooking oil from the kitchen. I also did a little bit of research on straw-bale structures, and figured out that for wetter climates, a skeletal framework of either wood or metal allows for a stronger base and protects it during construction, which is the most vulnerable stage in the process. Another important thing is to prop your straw-bale structure on either rocks or stilts, in order to keep the ground moisture out. In the eco-village, the dorms are built on top of a layer of rocks, then there is a layer of steel to keep termites out.

The rest of my day was spent working in the garden, where I made “seed-balls” and weeded like no one has ever weeded before. The seed-balls are an awesome activity to do with any age – you literally make a paste out of clay, soil, and water, then add seeds of whatever you want. From there, you form little balls, which house the seeds from wind, bugs, and other harmful extremities. When it rains or gets wet, these little homes dissolve, placing the seeds directly into the ground and ready to grow.

I spent my evening watching an incredible sunset over the Adom Mountains, then eating and getting to know the Green Apprenticeship participants. Most of them are from all over the states, college-aged and passionate about the earth. One of the most useful pieces of advice I received today was about adaptation – everything that is done on this Kibbutz is specific to THIS climate, and it’s important to remember that any permaculture design and/or sustainable practice has to be adapted to the particular environment; what works here may not work somewhere else. It’s all about doing your research before hand, then giving it and go and seeing what works and what doesn’t!

Day 2

I somehow was able to wake up on time for the 6 am “morning celebration,” an everyday ritual before the eco-volunteers begin their work. It was led by Mike Kaplin, co-creator, director, and head permaculture teacher for the Center for Creative Ecology. We did a series of stretches to wake up the body, then got our day rolling.

We focused mostly on making the straw-bale mixture that serves as the binding agent for all of the domes in the Bustan neighborhood. It’s very simple to make – you fill up a tub with water, then dissolve wet clay in it. It’s ready when you take your hand out of the mixture and it is covered like a glove, not too thick but not too thin. From there, you submerge bundles of straw, then take handfuls and squeeze the excess clay-water out and throw the clump into another tub.

I also learned how to “read” my dome. Every morning, the dome residents record how much energy they use from the day before, as well as the temperatures in the dome from the day before. This way, you’re able to see what your consumption of energy is, which allows us to figure out ways to reduce it. Very cool way of having a direct impact on how you’re living.

The community is absolutely wonderful here – warm, welcoming, down to earth, and progressively minded. I’ve met people from all over the world, some volunteering, some working, and some just living. English is ubiquitous, as there are many cultures from all over in the same place. Being in a consciously minded community is pretty powerful, not to mention extremely motivating. For anyone who wants to explore the options at this place, check out the “Green Apprenticeship” tab on their main website: http://kibbutzlotan.com/index.html

Continue following Jessi’s adventure and find longer, more detailed posts on her blog. http://jswannatkibbutzlotan.blogspot.com/