About the project
Rainwater Harvesting in Schools
According to the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, protecting and conserving water resources is one of Israel’s biggest environmental challenges today. This is what prompted the Jerusalem Foundation to begin implementing the Rainwater Harvesting program in schools all over the city in order to provide Jerusalem’s children with an early education about the importance of environmental preservation. Since the project’s launch in 2010, 24 schools all over Jerusalem have installed a rainwater collection and harvesting system, which collects rainwater from the schools’ roof and stores it for use in flushing toilets, cleaning, irrigation of greenhouses and indoor planters. During the summer, the system can be harnessed for recycling water from drinking fountains and taps, which would then be used for irrigation of the school grounds.
Elementary and junior high schools in both the city center and neighborhoods such as Katamon, Kiryat Hayovel, Ein Karem, Talpiot, Rehavia, Pisgat Zeev, Armon Hanatziv, the Muslim Quarter, A-Tur, and Abu Tor are all involved in the program, ensuring that children who are religious, secular, Jewish, Arab, and special education are all involved in water conservation efforts. The rainwater harvesting systems affect 5,000-6,000 children from all walks of life in Jerusalem, creating a platform that brings Israeli, Palestinian, religious, and secular children together to conserve water and help save our planet. In its first years alone, the Rainwater Harvesting program collected over 1,300,000 liters of water, and inspired students to expand their environmental efforts to issues such as recycling, healthy eating and cooking, solar energy, and more; creating a generation of environmentally conscious students who will build an environmentally friendly future for Jerusalem.
