Green and Healthy City

Protecting the environment for you

Ramla Municipality is in the midst of developing a sustainable city plan for responsible water and energy management, waste reduction and maximizing recycling opportunities. More in this plan: improving air quality, green procurement management, preserving and cultivating open areas and planning and developing landscapes while maintaining transparency and keeping the public informed.

Mapping – firstly, the city’s status must be mapped. Meeting must be held with department and branch managers to raise opportunities for improvement and plans for the future, to determine the main issues on the agenda (water, waste, air, planning and energy) and to prepare an outline for a plan of action.

Recycle and protect the environment

Working for you in Green Education

Green education. Curriculum covering water, energy, and waste management, recycling, animals, sustainable development, and more was taught in preschools and schools. Pupils conducted surveys, wrote research papers and toured different sites throughout the country, namely a plant, quarry, and Nesher plant. Similarly, pupils participated in municipal clean up days and in cultivating and preserving public parks near schools.

So small, yet so green. Aviv, Amihai, Gilboa, Arazim and Savion preschools received a ‘Green Preschool’ label certification awarded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment. The judging committee was impressed by the ecological garden in the playground, the water and energy management activities, separating waste for recycling, parental involvement in environmental endeavor, and mainly by the wonderful children who demonstrated extensive environmental knowledge.

Green Exhibit. Elementary and junior high schools engaged this past year in ‘sustainability’ - the main theme of the 2009-10 school year. One could view the spectacular products on display at the main exhibit held at the end of the school year at ‘Eshkol Hapais’. Visitors received professional explanations from pupils who presented their work.

Youth serving the environment

Youth in the formal and non-formal educational systems, are actively involved in cultivating different spaces of the city, and in drawing on its walls. The pupils assist in cutting down on graffiti, improving the city’s façade, and have a major impact on the appearance of their residential areas.

Wall drawings. In 2009, wall drawings were assigned to municipal youth movements: Ahva Scouts (Zofei Ahva), Shva Scouts, Bnei Akiva religious youth movement and Hanoar Ha’oved VeHalomed (Working and Studying Youth) youth movement. Youth group members and counselors located places requiring improvement, and planned and implemented the drawing.

As part of the municipal activity to improve residents’ quality of life, Ramla Municipality has installed 25 special bins for collecting dog waste. The dog waste bins have been placed in public parks and in thickets for maintaining clean, well-kept surroundings for the benefit of the city’s residents.

Dog owners are requested to have plastic bags ready for collecting dog waste so that it may be disposed of in the special bins. Additionally, the Municipality Environment Unit and the Sanitation Dept. has placed recycling bins for newspapers, bottles and cardboard throughout the city.

So Small, Yet So Green

Ramla is on the map – five preschools received green label certification

At the national ceremony certifying green preschools held at the Exhibition Gardens, five preschools received the “Green Preschool” label certification: the Gilboa, Savion, Amihai, Arazim and Aviv preschools. The event held in the morning alongside the certification of green schools, was conducted in the presence of the Minister of Education – Gideon Saar and the Minister of Environment – Gilad Arden, as well as the Managing Directors of the Ministries, district managers, environmental education coordinators and preschool teachers from all over Israel. Ramla was represented by preschool teachers and assistants who work in five preschools, the Municipality Preschool Division Director, the Environmental Education Coordinator, the state and state religious preschool supervisors, and the Karev Foundation Project coordinators.