Phone: 972-2-626-6800 FAX: 972-2-628-5764 ADDRESS: Muristan Road P.O. Box 14076 Jerusalem 91140 via Israel
At the EEC’s pristine hilltop location in Beit Jala’s rolling green countryside, it is easy to assume that one is in a country free from
environmental problems. This statement is far from the truth, however; a
widespread lack of environmental awareness among the Palestinian population
has led to environmental degradation--pollution, loss of biodiversity, and
loss of habitat for indigenous animals--and has created conditions that
seriously jeopardize the future of Palestine’s natural environment.
Continued Israeli military occupation of Palestinian lands has further exacerbated certain environmental problems. Israeli control over Palestinian
ground water resources, severe restriction of Palestinian freedom of
movement, the continued confiscation of Palestinian land, and the
destruction of countless groves of centuries-old olive trees pose additional grave threats to
the region’s ecology.
The EEC is working to address these overwhelming environmental concerns
through program offerings for the Center’s many potential participants,
including students, teachers, women, and local graduate students and
decision-makers. Some programs and workshops take place on site at the
Center, at the natural history museum, environmental exhibitions, Biblical
and botanical gardens, or the bird-ringing and monitoring station. Other
educational programs take place in public and private schools and community
centers throughout the region. 
For example, the Environmental Public Awareness Campaign for the Preservation of Water is a project that creates public awareness for the preservation of the limited water sources in the Palestinian Territories. Involving approximately 500,000 people in the three West Bank Districts of Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Hebron, it will encourage local residents to use more effective conservation techniques to preserve safe water sources, now limited even more by the confiscation of previously available resources.
Another project addresses the problem of garbage.
Garbage not only contributes to the spread of disease; its disposal also requires landfills
that increase potential environmental hazards. Burning and dumping methods
used during the present political conflict cause environmental problems and
waste reusable natural resources. In this project, glass and paper, which
make up nearly 20% of hard waste, will be sent to recycling centers. The
ELCJHL's Schools plan to participate in the paper recycling project.
Another project simply encourages Palestinian youth to enjoy nature. Palestinians have few recreational outlets from the physical and mental hardships of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This project, an enriched educational experience for Palestinian youth, will address the recreational and emotional rehabilitative needs of Palestinian youth affected by the violence of their daily lives. The goal of this project is not only to provide Palestinian youth with a mental and physical pause from stress but also to promote environmental awareness via early intervention.
You can learn more about the EEC by visiting the Center’s website.
• Help the community, especially students, teachers, women and graduate students, to understand the position and role of humans in and with their environment.
• Increase awareness of the economic, scientific, and cultural values of natural resources.
• Develop and form healthy values, attitudes, and skills that are necessary to promote a positive relationship between humans and their environment.
The main objective of the Environmental Education Center is to increase awareness of ecological issues among the community by means of educational programs that emphasize the relationship between humans and their environment. Focus is also placed on the development of positive values and attitudes in regard to the environment and natural resources.Specific objectives include the following:
The history of the Environmental Education Center (EEC) of the ELCJHL began with a broad educational project initiated by the ELCJHL Schools and Bir Zeit University, a large Palestinian university near Ramallah, in 1986. Education for Awareness and Involvement (EAI) was a cooperative project to integrate themes of civic responsibility and environmental issues into the existing school curriculum. The program emphasized political and social norms; it encouraged students to become involved in various activities that would improve their communities.
The EAI program’s activities formed the basis for founding Children for the Protection of Nature in Palestine (CPNP) in 1992. This organization formalized and strengthened the ELCJHL’s commitment to environmental education. Without office facilities or grounds of its own, the CPNP program worked within the ELCJHL Schools and other local public, private, and UN-administered schools. It introduced young people to their Palestinian natural heritage and biodiversity, and, seeing them as the future stewards and caretakers of the Palestinian environment, taught them about conservation measures and environmentally-conscious lifestyles. In 1998, the CPNP moved into office facilities and grounds on the spacious campus of the Talitha Kumi School in Beit Jala and became a formal educational program of the ELCJHL.
With permanent office space and a large area of natural land at its disposal, the CPNP immediately began to broaden the range of its educational offerings. A botanical garden featured local plants from both Biblical and modern times; a Palestine natural history museum, an interactive environmental exhibition, and a ringing and monitoring station for studying bird migration trends were soon also established. At the same time the program added teachers, women, and local graduate students and decision-makers to the list of groups served.
In keeping with the program’s growing vision and offerings, the CPNP was renamed the Environmental Education Center (EEC) in 2002. Educating the next generation of Palestinian citizens and leaders is still central to the EEC’s mission: Children for the Protection of Nature in Palestine today remains one of the primary educational initiatives of the EEC.
The EEC is always in need of volunteers for the implementation of its environmental programs and projects. Anyone interested in these areas is encouraged to apply.