I spent the past summer working with Bustan. What I enjoyed most was getting to know the Bustan staff and the Bedouin communities. I learned a lot about environmental issues in Israel and Bedouin culture in the Negev, as well as about myself. From living in the Green Center to going to a Bedouin wedding to helping out building a mosque from mud and straw bales, I have a lot of memories from this summer that I'll keep with me.

I worked on a variety of projects this summer. Helping to plan the water tour taught me a lot about the state of the environment in Israel and was an interesting experience. I took over coordinating the permaculture course and went with them to see the solar panels in Dreijat and the mud and straw bale mosque in Wadi al Na'am. One experience I'll always remember is the shock when a demolition order was placed on the mosque as we were working on it. The enthusiasm of the other volunteers to do something was inspiring and I'm glad I had the chance to help as we publicized the event.

My my most rewarding experience was initiating and working on the Waste Management Project. The project aims to reduce trash generated in Bedouin communities, and to find alternative methods of disposing of trash in the unrecognized villages, which lack infrastructure for trash collection. I was very lucky  to receive the support of all the members of Bustan in every stage of the project, from when I first tentatively introduced the idea to when we built benches from trash in Hura the day I left. I grew a lot from working on the project and I hope that it is something that will continue to benefit Bedouin communities. 

The support of Bustan throughout my entire experience has been great, and I hope to stay in touch with Bustan and the friends I made there. Thank you for welcoming me into your organization this summer, giving me a home in the Green Center, and allowing me to make my own mark in the Bedouin communities.  Even though I'm miles away right now, I hope to continue to be involved with environmental justice issues in the Negev, and will always be a friend to Bustan.

For the last six months, Emily McKee, a doctoral student in anthropology, lived in the Green Center, conducted research about the environmental movement in Israel, and worked as an (unpaid!) staff member with BUSTAN.  She was especially invaluable as coordinator of the permaculture course. Here are her reflections about working with BUSTAN:
 
For the past 6 months, I have been working closely with Bustan.  The issues of environmental justice, sustainable living, and eco-skills sharing with which Bustan is dealing are critical for residents of the Negev, Israeli society, and the wider global community.  As an anthropologist interested in creative and holistic approaches to addressing the Negev's environmental dilemmas, my time of research and participation here has been fascinating.  In addition to being welcomed into meetings and public events, I have been acting as the coordinator for Bustan's Permaculture Course, which has been running since early April and will finish in August.  Through this course, I have met inspiring people from many sectors of Israeli society who seek to improve the current and future quality of their communities' lives and environments.  Together, we have learned techniques for planning and creating healthy gardens in the desert, toured an ecological farm to witness the principles of permaculture in action, and dug our hands and feet into mud and straw to practice green building.

Living in the Green Center since December, the folks at Bustan have been friends, colleagues, and roommates to me.  Thank you for your openness, for the camaraderie of shared work, the potluck dinners, the thoughtful conversations on long bus rides -- and one great wedding!  I look forward to staying in touch with everyone and seeing Bustan's projects continue to grow.

In January, the Bustan Green Center hosted three volunteers from HaShomer Ha Tsair who are in Israel on a ten month long post high school service program.  The volunteers chose Bustan as their elective site to work with and learn from the Bustan team and partners.

Throughout their time, the volunteers partook in a wide range of activities:

·          Working with local youth at the Khura community center, building a garden, mud 

·          Gardening at the Traditional Medicinal Herb site in Tel Sheva

·          Participating on Bustan's Negev Unplugged Tour

·          Renovating a kindergarten playground in the township of Rahat

 The experience left a strong impact on all individuals involved, from the communities to the volunteers themselves. As Tamar, one of the volunteers, writes:

I have found these three weeks to be a personally-driven experience-it had a profound influence on me, my relationship with myself and my relationship with the outside world. I have seen and heard things that I would have otherwise never been able to see, and that has required to me to answer to questions that plague our society and our individual consciences…

This is what Bustan should be praised for most….the connections that Bustan has created with the most controversial communities and the ability that it has to expose volunteers to the truths that we don't usually see in an honest and simple way is incredible. I feel that for the first time, I myself was on the inside of a story, then realized that it was no story at all, but rather, reality.

I don't want my time here to become a "once-in-a-life-time" experience . I feel that to label it as such would belittle Bustan's purpose.  I want to keep myself present in the reality that I've been brought in to here. I've been wondering for several years now how I can change the world and address the problems I see in it. It is a challenging task, because so often we don't know where to begin with the problems that plague us the most. These three weeks have shown me how to begin that process.

We thank Tamar, Mira and Alyssa for their time, energy and inspiring spirits that left a powerful impact on us all.