If you think about it, eco tourism has the potential to be a tool for promoting peace. It promotes cultural exchange and understanding, economic opportunities, and a shared commitment to preserving communal resources. Which is why Friends of the Earth Middle East, a tri-national NGO with offices in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authorities, has launched the Neighbors’ Paths project.

The Neighbors’ Paths series of community-based eco tours focuses on water and peace-building between Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian communities with the hopes that communities who share the same water source can come together upon realization of their common future goals and needs. Highlights of the paths include sights related to the water history or current water reality of the area. According to Green Prophet writer and Friends of the Earth Middle East intern Rachel Bergstein, “in the Palestinian village of Auja, for instance, visitors stop at Ein Auja (Auja Spring), the community’s historical water source, where they can also learn about water struggles between Palestinian farmers and Israeli settlers.”

Rachel also describes the Neighbors’ Paths tour of Emeq Hefer in Israel, which includes the Yad Hannah Wastewater Treatment Plant, “a water treatment facility that is the result of cooperation between Emek Hefer’s City Council and the Mayor of Tulkarem, Emek Hefer’s Palestinian partner. The facility treats wastewater from both Palestinian and Israeli sources, and protects the Alexander River, which Israelis and Palestinians share.”

Hopefully cooperation regarding regional environmental matters will lead to a larger scale peace.

Read more about shared environmental concerns in the Middle East at Green Prophet::
Water Planning, Problems, and Propositions for Palestinians
Palestinian Agro-Industrial Park: A Sustainable Plan?
Lifesource: Working for Water Justice in Israel and Palestine

As Rachel Bergstein (who often writes about how environmental issues and Israeli-Palestinian relations overlap) from Green Prophet writes, necessity is the mother of invention. And if nothing else good comes out of the shortages in Gaza, then the electric cars that have been developed in order to overcome the shortage of fuel are a small shining light.

Waseem Khazendar and Fayaz Anan, two innovators in Gaza, have responded to the need for an alternative to fuel and found a way to convert regular cars into electric cars. For their first project, Khazendar and Anan converted a 1994 Peugot 205 to run on 34 standard car batteries. You’d think that a car like that might not be very effective or fast, but it travels up to 60 mph, and can run for up to 100 miles on a single charge. The car can be charged by a standard electrical outlet for just $1.50 per charge, which is a stark contrast to the $50 per gallon highs that Gaza Strip drivers have paid for gasoline.

Around 400 Gazans have lined up to have Khazendar and Anan convert their cars (at the cost of $2500), but due to the blockades from Israel there are only enough supplies to convert around 30-40 cars. If Israel drops the blockade, the price would probably drop to $1700 meaning more people could afford to have the conversion performed which would be better for the Gazans and better for the environment (which, ultimately, would be better for everyone in the long run).

This project, though at a very small scale now, has the potential to bridge Palestinian-Israeli relations through business as well. To date, Khazendar spoke with an Israeli firm about obtaining a patent for their engine. And as for Anan, he said that he would be happy to work with Israelis for business: “Maybe we, Israelis and Palestinians, can save the world together.”

We hope so too.

Thankfully, some people are looking at the bigger picture and long term sustainability in the region. According to Green Prophet, a plan is being outlined for the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection and Palestinian Authority to work together to resolve joint environmental concerns. They will work together to green the land – no matter whose land it is.

The plan is being drafted by Professor Alon Tal of Ben Gurion University and Dr. Muhammad Said Al-Hmaida of Bir Zeit University. One of the ideas being integrated into their plan is the appointment of Palestinian and Israeli environmental managers.

So how would this collaboration work exactly? According to Tal, “Israel would have a say in the sewage treatment strategy in the Palestinian sector – which directly affects our water resources, just as the Palestinians would have access to monitoring of Israeli air pollution sources that are transboundary and impact their air quality.”

Any other ideas or stories out there about how environmental collaboration in the Middle East can lead to peace?

A new type of tourism has been sweeping all over the Middle East lately, though. Eco-tourism.

Eco-tourism is a type of tourism that both preserves natural habitats and eco-systems as well as exercising sustainable tourism. Meaning, tourists can enjoy natural wonders without harming them.

Green Prophet, a website based in Israel which hopes to foster an environmentally friendly future of Israel, its neighbors, and beyond, has been surveying some of the eco-tourism options in the region. Here’s a recap of what they’ve found:

Israel: There are a lot of organic and environmentally guesthouses in Israel where you can learn about organic farming and waste-free living. These include the Lotan Center for Creative Ecology near Eilat and Bein Haruv Lezait in the western Galilee. Tourists can also volunteer on organic farms all over the country in exchange for room and board through the Israeli branch of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.

Jordan: Jordan has a variety of eco-tourism options, ranging from tour operator companies that specialize in sustainable tourism to full blown eco lodges. Terhaal Eco Adventure offers a variety of outdoor activities that highlight Jordan’s natural sites, and so does Baobab – an alternative eco-tourism company. The Feynan Lodge, developed by Jordan’s Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, is an eco paradise in the middle of the desert which demonstrates sustainable living methods.

Lebanon: Lebanon also has a wide variety of options, with the highlight being the Lebanon Mountain Trail – a 440 kilometer path leading from the north to the south of the country that passes through multiple natural reserves and small villages. The Eco Village in Lebanon’s Dmit Valley allows tourists to participate in organic farming and environmentally friendly activities such as mud hut construction. TLB Destinations and Blue Carrot Adventures offer eco tourism trips all over Lebanon.

I’d love to hear more about other eco-tourism options in the Middle East. Any noteworthy spots in Syria? Turkey? Saudi Arabia?