Join us for a 4 week practical training program in hands-on sustainable living. We will learn about the design, building and running of various projects.
We will link together ecological, social, economic and cultural aspects into a unified whole. For instance, we will develop skills through hands-on work in our environmental education center, organic gardens, and natural building projects.
Students will live in the EcoCampus neighborhood featuring beautiful hand-crafted earth and straw bale domes. At the end of the course, participants receive an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification (PDC).
23 October 2023 – 22 November 2023 – English
8 January 2024 – 7 February 2024 – English
11 November 2024 – 11 december 2024 – English
For more information, please fill the form or
contact admissions@klotan.co.il +972-54-9799033
Are you:
Interested in a study program that includes environmental training and environmental studies
Looking for a way to complement your university degree program with an internship experience
Interested in study abroad
Searching for gap year programs in Israel
Looking for a kibbutz experience
Looking for a short-term course as a birthright extension program
Looking for a summer program in Israel
Looking for a component for your iTrack /Maslul Ishi MASA program
Then the Green Apprenticeship could be the program you are looking for!
No prior knowledge is required to participate in the course. We emphasize practical hands on experience. Participants from diverse professional and academic backgrounds have gained applicable tools and knowledge from the course. Whether you come from a background in sustainability or have little or no previous experience, this course can benefit you.
Let’s talk if you’re concerned about being under or overqualified.
Scan the first page of your passport / Israeli ID card
(including your picture)
C.V. / resume showing where you have studied, worked etc.
Send to admissions@klotan.co.il l and we will contact you
Cost of the program including tuition, room and full meal plan is 9573 ILS+VAT (Tourists with B1 / B2 Visas don’t need to pay VAT) See below for various options for grants and scholarships for Israelis and non-Israeli residents.
If the below options for financial assistance do not apply to you, please contact us and we will see what other options might be available.
Early Birds Discount – Register and pay in full one month prior to the course start date and receive 500 NIS discount.
Scholarship for Israeli Residents – As described at the Hebrew page.
New immigrants to Israel can receive a refund of 80% of the course fees as part of the Ministry of Absorption’s professional retraining program.
MASA Grant: Eligible participants may be able to apply for a MASA grant as part of a 4-5 month individualized “Maslool” Israel experience.
Paul Smith’s College: Now you can receive college credit for participating in the Green Apprenticeship at Kibbutz Lotan. Through a partnership with Paul Smith’s College, an accredited private college in upstate New York, Green Apprenticeship participants may receive 3 semester credits for successfully completing the program.
www.paulsmiths.edu/study-abroad/israel/
Top Israel Interns: TII now provides a list of organizations that give grants and scholarships for programs in Israel. www.topisraelinterns.com/scholarships/
Live in our famous Eco Campus and experience ecological living
Room and board (3 meals a day) for the duration of the program.
Rooms are equipped with beds, air conditioning, shelves, pillows, linens, and towels.
Shared accommodation (maximum 3 to a dome).
Meals are served either in the kosher kibbutz dining room (vegan/vegetarian options with meal or dairy) or we’ll cook vegan in our Eco-Campus kitchen.
The Center for Creative Ecology (CfCE) is a school for hands-on learning based on Mike’s philosophy that everyone is a teacher and everyone can choose to Do instead of just talk. He is one of the first Permaculture Instructors in Israel and has taken the formal Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) outdoors into the garden and the workshop. Together with Mike you’ll be planting food, mixing mud, constructing objects of beauty, maintaining conservation areas, having fun and laughing. As Director of the CfCE he oversees all of the staff’s activities and the content of our programs. Observing and interacting with Mike is a first-hand experience in successful business leadership with a big heart.
Alex teaches the theory of Permaculture Design, environmentally responsive architecture and renewable energy technologies. He mentors our Permaculture students during their course projects continues to support them as they’re building their businesses around the world. In regards to the buildings he’s designed on Kibbutz Lotan he says “We know how the buildings will save energy, that they meet safety standards and how much they cost. We don’t know what they’ll look like because that is in the hands of the people that join us to build them.” In addition to his practical work in researching energy efficient buildings for deserts, he writes about the spiritual connections of religions to caring for the earth.
Before joining Kibbutz Lotan, Mark was an underwater researcher in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. His work in marine ecology has extended to human ecology, a deep concern for protecting the environment, and curiosity into how society needs to evolve. Mark leads in-depth nature tours in the desert, practical technology lessons and sessions in new forms of economics and community organization. Mark is active in Israeli-Palestinian co-existance education and trains our staff which hosts thousands of visitors each year.
Debby brings the joy of her youth in Italy to the desert. She is a Kundalini Yoga teacher and is an engaging group interactions facilitator of the Green Apprenticeship group and the other college groups that work and study on Kibbutz Lotan. She is also the coordinator for our Israeli post-high school “Year of Service” leadership training program. She loves to prepare and enjoy Italian food at our Solar Tea House Restaurant, theme nights and jam sessions.
Rabbi Daniel puts his theology to work as he manages the landscaping of Kibbutz Lotan which is completely dependent on drip irrigation to survive in the desert. He holds certificates in both Permaculture and Spiritual Direction. You’ll get to know him from his lessons in irrigation and horticulture. He is a semi-professional vocalist, so you’ll want to get him singing while fixing water lines.
The Ecological Campus (EcoCampus) is a prototype model for sustainable development and offers residential students daily opportunities to experience living together as a micro community, creating an integral part of the educational experience. The mission of the EcoCampus is to teach and empower residential program participants to live an ecological lifestyle, to maintain a low carbon footprint and to advance environmentally appropriate housing and technologies.
The housing units are created from geodesic dome frames, straw bales and earth plaster. The straw bales and earth plaster together create super insulated structures with thick interior mass for temperature stability. In winter months the buildings are passively heated by sunlight entering the southern windows, where the heat is then stored in the walls and the floors. Night Time ventilation in the spring and fall cools the buildings which remain comfortable all day when the window shades are closed. In the summer the energy efficient domes out-perform all of the conventional buildings in the region by using considerably less electricity for cooling. The neighborhood is Carbon Negative as the solar panels produce more electricity than is needed to run the air conditioners and all the other appliances. Cooking gas is methane, produced by our unique biogas digester from kitchen scraps. All together a wonderful living experience.
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