passover


	*Dear Friends,* Looking ahead, Israel faces many significant challenges with great potential for environmental progress. Recent privatization of the Oil refinery in the Haifa Bay will only ensure that the public struggle for clean air, including the demand for stricter standards, the use of natural gas, and improving enforcement and public participation continues. This May we will celebrate 10 years since the founding of Green Course! We will commemorate Green Course by holding the first international environmental film festival –EcoCinema- in Israel. And since we have reached a record number of 26 chapters of volunteers in campuses across the country, this will be a great opportunity to thank all of the volunteers and supporters who have taken part in the most important changes in the environmental movement in Israel.


	Upcoming Main Events: April 5th-7th Passover public outreach activities across Israel 13th-14th Environmental Leadership Training seminar for youth movement - leadership in Northern Israel 19th Chapter Director National Forum 20th Earth Day public activities 27th-28th Environmental education seminar for young leadership in the Southern Israel


	Safdi Plan Green Course's Jerusalem chapters at the Herbew University at Givat Ram, Mt. Scopus, the David Yellin College, Hadassah College, and Bezalel School of Arts- have lead widespread and ongoing activities in opposition to the Safdi Plan for more than four years. The campaign was undertaken mostly by student volunteers who cooperated with a coalition of varying organizations to create a complete timetable of volunteer meetings and workshops, community activities and demonstrations, soliciting media-coverage, sponsorship, and political mapping. At the height of the campaign, Green Course drafted 11,000 signatories out of 16,000 petitioned. On October 17, 2006, up to 900 volunteers participated in a huge demonstration in Jerusalem while the National Planning and Building Commission discussed the plan. 500 volunteers also rallied during an important meeting on February 6, 2007 –all part of which were recruited by Green Course activists! The Safdi plan being utterly diminished is a huge victory for all those who love the City of Gold. The intense activity of the Safdi plan has thus bonded different environmental groups within Jerusalem and amongst Green Course chapters; a new eco-alliance has now been formed for the upcoming campaigns for although one battle has been concluded, there are many challenges ahead…


	The New Chapters of Green Course In 1997 Green Course was first founded. A year later Green grew to 4 chapters. By 2002 it had grown to 17 chapters, whereas today Green Course consists of 26 chapters nationwide. This year alone Green Course added 5 new campus chapters: Ariel college, Rupin college and the extension near Netanya, David Illin in Jerusalem, and Emeq Israel near Affula. The ability of Green Course to grow and spread at this rate while assisting in current projects and helping new projects form stems from the changes Green Course made last summer. Green Course chapters now focus on the environmental-well-being on the local level in: southern Israel, central Israel (including Jerusalem) and northern Israel. Nevertheless all founding chapters start the same way: a student that cares makes a connection with Green Course because he or she recognizes Green Course as a platform for making a change. A Green Course Regional Director then assists the student who will become the Chapter Director and build a working program for the specific campus. Then the student petitions for the group by targeting the student body and the administration. Subsequently the student will recruit members by use of flyers, stands, and assembly. Finally the plans for activism are formed when members have joined and meetings have been held. From here the new chapter forms its own identity according to the demands and needs of campus greening, the surrounding area, and adjacent chapters.


	As activities are underway in 26 Green Course chapters in campuses and across Israel we thank all of those who have supported and allowed Green Course to grow in activities and outreach for a better environment.