Sustainable, ecology, environmentalism, recycling, wildlife reintroduction, sustainability, green, altruism, and more and more…

We will soon become accustomed to these words, which are only jargon for most of us, but for a growing part of the population have become filled with meaning in everyday life.

Without having noticed, it has suddenly come to our attention in recent years that there is apparently a price for our unbridled consumption, and the bill is being served for payment quicker than we imagined. We all think twice before using drinking tap water, and are no longed astounded when we hear on the radio that "in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, it is recommended to remain indoors today and not to engage in aerobic activity, due to high levels of air pollution."

This past Lag B'Omer, the Environment Committee headed by Neri Ereli picked up the gauntlet, and together with council head Dov Litvinoff and secretary Yaacov Akrish devised and launched Environmental Preservation Year. This was launched in a different kind of event that for the first time placed all the high-flown words in the center and made them tangible. Yaacov Akrish mobilized the resources and harnessed all the forces, Ayala Zaguri produced masterfully and the residents of Har Amasa set up an ecological village compound at the tip of Nahal Zohar.

At the entrance to the compound, visitors could already see toilet stalls of a different kind. These toilets recycle waste and surprisingly enough, have no odor and are very pleasant to use.

All the visitors, and especially the children, were pleased to find a variety of creative activities in the village, based on materials collected in nature or recycled from the Dudaim landfill. As opposed to aggressive bouncing on large inflatables, we were pleased to see the children sitting together in a corner dedicated to complex brain teasers, and for a change, concentrating and meeting themselves.

The heat of this magical afternoon was alleviated by draught beer and colorful food stands. To wrap things up, singer Pablo Rosenberg took the stage.

In addition to everything else, the event taught us all that if one wants to, it is possible to convey a moral issue with vital content even in the framework of an enjoyable social get-together for the whole family.